SchoolFront has added the ability to import the contents of an Employee form using a properly configured Excel spreadsheet. This makes it much easier to generate a new instance of an already-submitted form with revisions. You might want to do this if you have to re-submit yearly forms with information that does not change, or only changes slightly. This does not change old forms, it creates new ones based off of the old information. Which you are able to edit once exported into the Excel spreadsheet. This makes the process of creating a new form much faster if you are going to be using the same information, rather than using Available Forms or Submitting From The Employee Grid.
Follow the directions below to learn how!
A. Export Template From Read Only Grid:
1. Login to SchoolFront.com
2. Go to "Process Forms"-> "All Forms" and select a form, this will open the Read-Only grid.
3. Here you can filter for the column choices that you'd like.
- A custom grid layout is optional, and will assist if you'd like to only update certain columns for the new form.
4. Once satisfied, select the "Export" button at the top of the grid.
5. Open the Excel File and switch the column name of "Staff ID" to "EmployeeNumber". Exactly as typed between the quotations.
- You can optionally delete additional columns, that you do not wish to update.
6. Save when done.
B. Manually Create Excel Export: If the form you want does not have a read only grid, you will have to manually create the excel file.
1. Open a new blank Excel spreadsheet, this functionality only allows 1 form per excel sheet. (Example: Emergency Contact would need its own Excel Sheet and if you wanted to do a Direct Deposit Form as well, you would need to open a new excel file template using the "Export Template From Read Only Grid" instructions above.)
- Columns will be the updateable field names Found Here.
- Row 1 will be column names, row 2 and on will be your input values.
2. Make cell (A1) EmployeeNumber
-Each row (starting with EmployeeNumber) is a new form. (Example: 100 rows = 100 new forms.)
3. Manually fill in custom field-field names for row 1.
- Custom Field rules apply. (Example: If Submitter=Hidden, then the Column will not populate.)
- All custom fields referenced within the excel sheet must have the "Field Name" and not their display name. The field name must match exactly and they can be Found Here.
4. Reference the employee to their number and update your editable fields.
Example:
C. Import From File:
1. Go to "Process Forms"-> "Import From File"
2. Choose the Form Category and Form that you were working on within the Excel sheet.
3. Select the "Choose File" button to select the Excel file.
4. Select the "Upload" button to preview the import.
5. Review the content to be sure that it looks correct. If it does not look correct, click the "Cancel Import" button and re-edit the spreadsheet to make the content correct.
6. If it looks correct click the "Import Data" button.
7. New forms will be created in the system using the information you put into the spreadsheet.
8. Go to "Process Forms"-> "Forms I Submitted" to view the new forms that you created.
D. Troubleshooting:
Q: Why do I see ignored columns?
A: "Staff ID" column was not changed or, the columns are not custom fields that are available for the submitter to edit.
Q: Why does a custom field not appear that I am expecting?
A: Custom field rules are generally the culprit when a custom field does not populate.