Outputs and Custom PDFs

Below, you will learn about:

• Outputs

• Default output in a summary document

• Custom summary output documents

• Making a fillable PDF in Adobe Acrobat

• Mapping form fields to PDF fields

• Accessing output summaries

Outputs   

ClearForms allows admin users to configure many aspects of the Output (the Summary Document) which is the record or receipt of a completed submission. 

Output Tab in the Administrative Dashboard 

Navigate to the Admin Dashboard in ClearForms and select the Form Outputs tab. Here you can filter and sort to quickly retrieve the summary documents you are looking for. 

Output Tab inside of a Specific Form

Enter a specific form and navigate to the Outputs tab to view the automatically generated Summary Document that is generated at the end of a completed submission. 

In this Output tab, you can:

• Set Issuance requirements 
• Set Expiration Dates
• Add a watermark
• Set a Validity Period for the document 
• Edit Renewal Settings 
• Choose between Default Output or Custom PDF. We will walk through each of these below.

Default Output - Summary Document 

To configure the default Output summary PDF document, select the Outputs tab from the Form page. Under Document Configuration, select Default (Use standard summary document).

The printout will automatically include the following elements at the top of the first page:

• Government (Team) name
• Logo (provided you have customized your Team name and added a logo in the Team section)
• Form name
• Date launched (by Applicant)
• Applicant Name
• Status (e.g. Active, Completed, Halted)

Add Text:

By adding text to the large boxes in the screenshot above, you can augment the questions and answers and information already captured as part of the submission.

• Header: Many governments use this for their physical address, web address, email address, and phone number.
• Intro text: A good place to add more description about the submission or remind the applicant of requirements they must adhere to.
• Outro Text: Use this to clarify which elements must be visible in the document for it to be a completed permit (e.g. This permit is valid if a signature appears under "Health Department Inspection" and the above indicates a permit fee was paid) or include legal disclaimers.
• Footer: Another good place to insert legal disclaimers, information about expiration, or additional contact information.

Include or Exclude Form Data:

At the end of the Output Settings, you can select which sections of the form should appear on each printout. You can determine whether to include information from Collect Information, Payment, and Review steps, and choose to include Formula results by selecting or de-selecting the check box next to each piece of information.

 

Custom Summary Output Documents

 

To configure a custom Output summary PDF document, select the Outputs tab from the Form page. Under Document Configuration, select Custom (Use a custom uploaded PDF) and select the Manage custom documents button. Then, click or drag a fillable PDF document to get started.

Creating a fillable PDF document to use for a custom Output

Our customizable document Output feature allows you to map selected fields from your form to any fillable PDF document. 

Where do I get a Fillable PDF? 

The first step is to create a fillable PDF in the format you want for export.

If you have access to Adobe Acrobat software (not just Acrobat Reader, but the version that allows you to edit and create PDFs), you can easily make a fillable PDF.

To Make a Fillable PDF in Adobe Acrobat: 

1. In Acrobat, select Prepare Form from the tools menu to add and label fillable fields. You'll create one fillable field for each location on your Output (export).
2. Insert Text fields for text, numeric values, and signatures, or checkbox fields for multiple-choice or checkbox answers. 
   1. If you have a list of potential answers for a multiple choice or checkbox field, you can use the checkbox field type on the reference PDF - create a checkbox and the associated answer - then you can map only the "yes" answers to that specific answer directly on your PDF.  
3. Be sure to LABEL your fillable fields with an easy-to-understand name to make mapping ClearForms fields to the Output document easier.  
4. Be sure to save your document as a FILLABLE PDF.

Pro Tip: Make sure your field settings are correct - You typically want a small font size and a multi-line field option.

To learn more about creating custom PDFs using Abode Acrobat, select How to Create Fillable PDFs. 

 

Mapping Form Fields to PDF Fields

Once your fillable custom PDF has been uploaded, choose which ClearForms fields to map the fillable fields to. The ClearForms fields that are available in each dropdown menu come directly from the data your form was configured to collect.

Map each field by following these steps:

1. Select the dropdown menu for each fillable field.
2. Select the corresponding ClearForms field that you want to map to it.
3. Once each field has been mapped, select Publish.

If you need need to make any edits to your custom PDF, you will need to reupload it to ClearForms. This can easily be done by following these steps:

1. Selecting the three dots (...) to the left of Save Draft.
2. Select Replace Document.
3. Don’t forget to Publish once you are done!

Pro Tips 

Here are some advanced recommendations and tips!

• To make a new document retroactive to all previous versions of your form, you can change the "Start Version" number to 1. Then, check for any field incompatibilities in the list below. The system defaults to leaving the information blank if it can't find the "correct" field to map in an earlier version of a form. You can see the Version Number where the field first appeared next to it (if you have multiple versions of the form).
• You want to make sure that there are no fields that start AFTER the last version of the form if you're setting an "end" place before the latest version.
• Adjust "Untitled document" to have a name that will help you remember what version it is. For example, "License with Automatic Issue and Expiration Date".
• If you see (Version 1-latest) for all fields on your current document, you're good to go! If not, you may want to use alternate versions of your document to cover those older versions.
• The most recent approval comment for a review group can now be mapped to Output Document PDFs. Select this mappable field when managing a Form’s custom Output Document PDF mappings.

Accessing Output Summaries

Inside of a completed form submission, select the Submission completed link. The status will be visible and the Output Summary can be downloaded by selecting the Download button.