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LB Aproplan - Form template - Web & Mobile

Here's how to create a template from scratch and how to avoid common mistakes.

Johana Azevedo Vargas avatar
Written by Johana Azevedo Vargas
Updated over a week ago

INTRODUCTION

This article explains step by step how to create a form template, how to import it into your company, and how to avoid some common mistakes.

The easiest way is to start by downloading the example from the application because you will have the template up to date and you have the user guide and an example to help you. To do this, click on "company" at the top left, then "forms", then at the bottom right on the green "+", and finally click on "download example".

Once you open the excel, you will find the user guide in several languages, an example sheet and a DATA sheet. It is in the DATA sheet that you will create your form template.

Attention: You cannot change the name of the sheets because otherwise, the application will consider this as an error.

CREATE TEMPLATE

To create a template, here are the columns that must be filled in:

  • Template Title (D):

Name of the form template (255 characters maximum)

Frequent mistake: the title must be exactly the same for all the template.

  • Template Type (E):

A choice between 3 types (Security, Quality, Environment). It is one type per template.

  • Template Language (F):

Select the language of the template. This is one language per template.

  • Title (L):

Title of the section or question. Maximum 255 characters.

Tip: to know the exact number of characters, you can use the Excel formula: =NBCAR(text) So if you want to know the number of characters in column L and line 3, you need to write down: =NBCAR(L3) and then click on Enter to see the number appear.

  • Type (M):

Choose between Section and Question. Refer to the Title (L) column. If it is a section then choose Section. If it is a question, choose Question

  • Question Type (P)

6 possible choices. To be filled in only for the Questions. For the Sections, the box remains empty.

The screenshots are to show the display in the form

  • Freetext: open question, allows to add text

  • DateTime: allows to select a date in the calendar

  • FreeNumber: open numerical question, allows to add a number

  • PredefinedNumber: allows to select a predefined number in the column Q

  • PredefinedString: answer with a choice between two possibilities such as "yes", "no" or "ok", "not ok", ...

  • MultipleChoice: multiple choice question

  • Question Predefined Choices (Q):

To be filled in only for PredefinedNumber, PredefinedString and MultipleChoice questions

All answers given must be enclosed in quotation marks

An Enter is required between each value (press "alt' + Enter or "Ctrl" + Enter)

Frequent mistake: the quotes are double quotes, so not twice the apostrophe but once the quotes

With all this data, you can already import the form template in the "Company" section of your Aproplan account.

However, if you want to expand your template, here are the optional data you can add:

  • Reference (column A):

The application creates it automatically when the template is imported, but you can also create it manually. The reference is mandatory if you add conditional rules.

You need to note the S for the section and the Q for the question. Example: S1_Q1 for section 1, question 1, then S1_Q2 for section 1, question 2

Attention: To go to the next section, you have to add a line with the section itself. For example, to go to section 2, you need a line with the number S2, then the line below S2_Q1, then S2_Q2, ...

Frequent mistake: a numbering must not be duplicated and must always follow each other. It is not possible to have several section levels. It is mandatory to have at least one question per section.

  • Question Conformity Rules (column W):

The Conformity Rules rule whether the answer to the question is conforming or not. When a non-conforming answer is chosen, small attention will be associated in the application and you will then be able to see the number of non-conformities of your form.

Conformity rules are only possible for a question of type PredefinedNumber, PredefinedString, and MultipleChoice. You have to indicate it between brackets and quotation marks: ["value"]

Example: The question is "Do you wear a helmet on the job site". The answers are "Yes" and "No". We expect the answer "Yes", so we need to add ["Yes"] in the W column.

  • Conditional Rule (column B):

The conditionals (eq, isna, isconform, etc.) rule whether the question or section should be displayed according to the answers given previously. To add them, it is mandatory to fill in column A (reference, see the previous point). The conditional rules are only possible for a question of type PredefinedNumber, PredefinedString and MultipleChoice.

eq(Reference, "value"): you have to refer to the indicated question (Reference), then to the corresponding value between quotation marks.

Example: I have two questions. The first one S1_Q1 "Did you forward your mail?" and the next question S1_Q2 "By which department?". I would like that when the person answers Yes to the first question, then the second question is displayed (so if he answers No, the second question is not displayed). For that, I will add a conditional to the line S1_Q2 by putting the reference of the indicated question and the corresponding value, which gives eq(S1_Q1, "Yes")

Attention: If the question type is MultipleChoice, then you have to add square brackets in addition to the quotation marks. Example eq(S1_Q1,["Yes"]). We do not recommend using a conditional rule with a MultipleChoice, please contact our support for more information.

  • isna(Reference): if the indicated answer is considered as Not Applicable. For example: isna(S1_Q1)

  • isconform(Reference, "value"): if the indicated answer is conforming. "value" can only be "True" (for True) or "False" (for False). For example: isconform(S2_Q1, "True")

Attention: to use this rule, it is mandatory to add conformity rules (see next point).

  • AND (x,y) or OR (x,y): When there are more than two propositions, you must nest several AND/OR (for AND/OR) in the same conditional rule. For example: AND(OR(isconform(S1_Q1, "True"), isconform(S1_Q2, "True")), isna(S1_Q3))

Attention: A single condition does not require AND and OR. For example: eq(S1_Q1, "Green"). The limit is 14 AND/OR

  • Allow signature (column Z):

Choose between True and False. By default, if nothing is added in this column, it is considered False (so no signatures can be added)

Frequent error: the whole column must be filled with the chosen value, whether it is a section or a question, the whole column must have either True or False. It is not possible to have both values in a form template, so it is impossible to have questions with a signature and others without. It is therefore a choice to be made from the start, either to allow a signature at the end of the form and add True everywhere, or not and put False.

  • Answer Default Value (AA column):

A default value is filled in automatically when the form is created. For FreeText, FreeNumber, DateTime, PredefinedString, and PredefinedNumber question types, insert the answer value directly and without quotes (DateTime in dd/mm/yyyy format)

Attention: The answer values must already exist in the Question Predefined Choices. For MultipleChoices, insert each answer value in quotes on a separate line.

IMPORT FORM TEMPLATE

Once the template is created, you can import it into your company.

To do this, click on "company" at the top left, then "forms", then at the bottom right on the green "+", and finally click on "browse".

When it is imported, you will be able to use it in the project you want and everyone in your company will be able to use it.

To use it in a project, you have to go to a project, then necessarily in a list. Then go to the Form tab and click on the green "+" at the bottom right. To find your template, you must select the right type of inspection, i.e. the one you added in the "E" column of your form template. Then click on "my company" and choose the language of your template (the one you added in column "F" of your form template). Once you have found the template, you can select it and import it.

Attention: If you do not see the green "+", you are not in a list or you are not a manager/admin. It is mandatory to go to a list to create a form.

Need some help? If you get an error message when importing your form template, feel free to send your Excel file directly to the support team either via the application's chat or by email at support@letsbuild.com

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