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Question

FORMS - Export of data does not preserve link on uploaded docs/pics

Laserfiche How To Forms
Updated February 12, 2018
asked on February 2, 2018

I have been using a product called JotForms to maintain a form that allows users to upload a photograph.  I am able to export responses from this product to an .xlsx file, which is then used by other members of staff as a shared document.  The export on this product brings the uploaded picture into Excel as a URL; see example, below:

I now need to move this form to LaserFiche forms.  Everything I need to do with the data is comparable, until I get to the download/export portion.  When I export my data (I've tried .csv as well as .xlsx) this is what I get for the column with the upload:

This column is reflecting the name of the uploaded item, but there's no way to find the item.

I know that I can access the photos from a link in the "Instances" view:

 

.... but that link and the item's actual location disappears when I export.

 

I need to bring this data to a shareable Excel-type spreadsheet, as this is what my staff is comfortable using right now and there is a time crunch on this conversion.  Is there any way I can bring the uploaded items out of the Forms process with a .csv or an .xlsx export as a link or, if not, as a URL?

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Replies

replied on February 2, 2018

If you store the image in the repository, you can create a URL to that image in Weblink or Web Client. That URL can be added to an Excel file through workflow.

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replied on February 2, 2018

Can you take me through the steps?  I am familiar with forms and workflow, but I am NOT a programmer.  How do I get the image into the repository?  Would I have the form response filed there?  Would I then put the image into a template field?

You mention adding an image to an Excel file through a  Workflow.  So far I have only been able to insert data into an SQL table w/WF, and I am then exporting the SQL data into Excel.  Is there a way to directly insert data that starts out in a form right into an Excel file?

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replied on February 5, 2018

I assume your form already has an upload field where the attachment is attached. In the form process modeler you can add a Save to Repository Service Task then a Workflow Service Task. Your workflow would look something like this

1. Find the Attachment

2. Generate URL

3. Update Data in the Excel file

You will have to set the Excel file up as a Data Source in order for the workflow to be able to update the data.

 

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replied on February 6, 2018 • Show version history

I am working with my IT department to see if we can facilitate getting the new Data Source set up.  In the meantime, I wanted to know - when we file the form to the Repository, would I have a template metadata field set up to capture the upload?  My manager sets up templates and she has told me she doesn't see a template field that would accommodate a file upload.  What type of metadata field would we use?  Or would we somehow extract the file in another manner?  Here's what I have set up so far; would/should I have a field for the file upload under the "Fields" section of my "Find Entries" tool?

 

 

replied on February 6, 2018 • Show version history

I am working with my IT department to see if we can facilitate getting the new Data Source set up.  In the meantime, I wanted to know - when we file the form to the Repository, would I have a template metadata field set up to capture the upload?  My manager sets up templates and she has told me she doesn't see a template field that would accommodate a file upload.  What type of metadata field would we use?  Or would we somehow extract the file in another manner?  Here's what I have set up so far; would/should I have a field for the file upload under the "Fields" section of my "Find Entries" tool? (see attached)

 

 

WF_sample.docx (72.29 KB)
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replied on February 7, 2018

The uploaded file is handled in the Process Modeler of you form. Using a Save to Repository task you can determine where the uploaded file is stored as well as what it is named and what metadata you want to apply to the uploaded file. see below.

you can also set the document relationship there. By doing that you can link the two documents in the repository.

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replied on February 7, 2018

Oh, excellent, I forgot about the File Upload option in Forms.  

If I have questions about the Generate WebLink URL's tool, would you mind if I asked you those?

Thank you SO much for your help and time!

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replied on February 7, 2018

I don't mind at all. I'm trying to get on the weekly leaderboard. smiley

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replied on February 9, 2018

OK, I am now officially stuck on the Generate WebLink URL's task.

First, here are some entries in my repository:

Note that there are three files with “Photo” at the end of the file name

My workflow is doing the following:

Searching repository for the files that have “photo” in the file name (this is working fine); then …

For Each Entry --> Generate WebLink URLs 

 

Here is what I have in the “Edit WebLinkURL 1” area:

If I select Test, I get:

If I select OK, I get:

 

… but shouldn’t I see the photo in this file at this point?

 

Also, I want to be really sure that my process is accomplishing the following each time a form is submitted (workflow must complete before new entries come into repository):

  1. Form is submitted
  2. Two entries are created in repository – one contains the form data, the other the uploaded file
  3. Workflow is triggered
  4. Repository entry w/form data is sought
  5. Data from repository entry w/form data is inserted into Excel file (still working w/my IT folks on getting this configured, so this task is disabled)
  6. Repository entry w/upload is sought
  7. URL for upload is generated
  8. URL is inserted into Excel file for matching record from step #5 (this task is also disabled at this time)
  9. All entries in repository are sought
  10. Entries from Step #9 are routed into another folder.
  11. Workflow starts again for next form submission.

 

It is really important that for each form, the data and the photo are matched.  So when I look at the Excel file, I will see the data from John Doe’s form and the URL for John Doe’s photo all in the same row; the next row would show Amy Adams’ data and the URL for her photo, and so on.  (I know that I am currently showing 6 entries in the repository folder, but in reality, there should never be more than 2 at a time in there).

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replied on February 12, 2018 • Show version history

"… but shouldn’t I see the photo in this file at this point?" - no, you will need to change the value in the "Specify the ID of the entry to test" to the entry ID of the document/photo you are trying to see. If you run the workflow in a real test you should see the entry you are trying to see.

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replied on February 6, 2018

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