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JimmyC

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#257173 19-Sep-2019 10:43
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We're are in the process of going through all our forms\templates that are legally required to be completed with a view to make sure a) they're quicker and easier to fill out, b) they include all relevant\required information and c) they're quicker and easier to fill out. 

 

 

 

As an example, one of the Word templates we use has a standard header and footer, and an intro and outro page with standard required info. The guts of the document has a table structure for guys to manually fill out with procedures required, the standards they relate to, some other bits, and who's responsible for signing that work off. That data will be different per job so the table structure needs to be flexible, hence we don't do this inside a PDF. 

 

 

 

The functionality I'm looking for is being able to create a list of procedures pre-populated with the standards they must adhere to, OR, at least have a list of standards the user can either select from a drop down list or drag and drop from a list visible along side.  Then, if another page is required for more procedures, a button to insert a new page essentially. Visually, I imagine a more flexible version of Power Point, small slides pre-populated with data, drag and drop into document, manually populate what's left, print, sign, done. 

 

 

 

Any recommendations\suggestions? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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danfaulknor
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  #2320182 19-Sep-2019 10:50
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I was going to suggest Typeform, but it sounds like you may need something more custom than that?





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allan
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  #2320273 19-Sep-2019 12:17
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Something like PerfectForms perhaps?


JimmyC

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  #2320350 19-Sep-2019 14:06
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TypeForm might be a little simplistic on the surface but I'll take a closer look at PerfectForms, thanks both. 

 

 

 

Any others? 




atlamhost
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  #2331727 7-Oct-2019 09:45
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I recommend using Type Form https://www.typeform.com/forms/

 

Simple and easy to use, there are other more custom options but type form is free


Jogre
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  #2331782 7-Oct-2019 11:20
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Bit of a plug but if you're on Office 365 there is the option for Forms/PowerApps/Flow etc to automate this. I couldn't get a read on enough of the background to tell if this is internal or customer-facing data entry?





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atlamhost
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  #2331786 7-Oct-2019 11:24
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www.jotform.com is another free option

 
 
 

Shop now on AliExpress (affiliate link).
JimmyC

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  #2338089 16-Oct-2019 12:44
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Jogre:

 

Bit of a plug but if you're on Office 365 there is the option for Forms/PowerApps/Flow etc to automate this. I couldn't get a read on enough of the background to tell if this is internal or customer-facing data entry?

 

 

 

 

It's internal, but the forms we generate would be sent to third parties.

 

From what I've seen from the recommendations though, including Forms and Flow, the word "forms" might be selling our use case a little short. Surveys, order forms, quiz's etc are straightforward but for more technical documentation, form builders look too lightweight. Having worked in the legal arena for quite some time previously, legal letters generated via VB scripts and\or large autotext templates were the norm. Was hoping for a more streamlined option in 2019. 


chewster
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  #2338094 16-Oct-2019 13:04
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Yeah it's a bit hard to understand your actual use case then, the options supplied by other seem to make complete sense. 

Do you mean something a bit more like a contract/formal/legal PDF form with interactive elements, or a digital version of that form? If that's the case, something like PandaDocs may fit. It has an API, so could theoretically be the "form end" of some custom logic. 





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premiumtouring
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  #2338106 16-Oct-2019 13:42
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Sounds like what you're after is something like ActiveDocs. It's a production tool designed to streamline the process of creating tailored documentation as you're describing. Example would be the insurance industry. Insurance agent open a pre-built "Document Wizard", answers a bunch of questions (as defined by you), tick boxes, adds items to a table etc.. Wizard takes that information and builds the word document to spec and theme based on the options selected. It can also convert the word document to PDF and send it via email using workflow if required. We use it. It's a decent tool, NZ made. 

 

Alternatively if you're keeping things "digital", something like Laserfiche Forms which has a BPM and Workflow engine (for generating documents based on form submissions) is another good option.





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JimmyC

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  #2338116 16-Oct-2019 14:18
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chewster:

 

Yeah it's a bit hard to understand your actual use case then, the options supplied by other seem to make complete sense. 

Do you mean something a bit more like a contract/formal/legal PDF form with interactive elements, or a digital version of that form? If that's the case, something like PandaDocs may fit. It has an API, so could theoretically be the "form end" of some custom logic. 

 

 

 

 

I totally get that. Lets compare with AutoText in Word as a base then. With AutoText you have to know the text shortcut in order to generate what you're after, or go to a menu to find the different options which then disappears after you make a selection and have to re-open each time. I'd like a viewable list of options to choose from and then either copy and paste or drag and drop that content into the template. For extra credit, that list of options could change as you select a different section of the template to fill out, intelligently highlighting the content that's meant to go into that field. 

 

This for use in an engineering firm (heavy fabrication\design) so we're talking weld procedures and their standards, test plans, inspections etc. Some categories could have 20-30 options to choose from.


JimmyC

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  #2338136 16-Oct-2019 15:03
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premiumtouring:

 

Sounds like what you're after is something like ActiveDocs. It's a production tool designed to streamline the process of creating tailored documentation as you're describing. Example would be the insurance industry. Insurance agent open a pre-built "Document Wizard", answers a bunch of questions (as defined by you), tick boxes, adds items to a table etc.. Wizard takes that information and builds the word document to spec and theme based on the options selected. It can also convert the word document to PDF and send it via email using workflow if required. We use it. It's a decent tool, NZ made. 

 

Alternatively if you're keeping things "digital", something like Laserfiche Forms which has a BPM and Workflow engine (for generating documents based on form submissions) is another good option.

 

 

 

 

Yep those are a lot closer to the mark by the looks. Thanks for the links, will check them out. 


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