When you upload a form to the server, you can upload the form either as a draft form or a deployed form. A draft form is saved on the server, but it cannot be filled out by enumerators, and it cannot accept submissions. A deployed form is ready to be filled out by enumerators, and it can accept submissions.
Table of contents
Instructions
How to save a draft form from the online form designer
Do this frequently to prevent accidentally losing any unsaved changes.
- At the top bar click Save.
- Click Save as a draft.
If a warning appears, the form has still been saved, but you will need to resolve the error before the form is deployed.
How to upload a form
To learn how to upload a form definition spreadsheet, check out our support article How to deploy a spreadsheet form definition.
How to open the test view
From the online form designer
Click the toggle switch in the upper-right.
From the server console
From the Design tab, go to the form you would like to test, then click Test.
How to deploy a draft form
From the online form designer
- At the top bar click Save.
- Click Save and deploy.
If an error appears, you will need to fix the error before deploying the form.
From the server console
- On the Design tab of your server console, go to the form, and click Deploy.
- At the popup, click Deploy now.
FAQs
What is a draft form?
A draft form is a form that has been added to your server, but it cannot be filled out by enumerators, nor can it accept submissions.
What is a deployed form?
A deployed form is a form that has been added to the server and is ready to receive submissions. Enumerators can download the form to SurveyCTO Collect from Get Blank Form, fill it out from Fill Blank Form, and submit it from Send Finalized form, and also fill it out from web forms.
Can I work on a deployed form?
Yes. You can save new changes to the deployed form as a draft form. Then, you can deploy the draft form when it is ready.
Can I un-deploy a deployed form?
No. Once a form has been deployed, it cannot be un-deployed. Make sure it has not been deployed until you are ready to accept submissions.
Can I hide deployed forms from Get Blank Form?
Yes! To hide deployed forms, prepend "TEST - " to the beginning of the form title. The form can still accept submissions, but it will not be visible from Get Blank Form. This can be great for hiding deployed forms.
For example, if you want to test dataset publishing for a form, you need to deploy it to make submissions that are published, but you can prepend the title with "TEST - " so it is not visible to enumerators.
If you prepend "TEST - " after enumerators have already retrieved the blank form using Get Blank Form, the form will still be deployed, so enumerators will still be able to fill it out and submit it to the server.To learn more, check out our documentation Hiding forms during testing.
What is the test view?
The test view is a way to test filling out forms using the server console. You can test both draft and deployed forms, so you can test the form without it being available to enumerators. The test test view also includes the form inspector, which you can learn about in our support article How to troubleshoot forms using the form inspector.
How do I open the test view?
There are two ways to open the test view:
- From the Design tab of your server console, go to the form you would like to test, and click Test, and the test view will open in a new tab.
If you are working in the online form designer, click the toggle-switch in the upper-right.
Further Reading
You can learn more in the following resources:
- Documentation: Draft vs. deployed forms
- Documentation: Using the online form designer
- Support article: How to troubleshoot forms using the form inspector
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