Public Forms Overview

Tables and Fields are fundamental to creating Forms, Reports, Auto Actions, and Templates. 

Public Forms allow you to share SAM forms with End Users that do not have access to your system. Forms are completed online and responses go directly into your SAM site in real-time when a form is saved. 

Examples of Public Forms

Inquiries, Family Applications, Employee Applications and Questionnaires completed by clients, constituents and people referred to your organization. 

Access Public Forms

There are many pre-built public forms in SAM by default. 

Public Form Settings

Login/Prefill 

No Login/Prefill Option

Opens the Public Form in its edit version. This is recommended for adding new records that do not already have a client record in SAM. Examples: Inquiry or Referral forms. 

End Users can easily create duplicate records with this option. 

Login and Prefill Option

SAM prompts login credentials from end users with selections to enter their password or start a new form. If end users click No, Begin Form, there's a potential of creating a new record. 

Login Required

Enforces End Users to enter login credentials to access the form.

End users may need to create a password if they've not previously. SAM Guide: End User Experience

After Information is Saved

On submission of public forms, SAM can direct end users to a variety of options. 

SAM will display a message to end users.

Enter a message in the box presented. HTML can be used to format the message. 

Redirect the user to a page I designate

Direct end users to any web page. Enter a valid URL for this selection to work. 

Redirect the user to another SAM form 

Directs end users to another SAM Public form. Use this choice for connecting multi-part forms. Set how users access the form as View or Edit.

• View Form will display the information for ease of reading and better printing.
• Edit will allow the user to input additional information. 

Use Existing Case or Create a new one

SAM Leads can add criteria to set when SAM should add submitted data to an existing case versus create a new case. This is important for long forms that end users access multiple times, like an Application form. SAM is setup to use the existing case when 'Case Entered Date' is within 12 Months. 

Update Criteria for Use an Existing Case

Internal Sibling Forms

Public forms cannot be used as Sidebar links. Internal Sibling Forms replicate a linked Public Form layout. 

Form name will be appended with 'Internal Sibling Form' to distinguish it from the original. Internal Sibling Forms can have different Form Properties, such as Form Title.

Testing Public Forms 

Test your forms!! 

Allow ample time to test, make modifications to layout, and email notifications, and evaluate the end user's experience prior to sharing the Public Form with end users. 

As an End User 

• Open the form like an end user would. Login. Read all messages and complete all fields on the form a few times. 
• How do you feel completing this form? Is it too long, redundant, confusing?
• Does the end user know what to expect next?

As your team after Public Form Submission

• Find the test record in SAM.
• Do you need a notification that the public form was submitted? If so, setup an Email Auto Action. 
• Can you find the form and data submitted in the client record? 
• Do you need any additional data entry on submission? 

Testing from an End User's Viewpoint

Knowing your client's experience with Public Forms is important so your team can support end users with navigating and completing forms you share with them. 

Open Random Record

View a Specific Record

Share Public Forms with End Users

There are two ways to share Public Forms: 

1. Add a link in a Template or email 
2. Add a link on your website

Copy and paste the Public Form's URL into a template, email, or webpage you are composing.

Find a Public Form's URL