Form Triggers

Fire a form automatically when work is reworked, put on hold, or has its due date changed.

Last updated About 2 hours ago

Introduction

A form trigger makes Building Swell ask for a form at the moment something happens, instead of hoping someone remembers to fill one in later. Send an order back for rework and the rework form appears there and then.

There are three triggers:

  1. Rework. Fires when work is sent back for correction.

  2. On Hold. Fires when work is put on hold.

  3. Due date change. Fires when a due date is changed. The form captures the reason, and the change is applied when the form is submitted.

Not seeing this page? Reach out to your company admin to update your permissions. See the Roles guide.

Before You Start

  • You need a live form template to attach. See the Forms guide for building one.
  • Rework and On Hold forms capture a reason from your category list. Set that up first, see the Categories guide.

Step-by-Step Guide

Add a Trigger

  1. Go to Settings → Form Triggers.

  2. Click Add form trigger.

  3. Pick the Trigger: Rework, On Hold, or Due date change.

  4. Pick the scope. Organization applies everywhere. Department applies to one department and overrides the organization setting for it.

  5. Choose the form Template.

  6. Set Form Assignees, the people expected to fill it in, and Form Approvers, the people who sign it off.

  7. Save, then use Enable to turn it on.

The Add form trigger panel with a Rework trigger at organization scope attached to a Visual Inspection form, above the form assignees and approvers pickers and an Enabled checkbox.

Organization and Department Together

Set the organization-wide default first, then add a department trigger only where that department needs something different. You can only have one trigger per trigger-and-scope combination. Try to add a second and you'll see "A trigger already exists for that scope."

Removing a department trigger drops that department back to the organization default.

Turn One Off

Use Disable to stop a trigger without losing its configuration. The Status column shows Enabled or Disabled. Use Remove to delete it outright.

Tips

  1. Keep triggered forms short. These fire in the middle of someone's work. A long form gets rushed or abandoned.

  2. Start at organization scope. Add department overrides only where a department genuinely differs.

  3. Watch for a form that stops being live. If the attached template is no longer published you'll see a warning on the trigger. Fix it, or the prompt has nothing to show.

FAQ

What happens if the attached form isn't live?

The trigger flags it. Publish the template, or point the trigger at one that is live.

Does a due date change apply if the form isn't submitted?

The change goes through with the form. Every field edited in the same save is carried along and applied together, so nothing is half-saved.

Can one department use a different form from the rest of the company?

Yes. That's what department scope is for. It overrides the organization setting for that department only.

Where do the submitted forms end up?

With the rest of your form entries, under Forms → Entries.

Conclusion

Form triggers turn "we should have written that down" into a prompt at the moment it matters. Set the organization default, override per department where you need to, and keep the forms short.

Need help? Hit the chat button or click "Ask" in the app. You can also reach us at support@buildingswell.com.