Merge fields can be added to online forms inside Comment fields to display dynamic student or school information, such as pre-populated contact details, student name and grade, or custom due dates.
💡Quick Answers
- How do I add a merge field to an online form? Insert a Comment field type into the form and type or paste the merge field token directly into the comment; see the Advanced Form Editor for how to add comment fields.
- What merge field categories work on forms? Contact, School, and System; School and System tokens are visible in form preview mode, but Contact tokens only populate when the form is opened from a real student's checklist.
- How do I test Contact merge fields on a form? Publish the form and test it on a student record; set the checklist item to internal-only in Checklist Settings during testing so families do not see it.
- What are common uses for merge fields on forms? Displaying pre-filled contact info for families to confirm, showing student name and grade at the top of form pages, or pulling in custom due dates stored in a contact field.
The following merge field categories can be used in Online Forms:
- Contact: Information that’s related to or linked to the assigned contact (student).
- School: Information related to the school such as school name, school year, website, admissions contact information, etc.
- System: Information related to current date formats.
Some common uses of merge fields on forms include:
- Displaying Contact Information: Merge fields can be used to display the contact information currently in the system for parents and students. A question can then be asked to determine if the parent or student wants to update that information.
- Displaying Student Information: If you would like to display a student's information, such as their name and grade/program, at the top of each form, you can do this by pulling in the information in merge fields.
- Contract/Deposit Due Date: If different students have different contact or deposit due dates, our team can help you set up custom fields to set for those students, which can then be pulled into an online form such as your contact.
If you need help getting started on any of the above, contact the Support Team.
How-To
Merge fields can be added to your online forms by inserting a 'Comment' box field type to the form, and then typing or copying the merge field directly into the comment box. Example:
Student information merge fields will always follow the format of {{contact.[Canonical Name of Field]}}, as in the example above. Learn about School type merge fields here and System type merge fields here.
A Note on Testing Merge Fields on Forms
It is always a best practice to double-check that your merge fields are pulling the correct information before setting a form live for families. Please be aware of the following with regards to testing forms:
Although School and System type merge fields can be tested from the form preview mode, Contact category merge fields will not populate any information in a form preview, since there is no contact linked to it.
To test any Contact merge fields on forms, you will need to first publish the form and test the form on a student record in your system. You can make the associated checklist item internal-only from your Checklist Settings, so that parents will not see it while you are testing.
If a merge field is not populating data for a student, check that you have the right field name and that the student has a value set for that field on their contact record.
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