Create Collection
A collection is the group a form template lives in. The Form Collections panel on the left of Form Templates lists every collection with its ID, its number of forms and whether it holds published forms, and a collection is where you place related templates, describe them for the people who need them, and decide who can reach them. This guide creates a collection, gives people access to it, and explains the actions on its menu.
Before You Start
- Creating and editing collections needs the Admin or Form Manager role. Giving access needs Admin or Access Manager. See Role Matrix.
- Decide what the collection groups: a team, a customer, a type of work. A template sits in one collection at a time and can be moved later, so the choice is not final.
Steps
Create the collection
- Open Templates > Form Templates.
- Select New Collection at the bottom of the panel. The Collection Settings panel opens on the right.
- Give the collection a Collection Name.
- Optionally add a Collection Description, which shows on the collection card and helps people find the right forms faster, and an Owner, the person responsible for the collection. Owner defaults to you, is a reference only and grants nothing.
- Select Save. The collection appears in the panel with zero forms, and selecting it filters the table to that collection.
Hover the info icon on a collection to see Created by, Created and Last updated.
Give people access
Admins reach every collection. Everyone else sees only the collections and templates they have been given access to, so a new collection stays invisible to other users until you open it up.
- Open the collection's ⋮ menu, or right-click the collection, and select Access.
- In the Manage access to dialog, select Add Users and pick the people who should reach the collection. Each person is listed with their access type, Direct for access given on this collection itself, and their user status.
- To take access away, select the trash icon on a person's row. Remove All Users clears the whole list.
- Select Save. The change applies the next time each person loads the app or the Dashboard.
Access to a collection covers every template in it, both the ones there now and the ones added later. Access can also be given from the user's side, in the Access tab when creating or editing a user, see Create New User. Both places edit the same access.
The collection menu
The ⋮ menu on a collection holds everything you do with it:
- New Form Template creates a template straight into this collection. See Create Form Template.
- Export Collection writes every template in the collection to a .zff file, and Import Forms brings forms into it from a .zff or Word file. See Export and Import Form Templates.
- Edit Collection changes the name, description and owner.
- Access opens the dialog above.
- Archive Collection hides the collection and its templates from normal views. It can be undone.
- Delete Collection removes the collection and every template in it. Use it with care; archive is the safer choice.
FAQs
Should I archive or delete a collection I no longer use?
Archive. Archiving hides the collection and its templates from normal views in the Dashboard and the app, and it can be undone at any time with Show Archived. Deleting removes the collection and every template in it and cannot be undone. Entries already captured are kept in the data views, as when a single template is deleted.
Can I put a collection inside another collection?
No. Collections are one level deep. Use the description to explain what a collection holds, and move templates between collections when the grouping changes.
Does the Owner of a collection get access to it?
No. Owner is a reference that says who is responsible. Access is given in the Access dialog or on the user, and Admins have access to everything regardless.
Can I move a template into a different collection later?
Yes. Use Move Form on the template's row. The template, its versions and its entries move together. See Form Template Settings and Actions.
