Auto-launch submissions with code

Automatically create new submissions on other forms when a workflow step is entered.

Overview

When a submission reaches a workflow step you choose, Droplet can automatically:

1. Create a new submission on each destination form you list

2. Assign each new submission to a person

3. Copy data from the original form into the new submissions

4. Email each assignee so they can pick up the new submission at its Start Step

This is similar to the packet launcher, but it creates separate submissions instead of a grouped packet.

Use cases

This feature is especially useful for:

• Parallel reviews: several people review the same information, each on their own submission.

• Same data, many people: when HR approves a resignation, IT, Payroll, and the building principal each get their own offboarding submission with the employee's information already filled in.

• Follow-up forms: an approved hiring request automatically starts the onboarding form.

• Approvals across forms: one form's approval starts the next form's process.

Before you start

You'll need:

• The form ID of each destination form

• The field IDs of the fields you want to copy, on both the launching form and the destination form

• The name and email of each assignee, either typed in or taken from a field on the launching form

Contact your Implementation Manager if you'd like help planning this feature.

Two ways to set it up

The code can live in one of two places. Both work.

Step 1: Add a computed field to the launching form

Add a Computed field to the launching form and give it the ID launchSubmissions. Paste this into its formula, then replace the example form ID and field IDs with your own:

[
  {
    formId: 'PASTE_DESTINATION_FORM_ID',
    assignedTo: {
      name: reviewerName,
      email: reviewerEmail
    },
    data: {
      employeeName: revieweeName,
      requestAmount: budgetAmount,
      department: reviewDepartment
    }
  }
]

What each part means

In the example above, employeeName: revieweeName means "fill the employeeName field on the new submission with whatever is in the revieweeName field on this form."

Typed-in text vs. a field from your form

This is where most setups go wrong:

• Typed-in text goes inside single quotes: name: 'Jane Smith'

• A field ID has no quotes: name: reviewerName (this uses whatever was entered in the reviewerName field)

You can mix both. For example, status: 'New' fills a status field on every new submission with the word "New."

Hide the computed field

Users don't need to see this field. Hide it by putting it in a hidden section, or by setting it to hidden in your step permissions. You can still see its value in debug view while testing, so you can confirm the data looks right before you publish.

Step 2: Point the workflow step to the computed field

Open the Code Builder and go to the Workflow tab. Find the step that should launch the new submissions and add this inside it:

"onEnter": {
  "createSubmission": "launchSubmissions"
}

onEnter means "when the submission arrives at this step." createSubmission tells Droplet to create the submissions listed in your launchSubmissions computed field.

For example, to launch new submissions after the final approval, add it to the completed step:

"completed": {
  "status": "completed",
  "onEnter": {
    "createSubmission": "launchSubmissions"
  }
}

"onEnter": {
  "assign": { "nameElementId": "principalName", "emailElementId": "principalEmail" },
  "createSubmission": "launchSubmissions"
}

Create more than one submission

Add another set of curly brackets inside the square brackets, with a comma between them. Each set can go to a different form and a different person:

[
  {
    formId: 'PASTE_FIRST_FORM_ID',
    assignedTo: { name: reviewerName, email: reviewerEmail },
    data: { employeeName: revieweeName }
  },
  {
    formId: 'PASTE_SECOND_FORM_ID',
    assignedTo: { name: 'Business Office', email: 'businessoffice@district.org' },
    data: { employeeName: revieweeName, requestAmount: budgetAmount }
  }
]

Other option: put all the code in the workflow

You can also skip the computed field and put everything on the Workflow tab, right after the createSubmission key. If you do, the code must be on one line, and because it's wrapped in double quotes, use single quotes inside it:

"onEnter": {
  "createSubmission": "[{ formId: 'PASTE_DESTINATION_FORM_ID', assignedTo: { name: reviewerName, email: reviewerEmail }, data: { employeeName: revieweeName } }]"
}

Troubleshooting