I'm working with the CIC Learning Technologies group on an upcoming virtual conference. One of my tasks was to look into a conference registration system that all the core group could see.
Google forms was the obvious answer. So I created a draft form and we all took a look. The info gathered was fine, but the form layout was not so good.
Google forms was the obvious answer. So I created a draft form and we all took a look. The info gathered was fine, but the form layout was not so good.
So I started looking into a customized form that would still send the data back to the Google spreadsheet associated with the Google form. Turns out this is not so hard. You display the final form, copy the source from it, switch to an HTML editor, and have at it.
The one problem I had was error detection. If you have any required fields and they are not completed, when you submit the form Google checks it, then pops you back into the default form, not your customized form. Bad.
Fortunately, there is an easy fix for this. SneakySheep.com (see http://sneakysheep.com/google-docs-form-tool.php) has a tool that will create the HTML needed to allow you create your own "Thank you" form, so after submission you don't see the default Google thank you form. An added benefit is it also stops Google from displaying the default entry form if a required field is not completed. Instead, your form is displayed, all entered data intact, with the focus on one of the required fields that needs data. Yeah!
I also took the HTML and formatted it for better readability. Then I added a background image, and we're good to go! I'm sure more could be done here, but the bottom line is I got it to work. Here's a pict of the custom form:
So in this task I ended up diving into code - something I don't do much of anymore.It was fun, but it also makes me realize how complex this has become.
The one problem I had was error detection. If you have any required fields and they are not completed, when you submit the form Google checks it, then pops you back into the default form, not your customized form. Bad.
Fortunately, there is an easy fix for this. SneakySheep.com (see http://sneakysheep.com/google-docs-form-tool.php) has a tool that will create the HTML needed to allow you create your own "Thank you" form, so after submission you don't see the default Google thank you form. An added benefit is it also stops Google from displaying the default entry form if a required field is not completed. Instead, your form is displayed, all entered data intact, with the focus on one of the required fields that needs data. Yeah!
I also took the HTML and formatted it for better readability. Then I added a background image, and we're good to go! I'm sure more could be done here, but the bottom line is I got it to work. Here's a pict of the custom form:
So in this task I ended up diving into code - something I don't do much of anymore.It was fun, but it also makes me realize how complex this has become.
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