FastField step-by-step onboarding guide

FastField is a leader in digital forms, workflow automation, and business analytics. We provide a robust and flexible web platform and mobile app to connect your field staff with the back office. We ensure quality, safety, compliance and efficiency throughout your business operations without the need for software development resources.

What is FastField and how does it work?

1. Application Overview (FastField system data flow)(FastField mobile app overview)

Our flexible form builder can be used to build digital forms tailored to fit your specific data collection needs without any technical experience required.

Things to consider before setting up your forms

Let's say you are creating an inspection form. For most inspections, you will only need to take photos or notes if there is an issue in an area. Users will get frustrated if there are hundreds of questions with comments and photo fields alongside them, so you can set up your form to hide those fields and only show them if the area fails the inspection. 

Read more about our Best practices in form building

Build forms

Assemble your FastField forms with the listed fields below. This guide will help you determine what fields to use. FastField supports a wide variety of basic fields such as plain text or numeric capture or advanced fields such as barcodes and GPS data. 

1. Accessing the Online Builder (Accessing the online form builder)

2. Form Structure (Organizing your form and structure)

3. Using a Template or Starting From Scratch Using pre built sample forms or starting from scratch

4. Basic Form Setup & Publishing (Setting up your first form step by step)

   • Basic Naming (Publishing and naming your form)

   • Dynamic Naming (Display masks)(Display mask video) 

   • Pages / Sections / Fields (Organizing your form and structure)

   • Adding Fields to Your Form (How to add fields to a form)

   • Naming Your Form (Publishing and naming your form)

   • Publishing Your Form (Publishing and naming your form)

5. Fields Overview (Field type overview)

   • Text (Single Line Text)(Text field single line text)

   • Long Text (Long text field)

   • Static Text (Static text)

   • Numeric (Numeric field)

   • Formatted Numeric (Formatted numeric field formatted input)

   • Rating(Rating selector)(Scoring rating selector field)

   • Option List (Option list field)

   • Date/Time(Date time capture)(Date time and text overlay on photos)(Article)

   • Switch (Switch (yes/no) (video))

   • Three State (Yes/No/NA) (Yes no NA three state)

   • Signature (Signature field video)(Collecting 3rd party signature data)

   • Acknowledgement(Required acknowledgement)

   • Single Photo (Single photo field)

   • Embedded Photo (Embedded photo inline photo)

   • Multi-Photo (Multi photo field video)

   • Video (Video capture)

   • Audio (Audio field) 

   • Lookup Lists (Lookup lists)(Lookup lists video)

   • BarCode/QR (How to set up a barcode scanner with QR codes)(How to set up a barcode scanner with QR codes video)

   • Document Field with Upload (Document viewer)

   • Calculation (The calculation field)(Basic calculations adding subtracting multiplying dividing)

   • Sub-Form (Creating and using subforms)(Adding a table to a form using subforms)

   • NFC Reader(NFC reader)

   • Location/GPS(GPS tagging with multi photo capture field)

   • Web Link(Web link field)

6. Form Logic and Calculations 

   • Hide and Show (Conditionally show fields or sections)

   • Basic Arithmetic(Basic calculations adding subtracting multiplying dividing)(JavaScript basic algebra)(Basic calculations scoring (video))

   • Advanced Script(Field rules and skip logic)

   • Basic Field Level Rules and Conditions (Advanced rules)

7. Advanced Rules 

   • When Should I Consider Using Advanced Rules (When should i consider using advanced rules)

   • Handling Complex Logic (Field rules and skip logic)(Conditionally show fields or sections)

   • Controlling Workflow (Controlling workflow)

There are various ways to share forms with internal users. For example, you can assign users to libraries that hold several forms that will populate on a user's mobile app or you can dispatch a single form to a single user internally or externally. Alternatively, if you need to publish your form to many anonymous users publicly, you can also generate QR codes and web links to launch your custom forms.

Form sharing options

1. Form Sharing Options 

   • Libraries(What is a library)(Setting your default library)(Assigning and removing forms in libraries)(Assigning and removing users in libraries)(Adding and removing forms from libraries video)(Assigning and removing users in libraries video)

   • Task(Dispatch a single task)

   • 3rd Party Dispatch(External dispatch)

   • Anonymous Web Forms(Publishing web forms and generating QR codes)(Publishing a web form video)

   • Add-on Features(Article)

Add users to your account

1. How to Add a User (Adding a user)(How to add a user video)

2. User Groups (Article)

3. User Roles (User roles) 

   • Builder

   • Collector

   • Analyst

   • Dispatcher

   • Viewer

   • List Editor

   • Librarian

   • Administrator

Libraries

1. Introduction to Libraries (What is a library) 

2. Assigning Users to Libraries (Assigning and removing users in libraries) (Assigning and removing users in libraries video)

3. Adding Forms to Libraries (Assigning and removing forms in libraries) (Adding and removing forms from libraries video)

Web forms

1. Web Form Publishing and Setup (Publishing web forms and generating QR codes) (Publishing a web form video)

2. Web Form Distribution Methods

   • Anonymous Links (Publishing web forms and generating QR codes)

   • Embedded Forms (How to embed your form)

   • 3rd Party Dispatch (External dispatch)

Tasks

1. Dispatch Methods

   • Standard Task(Dispatch a single task)(Standard dispatch video)

   • API(Looking for an API key or API documentation)

   • Upload Task (Spreadsheet Upload)(Uploading multiple tasks)(Upload dispatch video) 

You can add workflow actions to individual forms or apply them globally to all of your forms within your account with Global Workflow. You can use a combination of both individual workflows and combine them with global workflows. For example, you can create an individual workflow action to send an inspection report via email to a manager. Simultaneously, you can set up a push notification that is triggered when any inspection fails within your form library.

Workflow examples

1. Common Examples (Workflow examples)

2. Forward (How to set up a forward)

3. Forward Cycle (Forward cycle)

4. Multi-User Completion (How to hide or show sections based on the form stage)

5. Handling Complex Logic (Handling complex logic)

Workflow options

1. Form Level Workflow

   • General Overview (Controlling workflow)

   • Delivery Actions (Standard integration descriptions and definitions)

   • Built-in Actions (Conditional workflow alerts actions)

2. Global Workflow

   • General Overview (Article)(Controlling workflow)(Setting up your forms for global workflow)

   • Configuring Workflow Actions (How to create a global workflow)

   • Adding Workflow Actions (How to create a global workflow)

   • Action Sets, Conditions, and Actions (How to create a global workflow)

   • Adding Global Integrations (Adding integrations 3rd party software)

   • Built-In Integration Options (Standard integration descriptions and definitions)

     • Sql Server

     • Google Sheets

     • Sharepoint

     • Salesforce

     • Others

Handle multi-stage workflow

1. Forwarding Forms in a Sequential Workflow (Workflow examples)

2. Workflow Based on Form Status (Creating a workflow action based on form status)

3. Workflow Based on Fields in Your Form (Create a workflow action based on field data)

4. How to Set Up an Approval Workflow System (Creating an approval system)

Integrations

1. Direct Integrations (Standard integration descriptions and definitions)

2. Custom or Third-Party Endpoints (Adding integrations 3rd party software)

The FastField Portal is the hub destination for all collected data. In the submissions section of the portal, you can view reports and data, sort and filter views to find information, and download media and reports.

View submissions

1. Viewing Reports (Introduction to submissions)(Viewing and downloading submissions and reports video)

2. Downloading Individual Submission Reports (Download a single report)(Viewing and downloading submissions and reports video)

   • Downloading Different Media Types (Downloading reports and submissions with different media types)

Build and view dashboards

1. Card Overview (Understanding dashboard card types)

2. Adding Cards(Adding cards to dashboards video)

3. Filtering Dashboards(Article)

4. Sharing Dashboards(Sharing custom dashboards)

There are a few ways to build reports with FastField. Your FastField form is automatically directly integrated into the integrated Report Builder. You can map your form to an already created PDF document, upload your PDF file, then drag and drop your fields to the appropriate location on your report.

Report options

1. Integrated Report Builder (FastField PDF report builder)(Getting started report builder video)

2. Word Reports (Custom word reporting) (Word reporting limitations) 

3. Adobe PDF (Legacy) (Custom PDF reporting legacy feature)

Use Report Builder

1. Creating Custom PDF Reports (FastField PDF report builder)(Getting started report builder video)

   • Data Mapping Basics(Getting started PDF report builder)

   • Adding Photos (Adding photos to custom PDF reports)(Adding photos to custom PDF reports video)

   • Configuring Field and Container Styles (Saving field styles)(Saving container styles)

   • Adding Multiple Report Templates (Multiple report templates)(Delivering multiple report templates video)

   • Setting a Default Template(Setting the default report template)

Legacy PDF report

1. Requirements of Adobe Acrobat (Custom PDF reporting legacy feature)

2. Legacy Field Mapping Basics (Custom PDF reporting legacy feature)

3. Adding Photos (How to add photos to a custom PDF report in adobe acrobat)

Word reports

1. Requirements For Word Reports (Word reporting limitations)

2. Adding a Pre-Configured Word Report Template (Custom word reporting)

3. Basic Concepts: Field Key Search and Replace Overview (Custom word reporting)

4. Field Configuration (Adding fields to custom word templates video)

AIM stands for Active Insight Monitoring. With AIM, you'll be able to track multiple business metrics and receive customized real-time or scheduled alerts based on those metrics you're tracking. You may want to use AIM Alerts if you need insight into realtime data or are handling time-sensitive information.

Alerts

1. Creating an Alert (How to create AIM alerts)

   • When Should This Alert Be Evaluated?(Alert scheduling)

     • Immediately Upon Form Submission

     • At a Scheduled Time

   • Set Maximum Alert Frequency (Alert scheduling)

   • Create a Condition (Conditions AIM)

2. Sending Alerts (How to create AIM alerts)

   • Webhook

   • Push Notification

   • Email

KPIs

1. Creating a KPI (Key performance indicators KPI)

   • Form Field (What are KPI types)

   • Value (What are KPI types)

   • Form Submission (What are KPI types)

   • Aggregation Type (What is aggregation type)

   • Filters (KPI filters)