Exact Forms Plus creates Microsoft Word and PDF documents from your Quickbase records, using a Word template that's stored in your app. This page lists what it can do. For a short introduction, see Exact Forms Plus overview.
Output
PDF documents.
Microsoft Word documents (DOCX or DOC).
Where documents are saved
You can save each document in one or more of these places at the same time:
A file attachment field on the record. The setup wizard adds an EFP Document field for this.
A repository table: a separate table that holds your documents. Exact Forms Plus can add a new record each time, or update an existing one.
Amazon S3, Dropbox, or Egnyte, if your account is set up for one of them. The setup wizard adds a field that stores the file's key, and a View File link that downloads the document.
Exact Forms Plus can also update the date and time the document was created (the EFP Date field), copy field values, set a user field, or clear fields on the record after the document is created.
How users create documents
The setup wizard adds buttons to your table. Each button option creates the same document but shows it to the user differently, so you can choose which buttons to put on your forms.
Open the document in the browser
Buttons: Generate EFP Document and Generate EFP Document (Mobile Friendly).
Exact Forms Plus creates the document, then opens it in a new window. There's no link to select afterward.
The document is still saved to the file attachment field, the repository table, or cloud storage, based on the button's settings.
The document opens when one document is created, or when a merged document is created from many records. If the button creates several separate documents, they're saved but not opened.
The button's formula can download the file instead of opening it (
stream=dinstead ofstream=y).Use this when users want to see the document right away. The Mobile Friendly button is a regular URL button, for the Quickbase mobile app.
Progress bar
Button: Generate EFP Document (PB).
A small window shows a progress bar while the documents are created, then shows how many documents were created.
The document isn't opened. When you close the window, the record refreshes, and the new file appears in the file attachment field or the View File link.
Use this for larger or slower runs, so users can see the progress and don't select the button again.
Automatically, without a button
Exact Forms Plus can also create documents in the background, started by a Quickbase email notification, for example when a record is saved. The wizard adds the Execute EFP Batch button and the fields this uses. See Exact Forms Plus Batch Processor overview.
To change what a button does, edit its formula. See Exact Forms Plus formula URL parameters.
Templates
Design templates in Microsoft Word on Windows or Mac. There are no macros or add-ins to install.
Store and manage templates as records in a templates table in your app.
Insert field values by field ID or field name, for example
~3~or~Record ID#~. Field values work in Word headers and footers too.You can also use a Quickbase Document Creation template instead of a Word template. See Quickbase Document Creation support for Exact Forms Plus.
What you can put in a document
Rich text. Text fields with the Allow some HTML tags to be interpreted property turned on are converted to formatted text in the document.
Embedded reports (subtables). Tables of records from another table: the record's related child records, records that match any Quickbase query, or the results of a saved report, including summary reports.
You control column widths, column headers, fonts, alignment, header and row colors, borders, totals and subtotals, and grouping with a page break after each group.
Images from file attachment fields or from a web address, at a size you choose. Images that are part of the Word template stay in the document.
Charts.
Barcodes and QR codes, including QR code, Data Matrix, PDF417, and linear barcodes such as Code 39 and Code 93.
Checkboxes, shown as
[X]or[ ].Formatting, such as date formats and amounts written out in words (dollars or euros).
Document protection
Password. For PDFs, the password is required to open the document. For Word documents, the password is required to edit it. The document opens as read-only without it.
PDF owner password. Blocks printing, editing, and copying in the PDF.
Watermark. Add watermark text, in the color and size you choose, to Word and PDF documents.
More PDF options
Fillable PDFs: form fields in your template stay fillable in the PDF.
Accessible Section 508 PDFs.
Embedded fonts.
Add other PDFs from file attachment fields before or after the generated document.
Create documents for many records at once
Multiple records : Pass a Quickbase query instead of one record. Exact Forms Plus creates one document per record and saves each one to its own record. The default limit is 50 documents per run. For more, use the Exact Forms Plus Batch Processor.
Merged document. Combine the documents from a multiple-record run into one PDF or Word file, and save it to a record you choose.
Mailing labels. Print labels for every record a query or saved report returns, in one document.
Integration with other tools
Exact Forms Plus integrates with the following Quickbase Extensions:
Amazon S3: save documents in S3 to reduce the file attachment storage your app uses.
QB Courier: email the documents Exact Forms Plus creates as attachments to your clients and business partners.
QB Signatures: include the signature captured with QB Signatures in an Exact Forms Plus document.
JuicedSign: create a document with Exact Forms Plus and send it to be signed electronically with JuicedSign. The signed document is saved back to your Quickbase app.
Package Builder
Exact Forms Plus can also run from Quickbase Pipelines.