Table forms

Table forms allow designers to create a form for a Nintex Data table which can be used to save data directly to the table when the form is submitted - without requiring a workflow.

When you generate a form for a table, the form is created with form controls are automatically mapped to the table’s columns. You can further customize the layout and add fields as required.

After the form is created, a unique form URL is generated, which can be shared with users to submit data. The data entered is saved directly into the table.

Create a form for a table

1. Go to Data to open the Tables page.

   The Tables page is displayed and lists all the existing tables created in the tenant.

2. Open the table for which you want to create a form.

3. On the toolbar, click Form.

   The Manage form panel is displayed.

4. Click Open Table Form Designer.

   The form designer is displayed with a form with fields automatically generated for the table's columns.

   Each form field is linked to a specific table column. You can customize the form as needed.

   The form controls related to table columns are grouped by the table name in the form controls toolbox.

5. Customize the form:

   • Each control is connected to a table column, which can be viewed and configured in the Connected to field of the control configuration panel. Table columns with the matching data type can be connected to the form control.

   • Hover over the control to access the options menu in the upper-right corner.

   • Click to convert the control to a different form control.

   • Click to delete the form control from the form.

     Note: 

     • Reference type columns in the table cannot be connected to a form.

     • Forms plugins will work, however, plugins that output data of type object are not currently supported.

6. Click Apply changes.

   Important: For any changes to take effect, you must click Apply changes.

After a form is created for the table, its status will show as Draft in the Manage form panel until it is published.

Publish the form

After a form is created for a table, you must publish it for it to be available for participants to submit data.

1. Go to Data to open the Tables page.

2. Open the table.

3. On the toolbar, click Form.

   The Manage form panel is displayed. The form status is shown as Draft if the form is not published.

4. Click Publish.

5. Enter a Form name and Form Description.

6. Select a Form Access type.

   • Anyone with the form URL: Anyone who has the form URL can access and submit the form, and does not need to log in with a Nintex Workflowuser name and password. To find the URL of your form, see Edit, deactivate, reactivate, reset a table form using the options menu

   • Authenticated users in this tenant: To access a web-based form using its URL, users must log in with their Nintex Workflow username and password. To find the URL of your form, see Edit, deactivate, reactivate, reset a table form using the options menu. By default, this allows all authenticated users in the tenant to access the form. To restrict access to specific users and groups you choose, publish the form and use the Manage access setting to select the users and groups that can have access to the form.

7. (Optional) The Available in My Nintex check box is selected by default. Clear this check box if you don't want the form to be available in My Nintex.

8. Click Confirm.

   The form is published and the Form published dialog is displayed with the generated Form URL.

9. To copy the URL of the web form, click to copy the link or copy the URL from its text box.

   You can use this URL, to paste to a web browser to open the form or you can share the URL with users to enter data.

   Alternatively, you can click the Open in new tab icon to directly navigate to the form in a new tab.

10. Click Manage access to add users to table permissions. Users can’t view or use the form until they have the required permission. Unauthenticated users can submit the form but can’t view the data. For details, see Tables permissions and roles

11. Click Ok to close the Form published dialog box.

    The form status will now change to Published.

Edit, deactivate, reactivate, reset a table form using the options menu

After a form is created for a table, you can use the options in the options menu to manage the form.

Note: Changes made to the table after a form is published will not invalidate the form and participants are still able to submit the form. However, if the table is deleted, the form will still appear in My Nintex and be viewable, but participants will not be able to submit it.

1. Go to Data to open the Tables page.

2. Open the table.

3. On the toolbar, click Form.

   The Manage form panel is displayed.

4. On the right of the form, click .

   The options menu is displayed with the following options:

   Option	Description
   Edit	Edit the created table form. If a published form is edited and changes are applied, a new draft is created and displayed with the Draft status under the published form in the Manage form panel. Once a draft form is published that will become the published form for the table.
   Reset	Remove any changes and revert to the original auto generated form.
   Delete	(Available only for Draft forms. After a form is published, you can only Deactivate or Reset the form) Delete the table form created for the table.
   Deactivate	(Available only for published forms) Deactivate and unpublish a published form. This can be used to pause data entry using the form. The status of deactivated forms is shown as Deactivated in the manage form panel.
   Reactivate	(Available only for published forms that has been deactivated) Reactivate a form that has been previously deactivated. The form is reactivated, and the status is changed to Published.
   Form URL	(Available only for published forms) View or copy the generated form URL. You can use this link to the view the published form and enter data to the table.

Invalid forms

If a table has a published or draft form created, and a column referenced by any of those forms is deleted from the table, the affected forms become invalid. When a form is invalid:

• The Manage form panel will display a message indicating that the form is invalid due to missing columns.

• The Publish button will be disabled for invalid draft forms.

• Published forms that become invalid can no longer be accessed by users, attempting to open them will show a message stating that the form is unavailable.

You can have:

A valid published form and an invalid draft form, an invalid published form and a valid draft form, or both draft and published form can be invalid at the same time.

Resolving an invalid form

To resolve an invalid form, you must reset or edit the form.

Note: You must reset each invalid form individually. Draft and published forms must be fixed separately if both are invalid.

1. On the right of the invalid form, click .

2. Select Reset or Edit.

   The form designer is displayed with a form created using the current columns in the table.

3. Make changes as required and Apply changes.

4. Publish the form.

Anonymous table forms

Anonymous table forms allow anyone with the form URL to access and submit data without signing in. Create a table form and share the form URL to add data to the table. Each submission adds a row to the table. For anonymous form submissions, the fields in Created by and Modified by columns will display Anonymous user. The form can also be filled using the Add via form button in the table grid. Even if the user is authenticated (and has access to My Nintex), because the form is anonymous, the Created by field in the table will display Anonymous user.

Create and publish Anonymous table forms

1. Create a table form. For details, see Create a form for a table.

2. Publish the form. For details, see Publish the form.

3. In Form access, select Anyone with the form URL.

4. Click Confirm.

After you publish, the Form published dialog shows the Form URL. Anyone with the URL can submit the form. To disable anonymous access, clear Anyone with form URL and republish the form or deactivate the form. To switch between authenticated and anonymous access, create a new version of the form by making a minor change and then republish it.