FormBuilder

Service Description

FormBuilder is an enterprise service available to University of Illinois departments for creating forms to collect and process information. FormBuilder's high level functionality includes Event Registration, Online Credit Card Payment, and lightweight Workflow functionality with routing, approvals and email notification.  Originally designed and built by ATLAS at UIUC, the application is now jointly supported, maintained, and enhanced by AITS and ATLAS as an enterprise system.

FormBuilder can be used to create online registration and payment processing components for workshops, camps, conferences, and other types of events. FormBuilder can also be used for lightweight workflow processing to automate paper business processes that require approval forms, routing, automatic notification, and back end reporting. Forms support user-defined fields, triggers, rules, decision points based on prior input, and can be integrated with IPay for payment processing. Events can be set up with capacity limits, wait lists, generated participant emails, and rosters.

Forms can be customized to have the same look and feel as department web sites and can be set up and managed independently by department staff.

Departments designate a resource to work with AITS for FormBuilder training and coordination in using the system for setting up forms and events.

High-Level Functionality

Approval and Routing

Event registration forms and Workflow forms can be configured to require review and approval by university staff as part of the registration process. Thresholds and triggers can be set up to fire based upon data or selections.

Authentication

Administrators use EAS authentication to manage events while users can use Active Directory, EAS, or their OpenID credentials such as Yahoo and Google ids to authenticate. Users can also create a new id or the registration process can be open without authentication being required.

Notification Emails

Confirmation emails can be automatically sent to registrants after they complete the registration process as a receipt for their records. Notification emails can also be used as notification of pending tasks to approvers or reviewers, or confirmation of completed tasks if included in the registration or workflow process.

Custom Design

Style sheets and web components from department websites can be used to create templates within FormBuilder. Templates can be applied to any of the department's forms within the application to provide a consistent look and feel between department websites and the registration system.

Unit/Form Group Administrators

Each department will have one or more Unit or Form Group Administrators with access to the administrative side of FormBuilder to allow them to monitor transactional data and run reports.  Administrators will also have the ability to edit and make changes to existing forms as well as develop new forms and associated form objects.

Payments

Fees for events can be charged and credited to university accounts via IPay integration. Credit card payments are processed automatically; check payments can be enabled but require manual payment processing from the Unit or Form Group Administrators. Payment line items can be established with a default department C-FOAPAL or customized to utilize separate C-FOAPALS for each line item.

Reports

Administrators have access to the Reporting Console to run reports and export data to a .csv file or an Excel file. A default report including every data element is automatically created with each form that is built. Administrators can create custom reports specifying which data elements to include, order and name the selected field columns, and establish sort order.

Session Management

Establish registration limits and wait lists for events. Multiple sessions for an event can be set; as sessions fill, sessions automatically close for registration or people can be added to a wait list.

Self Service Development

Allows Administrators the ability and tools to build, edit, and duplicate any event registration or workflow form and accompanying reports and views.

Support

• FormBuilder is hosted by AITS and is jointly supported, maintained, and enhanced by AITS and ATLAS as an enterprise system.
• The system is available 24 hours a day, subject to the maintenance windows established for all AITS enterprise systems.
• The AITS Service Desk provides 24 hour help desk support for FormBuilder.
• On-call staff are available for after-hours support, as required, for emergencies and scheduled work.

Client Responsibilities

• Identify a primary point of contact to work with AITS in coordinating the activities being performed by the service.
• All new work can be initiated through the Work Request or ITPC process, through submitting the form above in the "Getting Started" section, or by contacting the FormBuilder team directly at formbuilder@mx.uillinois.edu.
• Support requests relating to the use of the service will be initiated by opening an incident or request ticket with the AITS Service Desk.
• It is the responsibility of each department's appointed FormBuilder administrators to provide support for their individual events.
• Beyond initial engagement, form development for the unit is the responsibility of the unit's FormBuilder administrators.

How Do We Charge?

• AITS currently does not charge for this service.
• However, if continued form development work beyond initial engagement is required by the unit, a service level agreement will be created with the unit.