Save Progress on Every Page of a Multipage Form
On a long multipage form, users can lose their entries if they close the browser or leave before they submit. Save & Finish Later only saves when the user clicks the save button. If you want the entry saved each time the user clicks Next, you can make each page submit the form and send the user straight back to the same record on the next page.
Each Next click writes the entry to your database, so partial entries are kept even when the user never reaches the last page.
Video guide
Prefer to watch? This video walks through the same setup.
If the video does not open, watch it on Screencast.
Before you start
- Your form needs at least two pages.
- Each Next click is a real submission. AutoResponders, notifications, triggers, and PDFs that run on submit or update will run on every page, not only once. Add a rule (NextPage equals Completed) to the ones that should only run when the form is finished.
- Partial entries appear in your database as soon as the first page is submitted.
Step 1: Add a field that tracks the next page
- Open the form in the Form Designer.
- Add a Text Field named NextPage on the first page and set it to hidden. Leave its default value blank.
Step 2: Make each page submit and set NextPage
- In the Form Outline, select the first page. Under Page Properties > Page Settings & Branching Actions, set Branching Action to Submit Form.
- In the Form Outline, select that page's Page Button Set. Under Button Properties > Button General Setting, click the Actions icon, click New, and add an Update Values action that sets NextPage to the name of the following page (for example Page2).
- Repeat for each page: set Branching Action to Submit Form and set NextPage to the name of the page that comes after it.
- On the last page, set NextPage to Completed.
The buttons still show Next to your users. Behind the scenes, each one saves the entry.
Step 3: Get the Direct Edit Link
- In the Form Designer toolbar, click Integration, then click Next.
- Choose Direct Link, click Next, choose Direct Edit Link, and click Next.
- Copy the Link Code. It contains the [lfuuid] wildcard, which Logiforms replaces with the record's unique ID. See Auto Login to Edit for details.
Step 4: Create the redirect AutoResponder
- Go to Post Processing > AutoResponder Emails & Redirects. Edit your default profile, or click Add AutoResponder Profile and choose Standard. Name it, for example, To Next Page, and check Default Profile.
- In Redirect URL, paste the Direct Edit Link and add
&startpage=[NextPage]to the end. - Check Update Mode Enabled. The profile has to run when the entry is updated, not only when it is first submitted, or users are not sent on after page 2.
- If the form is embedded on your website, check Redirect Inside Embedded Frame.
Step 5: Create the final AutoResponder and its rule
- Add a second Standard profile, for example Completed, with your thank you page or email, and check Update Mode Enabled.
- On the Rules (Advanced) tab, click Add New Rule and use Completed when NextPage equals Completed. Every other page uses the default To Next Page profile.
Without this rule, the last page sends the user back into the form instead of showing your thank you page.
Step 6: Save and test
- Save the form, then go to Settings > Rebuild Form and Clear Cache.
- Fill in the first page and click Next. The form should reload on the second page, and the entry should already be in your database.
- Continue through each page. The same entry updates each time, and the last page shows your thank you page.
Security
The Direct Edit Link opens the record without a login, so treat it like a password. Never build the link with the Record ID, which can be guessed; always use the [lfuuid] wildcard. To stop the link working once the form is finished, go to Settings > Security Settings and, under Direct Edit Settings, click Edit Rule next to Disable Direct Edit Condition to create a rule such as NextPage equals Completed. See Restrict Access via the Direct Edit Link System.
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