Once you begin receiving form submissions using the custom template you have built, you may notice missing data, or some form questions that appear to be blank. There are a few reasons why this could be occurring. Keep reading to find out what could be causing this and how to correct it.

The first thing to do is to make sure that the question was answered in the submission. The easiest way to do this is by navigating to your Forms list and clicking the number in the submissions column on the associated form. 

This will bring you to the associated Device Magic Database, where you can search the list for the submission in question. Searching by the assigned Submission ID is a quick way to find the submission. Once you have found the submission, locate the column that should contain the missing data. 

For example, if the submission received is missing the answer to “Phone No. Question”, find that column and check that an answer was provided:

If the answer was not provided by the user, but you are aware of what the value should be, you have the option to edit the submission and resend it to its destinations.

If you find that the answer was provided, there may be an issue with your placeholders that is preventing the data from appearing on your template.

The most common issue that prevents data from appearing in custom Word/PDF documents are invalid placeholders. Once you have confirmed that the associated question has a value, the next thing to check will be the placeholders in your template. To do this, go to your Forms list and select the number in the Destination column on the associated Form.

Find the PDF/Word Destination associated with the generated document and click the settings icon and then select "Edit".

On the Edit Destination screen, scroll down to Step 2, and download your uploaded template by clicking the blue link.

This will download a copy of the template that is currently being used for this destination.

Next, click the button that says “Show me the placeholders I can use for this file name”. All of your placeholders that can be used in the file name will appear on the screen. The good news is that most of these placeholders will also be valid to use within your Word or PDF template just as you see them here.

The only thing to note is that any [0] 's that you see within the placeholders will need to be removed. Take a look at this help article for more information.
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The last step will be to locate the problem question in your template, and check that your placeholder is entered appropriately by matching it against what you see on the Destination screen. 

Note: Keep in mind the formatting for Repeat Groups is slightly different than the other question types. You can find more information on Repeat Group formatting here.

Once you have corrected the placeholder(s), update your template and resend the submission, if necessary.

Still having trouble after checking your placeholders? We'll be happy to help. Please send us a message at support@devicemagic.com which includes the generated document with the error(s) highlighted and the associated submission id.

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