Dispatches and Dispatch Workflows are flexible ways to collaborate using your forms. There are many ways to set up Dispatch Workflows to accommodate your specific use-case.

In this article, we will be giving an overview of a basic Dispatch workflow that starts with one form submission, that dispatches to another device/user to add to it, and then to a final device to complete it!
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​What is Dispatch?

Dispatch is a feature with two functions. You can either partially complete a form and send it to a device for final completion OR you can have 1 form with different versions, setup in a workflow to be completed by various users on mobile devices, with various types of Destinations.

A common type of workflow is called a "chain", where the first person starts by filling out a form, then dispatches it to a new person, who adds to the form, and then that second person dispatches that form to yet another person. This "chain" can carry on as long as needed to ensure each person contributes to the overall final report.

In this example, we will make 3 copies of the same form, with each form down the line containing slightly more information than the last.

These forms will be:

We will have 3 roles dedicated to each form:

Now, the first thing we'll need to do is create 3 forms. Start by creating the form you want your tech to fill out first.

(Form A Fields)

Note: A PDF destination will automatically be created when you create a new form, so unless you want to receive an Email with a PDF of the form attached at every step, you can remove this destination altogether for all the forms in your chain where you don't need a PDF to be sent out after the form is submitted.

After you have created the first form, go to your Forms page, and Copy the form you just made (including destinations).

Open this new copy, rename it (Form B in this example), and add any additional fields that will need to be filled out by the next person. We've added fields for the Supervisor to check and sign.

(Form B Fields)

Finally, we'll do the same thing we did to copy Form A, making sure to rename the final form so all the form names are unique. Here we've added 2 more fields for the Final Approver to complete.

(Form C Fields)

Now that we have all of our forms created, let's set up our dispatch destinations!

The first dispatch destination we will create is the destination for Form A, so open Form A and click New Destination:

Create a new Dispatch destination by clicking Dispatch (XML will be the only format option)

Destination Description
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To help keep things organized, we'll want to give some information about where the form is coming from, as well as where the form is being sent. Under Destination Description, we'll put in some information about where the form is being sent.

For Form A, we want the form to dispatch to Form B, so the Supervisor can see what the Technician has filled out when they receive it.

Dispatch Options
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Next, we'll want to enter the information about which form we want to send (Form to Dispatch) to the next person in the chain, and who should receive it (Target Device/User). You can dispatch a form to a specific Device or Webforms User.

For this example, we want to send Form B to the Supervisor's iOS device.

Fill out the Form Name so the recipient knows what form they are receiving. The Form Description should indicate where the form was coming from. In this example, the Supervisor is receiving the dispatch from Form A.

We also added a placeholder so the name of the form will be filled in automatically.

Next, use the placeholders to add the specific field data to the form fields, so the Supervisor will see what the Technician has already filled out.

You can click "Show me placeholders I can use in these fields" to see what placeholders are available on this form.

If you'd like to receive an email if the delivery fails, you can add email addresses to the Destination Delivery Error Mail To field.

Once everything is filled out, click Create Destination! Now onto the next form!

Next we will create the dispatch destination for Form B, when the Supervisor has completed their additions, and is ready to send it out to the Final Approver.

This destination will be very similar to the one we just made for Form A, with a few extra pieces.

Destination Description
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Remember, the Destination Description tells us where this dispatch is going, so for our example, we'll want our destination description to say "Dispatch to Form C".

Dispatch Options
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This time, we want to make our Form to Dispatch the next form in our chain, in this case, Form C.

For our Target Device, we are going to send the final version to a Web User instead of a mobile device.

The Form Name will again use the form name's placeholder, and include info about where the form is going (but you can name the form whatever you'd like).

The Form Description tells us where the form is coming from, and so will be named "Dispatch from Form B".

In Form Fields, use the placeholder list to fill in any fields you want the Final Approver to see. Since we used a few fields that can either show a specific piece of data (Yes/No questions, or sketch questions), we chose to use the field placeholder so that no matter how that question was filled out, that will appear here.

When you've filled everything out, click Create Destination, and we'll move to the final form!

Finally, for the final step in Form C. Since the Final Approver is not passing this to another person, we do not need to create another dispatch destination. Instead, we will create an Email Destination with a PDF attached.

Take a look at this article on how to create an Email Destination with a PDF attachment!

... And that's it!

For more info on how to map Repeat Group data to your Dispatch Destination, check out the article here.

If you have any questions or comments feel free to send us a message at support@devicemagic.com.