Spark currently operates in two modes: Create Template and Update Template.
Create Template
This is the default function for new or blank dynamic forms and is used to initially build the form.
To build a form, your prompt can be as simple as: “Please build this form.”
Include any branding requirements during the creation prompt.
Example: “Please build a form and brand it using IKEA’s logo and brand colors”
Spark will read the title of your form and all Quickbase fields in your target table. Using that information, along with knowledge it has or can identify about that type of form, Spark will generate a professionally formatted version of the form for you in about a minute.
Spark is creative, and will build different versions of a particular form, even if you use the same prompt to build a form again. With some branding requests it may find a logo online to use, sometimes it won’t and you have to add a URL/link to a publicly accessible logo online.
Once the initial version of the form is generated, Spark automatically transitions into Update Template mode, which behaves differently.
Update Template
This function allows builders to update existing forms using prompts to make modifications.
When using Update Template, Spark will only update the items specified in the prompt. It needs very specific direction in the prompts. By design, Spark is no longer creative like it is in Create mode (so that it does not make changes to your form that you don’t want).
To update a form, your prompt can be as simple as:
“Move the Business Address section above the Primary Contact section”. Or “remove the Primary Contact section”.
Smaller refinements can be quicker and easier to do with the new Drag-and-Drop functionality than by prompt. Spark and drag-and-drop work well together so that you can more easily get the formatted form results you want.
For best results in branding/formatting, make broad branding specifications in the Create step (the Update step will not do these unless you are very specific). You can however make formatting changes as Updates, like changing font, font size, font color, background color. Be very specific about the colors you want (using Hex codes for specific colors is best).
To view example prompts and supported actions, see:
Form Engine Spark- Functions and Prompts
Swap Placeholders
Swap Placeholders is a final function that replaces field name placeholders (such as First_Name) with the matching fields from the target Quickbase table, completing the working form.
You can save your form and try it. If the form has signatures you’ll need to configure the File Attachment fields to Signatures for them to work as e-signatures. And for all forms where you want a PDF of executed forms to be generated and stored in your Quickbase record, you’ll need to have a dedicated File Attachment field for that, and attach it with the Set File Upload link/function.
