Reporting on Form Data

Reporting is only available for saved forms since they are the only forms that could possibly contain data. There are a couple of ways to report on data entered into a form. Form Generator has a built in method for browsing current entries in a form as well as a method for exporting this data into a tab delimited file that can be downloaded and imported into any spread sheet program (e.g.: OpenOffice.org Calc, Microsoft Excel, etc.).

First, to enter into reporting mode for a form, follow these steps:

Some statistical data is calculated and displayed by Form Generator such as the number of complete and incomplete entries, the total number of entries, and the date and time of the last entry the form received. Shown below this information is a list of the actual entries received by the form. There are several options you have available for each entry. You can edit, delete, view, or print each entry.

When editing an entry, the form is loaded with the data populated, and you are allowed to change any value you wish. When viewing or printing an entry, just the raw data is shown and not the form in it's entirety. If you delete an entry, it is permanently removed from the form's data and can only be recovered through an archive if one exists. It is recommended you archive your form data before you edit or remove any of it's entries. This will ensure you have a backup copy in case of emergency.

To export all the data within the form, simply click the Export button. A archived ".zip" file will be created by the Form Generator and will be sent to you through your browser. Choose a suitable download location on your machine and save the file. To unzip the file you can use the unzip command in *nix or the winzip, winace, or winrar programs in a windows environment. A single file will be extracted that is a tab delimited file containing your form's data. Using a spread sheet program, import the file and then save it to a more workable format that is native to the program you're using (i.e.: *.sxc for OpenOffice.org Calc or *.xls for Microsoft Excel).