Coming April 14, 2020 - Draft Mode and Publishing Updates

Updated April, 15, 2020

Up until now with Kuali Build, any changes you have made to an existing app have been made available to end users immediately. Now, with Draft Mode you can delay the release of changes to a live app until the form and workflow are just the way you want them. With the addition of Draft Mode, we've also made some changes to how we publish an app. See all the details below.

What is Draft Mode?

In the past Kuali Build apps have been live, meaning, any change you made to an existing form or workflow would be seen by form submitters immediately. Draft Mode allows you to make all of your changes to an app and then publish them at a time that is least disruptive for your users.

Additionally, Draft Mode will alert you of potential errors from changes to your app, such as errors in the workflow that may occur if you change a form. You will also be prevented from publishing your app changes until all errors have been resolved.

How do I preview my changes before I publish?

The basics of creating a form and workflow in Kuali Build haven't changed (see How Do I Create a Form? and How Do I Add, Edit, and Delete Steps in a Workflow?). However, with Draft Mode you now have the ability to preview a form before you publish. 

To preview the form click the toggle switch at the top of the Form Builder from "Design" to "Preview."

This will allow you to view the form as your submitters will see it once you publish. To return to edit the form, click the toggle switch again from "Preview" to "Design."

How do I edit an app using Draft Mode?

• To edit an app that has previously been published, click on the app's icon from the Kuali Build Dashboard. This will take you to the app's Document List.  
• From there, click Form in the upper right-hand corner of the screen to edit the form, or click Workflow to edit the workflow.

• Begin editing.
  • You will notice that a yellow "Draft" flag will appear in the top right corner of your screen.  This flag indicates that any changes made to your app while in Draft Mode will not be seen by your submitters until you publish your app.

Note: Kuali Build will notify you of any potential errors that could be caused by your editing the app. For example, if you try to remove a field that your workflow is dependent on, a warning message will appear at the top of your screen similar to the screenshot below. You will also be unable to publish your app until the error is corrected.

You will also see an error in your workflow if you delete a field that is associated with the workflow step:

Form Settings

There are two form settings you may want to consider before publishing your form: 

• Turn top-level sections into pages: This setting allows you to paginate the form users fill out. In order for this setting to work, you need to have at least 2 top level sections in your form, meaning, one section cannot be embedded in the other.
• Show "Start new form" button on the submission confirmation page: This setting allows users to begin a new form from the confirmation page after submission.
  • 

The location of these settings has changed with this release and can now be found on the Form Builder page. To enable either of these settings, click Form Settings at the right of the Form Builder page below the Publish button. Check the box next to the setting you wish to enable.

How do I publish an app?

Until you publish your app and as long as the yellow Draft flag  is visible at the top right of the screen within the app, any changes you have made to your app will not be visible to submitters.

To publish your app click on the Publish button at the top right of the page

If this is your first time publishing, more than likely you won't have any errors to correct, and you will see a screen similar to the picture below:

If you have previously published your app and are making changes to it, the Publish page will display a summary of changes you have made to this draft, and it will show any errors that need to be corrected.  

Until all errors are resolved, you will be unable to publish your app.

Share Form

Once you have published your app and are ready to share the form with your team, you can share directly from the Publish screen or from the Form Builder. (Note: The locations for accessing the Share Form links have changed.)

To share from the Publish screen, click Share Form.

 

To share from the Form Builder, click Share Form on the right side of the page below the Publish button. 

From the lightbox that appears you will have access to 2 shareable links. 

• Shareable Link to Form: Share this URL with authenticated users so they can link directly to the form. For example, add this link to a portal for authenticated users.
• Shareable Link to Form (Anonymous): Share this URL to link directly to the form. This option does not require a user to be authenticated to fill out the form.
  • Note: In order for you to use this option, make sure you have checked the box at the bottom of the lightbox to Allow anonymous submissions.

How do I delete my draft without publishing?

If you decide that you don't want to publish the changes you have made to your app while in Draft Mode, you can simply discard the draft and start over without your users ever knowing.

To discard your current draft, go to the Publish screen, and click Discard Draft.