Wizard Style links allow users to create new records in pop-up windows without navigating away from the original record they're creating. This makes it faster and more intuitive for users to create linked records, ensuring they capture all the necessary related data and improving data integrity.
Note: This feature can only create new records; they cannot be used to link existing records. Wizard Style links also cannot be created with the Batch Record Creation tool.
The following form relationships can use Wizard Style links to direct users from the first (base) form to the second (target) form:
Tier 1 form to unrelated Tier 1 form
Tier 1 form to related Tier 2 form
Tier 2 form to related Tier 2 form (also known as Same Folder Linking)
Tier 2 form to unrelated Tier 1 form
The following form relationships cannot be established with Wizard Style links:
Tier 1 form to unrelated Tier 2 form
Tier 2 form to unrelated Tier 2 form
Note: Wizard Style links cannot be placed on a target form to navigate to another target form. You may only navigate away from the base record to create a new target record.
Follow the steps listed below to learn how to add Wizard Style links to your forms for your users to complete data entry in quick succession.
Step 1: Add a Link field to your base form
For our example, we'll create a Wizard Style link from a Tier 1 "Participant Profile" base form to a Tier 1 "Household Profile" target form. For users performing data entry, this means that any new participant they create must have a new household entered in the system as well.
Open your base form in the Form Designer, then expand the "Linking" category in the Field Choices palette. Click and hold the "Link" field name to drag it into a form section.
Step 2: Enable Wizard Style linking
Click on the gear icon at the top-right of the field box to open its properties. In the "Linked To" section, select the target form from the dropdown. If the relationship between the two forms can be made into a Wizard Style link, the special property will appear as a checkbox for you to enable.
Select "Apply" to save your properties, then repeat this step for as many target forms as you'd like that can be made into a Wizard Style link.
Note: You can also edit existing link fields to enable Wizard Style linking if the relationship between forms allows for it.
Select "Publish Form" from the Form Actions palette to make this new form relationship available to users for data entry.
Step 3: Create a new base form record
Navigate to create a new record of the form you added the Link field to, then find the Wizard Style link field.
You'll notice a "+ New" button next to the field instead of the "+ Add" button next to traditional linking fields, since Wizard Style links can only be used to create new records of the linked form, not link existing records.
Clicking "+ New" will direct you to a blank record of the target form within the same Apricot tab for you to fill out. Click "Store Linked Record" from the Record Options palette to navigate back to the base form record.
The new linked record will be displayed in the Wizard Style link field; you can click "Edit Record" to make changes to the target form record if necessary.
Fill out any other required fields in the base record, then select "Save Record" from the Record Options palette.
