Insert excerpt QPD490:QEST Platform Documentation Working VersionQPD490:4.90 QEST Platform Documentation Working Version4.90 nopanel true
Applies to QESTLab, QESTField Forms
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This article outlines some special considerations when reviewing and distributing Forms that makes this process slightly different than reviewing native test reports and external test reports. It also outlines these differences as well as the process for Forms review and distribution from QESTLab. |
Contents
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Forms in QESTLab
Forms in QESTLab behave in many ways like external and native test reports and should be included in the same report review filters such that they appear in the same workflows for users. Given the required user rights, it is possible to undertake the following actions on forms in QESTLab:
- Opening, editing and saving changes
- Changing distribution lists
- Exporting
- Printing
- Signing
- Publishing
Viewing a Form
When a form is opened in QESTLab, it will be shown as a report, in a pane very similar to the one used for external test reports (i.e. Microsoft Excel or Word based reports). All form fields will be disabled in the preview displayed in QESTLab, but the form can be edited via the Open and Re-upload buttons if corrections are required. Forms will always appear as direct children of a work order but may be grouped under a sample type group if so configured (see Creating New Forms for more details).
If a form is signed, the name of the signatory as well as the date that it was signed will be shown next to the signatory checkbox. It should be noted that the date shown here will be representative of the date on the device on which the form was signed. That is, if the QESTField app was used to sign the form, the date signed will be taken from the device's date and time settings.
Editing
Open for Editing
If corrections are required to a form prior to signing, the form can be opened for editing by clicking the Open button, on the right hand side, immediately below the form preview. This opens the PDF directly on the same machine that QESTLab is running on, using the default PDF editor (usually Adobe Reader).
Changes should be made in this opened application and then the file saved and overwritten. The file can be closed once saved.
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QESTLab creates a temporary file for the form in the user's temporary directory and asks Adobe Reader to open this file. When the user saves, Adobe Reader will, by default, initiate the "Save As" action instead. If this occurs and the save action requests that a folder be selected prior to saving, click the first option presented and elect to save over the existing file (that is, do not change the presented file name).
This default Adobe Reader behavior can be disabled by unchecking the option Enable Protected Mode at Startup through Edit → Preferences → Security (Enhanced). IT Administrators can roll-out this behavior company wide, through group policy modification of the machine registry or, better yet, through using a customized Adobe Reader installer with this option disabled, when installing Adobe Reader on the appropriate machines. Customized installers can be put together to exclude certain defaults and features. See Adobe's documentation for more information. |
A Note on Image Attachments
Any image attachments on forms are currently completed using the PDF editing software used to fill out the form, rather than through any functionality within the QEST Platform itself. As a result, QESTLab is unable to modify or change any images included in, or attached to forms. If changes do need to be made, they will need to be done outside of QESTLab using third party products.
Re-upload
Once the temporary file has been modified and saved, the Re-upload button can be pressed to upload the modified file back into the QEST Platform database. The right hand pane view will refresh to show the changes or corrections.
Refreshing Fields
When field values that are mapped to a form have been changed after a form has been created (e.g. the Work Date on a Work Order has been changed) the value on the form is not updated (e.g. the form will still display the old Work Date), until a refresh is triggered so that the new data is shown on the form. A Refresh fields button is now available when viewing a form in QESTLab and when shown, will appear to the left of the Re-upload button. After pressing the Refresh fields button, the form previewer will be reloaded so that any changes are immediately visible.
Export and Print
Much like a normal QESTLab report or external test report, forms can be exported to a flattened PDF from QESTLab and printed by using the appropriate toolbar buttons (
and 
respectively). The export and print actions will flatten the PDF prior to export but will not display a draft watermark if it is not signed.
When exporting, the user will need to select an appropriate folder to save the PDF file to. Exporting to PDF also requires the user to have the general "export" right.
Signing and Un-signing
The form can be signed, or un-signed depending on its state, if the user has signatory rights for the form in question. The action of signing a form will:
- Flatten the form and lock out the Open and Re-upload buttons so that changes cannot be made. The form will also be locked for users that open it in the QESTField app or web view after this point.
- Create an archived test report instance for the signed form.
- If the form has any signatory details mapped to its fields (such as date, name, title or signature image), these will be applied to the form at this time.
- Update the issue number on the form if this is mapped somewhere, to the appropriate value.
The issue number can also be set manually in QESTLab, any change here will only be seen after signing the form.
These changes will be reflected in the form preview pane immediately after signing.
The action of un-signing a form will:
- Enable the Open and Re-upload buttons, allowing changes to be made to the form. The form will also be editable for users that open it in the QESTField app or web view after this point.
- Remove the mapped signatory details (if any).
Distribution Lists and Publishing
Distribution Lists
Distribution lists for Forms function in exactly the same way as they do for native and external test reports. Contacts that exist on the project can be added to the distribution list for a form using the Distribution List button at the bottom of the right hand pane. Changes to the distribution will cause a remapping which will produce a new version of the form, including an updated recipients list if recipients are mapped to the form.
Publishing
A form can be published via email or published to Construction Hive using the Publish Report button in the toolbar when viewing a form 
. The availability of the Email or Portal (Construction Hive) options in the publish dialog will be dependent on the configuration of the QESTLab instance being used. Some system administrators may disable one option or the other, based on business needs.
The form will be sent as a read-only PDF. If an un-signed form is published from QESTLab, a DRAFT watermark will be applied and overlaid on the PDF itself.
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