New Start Dog Rescue Automation
2019
Saved 100's of manual hours generating a printable application form from a Google Forms response by implementing the GSuite tool called Autocrat. Autocrat allows for workflow automation in the GSuite. Particularly in this instance, used Autocrat to generate a printable document from a Forms response collected in Google Sheets.
What is autoCrat?
Autocrat is an add-on to the G Suite that allows for automating the creation of documents from responses to forms. It is very dynamic and user friendly, requiring next to no "code" other than the "tags" it uses.
Three Key Components
Google Form
Capture information. Faces the internet
This is how the volunteer, adoption candidate applies
Google Sheet
Stores the responses for easy use
Suggest to configure from the form under the response tab
Google Doc
Formatted document template for each response
Document is formatted and is a template to map data from the Google Sheet of responses into the formatted document using tags
Steps to Configure
Create Google Form
Ensure you setup the responses to be stored in a Sheet
Create Google Doc Template
Use << tag name >> to specify where data should be mapped to
Do not duplicate tag names
Go into the Google Sheet that is holding the responses
Click on "Add Ons"
Go to "autoCrat" and "Launch"
Once autoCrat launches, it will show you any "Merge Jobs" if you have any already configured, but if not, you won't see anything currently listed and can start by clicking the New button.
Merge Job = what the autocrat add-on calls the action to merge data from the sheet into the formatted document
Walk through the screens to configure the job
Once complete, responses entered in the Form will automatically generate a Doc/PDF and a response in the Sheet
Helpful Links:
Autocrat User Guide:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WTGSSlH6gwUHpipusPKLIsgfFUamDbFbJ7JaoG6-ZBo/edit
Autocrat Forum in a Google Group:
https://groups.google.com/forum/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer#!forum/nv-autocrat-add-on