The Profile forms tool is used to build and edit profile forms. Profile forms collect and store data that is not tracked over time and is not date sensitive; this data can be considered static. Profile forms can only be updated to current values and no record of previous values is kept. Multiple different profile forms can be filled out for each user.
When a profile form record is saved, Teamworks AMS automatically tracks who the record is saved against (About) and the date that the record was last updated. In Reports, the person's name is displayed automatically and the Last updated date can be added from the Advanced settings in the sidebar.
We do not recommend including the following manual entry fields (e.g. with a text field) in a profile form:
- First name
- Last name
- Username
- Email address
- Phone number
These details are already collected as part of the user's account details so collecting them in a profile form is both a duplication of effort and can cause confusion. For example, someone may update their email address in the profile form but not their account details which could prevent them from being able to log into AMS, receive multi-factor authentication codes, reset their password or receive notifications.
Managing profile forms
To edit or view the profile form, open the Profile forms tool in the builder interface and select the form name.
In the Profile forms tool, you can also perform the following functions:
- Change the name of a form.
- Delete a form, including all records.
- Duplicate a form.
- Bulk resave any calculations in existing records.
- Download a form.
- Link forms to a child site.
- Copy forms to a child site.
It is not possible to migrate fields or options for a profile form. Changing the name of a field or its options will result in data loss. Any values would need to be added by editing the profile records.
Edit the profile form name
Use the Edit name function to update the name of a profile form. When you change the name of a profile form, everywhere the form name appears will update to the new name, including:
- The profile form selection screen shown during the data entry process.
- The list of profile forms available to report on using the reports tool.
- The settings for linked profile calculations.
Delete a profile form
The Delete function removes the profile form and all associated records from your AMS site. We generally recommend that you don’t delete a form unless you have checked that no other forms reference it (you can use the Data specifications tool for this) and have considered backing up your data elsewhere.
Duplicate a profile form
The Duplicate function creates a copy of the profile form. This doesn’t duplicate the records. If you use the duplication function, make sure the name of your new form is unique.
Resave a profile form
You can use the Resave function to recalculate all records for a profile form. This function is useful when you modify or add a calculation and need to recalculate previously saved records. However, resaving large numbers of records might affect the performance of your AMS site until the resave is complete.
The system will email the address used by your AMS account to confirm that a resave has been finished. You should wait for the email notification to arrive before running another resave.
Download a profile form
Use the Download profile form function to export and save a profile form as a text file (.txt) on your computer. When this text file is imported back into AMS as a profile form, the new form will have the same fields, sections and properties as the original.
If you use this method to create a profile form, you should make sure that the name of your new form is different from the original version of the form.
Link to child (enterprise only)
Use the Link to child function to link profile forms created on the site to another site on the same server. To use this function, the following criteria must be met:
- The server must be configured as an enterprise instance.
- The sharing of forms from the current site to another site must be enabled in the Shared sites administration tool.
- You must have a minimum of Read access to the form in your role.
Linked forms can only be edited on the site where it was created. If the form is accessed from the linked site, none of the management functions will be visible.
Copy to child (enterprise only)
Use the Copy to child function to copy profile forms created on the site to another site on the same server. To use this function, the following criteria must be met:
- The server must be configured as an enterprise instance.
- The sharing of forms from the current site to another site must be enabled in the Shared sites administration tool.
- You must have a minimum of Read access to the form in your role.
Forms that are copied from one site to another can be edited in isolation - that is, changes made in one version will not be automatically applied to the other version. Likewise, data saved in one version of the form will not be created for or copied over to the other version of the form.