Form Groups: Fill Multiple Linked Forms in One Site Visit

The Problem: One Job, Five Forms, Lots of Re-Typing

If your field work involves more than one form per visit, you know the pain. A property inspection might require a site survey, a safety checklist, a punch list, and a sign-off — each one a separate form.

Every form asks for the same basics: address, client name, job number, date. Your crew types (or writes) the same information four or five times. On paper, they flip between clipboards. On digital tools, they bounce between tabs and re-enter data.

Mistakes creep in. Fields get skipped. And at the end of the visit, the reports are scattered across different submissions with no easy way to bundle them together.

Form Groups solve this by linking related forms into a single workflow — fill once, flow everywhere.

How Form Groups Work

A Form Group connects one main form to one or more check forms that are filled in sequence during the same visit.

Here's the workflow:

1. Build a group — In the form builder, pick your main form (the site survey, intake, or walkthrough) and attach your check forms (safety inspection, quality audit, punch list, sign-off).

1. Start the group — From the dashboard, tap "Start" on any group. FieldForm opens the main form first.

1. Fill the main form — Enter the job details, snap photos, capture GPS, collect a signature — just like any other form.

1. Move to the checks — After submitting the main form, FieldForm advances to the first check form automatically. A banner at the top shows your progress: "Step 2 of 4."

1. Reference panel — Each check form displays a collapsible panel at the top showing the main form's answers. No flipping back and forth — the context is right there.

1. Auto-populated fields — Any field in a check form that matches a main form field by label (like "Job Number" or "Client Name") is automatically filled in. Your crew doesn't type it again.

1. Complete or resume later — If you get interrupted, the in-progress group appears on the dashboard. Pick up exactly where you left off.

Auto-Populate: Fill Once, Flow Everywhere

The biggest time-saver in Form Groups is auto-population. When you submit the main form, FieldForm looks at every check form in the group and matches fields by label.

If your main form has a "Property Address" field and your safety checklist also has a "Property Address" field, the check form fills it in automatically from the main form's answer.

This works for any field type with a matching label:

• Text fields — job numbers, client names, addresses
• Number fields — permit numbers, unit counts
• Date fields — inspection dates
• Dropdown / select fields — project types, priority levels

You control which main form fields are available for matching using the "Show in linked" toggle in the form builder. Toggle it off for fields that are only relevant to the main form itself (like internal notes).

The result: your crew enters shared data once, and it flows to every check form in the group. No re-typing, no copy-paste, no mismatched records.

Reference Panel: Context Without Clipboard Flipping

When filling a check form inside a group, a reference panel appears at the top of the screen showing the main form's responses.

This is invaluable for inspections where the check depends on what was found in the survey. Your safety inspector can see the site conditions noted in the main form while filling out the hazard checklist — without switching screens or asking "what did the surveyor write down?"

The panel is collapsible so it doesn't crowd the screen. Tap to expand, tap to collapse. Photos and GPS maps from the main form render inline.

For teams where one person does the survey and another does the follow-up checks, the reference panel means the second person has full context without a phone call.

PDF Bundle Export

When a group is complete — all forms submitted — you can export the entire group as a single PDF bundle.

The bundle includes:

• Cover page — group name, completion date
• Main form — full submission with photos, GPS, and signatures
• Each check form — in order, with all captured data

One PDF. One file. Covers the entire visit.

Send it to the client before you leave the driveway. Attach it to the project record. File it for the auditor. No assembling reports from five different exports.

PDF generation happens on-device — no internet required. The bundle downloads as a single file named after the group.

Use Cases

Form Groups fit any workflow where one visit means multiple forms:

Property inspections

Main form: site survey with photos and GPS. Checks: structural, electrical, plumbing, exterior — each a separate checklist referencing the survey.

Construction quality audits

Main form: daily progress report. Checks: safety inspection, material conformance, punch list.

Roofing assessments

Main form: roof condition survey. Checks: flashing inspection, gutter assessment, homeowner sign-off.

Environmental monitoring

Main form: site identification and GPS. Checks: water quality, soil sampling, air monitoring — each auto-populated with the site ID and coordinates.

Agricultural field visits

Main form: farm details and crop overview. Checks: pest monitoring, irrigation assessment, harvest readiness.

Equipment commissioning

Main form: asset ID and installation details. Checks: electrical safety, functional testing, client acceptance signature.

Getting Started with Form Groups

Form Groups are available now in FieldForm. Here's how to set one up:

1. Build your forms — Create the main form and each check form separately, just like normal
2. Go to Build → New Form Group — Pick your main form, then add check forms in order
3. Set "Show in linked" flags — In the main form builder, toggle which fields should appear in the reference panel and auto-populate into checks
4. Save the group — It appears on your dashboard, ready to start
5. Tap "Start" — Fill the main form, then each check in sequence

Your team sees in-progress groups on the dashboard and can resume from exactly where they left off.

Works fully offline. Auto-syncs when you reconnect.

Try Form Groups free →