---
title: "Forms in Action: What Happens After a Form Is Submitted?"
url: "https://help.ontraccr.com/en/article/forms-in-action-what-happens-after-a-form-is-submitted"
language: "en"
last_updated: "2025-05-26T22:15:14.139Z"
---

# Forms in Action: What Happens After a Form Is Submitted?

## 📄 Forms in Action: What Happens After a Form Is Submitted?  
 

Once a form is submitted in Ontraccr, it doesn’t just sit there—it becomes an **active workflow object** that can drive approvals, notifications, document storage, costing, and more.

This article explains what happens after a form is submitted, what actions it can trigger, and how you can use Ontraccr’s workflows to automate operational steps.

* * *

## 🔄 What a Form Can Do After Submission

Depending on how the workflow is configured in **Step 3: Workflow**, a submitted form can:

| Action Type | Examples |
| --- | --- |
| ✅ **Notify users** | In-app push + email alerts (e.g., “Form submitted by John on Project X”) |
| ✅ **Route to an approver** | Approval Block assigns to Safety Officer, PM, or Finance |
| ✅ **Request edits** | If rejected, the form can be sent back for revision via Edit Block |
| ✅ **Update project costs** | Labor, materials, or equipment tables push values into the cost tracking module |
| ✅ **Create time entries** | A Time Entry Table + Create Time Entry Block logs hours automatically |
| ✅ **Trigger another form** | E.g., Yes/No → Launch investigation or incident form |
| ✅ **Create a board card** | A new card is added to a project board (e.g., “Deficiency Report”) |
| ✅ **Send automated emails** | PDFs & form data sent to client or internal users |
| ✅ **Collect a payment** | A Stripe link is generated and emailed to the payer |
| ✅ **Store a PDF in project files** | Final form exported and saved into the Files tab of that project |
| ✅ **Update Equipment and Inventory** | Data collected using Material and Equipment tables can update databases accordingly. |

* * *

## 🧠 Key Workflow Building Blocks (Step 3)

| Block | What It Does |
| --- | --- |
| **Approval Block** | Assigns the form for review and decision (approve or reject) |
| **Edit Block** | Sends the form back to the submitter for revision |
| **Status Update Block** | Adds a visible label to show where the form is in the process |
| **Form Trigger Block** | Launches another form automatically |
| **Send Email / Notify In-App Blocks** | Sends alerts or confirmations |
| **Create Profile Block** | Triggers the creation of a new project profile. Avoids having to manually create a Project profile |
| **Create Board Card / Task Block** | Converts form into an action item |
| **PDF Export Block** | Stores a downloadable copy of the form |
| **Update Cost / Time / Contract Blocks** | Pushes data into cost, time, or contract systems |
| **Collect External Signature Block** | Sends the form to an external user to sign securely |
| **Update Equipment Block** | Used to update an equipment’s location |
| **Update Materials Block** | Used to update inventory counts in Material database |

* * *

## 🗂️ Where the Form Goes (and Who Sees It)

Once submitted, the form is visible in:

| View | Purpose |
| --- | --- |
| **Approvals tab (Documents → Forms → Approve)** | For reviewers to take action |
| **Project > Forms** | For team-wide project-level visibility |
| **Boards** (if card was created) | To action follow-ups or tickets |
| **Tasks** | If tasks were generated from the form |
| **Files > Designated folder** | If the form PDF was exported there automatically |

* * *

## 🧩 Use Cases That Rely on Post-Submission Workflows

| Use Case | Form Triggers |
| --- | --- |
| Daily log → safety review | Status update + board card creation |
| Quote → client approval → payment | Approval + email + Stripe block |
| Field safety report → internal investigation | Trigger form → assign + approval |
| Time & material log → costing | Time entry + Update Cost Block |
| Incident report → shared signature | External Signature Block + PDF Export |

* * *

## 🧠 Best Practices

-   Always preview a form + test its workflow before assigning it to users
-   Use status blocks to visually track progress
-   Notify users at key steps to keep things moving
-   Archive completed forms automatically via PDF export
-   Use approval blocks to validate the form data and reduce errors

* * *

## 📌 Summary

A submitted form is the **start** of a process—not the end. Ontraccr’s form system lets you design workflows that:

-   Route information to the right people
-   Capture approvals and revisions
-   Trigger follow-up steps and form chains
-   Push data into time, cost tracking, and project systems
-   Store and organize critical documentation

When used correctly, forms power everything from job costing and time tracking to safety management, approvals, and client billing.