---
title: "Understanding Forms in Ontraccr: Purpose, Functionality, and Core Concepts"
url: "https://help.ontraccr.com/en/article/understanding-forms-in-ontraccr-purpose-functionality-and-core-concepts"
language: "en"
last_updated: "2025-05-27T17:55:19.788Z"
---

# Understanding Forms in Ontraccr: Purpose, Functionality, and Core Concepts

## 📄 Understanding Forms in Ontraccr: Purpose, Functionality, and Core Concepts

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## ⚡️ Executive Summary: *Understanding Forms in Ontraccr*  
 

**Forms are customizable workflows** used to collect and action field or office data (e.g., safety reports, change orders, time tracking).

Every form includes:

-   **Form Details** (setup + behavior)
-   **Form Fields** (content)
-   **Workflow** (approval, notifications, cost entries, and more)
-   **PDF Designer** (allows you to control how a submitted form appears when exported or printed, ensuring the final document is clean, organized, and professional for internal or external use.

You can create forms as:

-   **Global forms** (reusable, managed from **Forms** > **Templates**)
-   **Project-specific forms** (created within a project, scoped to that job only)

Forms integrate across the platform:

-   Trigger notifications, tasks, and follow-ups
-   Create time entries and cost updates
-   Store PDFs and records in project folders

Well-built forms increase efficiency, reduce errors, and automate operations across teams and job sites.

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## 🧭 What Are Forms in Ontraccr?

At the core of Ontraccr’s system, **Forms** are the primary way that users collect, manage, approve, and action field or office information across projects.

They are **custom-built workflows** that can capture anything from:

-   Safety inspections
-   Invoices
-   Daily logs
-   Time and material tracking
-   Purchase orders
-   Change requests
-   Equipment logs
-   Client signatures
-   Payment authorizations

Every form is a **dynamic data collection tool**, customizable to meet the operational needs of your company and projects.

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## 🎯 Why Use Forms?

Forms allow you to:

-   **Standardize processes** across teams, sites, and divisions
-   **Streamline communication** between field and office
-   **Capture project-critical information** in a structured, reportable way
-   **Trigger workflows automatically** (approvals, task creation, cost entries)
-   **Store and track documentation** for compliance, safety, financials, and audits

In short: **Forms turn everyday operations into structured, actionable, and trackable digital workflows**.

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## 🛠️ How Forms Function Conceptually

A form in Ontraccr is made up of four key building blocks:

| Steps | Purpose |
| --- | --- |
| **Step 1: Form Details** | Define what type of form it is, how it behaves (numbering, division, visibility) |
| **Step 2: Form Fields** | Build the content users will fill out—questions, tables, signatures, logic |
| **Step 3: Form Workflow** | Define what happens after submission—approvals, edits, notifications, triggers |
| **Step 4: PDF Designer** | Control how a submitted form appears when exported or printed |

Each form acts like a **self-contained workflow engine**:

-   Users input information
-   Rules and logic control routing and access
-   Outputs (PDFs, cost entries, tasks) are automatically generated

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## 🧩 How Forms Fit Inside the Ontraccr System

Forms are **deeply integrated** into almost every major part of the platform:

| Feature | How Forms Connect |
| --- | --- |
| **Projects** | Forms can be tied to a specific project, creating project-specific submissions and reports |
| **Time Tracking** | Forms can generate time entries for field users automatically |
| **Boards & Tasks** | Forms can create or update cards, assign tasks based on form data |
| **Cost Tracking** | Forms can push costs directly into project budgets based on logged materials, labor, or equipment |
| **PDF Storage** | Forms can export to PDFs and store them within project file structures |
| **External Communication** | Forms can trigger emails, collect external signatures, and send Stripe payment links |

In Ontraccr, forms **aren’t just static documents**—they **drive operational activity** throughout the system.

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## 🏗️ Types of Forms

There are **two major types** of form structures depending on where and how they are created:

| Type | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Global Forms** | Created under **Forms > Templates**, reusable across projects, managed centrally |
| **Project-Specific Forms** | Created inside a specific **Project > Forms tab**, tied only to that project, imported or built from scratch |

Choosing between a global form or a project-specific form depends on whether you want standardization or customization for a particular job. Project specific forms are typically used only when a project requires a unique workflow, or perhaps different data fields for a form such as RFI’s or Change Orders as an example.

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## 🔁 How Forms Drive Automation

Once a form is submitted, Ontraccr can automatically:

-   Send notifications (in-app and by email)
-   Create tasks or board cards
-   Trigger follow-up forms
-   Push time entries into timesheets
-   Push cost entries into budgets
-   Generate contracts or change orders
-   Request and collect payments
-   Store documents in project folders
-   Update Equipment or Inventory

**Forms are the engine that powers operational automation across your teams.**

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## 📈 Why Forms Matter (Beyond Just "Filling Out" Information)

Without forms, critical information would stay scattered—emails, spreadsheets, paperwork.

Forms in Ontraccr centralize all field and office data into a **live, auditable, and reportable ecosystem**.

You gain:

-   **Faster turnaround times** (e.g., form → approve → bill same day)
-   **Reduced manual entry errors**
-   **Audit-ready documentation** for compliance or client reporting
-   **Real-time project tracking** for field status, costing, and labor
-   **Process accountability** with full visibility over who submitted, who reviewed, who approved

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## 🧠 Best Practices for Using Forms

-   **Always add a Project field** if the form is tied to a project (for better tracking and storage)
-   **Use Status Blocks** to label form stages clearly (e.g., Submitted, Approved, Filed)
-   **Leverage conditional field logic** (show/hide rules) to simplify forms for users
-   **Use the Form Trigger Block** to automate complex multi-form workflows
-   **Standardize your Global Forms**, then customize as needed with project-specific imports
-   **Preview and test** your form thoroughly before publishing
-   **Use external access carefully** (QR codes, public links) when forms need client or vendor input

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## 📌 Quick Summary

| Key Concept | Why It Matters |
| --- | --- |
| Forms are workflow engines | Not just static data—forms trigger action |
| Forms connect to projects, time, cost, and tasks | True cross-functional integration |
| Forms can automate approvals, notifications, costing | Reduce manual work |
| Choose global vs. project-specific strategically | Match form setup to operational goals |
| Smart form design improves adoption | Make it simple for field users, powerful for office |