Form Submissions

When a family completes and submits a public form, the system processes the submission, creates or updates applicant records, links family members, and triggers any configured workflows.

What Happens When a Form Is Submitted

The submission process follows these steps in order:

1. Data validation -- the system validates all required fields and field-specific rules (email format, file sizes, etc.).
2. Lead creation -- a new lead (applicant) record is created in the database, linked to the pipeline associated with the form.
3. Parent processing -- parent/guardian data is processed through the ParentService:
   • The system checks if a parent with the submitted email already exists for your school.
   • If found, the existing parent record is reused and linked to the new lead.
   • If not found, a new parent record is created.
4. Family linking -- the system creates family records and links the child (lead) to parents via the family_members junction table with appropriate roles.
5. Duplicate detection -- the system checks for potential duplicates based on parent email and flags them if found.
6. File storage -- any uploaded files are stored securely in S3.
7. Stage assignment -- the lead is placed in the first stage of the form's pipeline.
8. Workflow triggers -- any workflows configured with a "Form Submitted" trigger for this pipeline are executed.
9. Notifications -- in-app notifications and email notifications are sent to configured recipients.
10. Audit logging -- the submission is recorded in the audit log.

Viewing Submission Data

To view the data submitted through a form:

1. Navigate to the Applicants page.
2. Find the applicant (use search or filters).
3. Click the applicant row to open their detail page.
4. The detail page shows:
   • Form submission data -- all fields and values submitted through the form.
   • Parent/guardian information -- resolved from the parents table.
   • Student details -- child's name, birthdate, nationality, etc.
   • Program and year group -- the selected program and academic year.
   • Files -- any uploaded documents with download links.

Lead Source Tracking

Each lead created from a form submission is tagged with a source:

• form_submission -- the lead was created from a completed form submission.
• form_started -- the lead was created from an abandoned form (started but not completed).

The source is displayed as a color-coded badge in the table view.

Auto-Created Leads

The system automatically creates lead records in several scenarios:

Scenario	Source Tag	Description
Form completed	form_submission	Family completed and submitted the full form.
Form abandoned	form_started	Family started filling out the form but did not complete it. The partial data is saved.
Manual creation	walk_in, phone, email, etc.	An admin creates the lead manually with a selected source.
Import	import	Lead was imported from a CSV/Excel file.

Locked Submissions

Form submissions can be locked to prevent further edits:

1. Open the applicant's detail page.
2. Use the Lock action to prevent the submission from being modified.
3. A lock icon appears on the applicant's card and table row.

Locked submissions cannot be edited by the applicant or by staff through inline editing. To make changes, the submission must first be unlocked.

TIP

Locking is useful after you have reviewed and accepted a submission, or when you want to preserve the original submission data for audit purposes.

Form Abandonment

The system tracks forms that are started but not completed:

• A separate process (ProcessFormAbandonmentCommand) periodically checks for abandoned form sessions.
• If a family started filling out a form but never submitted it, the partial data can be harvested.
• Abandoned forms can be tracked as enquiries, allowing your admissions team to follow up.

Submission Data Storage

Form submission data is stored in two locations:

1. leads.data column -- a JSON field containing all raw form submission data, preserved as a historical archive.
2. Related tables -- structured data is also stored in the parents, families, family_members, and lead-specific columns for efficient querying and display.

WARNING

The leads.data JSON field is the source of truth for what was originally submitted. Even if parent or student details are later updated through the admin interface, the original submission data is preserved in this field.

Submission Counts and Statistics

You can track form submission volumes through:

• Dashboard -- shows submission counts and trends.
• Reports -- the Enrolment Report and Source Analysis report include form submission data.
• Form list -- each form in the forms list shows its submission count.

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