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Save Data Adapter

Use the save data adapter to collect form submissions into a CSV spreadsheet.

A Save Data Adapter can be used to gather information for tracking purposes and organize data easily. Each form submission is saved on a CSV as a row of data and each form field entry as a column in the order of the form. Please refer to the Add a Field or the Edit and Delete Fields pages for more information on how to add this to your form.

Settings

When editing the Save Data Adapter settings you will see the screen below.

ePick the fields whose inputs you'd like to include in the saved data. If empty, all fields will be saved." There are two boxes with a list of fields in them side by side. In between them are two buttons, one with arrows pointing to the box on the right and another with arrows pointing to the box on the left. The list in the box on the left is every field the form has. The list in the box on the right are only the fields you select to save by pressing the button that points to it. If you want to remove a field you select the field and press the button pointing to the left. There is a check box to Include Column Names or not.

These settings allow you to choose what information will be included in the CSV file. For example, if you add all four fields under Saved Fields (Name, Email, Request, Spam Check) via the blue arrows button, anytime a user submits your form, their name, email, request, and spam check certification information will be saved into a CSV file you can easily view.

We recommend adding only Saved Fields to the data to be collected in the CSV File; you can ignore the Extra Data option. We also recommend leaving the Download Format as "Comma-Separated Values" and ensuring the check box is selected for "Include Column Names".

Clear Saved Input Warning

Do NOT click the Clear Saved Input button unless you want to dump your data CSV from Plone. We cannot restore lost data after you've cleared your CSV.

Accessing the CSV File

Once you have configured your Save Data Adapter settings, and users have begun to submit your form, accessing the information is easy. Simply go to the Contents view and select your Save Data Adapter, as you would when editing any other field, and the information will be easily available when viewing it.

Screenshot of the Save Data Adapter page with the title "Save Data Test." There is a link that says "Click here to get the saved input" and beneath that there is text that says "2 input(s) saved - File type text/comma-separated-values" There is a button at the bottom which says "Clear Saved Input."