Overview

Form export and import lets administrators move a General Form and its field configuration between Pro Self-Service (ESS2) environments, for example to promote a form built and tested on a lower environment to production without manually recreating it. Exporting a form produces an XML file describing the form and its fields; importing that file creates a new form on the target environment. Import never updates an existing form.

Export and import is generally available from ESS2 26.2 onward. Only admins can export or import forms.

Exporting a Form

1. Open the General Forms list.
2. Select the form(s) you want to export.
3. Click Export. The form definitions download as an XML file.

Importing a Form

Import always creates new forms. It cannot update or overwrite an existing form, even one with the same name or one that was originally exported from the same environment. Importing the same file several times creates a separate copy each time, so you can end up with several forms with the same name. To replace a form, import the new version and then delete the old one. Imported forms are created unpublished.

Before You Import

The export file refers to other configuration by code or name, not by copying it. Make sure the target environment has:

• The form's target template, with the same code.
• The template attributes the form's fields use as targets and sources, with the same codes.
• For each List View and List View (Read-Only) field, exactly one self-service view with the same name.

If something is missing, the import reports it. See Validation and troubleshooting.

Import Steps

1. Open the General Forms list on the target environment.
2. Click Import.
3. Select a previously exported XML file. The import creates new forms from that file.

What's Included

Exporting a form carries over the form itself and the configuration of its fields.

Form

• The Form Name and icon.
• The target template.
• The Reporter field target.
• The File attachments field, if configured.
• The Submission method setting, including a form left at its default (no override).

Fields

Fields are exported in the order they appear on the form.

• Short text, including RegEx data validation and its Validation Fail Message.
• Text area, Date, and Date & Time fields.
• Drop-down, Multi-select Drop-down, and Checkbox fields with either:
  • a reference value source, or
  • a static (custom) value source, whether that source template is the form's own target template or a different one.
• List View (the targeted field that lets end users select from a self-service view) and List View (Read-Only) (the display-only variant). Only the name of the self-service view is exported, not the view itself.
• Text block and Section title elements, including their content.

Each field also keeps its settings: name, target, whether it is required, the tooltip setting on Drop-down, Multi-select Drop-down and Checkbox fields, and the Minimum and Maximum selections on Multi-select Drop-down, Checkbox and List View fields.

What's Not Covered in 26.2

The following are not part of the export file. After importing, set them up manually on the imported form.

• Translations: only default-language values are exported and imported, including Validation Fail Messages and referenced view names. Translations into other languages are not included.
• Field conditions: conditions that control when a field is shown or applied.
• Keywords.
• Comments field.
• Override Defaults: the default values set for target attributes.
• Published state: imported forms are created unpublished.

Validation and Troubleshooting

A form is validated at both export and import time, and it must be completely valid for either to succeed. Validation checks the entire file and reports all problems at once, so you can fix everything before trying again. If a form is not valid, nothing is imported. The most common problems are listed below.