[Resolved] Content submission Form in table format

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[AndreG3332]

We are currently looking at developing a CPT for student progress reports.

What we want to do have students sorted in classes and then we want a form where the students are all listed ie in alphabetical sorting and the marks for a specific test or tutorial can then be captured without having to access each student records separately. almost like what a spreadsheet would look like and the marks are then read in by jumping to the next student's field with the down arrow.

Is it possible to do data-capturing like this with a cred form?

[Christian Cox]

Hi, Forms can allow you to move your cursor among input fields using the "tab" key, but not using the arrow keys like a spreadsheet. It may or may not be possible to do what you want depending on how your data is organized and how you want to manage it. Let me explain a bit more about what you can accomplish with Forms, and what is not possible.

Toolset Forms are designed to create or edit a single post, or a single User. So if you want to be able to edit multiple data fields in one Form, all those data fields should be associated with a single post or a single User. For example, let's say there is a test called "Exam 1". You want to store all the student marks for Exam 1 somewhere. You can store them:
A - In each User profile as custom fields, one field per exam/tutorial/whatever
B - In each Student post as custom fields, one field per exam/tutorial/whatever
C - In a single Exam post as custom fields, one field per student
D - As a single custom field in an intermediary post that links one student to one exam/tutorial/whatever

A, B, and D are not possible with a single Form, because it would require editing information from multiple User profiles, multiple Student posts, or multiple intermediary posts. C is possible, but it requires you to create custom fields for each Student for each Exam, or tutorial, etc. It could be quite tedious, and difficult to manage.

Another thing to consider: Forms require explicit submission. Unlike Google Sheets, for example, where your data is saved automatically, with Forms you must click a "Submit" button each time you want to save progress. Also, Forms do not help you implement calculations or functional algorithms. So after you have entered all marks, there is no built-in functionality to calculate the average mark, for example, or to sum up the total number of exams submitted.

I hope this helps you get a clearer idea about what you can and cannot accomplish with Toolset Forms. I encourage you to use one of our reference sites over at https://discover-wp.com to see how Forms can work to manage content. It's free to create an account and work in any of our reference sites.

[AndreG3332]

Thank you for the reply.
Alternatively can I enter data through types and forms and then using wpDataTables to display and edit on front end in table format.
I know that you can edit wpDataTabels but will I be able to edit Toolset data this way. This means that I have to display the Toolset data via a SQL Query in wpDataTables.

[Christian Cox]

There is no direct integration between Toolset and wpdatatables, but other Users in the forum have displayed data in wpdatatables successfully. They have used Views to output a JSON-formatted data model, which is then passed into the datatable. A search on the forum should help you find information about their experiences. Editing field data in wpdatatables is not something I'm familiar with, so I cannot comment on how effective it is with Types fields or other post information. I can tell you how to access any information from Types fields in the database, if that helps. Types custom fields are stored in the database with the prefix "wpcf-". So if your field slug in wp-admin is "colors" then the field is stored in the database as "wpcf-colors". Checkboxes groups are stored as serialized data, so editing those data structures might not be simple in a 3rd-party system. Other fields are stored as simple values, or repeating values. Repeatable Field Groups are a special case that combine features of post relationships and custom fields. I can provide more detailed information about those if necessary.

[AndreG3332]

My issue is resolved now. Thank you!