Learn how to create easy-access URLs for users to initiate your workflow processes
Estimated Read Time: 5 minutes
Estimated Configuration Time: 5-10 minutes
Sections in this Article
Additional Configuration to Consider
Introduction
There are 2 "types" of methods for initiating a workflow process within Gatekeeper
First is "triggered" workflows
These workflows will create cards to begin a process on their own based on outside factors, such as a key renewal date approaching or a key metadata value changing/being updated
Second is Intake/Request-Form workflows
These are initiated manually by users when they have a need for a new contract/a new vendor onboarding assessment/etc.
These forms allow you get the key data, documentation & context about the process collected up-front meaning your approvers, reviewers & other colleagues have all the necessary information to perform their actions
In this article, we will cover the free version of these intake forms - Public Forms
They allow you to create a static URL which can be opened by any user to complete the initial form, submitting a new workflow card
Configuration
Once you have configured your workflow and form, you can create the easy-access URL for users to be able initiate the workflow when the need arises
Step 1) In your workflow, go the Start Phase & hit Edit This Phase
Step 2) Navigate to the Form Access tab
Step 3) Select 🔘 Public Form & hit ✅ Save
Step 4) You can now hit the 
Copy icon to copy the URL to your clipboard
This url can now be opened to create an empty workflow form
This link will never change. To access it again in future, it can be bookmarked in your browser, stored on a confluence page or in a walkthrough guide - wherever you want you users have to access to it!
Additional Configuration to Consider
Form Title
Whether your form is designed to be accessed by Internal users or External (Vendor) users, the form title should be considered to let users know they are in the right place
You should definitely consider changing the default title ("Start Form") if you have multiple Public Form workflows
Step 1) Edit the Start Phase of your Workflow
Step 2) Populate the name you wish to display in the Phase text box
Step 3) Hit ✅ Save
Adding Guidance to the Form
Since users accessing these forms are not technically accessing the Workflow Phase (they are accessing an empty form), the Phase Description will not display
However, there is a simple way to still show an introductory description for your users
Step 1) Edit the Start Phase of your Workflow
Step 2) Navigate to the Form tab
Step 3) Add a new section named "Instructions" (Or whatever you wish to title your guidance)
Step 4) Populate the description for this new Form Section & check ☑️ Display Description
Step 5) Set this form section to 🔘 Hidden for all phases except for the Start Phase, of course
"Side Menu" Layout
Changing the form to a chaptered Side-bar Layout (rather than one continuous form) can make the sections easier to navigate and progress through
This applies to any phases of your workflow but can be especially relevant to your request forms where users will be starting from scratch
Step 1) Edit the Start Phase of your Workflow
Step 2) Navigate to the Form tab
Step 3) At the bottom of the page, hit LAYOUT
Step 4) Select 🔘 Side Menu, then hit ✅ Update
Branding
By populating your "Application Logo" in the Employee Portal branding section, your forms will contain your logo in the header
If you do not have this in your forms and wish to add it, please contact your CSM or reach out to our CS Team here and they will be able to get this added for you
Prompting users to Log in
Since these forms are publicly accessible, Gatekeeper restricts some of the functionality which is otherwise available to authenticated users (i.e. in Employee Portal Request Forms)
One way to alleviate the effects of these is to ensure that users are logged in to Gatekeeper in another tab of their browser:
Example
To prompt your users to log in, you can provide guidance instructing users to log in before starting the form i.e. via the ⬆️ above guidance configuration ⬆️
Restrictions of Public Forms
Retrieving Associated Data
Since these URLs are publicly-available, there are some key restrictions which have been intentionally added for security reasons
If you have form fields allowing the selection of existing Vendor or Contract records in your repository...
For Example, if selecting an existing contract as part of a Contract Amendment Request
...Gatekeeper will not populate the rest of the form with the data from the selected record. This is to prevent unintentionally sharing of confidential/sensitive data with anybody who happens to have access to the form URL
Using ☑️ Card Creator in AutoActions
If the email of the user who submits a Public Form does not match a user in your Gatekeeper tenant, you may run into an issue with AutoActions
Specifically, the AutoAction: Create Contract will not work properly if you have set the AutoAction values to use the "Card Creator" as the internal owner
If the AutoAction fails to run, your workflow cards may get "stuck", leading to delays & frustration
To mitigate the risk of this issue, the simplest option is to assign "backup" values by checking the ☑️ Take Value From Form box as well as setting a backup user:
Other settings you could configure to remove risk of cards getting "stuck" are:
Option 1) Add a 1 day reminder notification email to an admin letting them know a Contract Request is stalled so they can manually correct it
Option 2) Assign a '0-Hour' SLA Timer for the AutoAction phase, paired with a transition to move cards onwards when the AutoAction doesn't
FAQ 💬
Q: What if a requesting user's email address does not match a user in my environment?
A: This is fine. Gatekeeper will create a "guest" profile in the background (with no access, of course) This means if you decide to add these email addresses as users later on, all of their previously submitted forms will be linked to their new account
CC Card Creator emails will still send if your workflow is configured to send automated "FYI" updates 👍
Be wary of using the "Card Creator" Form Access setting in later workflow phases. Users without a valid Gatekeeper Account will not be able to log in and view their form
Q: If we purchase the Employee Portal, can we switch an existing workflow from Public Form to Authenticated forms?
A: Yes, this change can be made instantly and with only a few clicks!
Q: Can we create multiple links to the same workflow form?
A: Public Forms can only have 1 link created
Q: Can users in Public Forms save and come back to complete their submission later?
A: Technically, no. There is only the option for users to Submit the Form
Additional Reading 📚
See a complete guide on how to build & maintain a workflow form
If you're interested in the features available in the upgraded version of Public Forms, see our article on how best to leverage it to improve the experience for your users