Forms
Form handling and the CMS
As you may know the new GDPR rules came in to affect May 2018. In terms of the UCC website the main impact will be on how we handle HTML forms.
Forms are in use across a number of CMS sites. These forms are used to gather information from users for various reasons. Currently these forms are processed using a script that was developed in house. Most of these forms email the data to the users or append the data to a CSV file. Certain forms use a different script that encrypts the data.
GDPR and Forms
This method of handling forms has been deemed to be unsuitable in light of GDPR. As a result local form handling will be disabled in the coming months.
Learn More
Can I still have a form on my site?
It is still possible to have a form on your site. Google Forms, or O365 Forms can be created and embedded on to CMS Sites. These forms must comply with GDPR.
All UCC staff have access to both systems.
Log in Pages:
if you are logged in to your personal Google account you will need to log out and re-login using your UCC email address, you will then be redirected to the UCC log on portal.
GDPR highlights
- When collecting data via a form the most important thing is to have a clear "Data Protection Notice"
- The second most important thing is to have a clear opt in check box.
Detailed GDPR information can be found at: https://www.ucc.ie/en/gdpr/
Google Vs Office 365
Below is a table of features available in both systems. There is little to separate the two. You might however find one system easier to use than the other. Both services provide basic training, see below for links.
| Feature | Google Forms | Office 365 Forms |
|---|---|---|
| Number of question types | 11 | 6 |
| Branching - direct a user to a different question based on an answer provided |
Yes | Yes |
| Shuffle Questions | Yes | Yes |
| Email Notification | Yes | Yes |
| Supports Quiz | Yes | Yes |
| Start and End Date | No | Yes |
| Embed Code | Yes | Yes |
New to Google Forms?
If you are new to Google Forms, the G Suite Learning Centre will help get you started.
New to Office 365 Forms?
If you are new to Office 365 forms, this Microsoft Support page will help get you started.
Embedding a Form in to the CMS
Many systems provide embed code. Embed code allows you to easily place content on your CMS site.
Examples:
The following all provide embed code:
- YouTube
- Public Facebook Posts
- Google Forms
- O365 forms
How you access the embed code varies per service, a quick google should point you in the right direction. For this example we will embed a Google Form.
Embed a Google Form
Step One:
- Log in to your Google Drive
- Find and edit the form
- Click the send button
- The Send Form Window will display, click the embed code icon as highlighted below.
Step Two
- Copy the Embed HTML code that displays
Step Three
- Log in to the CMS
- Modify or add the piece of content that you want to embed the tweet into.
- Embedded tweets can be added to pieces of General Content or news - items.
- Click where you want the tweet to appear – maybe hit enter to give yourself some space.
- Click the Tools menu in the fullstory field of your news-item, or in the mainbody of your general content
- Select Source Code
- Paste the code into the HTML Source Editor Window
- Click OK
- Add and Approve your piece of content