Web Form Integrator

Overview

The Web Form Integrator allows you to import data from any external source - like a form - to SugarCRM via a REST API. Users can create unique, callable URLs and define how they process data and link it to Sugar records. This way, records can be created or updated easily and one-way integrations can be build. 

This is a very powerful tool directed at rather technical users. At Faye, we're happy to assist you with its implementation, just contact us at [e-mail]. 

Table of Contents

1. Key Benefits

2. Licensing

3. User Guide

  A. Define the Form Parser that will be used

  B. SugarCRM Endpoint

  C. Field configuration

1. Key Benefits

• Quickly integrate with any web form solution or external API
• Easily update and change data maps without a developer
• Push data to any module or field in SugarCRM

2. Licensing

Before installing the product package, make sure you have the Faye licensing module installed. You can find the steps to take here.

For any questions concerning your license key please contact [e-mail].

3. User Guide

A. Define the Form Parser that will be used

A Form Parser defines the logic 

This can be achieved by the creation of a new record in the Form Parsers module (Administration > Faye Forms Parser > Forms). It is a good practice to have a separate record for each form that will be parsed.

Click on your profile picture at the top right corner of your browser in SugarCRM, and go to Admin.

Scroll down and find the Faye Web Form Integrator section and select Forms.

Press the blue Create button to create a Web Form parser.

Web Form Parser creator page will look similar to the below screenshot.

There are a couple of options on the Form Parser record:

• Status (Enabled/Disabled): Determines if the parser is used or not

• Processing (Create Only/Create & Update): Determines if the incoming data will only be creating new records or if it will also be updating existing ones

• Log Level (None/Debug/Fatal): Defines log level

• Form Locked (checkbox): Recommended to check, functionality is described in C. Fields

After Saving the record, the field POST your form to this URL will be populated with a URL that the external form should post requests to. 

B. SugarCRM Endpoint

You will then apply the mentioned URL to your external code, passing the field name and value pairs as arguments.

C. Field configuration

The first time the form posts a request to the SugarCRM Endpoint it will create linked Fields underneath the Form Parser record. 

Each field should be updated with at minimum the Module (to which module data will be imported), and Field (to which field in selected Module data will be imported). You can do so by clicking on the arrow on the right-hand side of the field and then choosing Edit.

NOTE: The sync_key field is a default field created by SugarCRM that doesn't serve any purpose with regards to the Web Form Integrator.

After choosing the desired Module and Field, click on Save.

Usage of the Primary Key has sense only if Processing is set to Create & Update. If so, a field marked as Primary Key will be used to determine the previous existence of the record (for update) in the SugarCRM system.

NOTE: An important aspect of the Web Form Integrator package is the proper use of the fields being designated as Primary Key fields when adding fields to the web form.

The Primary Key field(s) need to be a unique identifier for when a web form is submitted, so the backend lookup is able to properly identify if an existing record in the system needs to be updated, or a new record needs to be created from the submission.

For example, if the web form is looking to create or update contact records, a good set of primary keys for the form would be say first_name, last_name, and mobile phone.

After the first request is passed and fields are mapped, it is recommended to tick the Form locked checkbox. This will lock out any additional fields that are passed along with the request (providing extra security to the SugarCRM instance).

Each request will be logged into the Logs module (subpanel under Form Parsers record).

Once a request is successful, you can find the new record in the Targets module.