Slate delivers a ready-to-use recommendation process that allows an applicant to electronically send a recommendation form to a recommender to complete in Slate. The Slate-delivered recommendation form can be replaced with a custom recommendation form using the Form builder.

This article provides a step-by-step guide on building a custom recommendation form to replace the Slate-delivered recommendation form.

Try a Slate example 💼

Use Suitcase to import our ready-made example custom reference-page-scoped form.

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📝 Open and re-save each form field to break any potential cache from the suitcase import.

Or, follow the steps in this article to make it yourself:

Step 1: Initial configurations for custom items

Before configuring the custom recommendation, the appropriately scoped custom fields, materials, and form must be created.

1. Go to Database → Fields.

2. Create all the necessary fields and prompts for each question on the custom recommendation form.

3. Go to Database → Materials.

4. Create any necessary materials that will be collected in the custom recommendation form.

5. Go to Forms.

6. Select New Form.

7. Remove the default fields of email address, first name, middle name, last name, birthdate, and mailing address.

8. Select  Edit Properties.

9. From the Scope list, select Reference Page.

10. Drag form elements and map to the previously created reference-scoped fields.

📝 Notes

• Fields and Materials created for use on the custom recommendation form should have a scope of Reference.

• All fields on the form should be mapped to custom reference-scoped fields.

⭐ Best Practice

When adding fields related to the recommender information a student provides (first, last, title), leave these fields as read-only.

Step 2: Adding the custom reference-page-scoped form to the application

Once the form has been completed, and all of the fields and materials mapped appropriately, complete the following steps to add the custom recommendation form to the application:

1. Go to Database → Application Editor.

2. Select the Part ID ref Recommendations for the appropriate /apply/link for the round (or rounds) which you want to associate this form.

   • 📝 Note: The ref part ID may be found in top portion of your application base, as pictured, or, if you've customized your recommendation page, in the bottom lower section.

     

3. Select Recommendation Form Settings.

4. Configure the following settings:

   • Enforce Round Deadline: Select Lockdown Recommendation Form After Round Deadline to prevent recommenders from completing the form after the round deadline has passed.

     • If they try to access the link after the deadline, they will receive a message informing them that it has expired.

     • 💭 What if I extend the deadline for an individual application? Recommenders can access the form through the link for as long as the round is open. This includes individual extensions.

   • Reference Page Form: Select the form you created in the previous section.

     • If you don’t see it in the list, make sure the form is active and its scope is set to Reference page.

   • Reference Page Form Type Override: The options that appear here reflect the reference types that exist as prompts with the key of reference_type in your database.

     • See Create Reference Types and Override Custom Reference Page Forms Based on Reference Type below for more information.

       

5. Select Save.

Step 3: Testing the form

Once the custom recommendation form has been connected to the application, test the form:

1. Using a test applicant record, submit a new recommendation request using an email address you can access (different from the test applicant record email address).

2. Fill out the recommendation form in the application.

3. Select Save.

4. Re-open the form. If items are blank, check the field mappings on the form and verify that the Store Value settings on your fields are set correctly. If all data is saving correctly, your recommendation page construction is complete.

   

Step 4: Optional configurations

Creating reference types

You can include different reference types, like Counselor Recommendation, Academic Recommendation, Church Recommendation).

This can be achieved by using Custom Recommendation Form, along with additional prompt values for each Reference Type.  

1. Select Database on the top navigation bar and select Prompts.

2. Select Insert.

3. Create new reference_type prompts for each reference type and include a single capitalized letter for an Index Value. For example:

   • Prompt Key: reference_type

   • Prompt Value: Counselor

   • Prompt Index Value: C

   • Prompt Key: reference_type

   • Prompt Value: Academic

   • Prompt Index Value: A

4. Edit the appropriate base.xml file Ref part ID located within the File Editor and insert a type ID for each reference type you wish to display, making sure the ID matches the Index Value of the reference_type prompt. For example:

   • Academic Recommendation

   • Counselor Recommendation

5. Go to the Custom Recommendation Form.

6. Insert a new Select List element.

7. Map this element to Reference - Type.

8. Mark the field as Hidden.

Adding this field will lets you use form conditional logic to display specific questions based upon the reference type.

🔔 Important!

Do not use the Index Value R as this is reserved for the standard, built-in Recommendation type. If you are uncomfortable editing the base.xml file, ask for help in the community forums.

💡 Tip

To set a minimum amount of reference types per applicant, a partner institution could then use a filter such as Recommendation Number by Status and Type within a Submission Requirement Hard Fail (e.g., all Transfers need at least two Academic Recommendations and at least one Counselor Recommendation).

Override custom reference page forms based on reference type

You might want certain types of references to receive different forms altogether.

Using the Reference Page Form Type Override setting in the Application Editor, you control who sees a reference-type-specific form page and who sees the default custom reference page form described earlier in this article.

Start by creating as many new Reference Page forms as your process requires. Depending on your needs, you can only have one reference type with radically different questions. In this case, you can keep a single form that employs conditional logic based on the hidden Select List element for similar reference types (following the steps in the previous section, Create Reference Types) and create a new form for the outlier.

1. Select Database on the navigation and select Application Editor.

2. Select the application base for the round (or rounds) with which you want to associate this form.

3. Select Recommendations.

4. Select Recommendation Form Settings.

5. Enter the following configurations:

   • Reference Page Form: Select the Custom Reference Form to be used as the default. If no overriding form is selected for a given type, this is the form the recommender will receive.

   • Reference Page Form Type Override: For each reference type in the list that you'd like to have its own form, select its corresponding form, as seen below. Otherwise, leave the reference type set to Do not override custom reference page form. In the following example, only Academic reference types would see a form different from the default set in Reference Page Form.

     

6. Select Save.

Display questions conditionally

Many partner institutions may wish to show reference questions conditionally. This can be achieved on the Reference Page form by doing the following:

1. Go to Database → Slate Template Library.

2. Add the Application References Query Base. Be sure to set a value for Read Permission.

3. Add all necessary filters from the Slate Template Library as Local Filters from Query Custom Filters or Query Standard Filters sections.

4. Use these local filters to control the conditional logic on the custom recommendation form.