📚 Part of the series Application Building Phase II: The Slate-hosted Application

If you use waiver codes for your application fees, you can collect them using a free text field on a Slate-hosted application page.

Once the field has been added to the form and the form has been embedded within the application, applicants can begin typing in waiver codes:

If the applicant types in data that matches a prompt value, the value will save as a prompt when the form is submitted. Case sensitivity does not matter, so long as the values match a prompt value in the prompt list, the prompt will be saved to the system field.

If the applicant types in data that does not match an existing prompt, no value will be saved.

Many institutions that employ this method ask qualifying questions, like Do you have a waiver code? If they do, then the fee waiver free text field is conditionally displayed.

For those that responded Yes, but did not enter a waiver code that matches a prompt value in your list, a submission requirement would assist by looking for applicants who said “Yes” to the "Do you have a waiver code" question, but no value was saved in the waiver field.

Your institution may provide application fee waiver codes and prefer not to have an applicant select a code from a prompt list within an application.

Alternatively, it is possible to create fields with a prompt list and associate it with a free-text form field within an application page-scoped form within a Slate application.

Creating the fee waiver code prompts and field

To create the prompts:

1. Go to Database → Prompts.

2. Select New Prompt Key.

3. Configure the following settings:

   • Name: Enter Fee waiver code

   • Key: Enter a computer-friendly name, like waiver_code.

4. Select Save. You’re directed to the prompt key overview page.

5. Select New Prompt.

6. Enter a Value (a fee waiver code).

7. Select Save.

8. Repeat for as many fee waiver codes as you need.

Select the force-refresh the cache link to make the prompts available for use immediately.

To create the field:

1. Go to Database → Fields.

2. Select New Field.

3. Configure the following settings:

   • Status: Active

   • Scope Category: Records

   • Scope: Application

   • ID: app_fee_waiver or similar computer-friendly ID.

   • Name: Application Fee Waiver or similar

   • Field Type: Single Value

   • Prompt:

4. Create a single value application-scoped field.

5. Create a list of prompts and associate it with the field.

Select the force-refresh the cache link to make the field available for use immediately.

Adding the field to an application page form

Once the field is created and available for use, add the field to a form.

1. Add a select list form field and use the System Field selector to select your waiver code field.

2. Copy the Export Key.

3. Select Cancel. Do not add this field to the form as a select list.

4. Now, select a text field.

5. Give the field a Label.

6. Do not map to a System Field.

7. Paste the Export Key previously copied into the Export Key setting.

8. Click Save.