You can require end users log in to forms and portals before they can access form or portal’s content. Before a user can log in for the first time and set a password, Slate administrators must generate a PIN for that user’s person record on their behalf.

The PIN is a temporary password for a new user. After the user uses the PIN to log in for the first time, they are prompted to create a password for subsequent logins.

Methods for generating PINs

This article covers three methods that generate PINs for person records:

1. Upload Dataset

2. Query batch management

3. Manual Password Reset

The three methods come with certain tradeoffs:

• The first two methods, using Upload Dataset or batch management, can generate PINs for multiple records at once, but they don’t send a notification email when the PIN is generated.

• The third method, manual password reset, generates a new PIN for only one record at a time, but it automatically sends the user a password reset notification email.

If your institution collects applications in Slate, the username and password that end users create to access their application and application status page can also be used to access forms and portals with person-scoped security.

Sending PINs to users

The best way to send PINs to multiple person records simultaneously is to create a custom Deliver mailing.

On the Configurable Joins - Person base, an export called PIN can be merged into the body of your mailing alongside instructions. This is not required for manual password resets (Method 3 in this article).

📖 Further reading: Deliver

📝 PINs expire 12 months after creation.

Method 1: Upload Dataset

In Upload Dataset, an input value can be mapped to generate PINs for a subset of uploaded records.

To generate a PIN for all records in the upload, a static mapping can be created instead. This mapping is located under the destination Record > Generate PIN and should have the value set to Yes to generate a PIN.

📖 Further reading: Upload Dataset

Method 2: Query Batch Management

In a query, a new PIN can be generated for all records returned in the query’s results by using the Batch Management > Generate PIN option in the Output select list.

Method 3: Manual password reset

To generate a new PIN or reset an existing password for a single record at a time:

1. On a person record, select Profile.

2. Select Account.

   

3. Next to Password, select Reset. A popup appears.

4. From the Redirect after Login Type list, select one of the following types of page to which the user should be redirected when they log in:

   • Application Management (/your-application/): User arrives at the application management page for the selected application.  

   • Portal: Select an active person- or application-scoped portal and Express portal from the list.

   • Form: Select an active person-, application-, or application-creation-scoped form from the list.
     

5. Select Reset. An email with a PIN and a link to create or reset their password is sent to their inbox.