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Linked Forms: Create a Record Using Existing Data

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Linked forms let you start a new record of another form type using selected values from an existing record. For example, you can start a purchase order from a purchase request and carry over the item description and quantity.

An administrator configures the two templates, the action button, and the fields to copy. Users then use that action from an original record to complete the new form.

Set up a linked form

You need access to Admin tools. Create both form templates and their fields before configuring the link. See Create a form template if you need to set them up first.

  1. Go to Admin tools → Form templates.
  2. Open the gear menu in the original template’s Actions column and select Add linked form.
  3. Check the original template selected at the top of the page. Its name and fields appear under Original form. This is the form whose records supply the values.
  4. Under Linked form, select the destination template. This is the form used to create the new record.
  5. Use Button text to give the action a clear label, such as Create Purchase Order.
  6. For each original field, choose the destination field from the dropdown on the right. Leave Do not copy selected for values you do not want to carry over.
  7. Review the field pairs and select Save.

For example, pair the purchase request’s Item or service field with the purchase order’s Item description field. The two fields do not need to have the same label.

Automatic numbering is optional. You can create a record through a linked-form action even when the original form has no numbering scheme. Field mappings still copy the selected values into the destination form.

Create a record using a linked form

  1. Open a record created from the original form template.
  2. Select the linked-form action using the configured button label, such as Create Purchase Order.
  3. Review the values carried over into the destination form and complete the additional fields.
  4. Submit the destination form to create the new record.

Create reply records with inherited numbering

Use linked forms to create a reply from an incoming correspondence record. Configure an Incoming letter → Reply letter link, give its button a label such as Create reply, and map the fields to carry over, such as the subject. Users open the incoming record, click that button, review or complete the reply and submit it.

If the source record has a Document number, leave the reply’s Document number empty to use the automatic reply number. On submission, Folderit appends a sequential suffix to the source number: for example, IN-2026-001-1 for the first reply and IN-2026-001-2 for the next. Another source record starts its own reply sequence. This works with both a manually entered source number and a source number assigned by an automatic numbering scheme; a separate reply-numbering setting is not required.

The number is assigned when the reply is submitted, so its Document number field may be blank while you are completing the form. When a reply inherits its number this way, that number takes precedence over the destination form’s own automatic numbering scheme.

Folderit automatically connects the new record and its source under Related items, with links visible on both records. This does not require a separate Relation field in the reply template. The reply is initially created in the source record’s folder. Use Move afterwards if it belongs elsewhere; its number and relationship are retained.

Continue a correspondence chain

Configure a linked-form action in the reverse direction when users need to continue the exchange between two form types. A reply to IN-2026-001-1 can receive IN-2026-001-1-1 and is automatically linked to its immediate source record.

The linked-form selector currently offers other form templates; it does not offer the source template itself. Use two form types with links in both directions for this flow.

Creating the reply record does not send an email. The steps above cover record creation, field copying, numbering and traceable relationships. To produce a PDF or DOCX from a record, configure document generation separately.

Find configured linked forms

Select Linked forms in a template’s gear menu to view its configured links. The Linked forms button in the Form templates toolbar opens the linked-forms overview.

When to use linked forms

  • Purchase request → Purchase order: reuse item details, quantity, and estimated cost when preparing an order.
  • Incident report → Corrective action: carry over the incident reference, description, and department to start a follow-up action.
  • Customer case → Follow-up request: reuse customer details and the case reference when another team handles the next step.

These examples require the corresponding templates and fields to be configured in your account.