Want an easier way to manage the data that comes in from a Google Form?
This tutorial will walk you through how to link your Google Form to Google Docs so that every new form filled out will come with a completed document.
Where to Begin
The first thing you will want to do is open up your Google Form. You will notice in the top right a button that is shaped like a puzzle-piece. Click this puzzle piece and you will have the option to add “Form Publisher”.
After selecting “Form Publisher” you will be prompted to install Form Publisher to your add-ons in which you will click “Get Started”, allow for Permissions, click “Run Form Publisher” and then “Get Started” once again. After Form Publisher has been installed, you should be greeted with a pop-up menu that looks like this one.
Select “Google Document” from here.
Templates
Selecting the Google Document option will lead to the creation of an auto-generated template with all of your fields mapped out. This template will appear in the drive folder that your Form should be in. You can edit this template however you want as long as the area where you want the answers to show are formatted as <<Question Header on Exact Wording>> . (For instance, if one of your questions is “Age”, then the area in which the answer will appear on the google doc will be typed out as <<Age>>).
You can also change the template now or later into another template if you already have one set up. As long as the answers are formatted correctly (<<>>) then the answers will appear where you want them to be.
Moving on with Next
After clicking “Next” at the bottom of the pop-up Form Publisher Menu, your next options will be choosing the folder in which you want the Google Docs to go after a form is filled out, change the title of the Documents, and you will be given some checkbox options as well.
Selecting “Keep File URL” will lead to the URL of each Form Document being saved in the Google Spreadsheet that collects all of the responses. You can also opt to have PDF copies of each document by selecting “Keep PDF copy in Drive”.
Recipients
Clicking “Next” once again will lead you to the portion of this editor in which you choose recipients who will receive emails notifying them of the form being filled and with the completed document. You will want to add at least one person to this. You may also want to select the drop-down menu to the right of the adding users field and select “Can Edit” if you want to be able to make changes to the document after it is filled out.
Finishing up the Form
This final “Next” will lead you to a button that says “Try Form”. You will want to fill out a dummy form and then check and see how the document will look. If the document is not quite right, you can continue to make adjustments in the template document until you are satisfied.
Note
If you are planning to use this form more than a few times, you may need to purchase a paid plan.