. To add a comment for a specific question, click the Comment icon
next to it.
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This help page explains how to post and manage comments in an eForm. These are comments made in defined Comment areas of the eForm, either for a particular question or for a page in the form.
The ability to comment depends on whether commenting has been enabled in the eForm design. Also, when you can comment, and the types of comments you can make, will depend on your role, permissions, and where the eForm is in the workflow process.
Replies to comments are "threaded" - kept in a related chain visually - to keep comments about a certain subject or action together so you can easily follow the conversation and get context. This is similar to the way email replies are generally displayed.
Firstly, the eForm must be designed to allow comments. If you don't see this option, it means that commenting was not configured at all, or not for your role in the current workflow state of the form (part of the process the form goes through). For example, commenting is not normally available while an eForm is in a Draft state as only the creator is involved in this state.
If comments are allowed, you can add, or "post", comments for the following:
• a specific page of the form, referred to as a "page comment"
• a specific part of a page, such as a question, statement, field, or these elements within a grid, which we'll refer to as "question comments".
There are different types of comments you can make in an eForm, depending on your permissions:
Comment Type |
Description |
General |
Used to make general notes or observations about the form application, the page or question in the form If there is a response, it will be labelled as "Responded". |
Action |
Used to request an action or change to the form, and can be used for either page-level comments or question-level comments Reviewers are generally given permission to create these. When the action related to this comment is complete, the reviewer (or RME administrator) can close the comment thread so that no further comments can be made. See: Close a comment |
Confidential |
Comments that can only be viewed by others with permission to view confidential comments This option is only available if you have Confidential Comment permissions for the form. |
You can only post one comment at a time. You cannot save a draft of a comment. If you open and edit more than one, only the most recent comment will be saved.
1. Display the page on which you want to add a comment.
2. To add a comment
for the entire page, go to the bottom and select the Comments
button .
To add a comment for a specific question, click the Comment icon next to it.
3. Comment options display – Action or General. Click the Add button for the type of comment you want to add (see Comment types above).
4. In the subject line, type a short description for the comment (maximum 255 characters).
5. In the box underneath, enter your comment text and format it using the editing toolbar. Note that you can use the Snippet button on this toolbar to add saved Standard Phrases (defined in RME > Setup > Standard Phrases).
• You can add comments for one question to a maximum of 5 MB in total.
• You can only enter pure text; if you enter or copy-and-paste HTML elements (for example, a text input field or image) they may be removed on saving. HTML code will be encoded, (for example, a space becomes %. SQL code can be entered but is treated as text; no query will be run.
• If you haven't entered a description in the Subject line as outlined above in step 4, it will default to the first 100 characters of your comment text, which you can edit later if you wish.
6. If you have the Confidential Comments permission and you want the comment to be confidential, tick the Is Confidential? checkbox below the comment text box. The comment will only be seen by those with Confidential Comment permission for the form. The View Confidential user group may differ from one form to another. If you are unsure who is in this group, check with your RME Administrator before making any confidential comments in a form.
7. Click Post to save your comment. If you change your mind and no longer want to post a comment, click Cancel.
8. Select the relevant action to send the eForm to the recipient of the comment, if relevant. For example, if you are asking for more details from an applicant, select the Return to Applicant action (or similar).
Results: Comments entered at the page level display at the bottom of the page of the form. Comments entered at question level display to the question for which the Comment icon is selected. Comment indicators display for the page in the Pages panel.
When comments are posted, the Pages panel displays a colour-coded flag to the right of the page name to show the comment type for the page. Action comments take precedence; if there is at least one action comment, the indicator will display for that (red).
Pages panel comment flags:
Blue - At least one General comment has been added
Red - Action is required; at least one Action comment has been added
Amber - You can resolve a comment thread because a response to an action comment has been received
Green - No action is required; Action comments have been resolved
There are a few ways to view comments, depending on how many there are, and the type.
1. To view comments in an eForm page, you can use a) the summary link, b) expand all of them, or c) open them individually.
Viewing option |
Details |
Summary link |
If there are any action comments that need your attention, a summary link displays at the top of the page. Click this to open the first comment of the type specified.
• The first digit indicates the number of action comments that require a response. • The second digit indicates the total number of action comments for the page, including Confidential Comments but not closed comments. • Zero (0) indicates that there are comments to view but no action comments that need your attention. |
Expand to see all |
To see all comments in the page at once, except closed comments, click the Expand All Comments link at the top, right of the page. Once expanded, you can hide them again by clicking Collapse All Comments. |
Open individually |
You can selectively open each page and question comment. • To
view a question comment, click the Comment
icon next to it • To
view page comments, go to the bottom of the page and click the
Comments button: • If a number displays, it indicates how many action comments require a response for the page. It does not represent the total number of comments. If there are only general comments it will display 0, indicating that there are no comments to action even though there are some to view. |
2. Select the linked text for the type you want to view: General or Action.
3. Comments with
replies are threaded so you can see the original post and all replies
in a logical, time-based order. Long threads are collapsed, showing part
of the first and last comment.
Click the toggle arrow 
to view
the comment. Comment thread indicators (below) are used to help distinguish
the type or stage of the comment based on your part in the process.
Audience |
General |
Action comment: |
Action comment: Responded |
Repeat (continued) |
View only |
Confidential comment |
Closed comment |
Applicant |
|
|
|
|
Cannot edit or reply due to permissions or stage of the eForm |
Only for those with Confidential Comment permissions |
Cannot be reopened |
Reviewer |
|
|
or Repeat |
When a comment is closed, the thread is closed so that the thread is hidden from view, no further comments can be added, and they are not included in the Comment icon count. If there are closed comments on the form page, click the Show Closed Comments option to view them.
You can view and print a list of all comments in an open eForm via the View Options action button. See: View options and reports for an eForm > Print View
You can only edit your own comments, and only if no one has replied to it yet in the thread (except for RME administrators). You can only edit one comment at a time. You cannot save a draft of a comment so it's best to work through them one by one. If you open and edit more than one, only the most recent comment will be saved.
To edit a comment:
1. View the comment and click the Edit link below the it.
2. Make your changes, format the text, and click Update.
You can only reply to a comment if the stage of the comment and your part in the process allows it. You can only reply to the last comment in the thread.
1. View the comment and click the Reply link below the comment.
2. Click Post or Update to save it.
When you create an action comment, you expect the action to be completed. After a response is received confirming that the action has been completed, the comment thread should be closed. This option displays based on the stage of the comment and your part in the process.
For example, a reviewer might ask for more details from an applicant. When the applicant provides those details, that particular comment thread is no longer needed. The reviewer can close it so that no further comments can be added and it is not included in the icon count. It becomes hidden from view but can be opened to view it if desired via a View closed comments checkbox, but cannot be reopened for new comments.
To close a comment thread, view the last comment and click the Close link.
You can only delete your own comments that you created provided that no one has replied to it yet in the thread and the eForm has not moved to another workflow state. Once a form moves into another state in the process, you will not be able to delete comments from a previous state.
Exception: If you have been granted the Manage Review permission, you can delete comments made by anyone in any workflow.
To delete a comment, view the page or question comment and click the Delete button below the text box. In the confirmation message, click OK, or if you change your mind, click Cancel.
ID: Comments.htm
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