Advanced Customisations — Quick Navigation Guide

Ready to take your Sintel Forms to the next level? This guide will walk you through advanced customisation techniques that help you tailor forms exactly to your needs. You can jump straight to the customisation you’re looking for using the links below—each one takes you to a full example in the main article.

For an even deeper dive into what’s possible, we recommend checking out our JavaScript API guide to better understand how these features work behind the scenes.

1) User & People Automation

Customisations that populate or manipulate person/user fields.

• User/People Field Check
  Checks if two user fields, such as Requester and Manager, contain the same person
  Use when: You want to prevent users from approving their own requests

• Get UserProfile Properties and Populate Fields
  Reads Microsoft 365 user details and writes them into fields.
  Use when: Choosing a person should auto-fill related info.

• Output All User Profile Data to a Multi-Line Text Field
  Adds full profile JSON into a text field.
  Use when: Audits or exporting user data.

• Add an “Assign to Me” Link to a User Field
  Adds a quick self-assignment link next to a person field.
  Use when: Fast task/approval claiming.

• Restrict Actions by SharePoint Group Membership
  Allows/disallows form actions based on group membership.
  Use when: Permissions by stage or form type.

• Set a User Field by Querying a List
  Looks up a coordinator for a department.
  Use when: Auto-assign roles from reference lists.

• Query User Values in a List and Write Them into User Fields
  Automatically retrieves the relevant agents and process owner from a lookup list and populates the corresponding user fields, reducing manual entry and errors.
  Use when: Category selection should auto-fill responsible people.

2) Date & Time Logic

Validate, compare, and auto-populate dates.

• Validate Dates
  Ensures “desired date” is after “available date”.
  Use when: Preventing illogical date selections.

• Compare a Date to Today
  Checks if a date is past or future.
  Use when: Enforcing deadlines or start dates.

• Set Relevant Dates Based on Workflow Status
  Auto-stamps dates when status changes.
  Use when: Tracking stage completion automatically.

• Ensure End Date is After Start Date
  Validates booking or event spans.
  Use when: Avoiding reversed date ranges.

• Prevent Selecting a Date in the Past
  Blocks past-date entries.
  Use when: Preventing outdated submissions.

• Limit a Date to Within 14 Days
  Restricts date selection to a short window.
  Use when: Keeping events or tasks within a tight timeframe.

• Disable Actions Between Two Dates
  Blackout period enforcement.
  Use when: Blocking activity during maintenance or restricted periods.

• Calculate Day Difference Between Two Dates
  Outputs the duration in days.
  Use when: Showing lead times or duration automatically.

3) Linked Lists & Sub-Items

Aggregate, count, and summarise related data.

• Read Linked List Values into Multi-Line Text
  Summarises sub-items into a text field.
  Use when: Displaying related records in one field.

• Count All Linked Items
  Total linked items count.
  Use when: Showing progress or total items.

• Count Completed Linked Items
  Completed item tally.
  Use when: Tracking task completion.

• Read Values in a Linked List and Write Them into a Multiline Text Field
  Allows you to automatically populate Multiline Text (MLT) fields in the main form based on items from a linked list.
  Use when: Creating summary text from linked records.

• Count Attachments in a Linked Library
  Attachment completeness check.
  Use when: Ensuring required files are uploaded.

4) Form Duplication & Pre-Fill

Reuse and copy existing forms.

• Duplicate a Form (With a Linked List)
  Copies main form + sublist.
  Use when: Cloning recurring records with related items.

• Duplicate a Form (Without a Linked List)
  Copies selected fields only.
  Use when: Reusing base data without linked records.

• Copy My Previous Form (One-Click)
  Loads values from last submission.
  Use when: Speeding up frequent submissions.

5) Comments & Attachments Control

Restrict edits after certain states.

• Disable Adding New Comments When Completed
  Locks comments at sign-off.
  Use when: Preventing post-approval discussion.

• Prevent Attachments Deletion
  Removes the delete option for files.
  Use when: Ensuring attachments remain for compliance.

6) Field Behaviour / UI Enhancements

Dynamic form labels, links, messages, and layout tweaks.

• Set Label of a Field with “Assign to Me” Link
  Adds a clickable self-assign link.
  Use when: Letting users assign themselves instantly.

• Hyperlink Field Setter
  Populates a hyperlink programmatically.
  Use when: Auto-linking to resources or related pages.

• Show a Toast Message
  Shows success/warning/error popup.
  Use when: Giving quick user feedback.

• Inject Data Into Email Without Blank Lines
  Sends clean, gap-free notifications.
  Use when: Tidying automated emails.

• Geolocation (Get GPS Coordinates)
  Captures and stores location.
  Use when: Recording where submissions were made

• Redirect on Form Load
  Sends user to another page.
  Use when: Guiding users to a specific destination.

7) Validation & Input Rules

Ensure data is clean and formatted.

• Email Confirmation Check
  Confirms two email fields match.
  Use when: Reducing typos in contact details.

• Validate Email Format (Regex)
  Checks email syntax.
  Use when: Blocking invalid email entries.

• Validate 10-Digit Mobile (Irish 08x)
  Enforces mobile format.
  Use when: Standardising phone number input.

• Numbers-Only in a Single-Line Text Field
  Restricts to numeric input.
  Use when: Preventing non-numeric data.

• Count Characters in a Field
  Enforces max length.
  Use when: Limiting message or ID size.

8) Data Formatting & After-Save Automation

Format output and auto-generate IDs.

• Set Multiline Text (Plain Text)
  Stores plain multi-line lists.
  Use when: Capturing simple unformatted lists.

• Set Multiline Text (Rich / Enhanced Rich Text)
  Writes HTML-formatted text.
  Use when: Saving styled or clickable text.

• After-Save: Title = 5-Digit Padded Number
  Pads ID to 5 digits.
  Use when: Keeping consistent numeric IDs.

• After-Save: Title with Prefix
  Adds a prefix + padded ID.
  Use when: Categorising IDs by type.

• After-Save: Title with Offset
  Adds prefix after subtracting offset.
  Use when: Matching external numbering sequences.

• After-Save: Only Set Title If Not Already Set
  Keeps manual titles unless blank.
  Use when: Avoiding overwriting user-entered titles.