File size exceeded

[charles267]

Hi,

Is there a limit on the form file size? We are designing a form with over 300 columns and with a lot of code embedded in the form, and sometimes the form produces an error when trying to save. One of the times, the error said something about a file size being exceeded. Is there some limit to the number of columns supported or the size of the form files that are saved?

Thanks so much!

-Charles

[Nikita Kurguzov]

Hello, Charles!
There is a limit to how complex the form can get. While technically we recommend not creating forms exceeding 75 editable fields, this is an arbitrary number and it depends on a lot of factors, including number of controls such as Related Items, tabs, accordions, etc. used on the form. Sometimes an actual number might be higher and sometimes even lower. If the form is too complex, it is very likely to lead to errors in SharePoint simply due to SharePoint's architecture. Complex forms take more time to load and if it takes too much time, it's likely to break functionality of your forms.

Unfortunately, not much can be done about it since these errors are tightly tied to SharePoint's design. As an alternative, we recommend using Form sets to switch between forms that have limited number of fields, as opposed to having all 300 on one form. 300 fields can be used on the form, but you'll need to switch most of them to ReadOnly mode.

[charles267]

Hi Nikita,

Thanks so much for the clarification! What do you mean by "form sets"? This sounds very interesting. Do you have an example or a description of what they are and how they operate?

Thanks!

Charles

[Nikita Kurguzov]

Yes, sure! We have a whole section for this topic in our blog. Usually Form sets are used to provide different forms for different users - for example, for mobile users or PC users, or for admins and regular users, etc. But they are not restricted to groups only, you can redirect to these custom forms with simple JavaScript.

Here you can read more about them - https://spform.com/category/groups-and-form-sets

[charles267]

Hi Nikita,

Just some clarification from the article you referred to in your prior response:

1. How do we create a new form set that will be accessible to ALL users. It seems that you are forced to select a SharePoint group. Is there a way to create a form set that is open to all users?

2. The process is that a user will save part 1 of the set, and then be redirected to part 2 of the set, and then to part 3 of the set, etc. How re-purpose the "Save" button so that it saves part 1 of the set and then moves to part 2, etc?

Thanks so much! I think this is on the right track. Excited to see the solution!

-Charles

[Nikita Kurguzov]

Hello, Charles!
1) Regarding groups - depending on your version of SharePoint, you might have a different menu in Forms Designer. But no matter which version you are using, you can just ignore groups and not select them at all. If you don't have a group selected when creating a Form Set, you will be able to use this Form for any of your users. Just use JavaScript to redirect users to the right set when necessary.

2) Regarding redirection on save button click, I highly recommend this article - https://spform.com/buttons/open-edit-fo ... sharepoint This will explain to you in detail how you can redirect users straight after they save the item, you'll just need to replace fd_Item_Edit.aspx with URL of the necessary Form. You can see it on the bottom of the Forms Designer:

Form Set Uri.png (2.55 KiB) Viewed 1819 times

There are downsides to this method however. You will not be able to save the item if some of the mandatory fields are not populated, even if they are not included on the Form. I recommend keeping all the most important fields on the main form and when it gets saved, redirect users to other sections.

Potential workaround for keeping mandatory fields on other form sets might be client side validation, where the fields are technically not set as required in the list, but you use custom JS to make sure they are filled in before allowing users to save.