Overview
There are two main triggers for link expiration within FormAssembly.
- Links within Workflow step assignment emails, Reminder emails, and Reassignment emails expire after 48 hours from the moment the email is sent.
- All e-signature pages for Forms and Workflows, and assigned forms within Workflows expire after 48 hours. If you stay on the page without refreshing it, the page will still be accessible. However, if you refresh the page, close and reopen the browser, or access the page from a different device or browser, you will see a "Link Expired" message.
These links expire after 48 hours to help prevent accidental exposure of sensitive data. The information below outlines the three types of Link Expired messages that can be seen and what you may do when they are encountered.
Scenarios and Steps
Link Expired - No Action Available
In the unlikely event that a respondent leaves a form or workflow response open in their browser for 48 hours without saving the form and then reloads the page, their response will expire and the session will not be recoverable. The respondent would need to start a new form response by revisiting the original form.
Link Expired - Check Your Email
If you encounter a Link Expired message that prompts you to check your email for a new link, by attempting to access the expired link a new link is automatically generated and sent to your email address.
An email with the subject line “You have been assigned a form” should be in your inbox. Click the View Request button within the body of the email to access the form or workflow. Please keep this link confidential and do not share it with others.
Link Expired - Request Access
A Link Expired message may prompt you to click a Request Access button on the page. Click the Request Access button to inform the form or workflow owner that your link has expired and that you still need access. When clicked, the page will refresh to display an Access Request Sent message.
If your request is approved, you will receive an email. This email will either be a reminder with the subject line “Reminder: You have an unfinished response” or an assignment notification with the subject “You have been assigned a form by [form owner].” Click the View Request button in the email to access the form or workflow. Please keep this link confidential and do not share it with others.
The form or workflow owner may choose not to grant access, and there will be no notification if this happens. If your request is not approved, you can submit another request through the expired link or follow up directly with the form or workflow owner for further assistance.
Access Request Processing
When a respondent sees a Link Expired message, they may send an Access Request to the form or workflow owner. This request is an email to the owner with the subject line “Access Request - Link to a form has expired.” Click the View Response button within the body of the email to view the response associated with the access request.
Forms
To allow the respondent to access the response the form owner must complete steps to reopen the response. For more information on how to reopen responses, please read this linked article. A new link to the response is included in the reopened response email. This new link expires after 48 hours.
Workflows
To allow the respondent to access the response the workflow owner must complete steps to either send a reminder or reassign a step. For more information on how to send a reminder or reassign a step, please read this linked article. Sending a reminder or completing a reassignment sends an email that allows the respondent to click a View Request button to access the requested response. This new link expires after 48 hours.