PDF Snapshot is a feature in REDCap that allows you to configure conditions that will automatically trigger a "snapshot", or static PDF, of records in your project.
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Accessing PDF Snapshots
You can access PDF Snapshots settings from the Designer page.
Locate "Designer" from your left-hand panel, under "Project Home and Design".
Once in Designer, locate and select the "PDF Snapshots" button.
Select the "PDF Snapshots of Records" page.
If you have already configured an e-Consent using the e-Consent framework, you may see an unmodifiable PDF snapshot configuration of the relevant e-Consent. This is because the PDF Snapshot options are governed by selections in the e-Consent configuration. You can read more about these options in the e-Consent Framework article.
Setting New PDF Snapshots
To set a new trigger, select "+ Add new trigger".
Begin by clearly naming the PDF Snapshot Trigger.
Step 1: Trigger conditions
You can select to trigger the alert due to form completion or due to specified logic.
To specify form completion within the logic, you can use the form status field (ex: [form_name_completed]) associated with the relevant instrument.
Step 2: Scope of the snapshot
Selecting the pencil in the first text box will open a pop-up window where you can select which instruments you would like to include. If your project is longitudinal, you can specify instruments by specific events.
Then, select whether you would like to save all data (even blank fields) or only fields with data. If you are using the Multi-Language Management Tool, you can also select to save the PDF with the selected language that the respondent used when completing the forms.
Step 3: Location(s) to save the snapshot
Checking the first box will automatically route the PDF to save to the PDF Snapshots folder in the File Repository. For more information, please read the File Repository article.
If you have file upload fields in the project, you can also select for the file to save to the specified file upload field.
Step 4: Snapshot file name
Finally, make any desired modifications to the snapshot file name. You can use both static text and Piping to customize the file naming convention.
Manually Triggering PDF Snapshots
If you have configured a PDF Snapshot that may need to be re-triggered (for example, if some data has changed and you will need an updated snapshot), you can use the "Trigger PDF Snapshots" option. The "Trigger PDF Snapshots" option will only be available when the form you are viewing is in editing mode.
Where and when re-triggering will be available will be dependent on how the trigger is configured. I have three different types of triggers listed below.
1. Logic-based trigger
2. Survey completion trigger
3. e-Consent survey completion trigger
Please read the information provided in this pop-up carefully. Each of these types of triggers will behave differently.
Logic-based triggers:
These triggers depend only on some specified logic provided during the configuration of the snapshot. Using this window, they can be triggered or re-triggered at any time and from any form, regardless of whether it currently meets the specified criteria. Please note the language in the pop-up -- language selection can be sensitive, and the PDF Snapshot will retain the current language selection at the time of triggering, rather that the language selected when the response was originally triggered.
Survey completion triggers:
As mentioned in the pop-up above, these triggers can only be re-triggered. They can only be re-triggered from the editing view of the form which the trigger is dependent on. In the example above, this would be the "Quick Modify - Action Tags" form. I am not currently on that form, so I am not able to re-trigger the snapshot. Since these triggers can only be re-triggered in editing mode, users that would re-trigger the snapshot would need "View & Edit"/"Edit survey responses" privileges to that instrument (see below)
e-Consent survey completion triggers:
Since these are "survey completion" triggers, they follow the same rules. However, there is one additional step with e-Consent triggers. To make the consent form editable to your team, you will need to make sure your e-Consent Framework settings for the form have enabled the checkbox "Allow e-Consent responses to be edited by users?".