How to Schedule Form Availability and Limit Submissions in Google Forms

Google Forms is a powerful tool for collecting data through surveys, quizzes, and other types of forms. However, you might want to control when the form is available and limit the number of submissions. This article will guide you through scheduling form availability and limiting submissions using Google Forms and Google Apps Script.

Prerequisites:

A Google account.
A Google Form.
Basic understanding of Google Sheets and Google Apps Script.

Step 1: Set Up Your Google Form

Create a Google Form: Start by creating a Google Form by going to Google Forms. Design your form with the necessary questions.
Connect the Form to a Google Sheet: Link your form to a Google Sheet where the responses will be recorded. Click on the “Responses” tab in your Google Form, then click on the green Sheets icon.

Step 2: Schedule Form Availability

To schedule the availability of your form, you will use Google Apps Script to enable or disable the form based on the current date and time.

Open the Script Editor: In the linked Google Sheet, go to Extensions > Apps Script. This opens the Google Apps Script editor.
Write the Script: Use the following script to enable or disable the form based on the current date and time.

javascript

function scheduleForm() {

var form = FormApp.openById('YOUR_FORM_ID'); // Replace 'YOUR_FORM_ID' with your actual Form ID

var now = new Date();

var startTime = new Date('2024-07-15T00:00:00'); // Set your start time

var endTime = new Date('2024-07-20T23:59:59'); // Set your end time

if (now >= startTime && now <= endTime) {
form.setAcceptingResponses(true); // Enable the form
} else {
form.setAcceptingResponses(false); // Disable the form
}
}

function createTimeDrivenTrigger() {
ScriptApp.newTrigger(‘scheduleForm’)
.timeBased()
.everyMinutes(5) // Check every 5 minutes
.create();
}

Create a Trigger: Run the createTimeDrivenTrigger function to create a trigger that checks the form’s availability every 5 minutes. This ensures the form is enabled or disabled at the correct times.

Step 3: Limit Submissions

To limit the number of submissions, you will use Google Apps Script to count the responses and disable the form when the limit is reached.

Add a Submission Limit Column: In the linked Google Sheet, add a column header named “Submission Count” to track the number of responses.
Write the Script: Use the following script to limit the number of submissions.

javascript

function limitSubmissions() {

var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName('Form Responses 1');

var form = FormApp.openById('YOUR_FORM_ID'); // Replace 'YOUR_FORM_ID' with your actual Form ID

var maxResponses = 100; // Set your maximum number of responses

var currentResponses = sheet.getLastRow() - 1; // Subtract 1 to account for the header row

if (currentResponses >= maxResponses) {
form.setAcceptingResponses(false); // Disable the form
}
}

function createSubmissionTrigger() {
ScriptApp.newTrigger(‘limitSubmissions’)
.forSpreadsheet(SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet())
.onFormSubmit()
.create();
}

Create a Trigger: Run the createSubmissionTrigger function to create a trigger that checks the number of responses each time a form is submitted.

Step 4: Customize and Test

Customize the Script: Adjust the startTime, endTime, and maxResponses variables in the script to match your requirements.
Test the Script: Manually run the scheduleForm and limitSubmissions functions to ensure they work as expected. Make sure the form enables and disables at the correct times and stops accepting responses once the limit is reached.
Monitor the Form: Regularly check the linked Google Sheet to ensure everything is working smoothly. Adjust the script or triggers if necessary.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can schedule the availability of your Google Form and limit the number of submissions. This automation can help you manage your data collection process more efficiently. Customize the scripts according to your needs, and you’ll have a controlled and streamlined form submission system in place.