Overview
Forced Documents Layout is a system setting that controls how mandatory (forced) documents are presented to a user when the system requires them to submit required paperwork, for example during a Student’s Admission process. The setting determines whether all required documents are shown together on a single page, or organized into separate tabs by document category.
This setting is found under Main Settings > Dashboard Settings, listed as “Configure how forced admission documents are returned“.
What This Setting Does
This setting offers two options:
– Single Page (default option): All outstanding required documents are displayed together on one page. The user completes all of them and submits everything with a single Save action.
– Per Document Category: The required documents are grouped by their assigned category (for example, Identification Documents, Consent Forms, Health Records). Each category appears as its own tab, and the user can save and submit each category separately, without needing to complete every category at the same time.
In simple terms, this setting decides whether a person filling in required documents sees everything in one place, or one section at a time, organized by topic.
Where It Is Used
This setting affects the pop-up window (also referred to as the Forced Documents or Forced Consents window) that automatically appears for a user, most commonly a parent, guardian, or Student, whenever there are required documents that have not yet been submitted.
– It appears on the main Dashboard, right after login, whenever the logged-in user has pending mandatory documents.
– It is also relevant during the Admission process, when an applicant is asked to provide supporting documents as part of their application.
This setting only affects documents that have been specifically marked as mandatory (forced) by the institute. Documents that are optional, or not flagged as required, are not affected by this setting.
Business Logic / Behavior
– If Single Page is selected, the system always displays every pending required document on one continuous page, regardless of how many categories those documents belong to.
– If Per Document Category is selected, the system displays the documents in a tabbed layout, with one tab per category, and a separate Save and Cancel action for each tab.
– Confirmed business rule: if the pending documents belong to only one category, or have no category assigned at all, there is nothing meaningful to separate into tabs. In this case, the system automatically falls back to the Single Page layout, even if Per Document Category is selected. The tabbed view only appears when the pending documents span two or more different categories.
– Confirmed business rule: documents must be organized into categories for the Per Document Category option to have any visible effect. If document categories have not been set up, this setting behaves the same as Single Page.
– Assumption (not fully confirmed): the tabbed, per-category behavior is designed primarily for the window that appears from the main Dashboard. In other areas of the system where required documents may also be requested, such as during review of an Admission application, the layout may still show as a single page depending on the specific screen.
Example(s)
Example 1 – Single Page
Institute Alpha requires every new Student to submit three documents before enrollment is finalized: a Proof of Identity, a Parental Consent Form, and a Medical Clearance Form. The institute leaves Forced Documents Layout set to its default, Single Page.
When the parent logs in, a window opens showing all three documents on one page. The parent fills them all in and clicks Save once to submit everything together.
Example 2 – Per Document Category
Institute Beta requires the same three documents, but has organized them into two categories: Identification (Proof of Identity) and Consents and Health (Parental Consent Form, Medical Clearance Form). The institute changes Forced Documents Layout to Per Document Category.
Now, when the parent logs in, the window shows two tabs: Identification and Consents and Health. The parent can complete and save the Identification tab immediately, and return later to complete Consents and Health separately, without losing the information already submitted.
When to Use
When to Enable (select Per Document Category)
– The institute has a large number of mandatory documents that naturally fall into distinct groups (for example, identification papers versus medical or consent forms).
– The institute wants to allow users to submit some required documents earlier and others later, instead of requiring everything to be completed in a single sitting.
– Document categories have already been set up and assigned to the relevant mandatory documents (see Notes below).
When to Disable (keep Single Page)
– The institute has only a small number of mandatory documents, or they all belong to a single category.
– The institute wants a simple, one-step submission process where users complete everything at once.
– Document categories have not been configured, since in that case the Per Document Category option provides no visible benefit.
Notes
– Prerequisite: for the Per Document Category option to visibly change anything, the required documents must already be assigned to at least two different document categories. Otherwise, the system automatically displays them on a single page.
– Prerequisite: only documents flagged by the institute as mandatory (forced) are affected by this setting. Regular, non-mandatory document requests are not impacted.
– Related setting: (Main Settings > Dashboard Settings > Remove Close/Cancel Button From Forced Consents Dialog). This separate setting controls whether users are allowed to close or cancel the mandatory documents window without completing it, and should be reviewed independently if the institute wants to prevent users from dismissing the window.
K-12 and Higher Education Mode
Based on a review of the system configuration, this setting behaves in exactly the same way regardless of whether the institute operates in K-12 or Higher Education mode. There is no automatic link between this setting and the K-12/Higher Education mode of the institute: enabling or disabling this setting does not switch the institute between these modes, and the institute’s mode does not change how this setting behaves. If an institute needs different document layouts for different groups, this must be configured directly through this setting rather than through any K-12/Higher Education mode switch.
