Setup: Project Sync Automation

The Neodeluxe Project Sync Automation for Filevine syncs specified sections and fields between a Parent (Main) project and associated Child (Sub) projects. These Child projects can be either existing or newly created. Updates made to the specified sections or fields in the Parent project are automatically reflected in the Child projects, ensuring data consistency across related projects.

This article provides step-by-step instructions to configure your automation.

Key Terms and Definitions

• Parent Project: The project containing the forms or collection fields that will be synced to one or more Child projects. Your organization may also refer to Parent projects with other names including:
  • Main Project
  • Master Project
  • Primary Project
  • Source Project
• Child Project:  Projects that receive synced data from the Parent project. Your organization may also refer to Child projects with other names including:
  • Sub-Project
  • Dependent Project
  • Secondary Project
  • Destination Project

Initial Considerations 

Before setting up the Project Sync Automation, consider the following:

• Parent and Child projects must have the same Project Type.
• Data added to the Child projects does not sync back to the Parent project.
• Data in the Child project will be overwritten if that field is updated in the Parent project.
• This automation monitors changes in the Parent project automatically—no manual trigger settings are required.

Setup Instructions

1. Go to your configuration project, open the Project Sync section, and click + Add an Item button.

2. The Project Sync details will open, allowing you to create a new configuration. In the Table of Contents click any link to go directly to the corresponding section:

• Defining the Relationship.
• Data to Copy.
• Process Feedback.

3. In the Project Sync section, users can find the following options for instructions and automation activation:

• Show Instructions: Choose to display or hide instructions to help with the automation configuration.
  • Yes: Displays instructions for setting up the automation.
  • No/Unknown: Does not display instructions.
• Active: Users can choose to activate or deactivate the automation within the project.
  • Yes: Saves the configuration and all entered data.
  • No/Unknown: The automation will not be active.

4. In the Defining the Relationship section, set up the relationship between Child and Parent projects. Relationship Defined In: Select either Parent or Child to indicate where the relationship is configured.

Relationship Defined In: Parent

This relationship is defined in the Parent project; this means the setup is made for the Parent project, indicating that the data for fields in the list of Child projects will be taken from the corresponding fields in the configured Parent project.

5. When selecting Relationship Defined In: Parent, the Parent Conditions, and Child Projects Field - Fieldcore fields are enabled.

• Parent Conditions: Specify conditions that determine which Parent projects apply.

• Unknown/None: The automation applies to all Parent projects found in the template.

E.g.: For the Parent project displayed in the image, there are 3 projects established as Child projects.

• By Field Value:  This automation applies only to the Parent projects that meet the specified criteria. Specify:

• Field to Watch - Fieldcode: Enter the field code for the field that will trigger the automation when its value changes.

NOTE: This field code must be located in the same section as the Child Projects field.

E.g.: In the Parent project, the field code should correspond to the Child Synced field within the Children section.

• Values to Watch For: Enter the specific values the automation should monitor in the field by clicking +Add Item. Users can specify multiple values for a single field.

E.g.: When the Field to Watch / Fieldcode corresponds to the Child Synced field located in the Parent project within the Children section, and the Values to Watch For is Yes,  the automation will work only for Child projects configured in the Parent project, when the Child Synced value is Yes.

• Child Projects Field - fieldcode: Enter the Child projects field code obtained from the Advanced > Customs Editor menu.

E.g.: {{children.childProjects}}

For more information on getting selectors and field codes, please visit: How to Get Selectors and Field Codes.

Relationship Defined In: Child

This relationship is defined in the Child projects; this means the setup is made for the Children project, indicating from which Parent project the information for the corresponding fields will be synced from.

6. When selecting Relationship Defined In: Child, the Parent Conditions, and  Parent Projects Field - Fieldcore fields are enabled.

• Parent Projects Field - fieldcode:  Enter the field code for the Parent project in the template where the Child project links to its Parent.

E.g.: 

{{parent.parentProjects}}

For more information on getting selectors and field codes, please visit: How to Get Selectors and Field Codes.

7. In the Data to Copy section, define which data to sync:

• Form Section Fields: Specify the field selectors to sync from Form Sections by clicking +Add Item. Users can specify multiple values.

• Collection Section Fields: Enter the Collection Section selector, by clicking +Add Item. Users can specify multiple values.

NOTES:

• The following patterns are supported:
  • sectionSelector: Sync all fields in the section (e.g., casesummary)
  • sectionSelector: Sync only specified fields: fieldSelector1, fieldSelector2… (e.g., expenses: copyCollectionItem, facilityname)
  • not.sectionSelector: Excludes specific fields: fieldSelector1, fieldSelector2... (e.g., not.expenses: copyCollectionItem, facilityname)

For more information on getting selectors and field codes, please visit: How to Get Selectors and Field Codes.

• Document Field Mapping: Map document fields and specify where to sync document preview links. Enter its full field code, followed by the field code for a link or link list field to which the automation will write the preview link of that document.

• Empty Parent Field Behavior: Define how to handle empty fields:
  • Ignore: Ignores the updating of the data in fields in the Child projects, maintaining existing data in Child projects.
  • Clear Field in Child Project: Clears the data in the affected fields, deleting the value in the Child project fields.

8. In the Process Feedback section, users can configure feedback and error reporting:

• Post Activity: Activate or deactivate the activity notifications in the Parent project, by selecting one of the following options:
  • Yes: Provide feedback after the activity posting it in the Activity section from the Parent project.
  • No/Unknown: No feedback will be posted in the Activity section from the Parent project.
• Post Activity Errors: Activate or deactivate the activity errors notifications in the Parent project, by selecting one of the following options:
  • Yes: Errors are reported in the Activity section from the Parent project.
  • No/Unknown: Errors are not reported in the Activity section from the Parent project.
• Match Collection Items: Activate or deactivate the existing collection items validation to prevent duplicated items.
  • Yes: The automation will check for existing items, and if any inherited items from the Parent project match an item already in the collection, it will prevent the adding of a duplicate item.
  • No/Unknown: The collection items are synced with no verification; may occur that duplicated items are included.

9. After setting these options, click Create to complete the setup. 

NOTE: The synchronization will occur only if the Active field is set to Yes.

Additional Notes:

The relationship between Parent and Child projects can be structured as follows:

1. Parent Projects can have multiple Child Projects.
2. Child projects can serve as Parent projects for other projects, forming a nested hierarchy.
3. Avoid configuring a Parent project as a Child project within the same structure to prevent conflicts.