Avoid duplicate records when users submit multiple event registration forms

[seanwhitcomb]

I want to use a form to allow volunteers to register for upcoming events. Each volunteer can select multiple events. Volunteers may also return to fill out the form more than once, as many of them will return for future events. The volunteers will just be members of the general public, not Airtable users.

Is it possible to set up my tables and form to ensure the following conditions are met?

1. Each volunteer is listed in the Volunteers form once, with a unique email address and phone number for each volunteer.

2. Volunteers select one or more upcoming events from a list of upcoming events.

3. Volunteers who return to fill out the form more than once can select other events, but the name and contact information they enter is not duplicated in a new record. Only the new events they sign up for are added to the record that already exists for them.

[Karlstens]

Yes, so long as you're using an Airtable Pro account to setup the Base and the Table's Form Views, you can have an Automation run after each form submission to do a check against the users name/email and if the existing volunteer already exists, then use the original member record ID and remove the duplicate that's created upon filling out the form more than once.

You'll need an understanding of JavaScript and Automation Scripting to achieve this - it would be difficult to accomplish if you're new to both.

There's a chance someone here can show you a no-code method of doing the same thing.

[HannesK-ME]

Hey there, Hannes from the miniExtensions team here!

What @seanwhitcomb describes is a classic use case for our advanced form, particularly for the login functionality! With this feature, users can log into their record (in the volunteers table, in this particular example), where they could see their previously linked events (in a linked record field called, say "Events") and link themselves to new ones to participate. This way no duplicates will be generated, since they will simply access their existing record to edit.

You can try this out for yourself by creating a free account 🙂  

Here's a simple example of what this form might look like: