Session Settings is where you configure every aspect of a session. Access it by opening a session and clicking Settings in the left sidebar. There are six tabs: General, Forms, Form Packets, Groups, Permissions, and Audit.
Required role: Session Manager for all edit functions. Some tabs are read-accessible to other roles.
Locked sessions: When a session is locked, all editing across all settings tabs is disabled. Unlock via Settings → General before making changes.
Sidebar path: Settings → General
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes | Max 100 characters |
| Description | No | Max 2,000 characters |
| Support Email Address | Yes | Where participants send questions; included in all session messages. Max 500 characters. |
| Start Date | Yes | Cannot be changed once the session has started |
| End Date | Yes | Cannot be changed once the session has started |
| Locked | No | When checked: no changes can be made to settings, forms, groups, permissions, or participants |
| Restricted | No | When checked: only Owners and users with explicit session permissions can access this session |
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Invitation Send Date | The date invitations are scheduled to be sent; must be before the end date |
| Invitation Message | Custom text included in all invitation emails; max 20,000 characters |
Note: Start Date and End Date are locked for editing once the session's start date has passed.
Sidebar path: Settings → Forms
This tab shows all forms assigned to the session and lets you configure how each one works.
Each row represents a form type assigned to the session. Columns:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The form type name |
| Deadline | The last date participants can submit this form |
| Flow Process | The submission workflow for this form |
| Required | Whether this form is required for all participants |
| Input Mode | Fill (online form) or Upload (file upload) |
| Form Packets | Which form packets include this form |
Row order controls display order to participants. Drag rows to reorder.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes | Select a form type from your organization's form library (dropdown); cannot change when editing |
| Deadline | No | Must be between today and the session end date |
| Flow Process | No | Controls the submission workflow |
| Form Packets | No | Assign this form to one or more packets. Type a new name to create a packet on the fly. Note: If a form is required for all participants, do not assign it to a packet. |
| Form Input Mode | Yes | Fill = participants complete the form online; Upload = participants upload a file |
| Required | No | Check to require this form for all participants |
| Insurance Card Required | No | Check to require an insurance card image for this form |
| Allow Form Upload | No | Whether to allow file upload in addition to online fill (disabled when Input Mode is Upload) |
| Instructions | No | Additional instructions shown to participants |
| Remove Forms | Conditional | Only shown when editing and you removed a packet: check to also remove participant form assignments that came from the removed packet |
Sidebar path: Settings → Form Packets
Form Packets are named collections of forms that can be assigned to groups of participants. Use them when different groups of participants need different sets of forms.
Each row is a form packet. Columns:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Packet name |
| Description | Optional description |
| Default | If checked, new participants are automatically assigned this packet |
| Combined Submission | If checked, participants submit all forms in the packet through a single combined wizard |
| Forms | Names of the forms included in this packet |
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Name | Required |
| Description | Optional |
| Forms | Use the dropdown to select a form and click "Add" to include it. Drag form names in the list to reorder them (order matters for Combined Submission). Click the delete icon to remove a form from the packet. |
| Combined Submission | When on: participants submit all packet forms through one combined wizard |
| Default Packet | When on: new participants are automatically assigned this packet |
On Save options (apply once when saving; not stored on the packet):
| Option | Effect |
|---|---|
| Apply to All Members | Assigns this packet to all current participants in the session |
| Reconcile Form Assignments | Adds or removes each participant's form assignments to match the current packet configuration |
Sidebar path: Settings → Groups
Groups let you organize participants into named buckets within a session (for example: Cabin A, Team 1, Grade 6). Groups are used to filter the participant grid and can be assigned group-level permissions.
Each row is a group. The Name column is editable inline — click a cell to rename the group directly.
Inherited groups: Groups imported from an organization-level source show a "Global" flag and cannot be deleted or merged. They can be renamed.
Sidebar path: Settings → Permissions
This tab shows all users who have session-level or global permissions for this session. Use it to grant specific staff access to this session without giving them organization-wide access.
Rows are grouped by role. Columns:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Role | The permission role (grouped header) |
| Name | The user's full name |
| The user's email address | |
| Group | If the permission is scoped to a group, the group name |
| Accepted On | Date the user accepted their invitation (blank if not yet accepted) |
| Global | Yes if the permission comes from an organization-level role (not session-specific) |
Permission changes appear in real time via SignalR — if another session manager adds a user while you're on this tab, the grid updates automatically.
Sidebar path: Settings → Audit
The Audit tab shows a log of all changes made to the session — who made each change, when, and what type of action it was.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Timestamp | Date and time of the change (newest first) |
| User | The user who made the change |
| Type | The category of the change (e.g., Session, Participant, Form) |
| Action | A brief description of what changed |
Click View Detail on any row (row button or right-click) to open a detail popup showing a label/value table with the specific fields that were changed.
The session is locked. Go to Settings → General, uncheck "Locked," and click Save. Then return to the tab you were editing.
Once a session's start date has passed, dates cannot be modified. If you need to adjust dates, open a support ticket at https://support.healthforms.io.
Deleting a session is permanent and will invalidate all invitations and remove all participants. If you want to prevent further changes without deleting data, use "Locked" instead.
Use the Import Settings button on the General tab. It copies settings from another session into the current one. The button is disabled if you have unsaved changes.
Q: How do I lock a session so no one can change it? A: Go to the session's Settings → General, check the "Locked" checkbox, and click Save. Locked sessions cannot be modified — all settings, forms, groups, permissions, and participants become read-only until you unlock it.
Q: What is the difference between "Locked" and "Restricted"? A: Locked prevents changes to the session (read-only for everyone). Restricted controls who can see the session — only Owners and explicitly permissioned users can access a restricted session. Both can be on at the same time.
Q: How do I add a form to a session? A: Go to the session's Settings → Forms, click "Add Form," select the form from the dropdown, set the Input Mode (Fill or Upload), and click Save. See Session Settings — Forms for all available options.
Q: What is a Form Packet? A: A Form Packet is a named collection of forms. Use packets when different groups of participants need different sets of forms. For example, campers in one program get Packet A (health form + emergency contact form) while campers in another program get Packet B (health form + medication form). See Session Settings — Form Packets.
Q: How do I give a staff member access to just one session? A: Go to Settings → Permissions for that session and click "Add User." Select the user and the role you want to grant. They receive an email invitation to access the session.
Q: How do I see who made changes to a session? A: Go to Settings → Audit. The audit log shows every change with timestamp, user, type, and action. Click "View Detail" on any row for field-level detail.
Q: Can I delete a group that has participants in it? A: Deleting a group removes the group assignment from its participants but does not remove the participants themselves. If you want to move participants to another group first, use the "Merge" action to move everyone from the source group into a destination group before deleting.
See the Glossary of Terms for definitions of terms used in HealthForms.io.