Can't find form in Build

Support
1

Dear @yanokwa,

I logged in today to try and export my forms, but am unable to view them. Is it possible to get assistance with this?

Best,

Mureji

2

Hello @yanokwa,

So sorry to disturb you with another message, but I just wanted to check whether there's anyone I can speak to about this, as the deletion deadline is approaching. Thank you so much.

Best,

Mureji

3

When I log into my account, I can go to File, the My Forms, to see a list of my forms. What do you see when you do that? Perhaps share a screenshot.

4

Thank you. When I follow the same steps, I see an empty list instead of the name of the form I was expecting to see (please see screenshot below)

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5

Based on that screenshot, you don't have any saved forms. I'd like to understand what evidence you might have that could narrow the scope of my investigation into the likely problem.

  1. Are you sure you used Build running on this server to build your forms? How do you know?
  2. Are you sure you used your ofatunde account to build your forms? How do you know?
  3. Are you sure you saved the forms that you built? How do you know?

Presumably, you used the forms you built in a data collection campaign. What server did you use (e.g., Aggregate). Can you export the form from that server?

6

Hello Yaw,

Thanks a lot.

It's been a long time since I created the form (it happened in 2019 when I was a grad student, and was used to collect data for a research paper), but I've tried to dig to find answers to these same questions. Below is my best attempt at answering them:

  1. I believe so, but am not sure how I would verify this...

  2. I'm not aware that I have any other ODK account, but I also tried logging in with the other active email address that I had at that time (ofatunde@mit.edu) - the login failed, and I was not able to use the Forgot Password feature, which made me think that there is no account with that email address.

  3. I know that we went through several iterations of the form and came back to them several times over a period of several months, which leads me to believe that they were saved. We also used ODK Collect to administer the survey...my understanding is that this cannot happen without a form being saved, but please let me know if this is not the case.

I did used a server for data collection (he URL is odk-essmart.com)...I'm not sure whether it was Aggregate or Central (I believe Aggregate; this was in March 2019), but I installed it via Digital Ocean. I no longer remember the password as it's been several years...I have tried a few times over the pass week (including using the re-set password function), but am still having trouble logging in, so I've not been able to determine whether or not I can export the form from there. Do you have any advice re: how to regain access to an Aggregate server hosted by Digital Ocean?

Thanks again - I really appreciate your time on this.

Best,

Mureji

Update: the server was Aggregate, not Collect. I just came across a support email that I sent during the installation process.

7

Given your description, the form was likely saved and I do see at least one login from your account in 2019, so your timeline is likely correct.

That said, I have checked the database and, unfortunately, there are no forms associated with your username (or any username or any email address like it). I can't explain why that is, and I don't have the cycles to explore any further.

If the Aggregate server is on DigitalOcean, that's likely your best bet to retrieve the form XML. Ask DigitalOcean to reset your root password to the server. From there, you should be able to gain access to the database (likely MySQL) that backs your Aggregate install and browse the tables to find the XML blob.

The caveat to the above is that it requires a lot of technical work and will only get you the form XML, not an XLSForm which would be easier to maintain. Also, it's been years since I looked at Aggregate's code, so I'm not sure what table the form data is in and whether or it stores all the XML (easy to export) or bits and pieces of it (not easy to export).

8

Hello Yaw,

Okay, noted - I will try this route.

Thanks again for your help - I deeply appreciate you taking the time to look into this.

Best,

Mureji