> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docsautomator.co/docs/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Google Forms > Generate a document for every form response, read directly from the form DocsAutomator reads your Google Form responses directly. You do not need a linked response spreadsheet, an add-on, or Apps Script. Paste a form link, map your questions to a template, and every new response becomes a document. ## Key Features Responses are read from the form itself, no linked sheet required Placeholders bind to questions, so rewording a question breaks nothing New responses are checked every few minutes and turned into documents Email each respondent their own document, no extra question needed ## Step-by-Step Setup Initialize a new automation in your DocsAutomator account. Every automation needs a template. Use a Google Doc, a Word (.docx) file, or a PDF. Create one with AI, browse the template library, start from scratch, or drag your own file in. See the [Google Doc Template Guide](/docs/docsautomator-basics/google-doc-template-guide), the [Word Template Guide](/docs/docsautomator-basics/word-template-guide), or the [PDF Template Guide](/docs/docsautomator-basics/pdf-template-guide). Open the **Data / Placeholders** panel, click **Connect**, and choose Google Forms. Sign in with the Google account that owns the form. Browse your forms in the picker, or paste any form link: the editor link, the published viewform link, or a short **forms.gle** link. DocsAutomator resolves the link to the right form in your account. By default, DocsAutomator reads responses directly from the form. If the form has a linked response spreadsheet, you can choose to read from that sheet instead. See [Direct read vs. linked sheet](#direct-read-vs-linked-sheet) below. The picker shows your real questions with their types and options. Connect template placeholders to questions. AI-assisted mapping is available. Test document generation with existing responses before you enable the trigger. Turn on auto-create so every new response becomes a document. ## Direct Read vs. Linked Sheet The Google Forms source has two read surfaces: * **Form responses (direct)** — the default. DocsAutomator reads responses through the Google Forms API. No spreadsheet is involved. * **Linked spreadsheet** — available only when your form already has a linked response sheet. DocsAutomator then behaves like the [Google Sheets integration](/docs/integrations-api/google-sheets), reading rows from that sheet. Choose the linked sheet when you need what only a spreadsheet gives you: | | Direct read | Linked sheet | | ----------------------------------- | ----------- | ------------------------------- | | Linked sheet required | No | Yes | | Mappings survive question rewording | Yes | No (the header is the question) | | Computed / formula columns | No | Yes | | Document link written back | No | Yes, into a column | | Per-row GENERATE DOC link | No | Yes | | Editable data before generation | No | Yes | The direct read cannot write anything back to the form — the Google Forms API is read-only for responses. This is why the document-link write-back and the per-row generate link exist only on the linked-sheet surface. On the direct read, delivery happens through [email](#email-the-respondent), Google Drive, or a webhook, and the automation's run history is your index of generated documents. ## Question Mapping Placeholders are bound to the question itself, not to its text. * **Rewording a question does not break mappings.** Change "Full name" to "Your full name" and the mapping stays intact. On a linked sheet, the same change silently breaks the column mapping — this is the main reliability win of the direct read. * **Deleting a question** leaves its mappings without a source. The mapping panel shows the last known question title so you can re-map. * **Response fields** are available in addition to your questions: the respondent's email address (see below), the submission time, and the response ID. ### Grids A grid question (multiple-choice grid or checkbox grid) is one visual question with several rows. Each grid row maps separately: the picker lists them as "Grid title → Row label", and each row gets its own placeholder. ### File Uploads File-upload answers work with [dynamic images](/docs/features/dynamic-images): an uploaded image can be placed straight into the generated document. Non-image files render as their file names. ### Checkboxes A checkbox question can carry several answers. They render comma-separated in your document. ## Automatic Generation Enable auto-create and DocsAutomator checks your form for new responses every few minutes. Each new response is queued and turned into a document. **Enabling the trigger does not process old responses.** Auto-create starts from the moment you enable it: responses submitted earlier are left alone. To create documents for existing responses, generate them manually from the automation. The same automatic safety shutoff as for Google Sheets applies: after repeated polling or generation failures, auto-create is disabled and the workspace owner is notified by email. Fix the issue and re-enable it. ## Email the Respondent When your form collects email addresses, the respondent's email is available as a response field. Use it in the [Send Email](/docs/features/actions-after-document-generation/send-email) action to deliver each respondent their own document — no extra "What is your email?" question and no mapping gymnastics. The respondent email is only present when the form collects it. In Google Forms, open **Settings → Responses → Collect email addresses** and pick a collection mode. If the form does not collect emails, the field stays empty and emails to the respondent cannot be sent. Name your documents from the answers (for example `Application — {{applicant_name}}`) so the Drive folder indexes itself. ## E-Signatures Documents generated from form responses can be routed for e-signing automatically. The respondent receives an email with a signing link for their document; the signer defaults to the respondent's email address from the form, so a consent form or waiver needs no signer configuration at all. To enable it, open your automation's output settings and toggle on the e-signature option. Add e-signature placeholders such as `{{esign.signature.1}}` and `{{esign.date.1}}` to your template to control where signatures appear. Signing requires the form to collect email addresses (see above) or a question that asks for the signer's email. Without an email, DocsAutomator has no one to send the signing request to. See the [E-Signature Guide](/docs/features/docsautomator-esign) for the full placeholder reference and options. ## Troubleshooting ### The respondent email field is empty Your form does not collect email addresses. In Google Forms, open **Settings → Responses → Collect email addresses** and pick a collection mode. Responses submitted before you enable collection have no email — Google does not add it retroactively. ### Old responses did not generate documents Auto-create only processes responses that arrive after you enable it. This is by design, so enabling the trigger on a form with hundreds of past responses does not generate hundreds of unexpected documents. Generate documents for existing responses manually from the automation. ## Next Steps Configure automatic email delivery Store PDFs in Google Drive folders Place uploaded images in your documents Master the template syntax