Block Form Submission If User Email Doesn’t Match Master Employee Database

"I’m building an approval workflow where only valid employees should be able to submit. The catch is that sometimes people use a different email when logging in, which doesn’t match the one in our Employee Master App. I want to make sure the form blocks submission if the emails don’t match. Has anyone tried something similar—like validating login details against a master dataset in real time?"

Ensuring that only valid employees can submit a form in Clappia, especially where email mismatches occur between login and the Employee Master App, involves setting up a validation mechanism that compares the submitted email against the master dataset in real time and blocks submission if they don’t match. This can be achieved using the Validation Block combined with referencing your master employee app’s dataset and leveraging workflow automation for real-time checks.

Why Email Validation Against a Master Employee Database Matters?

Validating employee emails before form submission ensures data integrity and security in approval workflows. It prevents unauthorized users from submitting forms by verifying that the email entered matches an existing record in the Employee Master App. This real-time validation contributes to accurate reporting and trustworthy approvals within your organization.

How Email Validation Works in Clappia

Clappia offers a Validation Block feature that applies rules to user inputs to ensure data accuracy. By configuring the Validation Block, you can check if the email entered matches a record in your Employee Master App dataset. Additionally, workflows can automate validations and enforce business rules on submissions during or after data entry.

How to Block Form Submission if a User’s Email Doesn’t Match the Master Employee Database in Clappia

• Create a Master Employee App: Maintain a dedicated app as your Employee Master Database containing registered employee emails and any other relevant attributes.
• Ensure Email Uniqueness: Use the Validation Block within the master app to prevent duplicate emails, ensuring each email corresponds to a unique employee.
• User Attributes Setup: Optionally, make use of User Attributes to add detailed fields like role, team, manager to user profiles, aligned with their emails.

• Add Email Input Block: Use the Email Input block on your form to accept user emails, which validates proper email formatting automatically.
• Configure Validation Block: Add the Validation Block targeting the email input and set it to check that the entered email exists in the master app dataset.
• Set Validation Level to Error: Configure the validation to display an error message and block submission if the email does not match any record in the master app.
• Customize Validation Message: Use messages like "Email not found in employee records. Submission blocked." to inform users clearly.

• Create a New Submission Flow Workflow: In Design App > Workflow, create a workflow triggered on new submissions to perform additional validation if needed.
• Add Conditional Checks: Use conditional logic nodes to compare the email entered with emails from the Employee Master App in real time.
• Block or Reject Submissions: Use the workflow to set submission status or send alerts if validation fails, effectively preventing unauthorized entries.

Practical Use Cases

• Expense Approval System: Employees can submit expense claims only after verifying their email exists in the employee database, preventing external submissions.
• Leave Request Approval: Employee leave requests can be validated for authorized users by matching login email to the master employee list, blocking submissions otherwise.
• Restricted Resource Access Requests: Requests for access to sensitive tools or systems can be restricted to verified employees through email validation before approval.

Advanced Configuration Options

• Use User Attributes for Dynamic Email Validation: Link user profiles and attributes for complex validation rules beyond emails, like roles or departments.
• Pull Filtered Values from Master App: Use data lookup features to dynamically fetch email lists and validate inputs without hardcoding values.
• Conditional Submission Edits: Control if users can edit submitted emails later based on workflow status using formula blocks.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

• Email Not Found Error Despite Valid User: Confirm the master app's email dataset is up-to-date and that emails use consistent formatting.
• Validation Block Not Triggering: Verify that Validation Block is correctly linked to the email input and set to error on invalid entries.
• Workflow Errors in Submission Blocking: Ensure workflow logic accurately references master app data and is triggered on the correct submission flow.

Best Practices for Implementation

• Maintain Up-to-Date Master Database: Regularly update your Employee Master App to reflect changes in email or employee status.
• Use Standardized Email Formats: Configure the Email Input block for strict email formatting to avoid validation inaccuracies.
• Integrate User Attributes and Workflow Automations: Combine user profiles with workflows to automate email validation and approval processes comprehensively.

Conclusion

By leveraging Clappia’s Validation Block and workflow automation features, you can build robust approval workflows that block form submissions from unauthorized users by validating their email against a master employee database in real time. This setup ensures integrity of submissions and reliable approval processes within your organization.

Related Resources & Further Reading

• Validation Block | Clappia
• User Attributes | Clappia
• How to Add or Delete Workflows? | Clappia
• Automate Your Business Processes with Clappia Workflows
• Mastering Employee Attendance Tracking with Clappia
• Expense Claim Submission App: Why Choose Clappia