Announcement ·
one less thing to type
Two sharing things: links in descriptions, and invitations that open already filled in
Two small things about sharing a sheet, both from watching what churches paste into descriptions and what regulars do with an invitation: they paste the parking map, and they type their name for the fortieth time.
?name=&email= on any sheet link does the same from your own tools. Every plan.Links and line breaks in descriptions
A sheet's description is where the parking map goes, and the slot description is where “questions? email the office” goes. Until now both showed as plain text, and a long description typed with paragraphs came out as one block. Now a sheet, section, or slot description shows exactly as you typed it, and any address starting with https:// or www., and any email, is a link that opens in a new tab. Nothing else changed: descriptions are still plain text, so nothing you paste can turn into anything other than text or a link.
Invitations that open filled in
Invite your regulars and the last call already email a personal button to each person on your People page. That button now carries their name and email, so the form opens with the boxes done and they only pick. One tap, one confirm. The part we sweated: a forwarded invitation. It opens with the original recipient's details, which the new person just types over, and the sign-up is checked like any other — nothing is trusted from the link.
The same trick from your newsletter
Churches that send from Mailchimp, Constant Contact, or their ChMS can do the same: add ?name=&email= (and &phone=) to the sheet link with the tool's merge fields. Renamed a sheet's link since? The old address still redirects, and the details ride along. Details in Publish, share & embed.
Common questions
- Which addresses become links?
- Anything starting with https://, http://, or www., and any email address. A bare “ourchurch.org” stays text on purpose — too many ordinary abbreviations look like one. Links open in a new tab so a volunteer mid-pick doesn't lose the sheet.
- Can I put images or bold text in a description?
- Not yet. Descriptions stay plain text — what you type is what shows, with links and line breaks. A header image for the sheet is on the list.
- Is pre-filling from the link safe?
- It only fills in the boxes. The volunteer can change every one, and the sign-up is checked exactly as a typed one is — the same email rules, the same spots-per-person cap, the same bot check. A forwarded invitation simply opens with the original recipient's details, which the new person types over.
- Does my newsletter tool need anything special?
- Just merge fields. Put the sheet link in a button and append ?name=*|FNAME|*&email=*|EMAIL|* (Mailchimp's syntax; your tool has its own). Each reader lands on a form that already knows them.