Form
The Duplicate Form Record Formula is a great fit for this use case. This functionality enables users to easily generate fresh records using established ones, simplifying data input and boosting overall efficiency. It serves as an effective substitute for extensive prefilling, particularly in cases where numerous fields require prefilling, causing URL lengths to become unwieldy. To set this up, you need to:
In the form builder, select the gear icon in the toolbar to open form settings
Expand Submission Actions
Make sure Success Message is turned on
Under After Form Submission, select Stay on the same page
Turn on Allow users to copy submitted record to a new form
Copy the formula from Duplicate Form Record Formula
Create a formula field in Airtable
Copy the URL generated by the formula field from the template record
You can send this URL to anyone and it will populate the values in the form based on the template record.
This feature only copies the values of fields that are included in the form. It will ignore the fields that are in Airtable, but not in the form.
Read-only Form
You might also consider displaying the template record to your users before they initiate the record creation process. To achieve this, you'll need to create two separate forms:
The form with the duplicate record creation feature enabled.
The form where all fields are set to read-only. This form will showcase the template record along with a button that opens the form for duplicating the record.
Portal/Interface
Within a portal or interface, you can add a "duplicate" button to the grid by turning on
Allow users to duplicate records in the Create & Expand Records section of your table's settings. When the button is clicked, it will initiate a form containing default values derived from the chosen record within the portal.