Magic Links: the complete walkthrough

A Magic Link is a form your field reps open in a phone browser to fill part of your spreadsheet. There is no app and no login. The form builds itself from your column headers, and the answers from each rep land in the row for that rep.

Open a ledger and click the Magic Link chip in the toolbar to start. The wizard has six steps, shown as Step X of 6 at the top.

The worked example used here

Suppose you have this table on the grid, starting at cell A1. Three reps, Ram, Shyam, and Hari, each need to report their Cost and Price. Total is a formula.

Here, Name is the header for one column and also holds the rep names down that column. We will point the wizard at this table (A1:D4) and let each rep fill Cost and Price.

Step 1: Select the table

The first step says Select the table on the grid. Click and drag to select the whole table, including the header row and the rep names. For the example, select A1:D4.

There is also a checkbox, Table is already filled (reps only upload a photo). Leave it unchecked for now. Use it only when your cells already contain values and you just want reps to attach a photo of proof, not type anything. That option is covered under Photo verification.

If you changed the grid with the Agent while the wizard was open, a note warns that the grid changed in the Aeluka Agent. Reselect the table if needed, then click Dismiss. Click Next.

Step 2: Direction, field names, and rep names

This step asks how your table is laid out.

First: Are your rep names in a row or a column? Choose one of:

• Row: each rep is a column, and their names run across one row.
• Column: each rep is a row, and their names run down one column. This matches the example, where Ram, Shyam, and Hari run down column A.
• This table is for one person: there are no separate rep names because a single person fills the whole table. If you pick this, you then answer Are your field names in a row or a column so the wizard knows which line holds the headers.

Next: Which line has your field names? Pick the line that holds your headers. The dropdown previews the contents of each line so you can recognize it. In the example, the field names are in Row 1: Name, Cost, Price, Total. Anything above the header line is ignored, which is handy when your sheet has a title or notes above the table.

Then, unless this is a one person table: Which line has your rep names? Pick the line that holds the names of the people who will fill the form. In the example, choose the Name column, which lists Ram, Shyam, and Hari. Until you choose it, the wizard shows Choose which line has your rep names to continue.

The wizard checks for duplicates. Field names must be unique, and rep names must be unique. If two reps are both Ram, add a surname or phone to tell them apart. A Fields list shows the fields the wizard found; formula fields are tagged computed because reps never type them. Click Next.

Step 3: Auto calculate

This step is titled Auto calculate, with a checkbox of the same name. It controls formula and computed columns.

• A column that already contains a formula (like Total in the example) is detected, tagged computed, and left out of the rep form. Reps never fill it. When their Cost and Price land, the Total formula recalculates on its own.
• You can also mark a plain column as computed yourself by checking it here. If you do, the wizard reminds you to Add the formula in the grid, because a computed column needs a real formula to calculate from.
• If your table contains a formula, Auto calculate stays on so the grid recalculates after data lands.

For the example, leave Total as the detected computed column and click Next.

Step 4: Apply automatically

This step, Apply automatically, decides what happens when a rep submits.

• Checked: submissions land on the grid automatically. Verified answers drop straight into the row for that rep with no action from you.
• Unchecked: submissions wait in Pending Entries for you to review. Nothing touches the grid until you accept it.

Even with Apply automatically on, an entry still waits for your review if it would overwrite a cell that already has data, or if its values no longer fit the table. See Getting data into the sheet. Click Next.

Step 5: Photos

Titled Photos, with a checkbox Ask for a photo. Turn it on if reps should attach a photo as proof.

When photos are on, choose how many:

• One per submission: the rep attaches a single photo for the whole entry.
• One per field: the rep attaches a separate photo for each field.

You can also turn on Create View Photo and Feedback table, which adds a small mirror table to your grid. Its two optional columns are View Photo (a link to the photo each rep uploads) and Feedback (the short verdict, green Verified or red Flagged). If you enable it, the wizard tells you how many rows and columns it needs and asks you to place it: click Select, draw the area on an empty part of the grid, then OK. Use Change to move it or Cancel to remove it. See Photo verification. Click Next.

Step 6: Review, expiry, and generate

The final step lists a Review summary: Table, Direction, Field names, Rep names, Fields, any Excluded fields with the reason, Pre-filled, Photo, Photo table, Apply, and Expiry. Check it reads the way you expect.

Set Expiration from the presets:

• 1 day, 7 days, 30 days, or 90 days.
• Custom: pick a date.
• No expiration: the link never expires on its own.

Click Generate link. The button shows Working while it creates the link, then a link box appears. Click Copy to copy the URL (it changes to Copied). Send that link to your reps by any channel: WhatsApp, SMS, email, or a printed QR code.

Next to the copied link is a Test button. Click it to open the rep form yourself, exactly as a rep would see it, so you can confirm the fields and photo prompt before you send it out. A test link never counts against your plan limits.