Overview
An External Request Form can include an optional Space Preference field, letting a requester indicate which space they're interested in. The field pre-fills automatically when a requester arrives from Public Space Discovery with a space already selected, but it also works on its own for any external request form, pre-fill or not.
This article covers where the Space Preference field appears to requesters and where Event Coordinators see the submitted preference during review.
This article is for Event Coordinators (and other admin users) reviewing external requests.
Prerequisites
- The Space Preference section must be enabled on the request form. It's off by default. See Setting Up the External Request Form.
Step by Step Instructions
What the requester sees
- When enabled, the form shows a searchable dropdown of the platform's publicly visible spaces, each listed by name and building.
- The field is optional. A request can be submitted with no space selected.
- Arriving from Public Space Discovery with a space already chosen pre-fills the field, but it stays editable. The requester can change or clear it before submitting.
- If a pre-filled space is no longer publicly visible or no longer exists, the pre-fill is silently dropped and the field shows empty.
What the coordinator sees
- The submitted space preference (name and building) appears on the external request's review page alongside the rest of the submitted fields.
- It also appears on Step 3 of the External Request Form-to-reservation conversion flow, as read-only context. It informs which space to book but doesn't auto-populate the reservation's actual space field.
- If the requester didn't select a space, the field displays blank or "No preference indicated."
- The preference stays visible even if the referenced space is later deleted or made non-public.
Common Variations or Use Cases
- Requester didn't specify a preference. Displays as blank or "No preference indicated." This is expected, not an error.
- Preferred space no longer exists or is no longer public. The submitted preference still shows for reference. It isn't removed retroactively.
Settings and Configuration Options and Definitions
- Space Preference section: optional toggle in the request form builder, off by default per form.
Troubleshooting
- Space Preference doesn't appear on the public-facing form. Turn it on for that specific form in the form builder. See Setting Up the External Request Form.
- The preferred space doesn't match what ends up booked. Expected. The field is read-only context and never auto-fills the reservation's space. Select the space to book independently during conversion.
Related Articles
- Setting Up the External Request Form
- Managing External Requests - The Request Queue
- Discovering and Requesting a Campus Space