Documentation
FAQ & Troubleshooting

FAQ & Troubleshooting

Common questions and solutions for the Arkade-Sommerfest work schedule system.

General Questions

Q: Why Google Sheets + Google Forms?

A: This combination provides:

  • ✅ Free - No costs
  • ✅ Real-time - Updates instantly
  • ✅ Accessible - Works on any device
  • ✅ Collaborative - Multiple people can view simultaneously
  • ✅ Easy - No programming required
  • ✅ Printable - Professional output
  • ✅ Familiar - Most people know Google products

Q: Can we use Excel instead?

A: You can, but you’ll lose:

  • ❌ Real-time collaboration
  • ❌ Automatic form integration
  • ❌ Live updates
  • ❌ Easy sharing

If you must use Excel:

  • Use Microsoft Forms for data collection
  • Use Power Automate to sync to Excel
  • Or manually copy form responses

Q: How many people can view the sheet at once?

A: Up to 100 simultaneous viewers for Google Sheets. More than enough for most teams!

Q: What if someone doesn’t have a Google account?

A:

  • For viewing: No Google account needed! Share the view-only link.
  • For submitting: No account needed if you don’t require sign-in in Form settings.
  • For editing: Only coordinators need accounts.

Q: Can we use this on mobile?

A: Yes! Both Google Sheets and Google Forms work great on mobile:

  • iOS: Install Google Sheets app
  • Android: Install Google Sheets app
  • Web browser: Just open the link

Setup Issues

Q: The CSV template won’t import correctly

Solution:

  1. Check if commas are interpreted correctly
  2. Try File > Import > Upload > Replace spreadsheet
  3. Set delimiter to “Comma”
  4. Encoding: UTF-8
  5. Or manually create the structure (it’s just a table!)

Q: I can’t find “Tools > Create a new form”

Solution:

  • You’re in Google Sheets, right? (Not Google Docs)
  • This feature requires Google Workspace (but personal accounts work too)
  • Alternative: Create form separately at forms.google.com and link it manually

Q: The form isn’t creating a “Registrations” sheet

Solution:

  1. In Form: Click “Responses” tab
  2. Click green Sheets icon
  3. Choose “Create a new spreadsheet” OR “Select existing spreadsheet”
  4. If new: Rename to “Registrations”
  5. If existing: Choose your schedule sheet

Q: I see “Form Responses 1” instead of “Registrations”

Solution:

  1. Right-click the tab at bottom
  2. Rename to: Registrations
  3. Must be exact (case-sensitive, no extra spaces)
  4. Update formula references if different

Formula Issues

Q: Formulas show #REF! error

Causes:

  • ❌ Sheet name “Registrations” misspelled
  • ❌ Extra spaces in sheet name
  • ❌ Wrong column references

Solutions:

  1. Check sheet name is exactly: Registrations
  2. Check column C has Area/Bereich
  3. Check column D has Time Slot/Zeitslot
  4. Check formula syntax

Q: Formulas show #N/A error

Cause: FILTER function found no matching data

Solution: Wrap in IFERROR:

=IFERROR(
  JOIN(", ",FILTER(Registrations!$B:$B,(Registrations!$C:$C=$A2)*(Registrations!$D:$D=B$1))),
  ""
)

Q: All cells show “0/2” even after form submissions

Causes:

  • ❌ Form not linked correctly
  • ❌ Area names don’t match exactly
  • ❌ Time slot names don’t match exactly

Solutions:

  1. Submit a test form entry
  2. Check it appears in “Registrations” sheet
  3. Compare area name in Sheet vs Form (must match EXACTLY)
  4. Compare time slot in Sheet vs Form (must match EXACTLY)
  5. Check for extra spaces, different characters

Q: Counts are wrong / showing unexpected numbers

Debug steps:

  1. Check “Registrations” sheet - how many rows?
  2. Manually count for one area/time - does it match?
  3. Check COUNTIFS formula - correct columns?
  4. Check for duplicate entries
  5. Check for deleted entries still counting

Q: Formula works in B2 but not when copied

Solution: Check your $ signs:

  • $A2 - Column A locked, row changes (✅ correct)
  • B$1 - Row 1 locked, column changes (✅ correct)
  • A2 - Both change (❌ wrong)
  • $A$1 - Both locked (❌ usually wrong)

Conditional Formatting Issues

Q: Colors aren’t showing up

Causes:

  • ❌ No conditional formatting rules applied
  • ❌ Rules in wrong order
  • ❌ Formula errors in rules

Solutions:

  1. Select data range (B2:F8)
  2. Format > Conditional formatting
  3. Check rules exist
  4. Check formulas (same as counting formulas)
  5. Check color choices are visible

Q: All cells are the same color

Cause: Formula probably checking the wrong cell

Solution: Make sure formula uses:

  • $A2 (not $A$2)
  • B$1 (not $B$1)

This allows formula to adapt to each cell position.

Q: Colors don’t update when form is submitted

Solutions:

  1. Refresh the page (F5)
  2. Check that formulas are recalculating
  3. Check that form responses are being recorded
  4. Try File > Spreadsheet settings > Calculation > On change

Form Issues

Q: Form shows “No longer accepting responses”

Solution:

  1. Open Form in edit mode
  2. Click “Responses” tab
  3. Toggle “Accepting responses” to ON (green)

Q: People are submitting multiple times for same slot

Solutions:

Option 1: Prevent it

  1. Form Settings
  2. ✅ Enable “Limit to 1 response”
  3. ✅ Enable “Respondents can edit after submit”

Option 2: Allow it (if intentional)

  • Some people might work multiple areas
  • Just monitor for duplicates manually

Option 3: Highlight duplicates Use conditional formatting in “Registrations” sheet to flag duplicates.

Q: Can’t see who submitted what

Solution:

  1. Form Settings
  2. ✅ Enable “Collect email addresses”
  3. Email will appear in Registrations column A

Q: Want to edit a form response manually

Solution:

  1. Go to “Registrations” sheet
  2. Find the row
  3. Edit directly in sheet
  4. Formulas will update automatically

Warning: Person won’t get updated confirmation email.

Data Issues

Q: Someone registered for the wrong slot

Solutions:

Option 1: Ask them to edit via form

  • They should have received email with edit link

Option 2: Manual fix

  • Go to “Registrations” sheet
  • Find their row
  • Change the area or time slot

Option 3: Delete and re-submit

  • Delete row in “Registrations”
  • Ask person to submit again

Q: Need to prevent overstaffing (more than 2 people)

Solutions:

Option 1: Manual monitoring

  • Check schedule regularly
  • Contact people who register for full slots

Option 2: Close form when full (manual)

  • Turn off “Accepting responses” when all slots filled

Option 3: Google Apps Script (advanced)

  • Write script to check capacity
  • Auto-reject or notify if full

Q: How do I export the final schedule?

Solutions:

For printing:

  1. File > Print
  2. Orientation: Landscape
  3. Fit to width
  4. Click “Print”

For PDF:

  1. File > Download > PDF
  2. Current sheet only
  3. Landscape orientation

For Excel:

  1. File > Download > Microsoft Excel (.xlsx)

For CSV:

  1. File > Download > CSV (current sheet)

Sharing Issues

Q: People can edit my schedule!

Solution:

  1. Click “Share” button
  2. Change to: “Anyone with the link can VIEW”
  3. Do NOT give edit access
  4. Only the form should modify data

Q: Link doesn’t work for some people

Causes:

  • ❌ Link sharing not enabled
  • ❌ Restricted to organization only
  • ❌ Person not signed in to Google

Solutions:

  1. Share settings: “Anyone with the link”
  2. Make sure not restricted to your organization
  3. Try incognito/private browser window to test

Q: How to share view-only vs edit access?

Sheet (view-only):

  1. Share > Anyone with link can VIEW
  2. Copy this link for team

Form (submit access):

  1. Send > Link icon
  2. This link is for submitting only

Edit access (coordinators):

  1. Share > Add people with email
  2. Give “Editor” access
  3. Only for organizers!

Display Issues

Q: Names are cut off in cells

Solutions:

  1. Double-click column border to auto-resize
  2. Or manually drag column wider
  3. Or use text wrapping: Format > Text wrapping > Wrap
  4. Or reduce font size

Q: Too many columns/rows to print on one page

Solutions:

  1. File > Print > Fit to width (1 page)
  2. Use A3 paper instead of A4
  3. Reduce font size (9-10pt)
  4. Use landscape orientation
  5. Reduce margins

Q: Colors don’t show when printing

Solutions:

  1. File > Print
  2. Check “Show gridlines” and colors in preview
  3. Make sure printer supports color
  4. Or export PDF first, then print PDF

Performance Issues

Q: Sheet is slow to load

Causes:

  • Too many formulas
  • Too much data
  • Complex conditional formatting

Solutions:

  1. Reduce number of conditional formatting rules
  2. Use simpler formulas
  3. Archive old event data to separate sheet
  4. Split very large sheets

Q: Form submissions are delayed

Usually:

  • Submissions appear within seconds
  • Check internet connection
  • Refresh browser
  • Check form is still accepting responses

Security & Privacy

Q: Is this data secure?

A:

  • ✅ Stored in Google’s secure cloud
  • ✅ Access controlled by sharing settings
  • ✅ GDPR compliant (for EU)
  • ⚠️ Only collect necessary data (names, emails)
  • ⚠️ Don’t share edit access widely

Q: Can I delete data after the event?

A: Yes!

  1. Make a backup first (Download as Excel/PDF)
  2. Delete entire sheet OR
  3. Delete “Registrations” data only
  4. Or move to separate “Archive” folder

Q: Do I need consent to collect names/emails?

A: Depends on your location and organization:

  • Generally OK for internal event coordination
  • Add privacy notice in form description
  • Delete data after event (if not needed)
  • Check with your organization’s policies

Advanced Questions

Q: Can I add photos of assigned people?

A: Yes, but complex:

  1. Upload photos to Google Drive
  2. Get shareable links
  3. Use IMAGE() formula in sheet
  4. Or embed in comments

Probably easier to just use profile pictures from your organization’s directory.

Q: Can I send automatic reminders?

A: Yes, with Google Apps Script:

  1. Tools > Script editor
  2. Write script to check schedule
  3. Send emails to people assigned
  4. Set time-based trigger

Requires programming knowledge.

Q: Can I integrate with Slack/Teams?

A: Yes:

  • Use Zapier or similar tools
  • Or Google Apps Script
  • Trigger: New form response
  • Action: Post to Slack/Teams channel

Q: Can I add QR code for easy mobile access?

A: Yes!

  1. Get form link
  2. Use QR code generator (e.g., qr-code-generator.com)
  3. Download QR image
  4. Print on posters/flyers
  5. People scan with phone to access form

Q: Can I track who viewed the schedule?

A: Not directly, but:

  • File > Version history shows edits (not views)
  • Google Analytics can track link clicks
  • Not built into Google Sheets

Getting Help

Still stuck?

  1. Google Sheets Help: support.google.com/docs
  2. Google Forms Help: support.google.com/docs/topic/9055404
  3. Community Forums: Google Workspace community
  4. YouTube Tutorials: Search “Google Sheets conditional formatting” etc.
  5. Documentation: See other guides in this repository

Common Resources:

Report Improvements

Found a better way to do something? Have a suggestion?

Contact the Arkade-Sommerfest planning team or update this documentation!

Last updated: February 2026

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