Tally form QR codes: control access and closing dates
Key Takeaway
Create a Tally form QR in QRLynx and test its response window, passwords, duplicate controls and final submission before distributing the code.
Publish the Tally form, copy its respondent link and create a QRLynx Website / Link QR for that exact destination. Then test the form’s access and response window, not just whether a camera can read the code.
Tally controls questions, access settings and submitted responses. QRLynx supplies the QR route and, for a saved eligible dynamic URL QR, managed destination changes and scan activity. Opening the form and submitting an answer are separate events.
Set the response window in Tally
Tally’s published-form Settings includes manual closing, a scheduled closing date, a maximum submission count and a closed-form message. Decide what a late visitor should see before the poster goes up.
A form can be closed even though its QR still decodes and its address still opens. A clear closed-form message should explain the next legitimate action. Do not diagnose every closed destination as a broken QR or reopen responses simply to make a test succeed.
An illustrative response-window record
| Check | Example decision | Evidence to retain |
|---|---|---|
| Open period | Responses are accepted during the approved collection window | The configured date and a live opening check |
| After closing | Explain that collection has ended | The actual closed-form message |
| Repeated entry | Use a selected identifier if the form requires it | The chosen field and a deliberate repeat-entry test |
| Completion | Require the final Submit action | Confirmation plus the labelled response in Tally |
Test Tally’s completion behavior explicitly
Tally’s auto-jump can advance supported single-question pages, but auto-jump does not submit the form. The respondent must use the final Submit control to confirm and save the response. Include the last page in the test rather than stopping when a question advances.
When Save respondent’s answers for later is enabled, Tally says unfinished answers are stored locally in that browser. They do not appear in another browser or an incognito session. Do not promise that a person can scan a poster on a second device and resume the first device’s unfinished answers.
Tally can also use a selected form value as a unique identifier for duplicate handling. Record what that value represents. An identifier rule should not be described as proof that every response belongs to a unique human.
How to create and check a Tally form QR with QRLynx
Prepare the destination first, then test the exact exported QR and audience journey.
Prepare and publish the form
Review the questions, required fields and completion message in Tally, then publish the form and copy its respondent link. Keep editing and administration links out of the printed route.
Confirm access and closing settings
Review the response window, any Tally password and the closed-form message. Choose duplicate handling only when it fits the collection method.
Create the QRLynx URL QR
Paste the tested link into QRLynx Website / Link. Choose static for a final direct address or a saved dynamic URL QR when replacing the destination later or reviewing eligible scan activity matters.
Describe the respondent action
Add a label such as Complete the event feedback form. Use readable contrast, preserve a clear border and provide a text-link alternative when practical.
Complete a labelled mobile test
Scan the final QR proof, follow the required questions and press the final Submit control. Confirm the intended completion screen and locate the disposable test response in Tally.
Test the end of the response window
Check the intended closed-form behavior and document who can change the collection settings. Retest the complete route after a form or QR destination change.
Use the tested destination
Create the QR for your published Tally form
Use the respondent link after reviewing Tally’s access and response-window settings.
Keep the form result separate from the scan result
A scan count cannot establish that Tally accepted a complete response. Keep a short acceptance record containing the tested link, audience, form state, final completion screen and labelled response reference. Use non-sensitive test data and follow your form owner’s cleanup process.
If the QR must later open a replacement form, update and test an authorized dynamic destination. If the Tally content changes while its published address remains the same, the QR still carries that address; repeat the respondent test to find changed validation or completion behavior.
Sources and related guidance
Tally documents creating, publishing and sharing a form and closing, passwords, duplicate handling, auto-jump and saved answers. Use the QRLynx Website / Link generator. For another platform, the Typeform guide covers its own response journey and source parameters.
Questions before you distribute the QR
Which Tally link should I put in the QR?
Use the published respondent link for the form you intend people to complete. Open it outside the editing context first. The form administration or editing route is not the destination to distribute on a poster.
Why does the QR open a closed-form message?
Tally can close a form manually, at a scheduled date or after a configured number of submissions. The QR may be decoding correctly while Tally intentionally stops responses. Check the form state and the intended closed-form message before changing the QR.
Should I schedule closing in Tally or change the QR image?
Use Tally’s scheduled closing setting when the goal is to stop that form accepting responses at an approved time. The QR can continue opening the form’s closed message. Replacing the QR image is not required merely to express the form’s closed state.
Can the Tally form require a password?
Tally documents a password-protection setting that requires respondents to enter the form password before accessing it. A QRLynx URL QR does not remove that requirement. Include the password step in your audience test without printing the secret in the QR URL.
Does Prevent duplicate submissions guarantee one response per person?
Tally lets the owner select a form field or another supported value as the unique identifier. That rule depends on the identifier chosen. Test intended repeat behavior and avoid presenting it as a universal identity check or proof that two entries could never belong to the same person.
Does auto-jump submit the last answer automatically?
No. Tally states that auto-jump advances supported question pages but does not submit the form. The respondent must press Submit on the last page to confirm and save the submission. Test through that final action.
Can someone resume unfinished answers from a different browser?
Tally says saved unfinished answers remain in the local browser and do not appear in another browser or an incognito session. Plan for a fresh entry when the person switches that context. Do not promise cross-device recovery from this setting.
Can I send the printed QR to a different Tally form later?
An authorized owner can update the destination of a saved QRLynx dynamic URL QR and retest the replacement form. A static QR stores the original address directly, so a different address requires new artwork. Both routes still depend on Tally’s access settings.
Are QRLynx scan totals the same as Tally submissions?
No. Eligible dynamic QR activity and Tally’s submitted responses describe different stages. A visitor may open the form and leave without submitting. Verify a labelled response in Tally before treating the complete route as accepted.
