> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.appliedaifoundation.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Submitting a report
> What happens when you click Submit — encryption, the preview dialog, the email format, and the local archive.
Clicking **Submit** at the bottom of any tab triggers the same five-step flow. Knowing what each step does makes the standardised email format much easier to understand.
## What happens on Submit
The form runs every field's validation rule. Required fields with empty values get a red inline error; values outside the configured Min/Max get an orange warning (non-blocking — see [Validation](/form/validation)). Submit is **blocked** if any required field is invalid.
All visible inputs, selects, textareas, and table arrays (BDN rows, upcoming ports, port activities, etc.) are collected into a JSON object. Hidden identifiers — IMO, vessel name, vessel code, principal ID, client IDs, form identifier, ref ID, isBarge, client name — are pulled from hidden inputs.
The JSON is encrypted with **AES-128-CBC + PKCS7 padding**. The key and IV are both the same 16-byte UTF-8 string from the form configuration. The result is base64-encoded.
```javascript theme={"system"}
const key = CryptoJS.enc.Utf8.parse(AES_KEY);
const iv = CryptoJS.enc.Utf8.parse(AES_KEY);
const plain = CryptoJS.enc.Utf8.parse(JSON.stringify(formData));
return CryptoJS.AES.encrypt(plain, key, {
iv, mode: CryptoJS.mode.CBC, padding: CryptoJS.pad.Pkcs7
}).toString();
```
The encrypted block is wrapped in markers:
```text theme={"system"}
---------- BEGIN MW FORM DATA ---------------
------------- END MW FORM DATA ----------------
```
A modal opens with two views:
* **Email Body** — the readable preview block (vessel info, voyage info, etc.) followed by the encrypted payload. This is what you copy into your email.
* **Form Submission** — the encrypted block alone, for advanced cases.
Each section has a **Copy** button. There's also an **Open Mail** button that triggers a `mailto:` link with the subject pre-filled and the body URL-encoded.
The `mailto:` button only works if the body is short enough for the OS clipboard to fit in a URL. Large submissions can exceed the limit. The reliable path is **Copy + paste into Outlook manually** — described below.
If the vessel has linked `history.json` via Settings, the submission is appended to it before the modal closes. A toast confirms `Archived (insert/update). N rows in history.`
See [Setting up history.json](/history/setup) for the archive flow.
## Sending the email
Once the modal is open, the standard process is:
1. **Click Copy** next to `Email Body`.
2. Open a **new email in Outlook**.
3. Set the format to **Plain Text** (Format Text → Plain Text). HTML or Rich Text formatting will corrupt the encoded block.
4. Paste into the body.
5. Set the email header:
* **To:** the fleet-specific Metaweave inbox (configured in Settings — confirm with the office on first use)
* **Cc:** Performance mailbox + any additional party your operator requires
* **Subject:** the standardised format `Vessel Name // Report Type // Date` — for example `MT ABC // Noon Report // 13 April 2026`
6. Make sure the body contains **only the pasted block** — no signature, no disclaimer, no extra text.
7. Send.
The verifier (the pipeline) reads only the block between `BEGIN MW FORM DATA` and `END MW FORM DATA`. A single missing or modified character will make the submission unreadable. Don't edit the encoded block.
## Subject line format
The standardised subject the office expects:
```text theme={"system"}
Metaweave Forms: - -
```
Examples:
```text theme={"system"}
Metaweave Forms: MT ABC - Noon Report - 13.04.2026
Metaweave Forms: MT ABC - Bunker Report - 13.04.2026
Metaweave Forms: MV XYZ - Statement of Facts - 13.04.2026
```
The `mailto:` link auto-fills this. If you compose the email manually, type it exactly — the pipeline's [subject regex](/pipeline/etl-stages) is strict.
## Order of submission
Reports must be sent **in chronological order**:
* Noon every day
* Arrival at EOSP
* Departure at COSP
* Bunker after each lift
* SOF after each port operation
Out-of-order submissions will be ingested but may break per-voyage analytics that assume sequential reports.
## What lands in the inbox
A typical email looks like this (truncated):
```text theme={"system"}
From: master@vessel.com
To: forms@yourcompany.com
Subject: Metaweave Forms: MT ABC - Noon Report - 13.04.2026
------------ BEGIN FORM DETAILS ---------------
Vessel: MT ABC
IMO: 9999999
Voyage: 33L
Date/Time: 2026-04-13 12:00 LT (+03:00)
Location: At Sea
...
---------- BEGIN MW FORM DATA ---------------
U2FsdGVkX19V5j8z2K... ...mP8=
------------- END MW FORM DATA ----------------
```
The pipeline reads only the encrypted block. The readable header is for crew / ops sanity-checking.
## Saving a copy
The form has a **Save a Copy** button next to Submit. It saves an HTML snapshot of the **filled form** to disk — useful for evidence or audit, but **not** a substitute for sending the email or for the local archive. The pipeline doesn't read these saved files.
## See also
* [Validation](/form/validation) — what blocks Submit and what merely warns
* [Setting up history.json](/history/setup) — the local archive that fires on every Submit
* [Pipeline ETL stages](/pipeline/etl-stages) — what the parser does with the encrypted block