The directories editing is a long awaited feature and it works quickly and easily.
I was very happy to see it working and was about to do some additional formatting only to realize it is not possible.
We LOVE RSJoomla!!!!!! and have many of the products for years. It is CRUCIAL to our success. This is why it's so frustrating to see a feature like this we waited so long for not fulfill its potential.

I am perplexed and confused why the new directory front end editing solution doesn't use the original form? It's a form, it has fields that match the submission from a logged in user... but no support for any of the layouts like Uikit, or other features of the "original" form, which we are using and works well. This makes it almost useless for consistent user experience. A user returns to complete or edit a very large multipage form over several days, weeks, or months, only to face a different layout, and more complicated visually.

Interestingly there is a solution in another topic that DOES use the original form and repopulates data from the database using custom scripting and user ID. It's complicated and more time consuming but appears to be our only option. What confuses me is why THAT solution wasn't used for this feature? Someone at RSJoomla took the time to write out the code for this solution, so why not spend that effort to put it in the component itself?

For a specific current project however, we had 3 other options, one totally crapped out, the other required learning and using another component that was much more difficult to use but it had complete front end editing by default. We chose to stick with RSFP because it appeared to now have the front end editing feature we needed, but the front end editing limitations (that I didn't check thoroughly ahead of time, I trusted the marketing), make this feature almost useless. Yes it works, but it's so different and limited there are no real benefits except for simple situations that don't require layout and form features.

Keep up the good work, take my dissatisfaction as a push to improve. Let me know if I am wrong about the problems I see and if there is any way to include JUST multipage form editing in the front end directories.

Thank you for your feedback!

You are correct on most of your statements - it does provide editing options in a simplified form view. Replicating the whole form in the editing requires quite a bit of source code adjustments. Nevertheless, RSForm!Pro is an ongoing project and new features are begin added all the time.

You actually edit the details layout manually here:

Components > RSForm!Pro > Manage Directories > edit the directory > Details layout

As for the listing one, you can consider a template override.

What about multipage? Is there any way to replicate multipage layout in a directory view?

The multi-page functionality is provided via a Javascript, so yes, you can create a template override that will provide pagination as well, but this will require some scripting knowledge.

Thanks will look into it. Would it be possible to "recycle" or "repurpose" the same javascript used in a standard form with the directory front end editing?

There's always a scripting option, but It's this type of extra effort I was hoping to avoid when I thought front end editing was available. I already have to create and maintain two separate form layout templates to make both versions of the form look the same.

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Don't mind the whining too much. When we complain it just means you guys do so well we simply can't believe it when it isn't perfect.

Yes, you can reuse the code, but i don't think this would be suitable. The standard pagination provides additional functionality (such as validation) which i am guessing you won't be needing when editing the submission.

Actually yes, will still need validation. The form is huge, and many fields can be left blank and filled in later. Client doesn't want to force the customer to have to fill out the form "in one go" when there will be weeks or months before the information is required. So I will still need validation.

Basically, the goal would be to completely replicate the standard form as close as possible in the front end editing version.

We recently published an article that might help you with this:

https://www.rsjoomla.com/support/documentation/rsform-pro/custom-scripting/how-to-edit-a-submission-using-the-original-form.html