How to Embed a Google Form in an iBook

Back in the beginning of November I figured out how to embed a Google form into an iBook using iBooks Author and a program called Hype. (Special thanks to @anthonydilaura for his help.) Then I tried to do it again a few days ago and realized I had forgotten how.   Oops.  So I decided to write this blog post that describes the process so I'll have a record of what to do. Even if no one else wants to do this  I know I'll be able to come back to this post when I forget the process again in a couple months.

First of all, Hype is not free.  Its about $50. I have not been able to find a free way to do this.  I am sure someone with more programming skills than me could do it.  I bet there's a way to do it with Xcode developer tools but I don't know how to do that.

Also, some of the Google form settings I will describe are specific to a Google Apps for Education school.  Its probably simpler with a regular, free Google account.

Step 1 - Create a Google form.

Step 2 - Be sure to uncheck all of the boxes (see pic). I left "Require Cathedral . . ." checked and it caused all sorts of problems.  Of course, this means student could submit responses anonymously but I guess that's the trade-off.

Step 3 - Open Hype and start a new project. Use the Document Inspector to choose the page size you will use (I use iBooks Standard Widescreen).

Step 4 - Go to Insert Elements and choose HTML Widget.

Step 5 - Click little pencil icon and a box will appear. This is where we want to paste our embed code.

Step 6 - Go back to your Google form and copy the embed code.

Step 7 - Paste that code into the iframe window in Hype. Your Google form should appear.

I also like to stretch it out (drag the little circles) so it fills the whole page. This will take a little trial and error to see what you like best.

Step 8 - Export it as an iBooks Author Widget.  I like to save it to my desktop.

You should see a file that looks like this:

Step 10 - Open your iBooks Author project and drag and drop your widget to wherever you'd like it to be in your book. You can use the Inspector to make layout changes.

Step 11- Publish your iBook and enjoy the responses you will receive from your Google form!

Here's what it looks like in the iBook:

And after you tap the widget it looks like this:

If you have any questions or any feedback or any problems I'd love to hear about it.