A form is a record

Forms are content, not code. You define one in the admin, and it becomes available to place on pages. The same form can appear on several pages, and all submissions land in one place.

1. Create the form

Go to the Forms section and add a form. Give it a name you will recognise in the submissions list six months from now — "Contact" is fine, "Form 2" is not.

2. Add fields

Each field has a type, a label and a set of rules. Types generally cover single-line text, multi-line text, email, number, date, choice fields (dropdown, radio, checkbox) and file upload.

Two decisions per field:

  • Is it required? Be honest. Every required field costs you completed submissions. If you can follow up for a detail later, do not demand it now.
  • Is the label clear on its own? Labels get read out of context by screen readers and skimmed by everyone else. "Phone number" beats "Phone", and both beat placeholder text with no label at all.

3. Validation

Use the field type that matches the data. An email field validates the address shape for free; a text field asking for an email does not. Getting this right means fewer junk submissions and clearer errors for the person filling it in.

4. Place it on a page

Add the form to a page — usually through a component or a form area on the layout. One form can appear in several places, and the submissions still collect together.

5. Test it properly

Before announcing it, submit the form yourself:

  1. Once correctly, and confirm the submission appears.
  2. Once with a required field empty, and confirm the error is understandable.
  3. Once from a phone, because that is where a good share of real submissions come from.

Keep it short

The single most effective change to almost any form is removing fields. Ask for what you need to respond, not everything you would eventually like to know.