A form is a record

Forms are built in the admin, in Interactions » Forms, and placed on pages. The same form can appear on several pages, and all its submissions land in one place.

1. Create the form

Click "Add Form". The form starts as "Untitled Form": give it a name you will recognise in the submissions list in six months. "Contact" is fine; "Form 2" is not. A form needs a layout before it can be saved; choose one in the form's settings.

2. Add fields

Drag fields from the list on the left into the form. The inputs are Input Field (one line), Textarea, Numeric, Email, Phone, Select, Checkbox, Radio, Date / Time, Files, Slider and Range, with Captcha, Hidden and Submit; static elements add text or headings between them. Click a field to set it up in the Field Editor on the right.

Two decisions for each field:

  • Is it required? Be honest. If you can ask for a detail later, do not demand it now.
  • Is the label clear on its own? Screen readers read labels out of context, and everyone else skims them. "Phone number" beats "Phone", and both beat a placeholder with no label.

3. Use the type that matches the answer

An Email field checks that the address is shaped like one; an Input Field asking for an email does not. The right type means fewer junk submissions and clearer errors for the person filling the form in.

4. Steps and the result

"Add Step" splits a long form into steps. The Results Step is what the visitor sees after submitting: put a thank-you message there, with a Richtext element.

5. Place it on a page

Add the form to a page, usually through a component or an area of the page's layout that takes a form. How depends on your site's templates; ask whoever maintains them if no component offers it.

6. Test it

Before announcing the form, submit it yourself:

  • once correctly, and check that the submission appears in the admin;
  • once with a required field empty, and check that the error makes sense;
  • once from a phone, where many real submissions come from.

The most effective change to almost any form is removing fields.