Event Form Fields: Basic, Static, & Contact
In this article we will dive deeper on three Form Field Families Basic, Static, & Contact Fields. As a reminder, here is how you locate Form Fields:
- Click on the Event Forms tab in the left or top menu, and select from your list of created forms. Your Form Builder page will appear. *If you just created a new form, you should already be on the Form Builder page!
- View all Form Field options in the menu on the right side of your screen.
- Locate the below Field Families (Basic, Static, and Contact).
When you hover over Field options, you'll see a description of that what that Field is intended to do as well as a preview of how it will appear:
Basic Fields
Basic fields are standard field types that are present on most form types. They are used for data collection and many are ideal for multiple choice responses. Below is a breakdown of each field type and some examples of how they're used.
Short text: allows for individual to add a "short answer"; ideal for "Please list any food allergies" or "Memo"
Long text: allows for individual to add a "long answer"; ideal for "In 400 characters or less, please tell us more about ____." Note: a character limit is set by the admin.
Checkboxes: allows multiple answer selection; ideal for "Check all that apply..."
Radio Buttons: forces single answer selection; ideal for "Please select a service time"
Dropdown: menu allowing for only one selection; ideal for "Select a T-Shirt Size"
Date: only accepts answer in "mm/dd/yyyy" format, provides calendar for selection; ideal for "Birthdate" or "Date of last vaccine"
Numbers: only accepts numbers and period, ideal for "How many times have you visited our church" or "On a scale of 1-10..."
Letters: only accepts letters and spaces; ideal for "Nickname"
File Upload: allows individual to download a file, complete it, then upload back to form; great for uploading consent forms or medical records.
Digital Signature: allows individual to sign form
Looking for a field for dollar amounts? Use one of the Payment Fields!
Static Content
Static Content fields don’t change and don’t accept answers. These fields are used for aesthetic enhancement and for important information/descriptions.
Section Header: large text to introduce new section of form
Static Content: provide customizable instruction or description; include images i.e. "All the following information will be used in finding the perfect small group for you."
Divider: visual line to divide form into sections
Empty Space: used to visually break up form into sections
Static Content is also a great place to add images of purchasable items throughout your form.
Contact Info
Contact Info Fields are pre-made questions to collect basic contact info. Note: If you are needing to collect similar contact information for multiple registrants on one form, consider using the Person Field Set.
Person’s Name: two boxes (first name, last name)
Email: requires the "@domainname.com" format
Phone Number: only accepts numbers, and requires a country selection
Address: broken up into two "address lines", city, state, and zip code
Options for all Field Types
Once you've decided on the appropriate fields to collect your data, you can begin to click the fields to add them in the order you need, or drag and drop them to the correct spot. As soon as you click and release a field, the Field Property box will appear. You'll notice three tabs at the top of most Field Property boxes.
General Info: customize the name, placeholder (example answer), help text (fine print or instructions)
Validation: make field required or optional
Conditions: do you want field on form always or only if ____ (i.e. the "Select a size" field appears only appears if registrant chooses "Yes" to the "I'd like to purchase a t-shirt" field.) You can set more than one condition if necessary.
If you need to make adjustments on an existing field's properties, click the gear symbol to the far right hand corner of that specific field.
Email Placeholders
Almost all fields translate to a placeholder in your Form Email Notifications pulling responses right into those emails. For example, using the placeholder for a payment field within an email notification would create a receipt or proof of purchase to the email recipient. Placeholders will be automatically created and accessible in Form Properties.