Creating & Editing Forms
Advanced Training Module 4: Forms
Forms allow visitors to submit information directly through your website. They can be used for event registrations, contact requests, applications, surveys, feedback collection, and many other workflows.
A well-designed form should be easy to complete, collect only the information you need, and provide a clear experience for the person submitting it.
When to Use a Form
Forms are particularly useful when you need to:
- Collect registrations or applications
- Gather feedback
- Receive inquiries or requests
- Conduct surveys
- Collect event information
- Allow visitors to contact your department
Before creating a form, consider what information is truly necessary. Shorter forms are generally easier to complete and often result in higher completion rates.
Creating a New Form
To create a new form:
- From the Dashboard, select Forms.
- Click New Form.
- Select Blank Form.
- Enter a Form Title.
- Optionally add a Form Description.
- Click Create Form.
Your new form will open in the Form Editor.
Adding Fields
Forms are built using fields.
To add a field:
- Locate the field library on the right side of the screen.
- Click or drag a field into the form.
- Position it where you want it to appear.
Common field types include:
- Single Line Text
- Paragraph Text
- Name
- Phone
- Dropdown
- Checkboxes
- Radio Buttons
- Date
- File Upload
Choose fields that match the information you need to collect.
Managing Fields
Selecting a field will display options to:
- Move
- Duplicate
- Edit Settings
- Delete
This allows you to modify the structure of your form without rebuilding it.
Field Settings
Each field can be customized using the available settings panels.
Depending on the field type, options may vary.
General Settings
Common options include:
Field Label
The name displayed to visitors.
Description
Additional instructions shown below the field.
Required Fields
Require visitors to complete the field before submitting the form.
No Duplicates
Prevent duplicate values from being entered into the field.
Appearance Settings
Control how the field is displayed.
Examples include:
- Small field
- Medium field
- Large field
Appearance settings affect the visual presentation of the form.
Advanced Settings
Provide additional functionality.
Examples include:
- Hidden fields
- Default values
- Custom CSS classes
- Field visibility settings
These options are typically used for more advanced form configurations.
Conditional Logic
Conditional Logic allows form elements to appear or disappear based on previous responses.
Example:
Question
Are you attending the event?Show more lines
- If the visitor selects Yes, additional registration questions appear.
- If they select No, those fields remain hidden.
Conditional logic can make forms shorter and more user-friendly by displaying only relevant questions.
Form Design Best Practices
Keep Forms Short
Only ask for information that is necessary.
Use Clear Labels
Field labels should be easy to understand.
Group Related Information
Keep similar questions together to improve usability.
Make Important Fields Required
Require only the fields necessary to complete the process.
Test the Form
Before publishing, complete the form yourself to ensure everything works correctly.
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Hello and welcome to cutheme Mastery Training, Module 5. In this video, we will go over creating and editing forms.
Forms are a way to get interactions from those who view your site. They let users enter information, which will then be sent to the site owner. This can be helpful for getting information for events, user contacts, and so much more.
To create a form, to go the sidebar, hover over “Forms”, and click “New Form”.
A new menu will pop up, so click on “Blank Form”, and enter a form title and description.
Once you have a title and description, click “Create Blank Form.
You’ll then be taken to an editing screen.
You’ll see there are multiple fields you can add to your form. So, to add a field, either double-click it, or drag and drop into the main area.
For more information for each specific field, you can visit the Gravity Forms documentation site, which can be accessed through the cutheme docs form page, or in the description of this video.
Once you have field in the form, you have 4 options right here, to move it around, duplicate it, open settings, or delete it.
Field settings are on the right side of the page. There are 5 available settings: General, Appearance, Advanced, Perks, and Conditional Logic.
General features all the basic options, like a label, description, and whether or not you want it to be required.
Appearance focuses on how the field itself appears in your form. You can make it smaller or larger than the default if you want.
Advanced features more complicated settings, such as making a field hidden.
Perks are for more miscellaneous settings, like making a field read-only, and adding minimum and maximum word counts.
Lastly, conditional logic allows you to edit what the form says based on input in previous fields.
The Gravity Forms documentation does go more in depth on all the fields and settings, so be sure to check the site out to gain a greater understanding of how you can improve your forms.
Try it Out!
- Create a new form.
- Add a title and description.
- Add several field types.
- Mark at least one field as required.
- Experiment with field settings.
- Add a CAPTCHA field.Save the form.