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Creating Web Forms

FormSmarts allows anyone to create web forms quickly and easily. The video below shows how to build a simple feedback form. Follow the detailed instructions in this guide to create more complex web forms, such as survey forms and order forms.

You can create web forms in the My Forms section of the website. The form builder will walk you through the two steps needed to generate a fully functional web form in minutes:

1. Creating a form
2. Adding fields

Sign In to FormSmarts

First, sign in to FormSmarts using the email address registered on your account and your password. If you haven't got an account yet, create one now, and click on the link in the email we'll send you to activate your account. Note that you won't be able to log in before your account is activated.

Create a New Form

You are now ready to create a new web form.

1. Enter a form name
2. Enter a title for your new form. The title should be short and descriptive. It will be used to generate the form's title and URL.
3. Next, enter a return URL. This is the URL (i.e. web address) on your website users will be led to after having sucessfully submitted a form.
4. Finally, you may add form filling instructions. Any instructions you enter will appear at the top of the form.

Press the Create Form button. The form will be created and listed your forms.

Add Input Fields

You now need to populate the form with some input fields, where users will be able to enter information. Visit the Fields tab, and make sure your newly created form is selected in the drop-down list Select a Form.

The Fields tab lists all fields attached to that form, and lets you edit fields and add new one.

1. Enter a field name. For a given form, a field name must be unique. So, the new field's name must be different from all the field names already listed.
2. Enter a field title. The title should describe the field's intended content. For example, the title of a “Message” field could be “Message to the webmaster”.
3. Next, you need to choose an field data type among those provided. Selecting the correct type is important for form validaton. The type defines which characters will be accepted in that input field. Refer to the table below for guidance.
4. You then need to choose a data input widget. Most users who are building simple contact forms will only need Text Boxes (i.e. HTML input type text) and Text Areas (i.e. HTML input type textarea). FormSmarts also supports the other HTML form fields widgets for users creating more complex web forms.
5. Last, specify whether the field is optional or not. Users will not be able to submit the form without providing a value for all required input fields.

Field Data Types Reference Table

Data Type	Example Use	Description
Letters	person's name, profession	Field may only contain letters A to Z, spaces, and hyphens “-”
Letters + Numbers	postal address, zip code, phone number	Field may only contain letters, numbers, commas, question marks, spaces, and hyphens “-”
Email	email address	A single email address
URL	URL	A single (URL) web address. Only HTTP is currently supported for the protocol part of the URL.
Positive Integer	number of items purchased, age, year
Number	price	Any valid number, positive or negative
Any Text	comment	Any alpha-numeric character and punctuation. Only use this input field type when no other type applies.

Edit Forms and Individual Fields

You may delete a form in the Forms tab. Click on the icon corresponding to the form you wish to remove, and confirm. Deleted forms cannot be recovered.

To remove an individual field, go to the Fields tab, and click on the trash icon corresponding to that field. To edit details of a field, click on the icon.

Publish Your Forms

FormSmarts gives you two options to let your visitors access your forms.

Post the Form URL

To publish a form, simply post the form URL anywhere you want on the web:

• use the form URL to place a link on your website or blog
• post a link on MySpace, Blogger, etc.
• use the form on ebay to communicate with potential sellers
• you can even include the form URL in emails (restrictions apply)

Embed the Form on Your Site

Alternatively, you can embed the form on your website. For this, copy the snippet of code given by the form builder into the HTML source of a page of your site.

Note that if you embed a form on your website:

• we won't be able to adapt the form layout to the different types of browsers and devices, like cellphones and regular desktop browsers
• your form will not be available if your site is down or slow

For these reasons, the embedding option is not recommended.

Optional Settings

You may optionally customize your web forms in the Settings tab.

Set a Form Owner Name

Set a verified form owner name to increase form users trust and confidence. Once we have verified your website URL, personal name, or organization name, we'll display that name on your web forms.

Brand Your Forms

We advise you to brand your forms with your own logo. Your logo will be displayed in the top left corner of your forms, and will increase their visual appeal and user recognition.

Choose the Right Input Widget

Part of designing effective forms is selecting the right input field widgets. Here are some tips to help you choose.

Text Fields

• Use a text input field when you expect a short, one line answer
• Example use: name, email

Text Areas

• Use a textarea for open questions, or when you expect a long, multi-line answer
• Example use: comment, message

Radio Bottons

Good Average Bad

• Use radio-buttons to provide a range of predefined values
• Example: rating (good, average, bad)
• For more than three or four options, a drop-down list may be more suitable
• Can be used for yes/no questions instead of a checkbox
• The first option in the list is selected by default

Drop-Down Lists

Good Average Bad

• Use a drop-down list (HTML select field) to provide a range of predefined answers
• Example: referral/how did you find us?
• Use preferably if there are many options, or if the description of each option spans several words
• Do not use for yes/no questions
• We currently do not support multiple selections. If you need this, submit a feature request.
• The first option in the list is selected by default

Checkboxes

Subscribe to our newsletter

• Use for yes/no questions
• Example use: subscribe to our newsletter?
• You can use radio-buttons instead to give more weight to the choice
• Radioboxes are unchecked by default