Forms are a series of steps that you put in a logical order so the user knows what to do and the people who receive the form, be it you or someone else on your team, knows what to do with the form.
Information Collection Step
The Information Collection Step is one of the most important steps in a Form. First, determine what information you want to collect in this Form. You are able to insert fields that collect information from the Applicant.
Submissions are comprised of Sections and Fields. Add new section by selecting +Add new section at the bottom of the Step. The section is the higher level, and underneath you can add Fields to collect information.
Description & Instructions
Expand the section called Description & Instructions to view and manage Step Overview Descriptions and Applicant/Admin Instructions.
Step Overview Description:
The Step Overview Description appears on the Start page of the form to help applicants understand what will happen on each Step. For additional information on customizing the start page, see our support article: Customizing the Submission Start Page.
Note: The Start Page has a different appearance while signed in as a Form Editor, compared to the view the Applicant sees when they are starting a new Submission. See our training & support article: Admin Start Page to see how to manage the page while signed in as an Admin.
Applicant Instructions:
- At the beginning of any step of a form, you can use Instructions to add the program requirements or other general information about the form. Applicant instructions will only appear to users who don't have admin access to the form. These instructions are helpful in guiding the users through the required steps to complete the submission.
Admin Instructions:
- Admin instructions are only available to users who are given admin permissions to the form. Admin instructions are particularly helpful in Review steps, as well as any Collect Info Steps that are created to be completed by a team member.
- Note: Don’t forget to select Save Instructions to save all the edits to the instructions sections.
Information Collection Fields
Each field can ask a question or collect information from the Applicant. There are many field types and the differences are explained below.
- Text
- Paragraph Text
- Number no decimal
- Number with decimal
- Money
- Address
- Date Range
- Date/Time
- Checkboxes (one)
- Checkboxes (many)
- File
- Phone Number
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Organization
Field Types Detail
First, determine what information you want this section to collect. Select the appropriate field type for the response you require.
- Text: Use this when you expect to receive a short phrase or word.
- Paragraph text: Same as text, but with more space. Use this when you expect to receive full sentences or paragraphs.
- Email: A standard email address
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Entity: You can create a Field by selecting one of your existing Entities. You will see the name of the Entity in the Field Type drop-down menu. For additional information about Entities, see our training & support article: All About Entities
- In the Field Configuration Settings for an entity, toggle if you would like the Applicant to be able to create a New Untitled Entity. This will add an Untitled Entity to your Entity list.
-
Number (no decimal): An integer or whole number. Use this when you only want to allow whole numbers (1, 2, 35, 400, etc). Must be entered without commas or decimal point.
- Set the minimum and maximum for the response in the Field Configuration Settings.
-
Number (with decimal): A number with the option to add a decimal point (45.2, 0.1, 3.14159). Use this for things like measurements and ratios.
- Set the minimum and maximum for the response in the Field Configuration Settings.
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Money: Money values are formatted in US$.
- Set the minimum and maximum for the response in the Field Configuration Settings.
- Address: A mappable address. Our address fields will automatically find the location, compare it to a database of U.S. mailing addresses, suggest validated address if found, and plot it on a map.
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Date: Date fields give you 3 formatting options (available under Advanced settings once you create a Date field.
- Date only
- Date and time
- Time only
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Date Range: The Date Range field type gives your applicants the ability to pick a start and end date on a calendar and the field collects each value.
- In the Field Configuration Settings for the Date Range field, control the following settings: Format - Select if the response will be Date or Time.Start Date Label - Rename the default label “Start Date”. End Date Label - Rename the default label “End Date”.
- Multiple choice (choose one): You'll add a list of answers manually or via .csv upload. Applicants will select one answer only.
-
Checkboxes (choose none, one, or many): You'll add a list of answers manually or via .csv upload. Applicants can select one, many, or not select anything.
- Note: If you want to make sure that applicants select at least one of your checkbox answers, in the Configuration Settings for a Checkbox field, you are able to select the minimum number of options that must be selected.
- File: Allow the applicant to upload a file. We accept almost any file type (.png, .doc, xls, .csv).
- Phone number: US Phone Number format
- Organization: Utilize ClearForms' Directory and Organization functions to keep static information on businesses and organizations in your system and make repeat form completion easier and information in your system more robust.
Field Configuration Settings
Configuration Settings
Select the Configuration settings inside of a field to view the Field Configuration Menu. Note that each type of field has unique Field Configuration options.
- Default Value - Set a value as the default value for the response, this is available in the Text, Money, E-mail, and Number fields.
- Max Length - Set the maximum length for the response.
- Required - Determine if this field is required for completion of the form.
- Open Data - Set this field as being Open Data which will allow it to present in the Start Page Open Data Search.
- Lock When Renewal - Set specific fields to be locked any time an applicant starts a renewal submission. This can be helpful if there’s specific information that shouldn’t change upon permit/license renewal, while other information may need to be added or modified (and therefore not locked during a renewal submission).
- Autofill When Renewal - The field will automatically fill-in the default response.
Step Configuration Menu
Step Configuration Settings
Open the Step Configuration Menu by selecting the Configuration wheel at the top right hand corner of the step. In the Step Configuration Menu you can view and manage who completes the form, Assignees, Timeframe, and e-mail notifications.
Form Completion: Select if the Applicant will be the person completing the form or of it will be assigned to an internal member of the organization.
Signature Requirement - the option to decide whether an external applicant (resident or business) or someone internal to your organization will complete the step. If an applicant is to complete the step, you'll see the option to request a signature when the step is completed.
Auto-Advance - Autoadvance allows the Submission to continue if no data is to be collected.
Lock - Answers become uneditable upon completion unless an admin unlocks the step.
Assignees: View and manage who has been assigned to this step. For additional information about assignees, see our training & support article: Assigning and Managing Users in Steps
Timeframe: You can add a timeframe - a number of days, hours, or minutes. This can be handy to make sure that submissions are staying on track. If a step isn't completed within a specific timeframe, it will show as Overdue on your Dashboard.
Email notifications: You can add an email notification that will be automatically sent to either the applicant (the person who launched the submission) or the form admins. The email can also be sent either when step is either started or completed, depending on the options you choose at setup.
Be sure to select Save E-mail notification to save your message.
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