Note: The terms question and element are used interchangeably throughout these instructions. Each question added to a Form is an Element. However, there are additional Elements that are not questions. The Wizard only allows you to add question elements.
The quickest way to build a Form is to use the Wizard to add questions.
Preparation
- Before you can add questions, a Site Manager must Add a Form Component.
- Also, to quickly visualize what your Form will look like, you should Add the Form View to a Page and edit the questions from there.
- Finally, you need to know what questions you will ask and the potential answers you expect!
Add Questions
To start adding questions you display the Form Elements window:
- Click the Edit button at the top of any Form view.
- Or, if you are a Site Manager, you may visit the Form Manager in the Site Manager tools and click the Elements link next to the Form you are interested in.
Once the Form Elements window is displayed:
- Click Use Wizard to Add Elements in the left column. The Add Form Element Wizard window appears.
- Check the Add box next to any Element you need. If an answer to the question is required, also check the Req’d (Required) box next to the Element.
- Provide any additional information required for the Elements you added (such as the Question for a Short Answer Element, etc.).
- Submit the form. The Form Elements window reappears.
Note: The Wizard allows you to add one question of each type each time you submit the form. If you need multiple Short Answer questions, for example, simply run the Wizard once for each question, providing the required information for each.
Question Types
- Full Name (one field): Adds a Text Element requesting a name in a single field.
- First Name, Last Name (two fields): Adds two Text Elements, one for First Name and one for Last Name.
- Address: Adds a Text Element (two if the Include second address line box is checked) for a street address.
- City: Adds a Text Element for a city associated with an address.
- State: Adds a Text Element for a 2-letter post office state code.
- Zip: Adds a Text Element for a 5- to 10-digit zip code.
- Phone: Adds a Text Element for a phone number. The format of the phone number is required to be nnn-nnn-nnnn.
- Email: Adds a Text Element for an email address. The format of the address is required to be xxx@xxx.xxx.
- Short Answer: Adds a Text Element for an answer up to 255 characters long. Type the Question in the box including punctuation. If you require a specific format for the answer, such as a number, website address, date, etc. choose that from the Answer Type list.
- Essay: Adds a Memo Element for a text answer of any length. Type the Question in the box including punctuation.
- Multiple Choice: Adds a List Element to allow the user to choose from multiple options. Type the Question in the box including punctuation. Type choices in the Options box separated by commas (do not add spaces before or after the comma). Finally, if the user can check multiple options, check the box called Check all that apply.
- Likert Scale: Adds a List Element that presents a horizontal numeric scale of options allowing the user to choose only one. The first and last options are assigned a text meaning, such as Not Applicable/Applicable, or Very Good/Very Bad. Type the meaning of value 1, then choose the highest value from the To list, then type the meaning of the highest value. Finally, type the Question with punctuation.
Verification
Unfortunately, getting form submissions from robots is part of the cost of doing business on the web. You can slow down robotic submissions by adding a verification question. This is a simple question that only a human can answer because of the way it uses language. Usually, you should add one verification question to your form as the last element.
- Open the Form Elements window.
- From the Add New Element dropdown, select Verification. A Verification element appears in the list.
- Click Close This Window.
- Refresh your form to see it with the Verification question added.
Form Editing
To make editing flow properly, changes you make to a Form are not immediately reflected where the Form is displayed. Refresh the page using your browser’s refresh button to see any changes you have made.