Form Builder allows you to create, edit, enable, disable and delete forms within your website. Before starting to use Form Builder, it is advisable to design a version of your form as a guide.  You can divide your form into pages and sections to create forms similar to the essexinfo.net application form.

Enabling Form Builder

  • From the Home page click Edit This Page
  • Choose the Applications tab
  • Beside Form Builder click Enable
  • Type a new name for this Application into the text box if you wish
  • Click OK
  • You are now back in the Applications page
  • You have the options to Rename, alter the Permissions or use Form Builder by choosing Manage this Application.

Note: To find out more about generally managing this Application or altering the Permissions please see Help Sheet 3 - Adding Applications or Help Sheet 22 Users & Permissions respectively.

Creating a form

  • From the Form Builder administration pages, click Add Form which takes you to the Form Settings tab
  • Supply a name for the form in the Form Name field - this will also form part of the form's URL when you make it public.
  • In the
  • If you prefer you can leave this blank until later when you have created one or allow the system to use internal default pages.
  • A dialogue box opens with the list of your pages.  Choose your successful acknowledgement page.
  • Follow the same procedure for the Cancel URL field.
  • Click OK

Note: You need to add the email addresses of one or more people who will be sent the answers that users give to your questions. If you don't define any recipients then the answers will be lost.

  • Choose the Email Recipients tab
  • Click Add Email Address
  • Type in an email address and click Add - you can add as many as you like
  • When you have finished click OK

Now you can refer to your plan and start building your form.  Add pages and sections as appropriate.  It is easiest if you add these in order – page, section then the questions for that section although you can edit and change the arrangement afterwards.  The first page is there for you.

Pages

To create additional pages click Add page and fill in the text box to give it a title.   You can add questions directly to a Page if the questionnaire is short.  Many people divide them up into sections for clarity and to make them more user friendly.

To add a Section

  • If not there already find your form by following the link Edit This Page from the Home page then choose the Applications tab
  • Choose Manage this Application beside Form Builder
  • Click your Form name in the Application administration page
  • Click the Edit tab which you will see under the heading Form: Your Form Name
  • Either click the appropriate page or click the Edit icon beside it (when you pass your cursor over the icon it says Edit Page
  • Click Edit
  • You can rename your page or leave the default
  • Click Add Section
  • In the field Name of the Section add its name and add a heading into the Section Heading field - this can be the same
  • Click OK

Adding Questions

Now you are ready for the questions.  If you are returning to the form after a break then find it by selecting Edit This Page from any of your pages. 

  • Click Applications>Manage this Application beside Form Builder
  • Click the name of your form from the administration page
  • Click the page or the section in which you wish to add questions
  • Click the Edit tab
  • Click Add Question
  • Complete the Name of Question and Question fields which are mandatory
  • In the Question Type dropdown there are several types of question that you can choose from - see below:

Small text - a small text box in which to type the answer.
Medium text - a medium sized text box to type the answer.
Long text - a large text box to type the answer.
One line - a single line of text.
Number - the user must reply with a number. The system will check that a number is entered before allowing the form to be submitted.
Multiple choice - define a number of options, and the user picks one or more of them using checkboxes.
Single Radio choice - define a number of options, and the user must pick only one of them by clicking on one of the radio buttons.
Single Drop down - define a number of options, and the user must pick only one of them by selecting from a pop-down list.

  • Enter the question type. If you select a question type which has Multiple choice or Single Drop down answers then you will be asked to add these on the next page
  • Optionally enter some help text for the question, and the user is required to answer this question tick the box beside Force the submitter to answer this question
  • Click OK
  • If you selected either Multiple choice or Single Drop down as the question type, you can now enter some choices for the user to select from now
  • Click Add Item.
  • Enter the choice, and click Add to the right of the entry box
  • When you have added all the choices, click OK

You can alter questions by clicking the Edit tab then choosing them from the map headed with the name of your form on the right hand side.  You have the choice of editing them, setting the page or section they are in by clicking Set Page and Section, rearranging them by clicking Move Up / Move Down, or deleting them.

Enabling your form

To allow people to see and complete your form you need to make it live

  • To do this go to the list of forms in the application's administration pages and click the Enable button.
  • You must then cut and paste the URL from the Published URL headed section into a link on the content page you have chosen to link to the form.

When you have finished with the form you can also disable or permanently delete it from the administration pages.  You will also need to remove the link from the content page.

 

You can reach the Help Desk at support@essexinfo.net