Creating a Form’s Content

Here is an example of form content that you can create.

Note that some fields are required, and some provide a dropdown list of choices. You can learn how to create such a form by following the directions below.

The Form Toolbar Options

Creating form content is similar to creating standard content. (See Adding HTML Content). The big difference is a form toolbar (illustrated below), which lets you insert form elements.

When using the form toolbar, place the cursor where you want field. Then, click the appropriate toolbar button.

Learn About Adding a Field to the Screen

Adding a Field to the Screen

The final screen of the Forms setup lets you arrange a form that collects exactly the information you want. To create the form, insert fields that prompt a site visitor to enter information. Then, add a button that enables the user to submit data.

If you chose a sample form at the beginning of the Forms Wizard, the form includes fields. If you did not, the screen has only a Submit button.

Tip! 

Note: In addition to inserting fields, you can add explanatory text, lines, images, etc. to the form. To lay out fields in columns, insert a table and place the fields within table cells.

Learn About the Field Types You Can Insert

The table below explains each field type you can enter.

Button	Inserts this kind of field	Description	For more information, see
	Checkbox	User’s response is either checked or unchecked	Inserting a Checkbox Field
	Text	Free text field; user cannot format text	Inserting a Text Field
	Choices	Several choices appear on screen. User checks any number of appropriate responses.	Inserting a Choices Field
	Calendar	Lets user insert a date by clicking a calendar	Inserting a Calendar Field
	Insert Button	Button with no text. You can easily add text to it. When a site visitor completing the form presses this button, the data on the screen is submitted to your Web server.	Inserting or Editing Buttons on the Form
	Insert Reset	Button with Reset as its text. When a site visitor completing the form presses this button, the form’s field values are set to their state when the form first loaded.	Inserting or Editing Buttons on the Form
	Insert Submit	Button with Submit as its text. When a site visitor completing the form presses this button, the data on this screen is submitted to your Web server.	Inserting or Editing Buttons on the Form

Learn About the Options Available after Completing the Form

After you complete the form, you have the following options.

Button or Tab	Description
Postback Message	See Composing the Postback Message
Metadata	Edit the metadata for the form. See Also: Working with Metadata
Schedule	Assign start or end dates, or both, for when the form is published to Web site See Also: Scheduling Content to Begin and End
Comment	Enter history comment to indicate changes made to the form
Templates	The template assigned to the form. Note: Technical HTML forms must reside in a folder whose template uses the FormBlock server control. See Also: Creating/Updating Templates
Category	Any taxonomy categories assigned to the content. See Also: Taxonomy
Web Alerts	Assign or update Web Alert information for the form. See Administering the Web Alert Feature.
Submit	Submit content into approval process.
Publish	Publish content to Web site. Note: If the content has any active tasks, a comments window pops up. You can insert comments to describe how approving or declining the content affects the task. Note: Only the last approver in the approval chain sees this button.
Check In	Save and check-in content. This button does not submit the content into the approval process, but rather lets other users change it.
Save	Save the content without submitting it into the approval process. If a user clicks save and then closes the editor, other users cannot edit the content.
Decline	This button appears if you are the next approver in the approval list. Click it to decline the changes made to the content. Note: If content has any active tasks, a comments window pops up. You can insert comments to describe how approving or declining the content affects the task.
Cancel	Close the editor without saving changes.

Next, click Save and Submit or Publish (). The form only appears on your Web site after it is published.

After you complete and save the form, it may need to go through the approval process. When that is complete, add it to the site by assigning it to a page template. See Implementing a Form on a Web Page.