Administration Form Builder

Overview

The Form Builder is where you will spend the majority of your time when building a form. Here, you can add fields, set validations, set the form’s schedule, and define almost every aspect of the form’s functionality. ITAM has provided a Graphical User Interface (GUI) to assist in creating and configuring your forms.

This section of the Admin Guide will discuss the various options available when building a form in ITAM. Specifically, we will cover how to access the Form Builder and the layout of the tool. We will also examine the high-level information about configuring the form-wide options and adding, manipulating, and deleting form fields. In subsequent pages, we will further detail configuring the different types of form fields and the options available for each.

Accessing the Form Builder

The Form Builder can be accessed in one of two ways. For new forms, users will use the Create New Form! Button displayed on the main screen of the Form Manager. The Form Builder can also be accessed from an existing form by clicking the Edit Form icon.

Form Builder Layout

The Form Builder is graphically and functionally divided into two main columns. The left column is the workspace area and also serves as a preview of the form design. The right column serves as the form's toolbox interface, from which users can add fields, change field properties, and change the form's properties.

Note: While the preview section displays a general layout preview of the form, no associated theme is displayed within the preview. Custom themes are only displayed when viewing the live form.

Form Properties

One of the first things you will want to do is add the Title, Description, and possibly edit some of the other properties of the form if you haven’t been already done so. These are found on the Form Properties tab of the Toolbox.

Refer to the following table for a summary of the properties available for a form.

Note: The options listed as Additional Options in the table below are only displayed after clicking the Show More Options link on the Form Properties tab.

Property Name

Property Description

Standard Options

Title

The title of the form. This will be displayed at the top of the form.

Description

The description of the form. This will be the first paragraph under the title at the top of the form.

Submission Confirmation

There are two options for this property:

  • Show Text: This message will be displayed after your users have successfully submitted an entry. Additionally, you can enter HTML codes, JavaScript codes, or Template Variables to enhance the messages displayed to respondents after they submit a form.

  • Redirect to Web Site: After your users have successfully submitted an entry, you can redirect them to another website or URL. You may also insert Template Variables into the URL to pass form data.

  • Redirect to Dashboard: After your users have successfully submitted an entry, you can redirect them to a dashboard.

Additional Options

Language

This option lets you choose the language used to display your form messages.

Note: Remember that the language function only displays the preformatted text in the selected language. It would be best to type in your optional text using the appropriate characters associated with your computer's local language settings.

Label Alignment

This option allows you to set the field label placement. The available options currently are:

  • Top Aligned
  • Left Aligned
  • Right Aligned

Processing Options

This option allows you to set post-processing options, which currently are:

  • Allow Clients to Save and Resume Later: Checking this will display an additional link at the bottom of your form, allowing your clients to save their progress and resume later. This option is only available if your form has at least two pages (has one or more Page Break fields).

  • Show Review Page Before Submitting: If enabled, your clients will be prompted to a preview page that lets them double-check their entries before submitting the form.

Review Page Options

This option allows you to set several form submission options to enhance the user experience.

Note: This option is only displayed if the Show Review Page Before Submitting option has been selected in the Processing Options

Currently, these options are:

  • Review Page Title: Enter the title to be displayed on the review page.

  • Review Page Description: Enter some brief descriptions to be displayed on the review page.

  • Use Text Button: This is the default and recommended option. All buttons on the review page will use simple text.

  • Use Image Button: Select this option if you prefer to use your own submit/back image buttons. Make sure to enter the full URL address of your image.

  • Submit Button: This option should update the text displayed on a Submit Button. The default is "Submit."

  • Back Button: This option should update the text displayed on a Back Button. The default is Previous.

Protection & Limit

This option allows you to set form protection, processing protections, and abuse limit options, which currently are:

  • Turn On Password Protection: All users accessing the public form must type in the password if enabled. Your form is password-protected.

  • Turn On Spam Protection (CAPTCHA): If enabled, an image with random words will be generated, and users will be required to enter the correct words to be able to submit their data. This is useful to prevent abuse from bots or automated programs usually written to generate spam. You can select the difficulty level of the spam protection, which includes:

    • reCAPTCHA: Display an image with distorted words. An audio option is also included. This is the most secure but also the hardest to read. Some people might find this annoying.

    • Simple Image: Display an image with clear and sharp words. Most people will find this easy to read.

    • Simple Text: Display text (not an image) that contains a simple question to solve.

  • Limit One Entry Per IP: This option prevents clients from filling out your form more than once by comparing their IP Address to those from previous submissions.

  • Limit Submission: The form will be turned off after reaching the number of entries defined here.

Form Availability

This option allows you to set availability options, which currently are:

Enable Form Availability: If you would like to schedule your form to become active during a certain period only, enable this option. The optional parameters are:

  • Only Accept Submission From Date: This is the date and time you want to open availability to users of the form.

  • Until Date: This is the date and time you want to close availability to users of the form.

Template Options

This option allows you to set automated document creation and processing options, which currently are:

  • Upload Templates: This upload function attaches template documents to your form for automated document creation. You can attach as many documents as needed and manage them after your form is in production without deleting data. Managing template documents does not require re-saving a form.

  • Enable Template Manager: You must first upload your template documents to enable this option.

Advanced Options

This option allows you to set form access restriction options, which currently are:

  • Load Custom Javascript File: Register a custom JavaScript file to run it in line with the form. Your script will be loaded each time the form is displayed.

  • Enable Auto-Mapping: Field entries will be overwritten in other forms where the entity and element machine code are identical.

  • Private Form: This option prevents subscribers or User Portal from viewing and subscribing to administrative forms.

  • Sync On Entity: Set this entity to the entity you want to sync on when using auto mapping.

  • Entity Owners: Select the entities that should have access to the form. The primary entity owns the data.

    • Select All to make this form available to every user.

    • Select one entity or control-click several to provision access to only those designated entities.

Form Embed Options

This option lets you control how a form is embedded in another page. The configuration options are:

  • User Type: Select Admin or Portal.

  • Code Type: Select iframe Code, Simple link, or Popup link.

Add a Field

To add fields to a form, select the type of field from the Add a Field tab on the right side of the Form Builder. If it is not visible, you can click the Add Field button in the floating toolbar or click the Add a Field tab directly on the Toolbox.

Using the mouse pointer, click-hold and drag the selected field type into the form. A dashed box will appear in the form indicating where the selected field will be inserted. Release the mouse button to insert the field in the indicated location.

Every field element is unique to the other elements and has particular definitions and functionality.

To describe each field element type, visit our Form Fields Page.

Configure a Field

Once a field has been added to a form, it can be configured and edited via the Field Properties tab on the Toolbox.

Visit our Form Fields page to learn more about the different Form Field Elements and their various configuration options.

Move a Field

Once placed, the fields on a form can be rearranged as you see fit. To do so, click the move icon in the top right of the field and hold the button down. Drag the field to the location you want it to be, which will be highlighted in yellow. Once the area in which you want the field to be placed is highlighted in yellow, release the form to snap it into its new location.

Duplicate Field

When a field is selected, the hovering toolbar toward the bottom of the screen displays an option to duplicate it. When pressed, a duplicate of the currently selected field will be populated directly underneath it.

When a field is selected, the floating toolbar, located toward the bottom of the screen, displays an option to delete it. When pressed, the field is deleted.

Warning: No confirmation is displayed, and the field will be immediately deleted.

Save Changes

You may save your form anytime while working in the Form Builder. Depending on certain selections in the Form Properties, the Save button will either say "Save Form" or "Sync and Save."

Creating a Multi-Page Form

When a form has numerous fields, splitting it into multiple pages is good practice. This allows for the logical separation of content and helps avoid overwhelming clients with too many fields at one time, which could cause them to abandon the form. To create a multi-page form within the IT Audit Machine, drag a “Page Break” field into the form preview area, and a new page will be created. Additional fields may be added and organized within the page as usual.

To describe each field element type, visit our Form Field Elements Page.


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