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Form Field Types

The Form Field Types reference provides a detailed overview of the various field types available when building a custom digital form. Its primary purpose is to help administrators understand the function and configuration options for each individual field, enabling them to create effective and user-friendly forms. This article is intended for OPS-COM administrators responsible for designing and deploying digital forms.

Setup and Configuration

This feature involves utilizing the available building blocks within the form creation tool.

Admin Side: No special system configuration is required to use these form fields. For a complete guide on building a form from scratch, please refer to the Creating a New Form article.

Using this Feature

Administrators can utilize the following field types when designing their custom forms. Each field type includes specific configuration options.

Checkbox Group

Used to allow a user to select one or more options from a list.

  • Enable Other: Allows the user to input a custom value not present in the options list.

  • Options: The list of choices for the user. Options can be pre-selected for the user by enabling the checkbox next to the desired item.

Date Field

Used to get a date from the user, who will be presented with a calendar date picker.

  • Type: The type of date field.

  • Min / Max: The minimum and maximum allowed dates that can be selected.

  • Step: The date increment steps.

Header

Used to display a header or subheader on the form. This is a display-only field.

  • Label: The header text that will be displayed.

  • Type: The header size (e.g., H1, H2).

Number

Used to accept numerical digits only.

  • Type: The type of number field.

  • Min / Max: The minimum and maximum allowed numerical values.

  • Step: The amount the value increments or decrements when using the arrow controls.

Paragraph

Used to display a block of text on the form, such as for instructions. This is a display-only field.

  • Content: The paragraph text to be displayed.

Radio Group

Used to allow a user to select only one option from a list.

  • Options: The list of choices for the user. One option can be pre-selected by enabling the corresponding radio button.

Select Menu

Presents a drop-down list of options. This is ideal for questions with many choices to save screen space.

  • Allow Multiple Selections: Enable this to allow the user to select more than one option (making it function like a Checkbox Group).

  • Options: The list of choices for the user.

Text Field

Used to allow a user to input a single line of text.

  • Type: Specifies the kind of input required (e.g., Text Field, Password, Email, Tel).

  • Max Length: The maximum number of characters allowed.

Text Area

Similar to a Text Field, but provides a larger, multi-line area for text input.

  • Max Length: The maximum number of characters allowed.

  • Rows: The initial height of the text area in rows/lines.

Keep your end-users in mind when designing forms. Leveraging field limitations (like Max Length or Min / Max dates) proactively prevents data entry errors and saves administrative time later during the review process.

Best Practices and Considerations

  • Choose the right selection tool for the job. Use a Radio Group for single-choice questions with few options. Use a Checkbox Group for multiple-choice questions. Use a Select Menu when you have many options to present in order to save valuable screen space.

  • Ensure data integrity by selecting the appropriate type. When using a Text Field, always select the appropriate Type (e.g., Email, Tel). This helps validate the input and provides a much better user experience by triggering a specialized keyboard on mobile devices.

  • Structure your form clearly. Use Header and Paragraph fields to structure your form. Breaking up long forms with clear headings and instructional paragraphs improves readability and submission accuracy.

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