Building and Editing Forms

The Form Builder Interface

The Form Builder has two main modes: Canvas (editing mode) and Preview (how respondents see it).

Form Settings Section

At the top of the builder, you'll find your form's basic settings:

Form Name

The internal name for your form — this helps you identify it in your dashboard but is not shown to people filling out the form.

Form Description

This is shown to respondents at the top of your public form. Use it to explain what the form is for.

Success Message

The message shown after someone submits the form successfully. The default is "Thank you for your submission!" but you can customize it.

Adding Fields from the Palette

The left sidebar contains the Field Palette with all available field types organized by category.

To Add a Field:

1. Find the field type in the palette (e.g., "Short Answer" under Text Fields)
2. Click the field type
3. The field appears at the bottom of your canvas
4. Drag it to reorder if needed

Configuring Field Settings

Click any field on the canvas to edit its settings:

Common Settings (All Fields)

• Label — The question or field name shown to users
• Required — Toggle whether this field must be filled out
• Help Text — Optional hint shown below the field
• Field Width — Choose 25%, 33%, 50%, 75%, or 100% of the form width

Text Field Settings

• Placeholder — Gray hint text inside the input (e.g., "Enter your email...")
• Min/Max Length — Character count restrictions

Number Field Settings

• Min/Max Value — Numeric range limits
• Step — Increment size (e.g., step of 5 allows 5, 10, 15, etc.)

Choice Field Settings (Radio, Checkbox, Dropdown)

• Options — Add, edit, or remove choices
• Add "Other" Option — Let users enter custom text if none of the options fit

To add options:

1. Click the field to open settings
2. Click + Add Option
3. Type the option text
4. Repeat for each option
5. Click Update to save

Textarea Settings

• Rows — How many lines tall the text box should be

Reordering Fields

Fields can be reordered by dragging them up or down on the canvas:

1. Click and hold the drag handle (⋮⋮ icon) on the left of any field
2. Drag the field up or down
3. Release to drop it in the new position

The order on the canvas is the order respondents will see the fields.

Deleting Fields

1. Click the field to select it
2. Click the trash icon in the field settings panel
3. Confirm deletion

Canvas vs Preview Mode

Use the toggle at the top of the canvas to switch between modes:

• Canvas — Editing mode where you add/remove/configure fields
• Preview — See exactly how your form will look to respondents

Preview mode is perfect for testing field order, checking help text, and making sure everything looks right before sharing.

Auto-Save

Form Builder auto-saves your changes as you work. You'll see a status indicator at the bottom of the Form Settings section:

• Saved — All changes saved successfully
• Saving... — Changes are being saved
• Error — Something went wrong (try refreshing the page)

Sharing Your Form

Every form gets a unique public URL in this format:

https://formtabulo.us/f/[your-form-slug]

To find your form's URL:

1. Go to the Form Builder dashboard
2. Find your form in the list
3. Click the link icon to copy the URL
4. Share the URL via email, social media, or embed it on your website

Best Practices

• Start simple — Begin with essential fields, add more later if needed
• Use clear labels — "Email Address" is better than just "Email"
• Add help text — Clarify what you're asking for ("Enter your preferred phone number for event updates")
• Group related fields — Use Section Headers to organize long forms
• Test before sharing — Always preview and submit a test response
• Don't overuse required fields — Only mark truly essential fields as required