Content Types for Forms

These are the content types to use when you'd like to create a form:

• Page
• Event
• Webform**

**Recommended since this is the only content type that allows for content to be added below the form.

Structure of a Form

Forms are made up of several development layers, each of which allows you to define and shape the form in different ways:

1. The first layer of the form is the content page that contains the form. This will appear in the content menu and can be edited via the New Draft or Edit Draft tabs, like a Page, Event, or Webform. Any content added to this container will precede the form and can provide context or instructions. This layer is always located above the form. (NOTE: Webform content type allows for content to also be added below the form.)
2. The second layer is the form itself. Form elements such as text fields, selection menus, radio buttons, checkboxes, etc., are added and configured here. 
   • Please note that because the form is a separate layer, the Publishing Options visible in the first layer do not affect it. There is no draft mode for the form layer, and any changes made to the form go live immediately. 
3. Advanced layers allow for further customization and functionality, and include conditionals, validation, confirmation message, and other various settings. 

Now that we've reviewed the structure, let's create one! Follow these steps to learn how to create and manage your own form.

Create the Content that will Support the Form

First, create the content item that the form will "live" in. 

1. Open your Administrator League Menu, 
2. and then select Add Webform. The next page will offer the WYSIWYG text editor, just like you see when creating a basic page. 
   • Content you add here will precede the form. This can be left blank (the form would appear directly below the page title), or can be used to offer context/instructions relevant to the form.
3. Once you are happy with your changes to this section of the form, click Save, and then a new tab -- Form components -- will appear on the screen.

• The Form components tab and the Webform tab reveal the same information.

You can add a form to a basic page or event. After saving a newly created page or event, the Webform tab will appear and you'll follow the same steps below. When adding form components to a basic Page or Event, you won't have the option of adding text or images under the form components. With the creation of a Webform, you'll have this option.

Add Form Components

Components are the elements your form will be built out of; most of them collect user input. They will be created and configured one at a time.

1. First, add a Label,
2. then select a Type,
3. and then click Add. This will take you to a new page where you can configure the additional settings for the component you're adding. 
   • For more details on the different component types and how to configure them, click on this Form Components link.

Configure Form Settings

Form settings are accessed by clicking on the Webform tab, then the Form Settings tab. Full details on form settings and what they do can be found in the Form Settings section.

Configure Email Settings

Forms can optionally be configured to send emails upon form submissions. This is configured by clicking on the Email tab, entering an address, and clicking Add. Full details are available in the Email Settings section.

Viewing and Downloading Submission Results

1. Click the Results tab.
2. Click the Download link for a spreadsheet (in Excel or .csv format) of the submission results.

Form Conditionals (For Complex Forms)

Conditionals can be used to create advanced forms that reveal or omit certain questions based on user input. For example, you could ask users at the beginning of the form to indicate if they are staff or faculty, and use a conditional to show different follow-up questions depending on their response.

The following is a simple set of instructions you can follow to set up and use conditionals:

1. Click on the Webform tab, then the Conditionals tab.
2. Click the + icon next to the text "Add a new condition".
3. Use drop-down menus to set up each conditional logic, as described below.
   • The basic formatting is as follows:
     If [component][condition][value],
     then [component] [condition] [state]
      
   • As an example, consider the final question of this Sample Form. The question asks about a person's voting status, and depending on the answer, will provide specific information based on the answer the user chooses from a select options component. One of the conditionals will read:
     If [Please choose one:] [is] [Non-Voter],
     then [How to register to vote] [is] [shown]
4. You can add or remove conditionals, or "if" and "then" statements to an existing conditional, with the + and - icons.
5. Click Save conditions to apply your conditionals to the form.

CAPTCHA is a challenge-response test used to help determine whether the user is human and can mitigate the amount of spam your form receives from spambots. CAPTCHA is automatically enabled on all MyLO forms to prompt all anonymous (unauthenticated) users with the test.