Creating Forms

Clicking the "Submit" button will take you to the form editor. Here you will add the fields that allow your visitors to enter data. Fields can be created that will allow visitors to input their name or e-mail address, select a donation amount, vote on a topic, and more. The various Form Field formats are described in detail below.

To begin adding Form Fields, click the "Add new field" link, located in the sidebar menu, as shown below.

After clicking the link, you will be forwarded to the first of two Form Field settings pages. First, select the type of Form Field you will be creating from the "Form Field" drop-down. The field types you can choose from are explained in detail below the example image.

Enter the title of the Form Field in the "Title" field. The title is an internal identifier, and allows you to distinguish your completed fields from one another, when viewed in the form editor. The title should be based on the information that will be entered by a visitor. For example, a field that asks for a visitor's first name would be titled "First Name."

The "Is Saved" option determines whether or not any data entered into the Form Field will be saved in the database, and can later be exported. If the data entered into this field should be saved, such as names, phone numbers, or other pertinent information, select "Yes." If the data does not need to be saved, this option can be set to "No."

If the "Is Saved" option is set to "Yes," the "Name" field becomes available. The "Name" field is also used internally, for actions such as form export, and form data export. The name you enter should be short, and reflect the purpose of the Form Field. Using spaces and special characters is not recommended. As an example, the name for a field that collects a visitor's home phone number could be "homephone," or "HomePhone."

The "Is Active" setting determines whether this field will appear on the completed form. 

Form Field Types

• Text: Allows visitors to submit a single line of text, such as their name or email address.
  
  
• Textarea: This is a larger, multi-line text field, used for comments or messages.
  
  
• Select: Use this Form Field to create a drop-down menu, and add the selectable menu items. Visitors will be also to select a single choice from the drop-down, such as when choosing a prefix for their name. See "Attributes" below for more information on how to create the list of menu items.
  
  
• Checkbox list: This creates a list of separate items, with checkboxes next to each. See "Attributes" below for more information on how to create the list of menu items.
  
  
• Radio list: This option creates a vertical list of options, with radio buttons for selection. Only one item can be selected from the list. See "Attributes" below for more information on how to create the list of menu items.
  
  
• Multi-radio: Similar to the radio list, but options are displayed horizontally. Only one item can be selected at a time. See "Attributes" below for more information on how to create the list of menu items.
  
  
• Content: This field allows you to enter text that will be displayed on the form, such as instructions for visitors.
  
  
• Horizontal rule: This creates a graphic that acts as a horizontal border, used to separate sections of your form.
  
  
• Fieldset: This options allows you to group multiple fields together, visually, and adds a text heading for the group.
  
  
• Hidden: This is a hidden field, not visible to your visitors, that can contain a static value needed by the form. This is useful if you need the form to submit information that the visitor submitting the form should not be able to change.
  
  
• Placeholder: (developer use only)
  
  
• Param: (developer use only)

Once you have selected a Form Field, and entered the "Title" and "Name," click the "Submit" button. The form will then expand to show more fields and options, related to the Form Field (Text, Radio Button, Hidden, etc.) you have chosen. The expanded form will be different for each Form Field option. The image below dispays the expanded form for the "Text" Form Field:

Field Information Options

• Label: The text entered into this field will be displayed on the public form. For example - if a "Text" Form Field is being created to collect the first name of visitors, and "First Name:" is entered into this field, the visitor will see "First Name:"  displayed next to a blank field on the finished form.
  
  
• Is Required: Selecting "Yes" will not allow the form to be submitted if this field is left blank. Selecing "No" will make the field optional, and allow submissions if it is left blank.
  
  
•  Error Text: This field is optional. Text entered here will be used as a customized error message, for instances when a "required" field is left blank, or the field is otherwise completed incorrectly by the visitor. Leaving this field blank will display the default error message.
  
  
• Default Value: This field is optional. Text entered into this field will override the information entered by the visitor, if any.
  
  
• Validation RegEx: This field is optional. Here, you can use a ColdFusion Regular Expression to check against the information entered by the visitor. This is used in instances when the entered information must conform to a specific format.
  
  
• Validation Error Text: This field is dependant on a Regular Expression being entered in the above field. If the information entered by the visitor does not pass the Regular Expression check, the text entered here will be displayed to them.
  
  
• Dependency Name: Use this in conjunction with the Dependency Value. If you want a field to be required when another field has a certain value, enter the field name of that field here. The value that forces this field to be required goes into the Dependency Value field.
  
  
• Dependency Value:  Enter the field name of the field that forces the Dependency Name to be required.

• Attributes: This field is optional, unless you are using a "multuple choice" type Form Field, such as a "Select," "Radio List," or "Checkbox List" field. Each set of left and right-hand fields, separated by an equals sign ( = ), is known as an "item." Additional items can be added to the Attributes list by clicking the "Add Item" button. The added "items" will be the field's selectable choices.
  
  

  The text entered in the left-hand field of an item is displayed to visitors on the public form, similar to the "Label." If this item is selected by the visitor, the text in its right-hand field will be recorded amd saved in the database. The value entered in the right-hand field will also appear in the form data that is attached to a "Notification Email" (explained in the "Form Actions" section, below), and form data exports.

• Wrapper Attributes: Use only if directed by GSL Solutions.

Once you have completed the expanded section, click the "Submit" button to create the field and return to the Form Editor. Continue adding the remaining Form Fields, following the steps above.

To edit existing fields, click the pencil next to the field you wish to edit. Note, however, that you cannot change the type of a Form Field, after it has been added. For example you cannot change a "Text" field into a "Textarea" or "Radio List" field.

To see a an example of the different types of fields and you can add to a form, view the Sample Form.

After creating the necessary Form Fields, Form Actions are added.

Once your fields have been created, you can add Form Actions. Form Actions take the pieces of information entered into your Form Fields by visitors (ex. Name or Email Address), and apply automated tasks to them, such as sending personalized "Thank you" emails, or adding the visitor's email address to a newsletter subscription list.

To begin adding a Form Action, click the "Add new action" link, located in the right margin.

Similar to the Form Fields, adding a Form Action is a two-step process.  On the first page, you will choose a "Form Action" from the drop-down menu, and select whether it is active or not. 

After clicking the "Submit" button, the form will expand to provide you with more, "Form Action" specific, fields and options. Each "Form Action" is described below the following image.

Note: Your site may not include each of the Form Actions listed below, or may have addtional, custom-made actions. To request a specific Form Action, or for information on custom actions, contact support@gslsolutions.com.

Form Action Types

• Thank-You Email: This sends a "Thank you" email message to the visitor who has submitted the form. 
  
  On the expanded form, you will select the Form Field which contains the visitor's email address, then add a subject line and the "Thank You Message" they will receive. This message can also be customized, using the information entered by the visitor. See the "Replacer Function" section form more information.
  
  
• Notification Email: This is a The Digital Bell-generated email sent to a site maintainer, such as a school or district administrator, with the information submitted in the form.  One email is sent for each submission.  The default format sends a "definition list," with each field name in bold and the submitted data indented. Your site may be customized to display this differently. 
  
  You must enter an email subject and a recipient email address.
  
  
• Subscribe: This will take the data entered into a field, and add it to The Digital Bell's subscription service.  Two field types can be subscribed: email addresses, and cell phone numbers. 
  
  On the expanded form, you will be shown fields asking you what type of subscription it is, what subscriber lists you would like the email or cell phone number added to, and what lists you would like to appear on the form as subscription options (ex. School Newsletter, Athletic News, etc.). 
  
  
• Unsubscribe: The opposite of the subscribe action; it takes a user-submitted email address or cell phone number and removes it from a list.  Again, you must choose the subscription type (email or cell phone), which lists to automatically unsubscribe from, and select the "unsubscribe" options the visitor can choose from.
  
  
• User Information: This is useful if you would like to collect data from visitor submissions and store it in The Digital Bell's database.  On the expanded form, you will be directed to select which fields to collect, and what type of information each field contains.
  
  
• CAPTCHA and reCAPTCHA: These actions are used to verify an actual person, and not an automated "spam bot," is submitting the form. Both actions will display an image with several letters and numbers, which your visitor must correctly transcribe into a field, in order to submit the form.
  
  reCAPTCHA is a more advanced and reliable implementation of this service, however it is recommended to contact support@gslsolutions.com to ensure reCAPTCHA is available for your site. All sites will have the basic CAPTCHA service available, however.

• Reservation Schedule: This Form Action is used to integrate a Reservation Schedule with your form. For more information, see the Reservations section.
  
  
  The following Form Actions are used to implement financial transactions, and transmit sensitive information to your payment gateway. As such, these Form Actions require an SSL Certificate, to encrypt this information. Contact support@gslsolutions.com before using these Form Actions.

• Donation: This Form Action is used to collect monetary contributions. Your site will need an SSL certificate to use this Form Action, as encryption is required for the transmission of personal financial information. Contact support@gslsolutions.com before using this Form Action.
  
  
• Online Payments: This Form Action integrates your online payment gateway (ex. Bank of America) with the form. This is used for "shopping cart" transactions, such as when selling merchendise or event tickets. 
  
  
• Paypal Transaction: This Form Action is used to enable "shopping cart" transactions on your form, specifically using the PayPal gateway. 

Custom Form Actions can be added to your The Digital Bell site, if the need arises. Contact GSL Support to request a custom action for your site.

Once you have added the appropriate Form Actions, your form is complete and can be added to any of your pages.