# Form Builder

Source: https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/forms/manage-forms/form-builder

> Add, arrange, and configure the fields people complete on a Form.

Astalty Premium - This feature is part of the Astalty Premium plan. See What Premium includes.

Use the Form Builder to add questions and layout elements, arrange them, and preview what people will complete.

For any Usage other than General, the builder shows a reminder of what the Form does with each submission:

![The Form Builder for a Staff Incident form, with a notice above the fields reading Staff Incident form, every submission creates a Staff Incident.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/forms-builder-usage-notice.png)

## Build a Form

Select an element to add it at the end of the Form, or drag it into the position you want. Drag an existing element to rearrange it. Select an element to edit its label, width, appearance, required setting, and other options.

![The Form Builder for a published Participant Referral Form, with a note that every submission creates a Referral, the form's fields on the left and the Layout Elements and Form Elements panels on the right.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/form-builder-1.png)

![The Form Builder for an unpublished Vehicle Safety Check form with no fields yet, showing a note that no form fields have been added, beside the Layout Elements and Form Elements panels.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/form-builder-2.png)

Use the other pages in the Form menu when you are ready to continue:

- [Settings](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/forms/manage-forms/settings) controls details, access, notifications, and publishing options.
- [Submissions](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/forms/manage-forms/submissions) lists answers submitted against the Form.
- [Submission Request](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/forms/manage-forms/submission-request-for-a-form) asks someone to complete this Form.

## Form Builder Actions

Select **Preview** to check the Form as a person completing it will see it. The **Actions** menu lets you publish, duplicate, share, or embed the Form. It also includes **Download Blank Form** for a printable paper copy. See [Downloading a Blank Form](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/forms/manage-forms/download-a-blank-form).

![The Form Builder for a published Participant Referral Form, with an arrow pointing to Actions and the open menu highlighted, listing Duplicate, Download Blank Form, Copy Link, Get QR Code and Embed Form.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/form-builder-3.png)

![A Participant Referral Form in Preview Mode, showing its description and the Participant Details section as a person completing the form sees them.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/form-preview-1.png)

## Available Elements

### Layout Elements

| Element             | Use it for                                                                          |
| ------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Divider**         | Separate sections or control spacing.                                               |
| **Header**          | Add a heading to a section.                                                         |
| **Rich Text Block** | Add instructions, a table, or other formatted text that does not collect an answer. |

A Rich Text Block can hold a table, the same way a Document Template or note can. See [Formatting Tables](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/templates/formatting-tables) to add rows and columns, shade cells, and mark header rows.

![The Rich Text Block settings panel with the toolbar highlighted, showing the table icon between the link and task list icons.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/form-builder-rich-text-table.png)

![A published form with a Service schedule heading and a table listing Support, Frequency and Hours, with a shaded header row and a shaded, bolded Total per week row.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/form-builder-rich-text-table-preview.png)

### Form Elements

| Element                | Use it for                                                                                                    |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Single Line Text**   | Short written answers.                                                                                        |
| **Multi Line Text**    | Longer written answers.                                                                                       |
| **Email**              | Email addresses.                                                                                              |
| **Mobile Phone**       | Mobile numbers.                                                                                               |
| **Date**               | A date selected from the calendar or entered manually.                                                        |
| **Date and Time**      | A date and time.                                                                                              |
| **Number**             | Numeric answers. Set **Decimal places** from 0 to 6, or leave it blank to allow any number of decimal places. |
| **Money**              | Currency amounts.                                                                                             |
| **Checkbox**           | One statement the person can tick.                                                                            |
| **Dropdown**           | One answer from a list.                                                                                       |
| **Multi Select**       | More than one answer from a list.                                                                             |
| **Radio Buttons**      | One answer from a visible set of options.                                                                     |
| **File Upload**        | Up to 10 files attached to each File Upload field.                                                            |
| **Address**            | An address found through address lookup. Add a text field as a fallback when an address may not be listed.    |
| **Rating**             | A numbered or star rating with optional labels at each end.                                                   |
| **Image**              | A logo, banner, or instruction image that does not collect an answer.                                         |
| **Annotated Image**    | An image the person can mark up before submitting.                                                            |
| **Participant Select** | One Participant. Internal Forms only.                                                                         |
| **User Select**        | One user. Internal Forms only.                                                                                |
| **Site Select**        | One or more Sites. Internal Forms with Scheduling only.                                                       |

For a Number field, setting **Decimal places** to 0 allows whole numbers only. If an answer has too many decimal places, the Form asks the person to correct it before submitting.

A **File Upload** field accepts PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, CSV, text, email, ZIP, common image, audio and video files. If a file is no longer available while the form is being completed, upload it again before submitting.

For a numeric Rating, select **Start scale at zero** when the first value should be 0. The **Number of options** still controls how many points the scale has.

## Conditional Logic

Use conditional logic when an earlier answer should show, hide, or require another field. You can also show or hide headers, dividers, images, and rich text blocks so the surrounding section changes with the questions. See [Conditional Logic Forms](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/forms/conditional-logic-forms).

## Site Select

A **Site Select** field is available on Internal Forms when Scheduling is enabled. It lists every active Site in the organisation. Select **Allow multiple selections** if the answer can include more than one Site.

> **Site Select records an answer only**
>
> Choosing a Site does not link the submission to that Site or place it in the Site's Forms list. Use this field when you need the Site name in the answers, exports, or reports.

Archived Sites no longer appear for new answers. Existing submissions keep the Site name they recorded. See [Creating and Managing Sites](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/creating-and-managing-sites).

## Selection Scope

**Selection scope** controls who appears in **Participant Select** and **User Select** fields.

For **Participant Select**:

| Option      | Who appears                                                                                                                         |
| ----------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Full**    | Every active Participant, including people the submitter cannot normally access.                                                    |
| **Limited** | Participants the submitter can access. Support Workers also see Participants they had a shift with in the last 30 days.             |
| **Strict**  | Participants the submitter can access. For a Support Worker, this is limited to Participants on the shift the Form was opened from. |

For **User Select**:

| Option     | Who appears                                                                 |
| ---------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Full**   | Every active user.                                                          |
| **Strict** | Support Workers see other workers on their shift. Other users see everyone. |

New fields default to **Strict**. When a Form is opened from a shift, its strict Participant and User lists follow that shift.

A **Participant Select** field lists names using your account's [Participant Name Display](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/settings/participants-settings#participant-name-display) setting, and shows an **External ID** beneath the name for a duplicate profile - see [Telling Duplicate Profiles Apart in Participant Pickers](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/settings/optional-features#telling-duplicate-profiles-apart-in-participant-pickers).

> **Full scope reveals every active name**
>
> Anyone who can complete the Form can see every active Participant or user offered by a **Full** field. Use **Strict** or **Limited** when the list should follow the submitter's normal access.

## Duplicating a Field

Open the field and select the copy icon. Astalty adds an independent copy beside or below the original, ready for you to edit.

## Archiving a Field

Open a field and select the delete field icon to archive it. This cannot be undone. Astalty removes conditional logic that referred to the field, but keeps its answers on existing submissions and in the Form's Report. System fields cannot be archived.

## Finalising a Form

1. Select **Preview** and check the questions, required fields, and conditional paths.
2. Review the Form's access and notification [Settings](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/forms/manage-forms/settings).
3. Select **Actions > Publish**.

Publishing makes the Form available to the people allowed to complete it.

## Duplicating a Form

Open the Form and select **Actions > Duplicate**. Astalty confirms what the copy will be and that its Usage can't be changed:

![The Confirm dialog for duplicating a Staff Incident form, with a note that the copy will be a Staff Incident form and this can't be changed, and to create a new form instead for a different usage.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/forms-duplicate-confirmation-usage-locked.png)

The copy keeps:

- its **Usage** and **Type** - these can't be changed, except that a General form can be [converted to a register](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/registers/overview#converting-an-existing-form). For any other change of Usage, [create a new form](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/forms/manage-forms/create-forms) instead
- active fields, images, options, and conditional logic
- who can complete the Form and view its submissions
- Form notifications and delivery methods
- its description, submission message, button text and colours, background colour, embedded-name setting, and submission confirmation

The duplicate is named with a **(Copy)** suffix and starts unpublished. Its submissions, archived fields, and Participant-specific assignment are not copied. Review the copy, update its **Settings**, then select **Actions > Publish** when it is ready.