The Ultimate Guide To Online Forms

Table of Contents
Introduction1
How online forms unlock your creative potential3
Top uses for online forms across type and industry5
Chapter 1 Form basics and fundamentals18
Creating a form from scratch21
Form templates28
Chapter 2 The Form Builder30
Form elements30
Customize your form to match your brand36
Settings42
Publish53
Chapter 3 Need-to-know Form Builder features and updates60
Jotform user data: Room for productivity growth60
Form Builder highlights61
Form Builder updates87
Conclusion98
Jotform pricing99
Additional learning resources 102

Introduction
For every organization that completed its digital transformation long ago, there are others that have
yet to benefit from moving part or all of their workflows online.
The truth is, digital workflows have revolutionized paper-based processes similar to the way
smartphones changed how we communicate. They’ve paved the way for never before seen levels of
efficiency and productivity, whether you’re working in an office, at home, or on the go.
And more times than not, the tipping point for any digital workflow is an online form.
What are the benefits of online forms? Why have they had such a positive impact on all of our
workflows?
Maybe let’s try to get at this question in a more visual way.
The Ultimate Guide to Online Forms 1

Introduction
At Jotform, we pride ourselves on inspiring the creative potential of online forms.
Put another way, we believe online forms should be the keys that unlock a world of automation
solutions that are tailor-made for your workflow. The sky’s the limit.

Introduction
How online forms unlock your creative potential
Not only can online forms save you valuable time, but they can also unlock your creativity. Let’s
explore how you can think differently about getting things done and make a positive impact on your
business or service in the process.
Online forms can collect solicited or unsolicited information to meet your organization’s needs and
further its growth. Groups you may want to gather information from include
• Customers • Peers
• Students • Employees
• Donors • Contractors
• Citizens • And more
• Patients
In practical terms, organizations need a smart and flexible way to keep a record of the orders,
feedback, and data that come their way. The best way to do that is through a templated form that
works on any device and streamlines your workflow (which often requires some back and forth) in an
organized way.
You may be wondering what we mean by streamlining a workflow in an organized way. Well, data is
only as good as how you put it into practice. Whether you’re gathering customer orders, scientific
research, or anything in between, you need to determine the larger trends the data is telling you so
you can act on it.
A robust platform allows your entire organization to organize, analyze, engage with, and easily report
on the data you gather via online forms. This holistic approach to using forms allows you to take
advantage of your data in creative ways. Here are just a few suggestions:

Introduction
• Use summarized data to improve internal product development, workflows, sales processes, or
customer service.
• Share data with your customers in engaging ways that simultaneously build trust and create
organizational transparency.
• Analyze your data to better understand who your users are and adjust your approach to
welcome and meet the needs of unanticipated groups and demographics.
For example, Jotform users achieve the insights mentioned above by automating their data through
organically connected solutions.
Jotform users get more done with the information they gather because on a monthly basis
30,000 users convert PDFs to online forms
More than 307,000 users manage data in their Tables workspace
More than 20,000 users create internal approvals based on their forms
Plus,
Over 25,000,000 forms have been created since the start of 2020
295,000 users created mobile apps to collect data*
Over 25,000 users automated their e-signature workflows*
Over 116,000 users connected their data to third-party solutions for

streamlined workflows*
*Totals for 2023

Introduction
Top uses for online forms across type and industry
There are probably as many uses for online forms as there are stars in the sky (well, maybe not quite
that many).
Even with so many forms — and form needs — some familiar patterns emerge when it comes to the
kinds of forms that are most heavily used and the industries that use them.
Let’s dig into the forms first so you have a better idea how to maximize them to work for you and your
goals.

Introduction
Top form uses

Order forms
From products and work orders to food and subscriptions,

millions of users meet their needs with Jotform’s online order
forms. All forms are protected by industry-leading security, and
there are over 900 free order form templates to customize.
Those who need flexibility can use the Product List element to
delineate and automate quantity, criteria, and product choice.
Users can also configure/add tax, discounts, and shipping fees to
forms.
Registration forms
Users streamline planning for conferences, workshops, schools,

sporting events, and business events with our online registration
forms. They use integrations to port their registrations to CRM
solutions like HubSpot, collaboration tools like Airtable, and cloud
storage platforms like Google Drive and Dropbox.
There are over 900 registration form templates to use as is or

to customize. Plus, you can collect registration fees through
registration forms.
Appointment forms
Healthcare practices, spas and beauty salons, photographers,

and personal service providers (to name a few) use our drag-
and-drop online appointment forms to simplify scheduling.
Users can share appointment forms by embedding them on their

website, posting on their socials, using a QR code, or creating
their own branded app.
Appointment setting solutions like Calendly help sync availability.

And your customers — who often make appointments on the
go — can conveniently make a request from their smartphone,
tablet, or desktop computer.

Introduction
Survey forms
Educational institutions, healthcare practices, and HR are big

cohorts within Jotform. All three depend on surveys for quizzes,
teacher/parent satisfaction, district engagement, HIPAA-friendly
medical history assessments, patient wellness, job satisfaction
surveys, company culture, and more.
Users employ best-in-class conditional logic to create more

complex surveys that show/hide questions based on previous
responses. Combined with Jotform’s 1,000+ free templates, it’s
why users depend on our surveys.
Payment forms
Users collect payments for orders, donations, subscriptions,

and business and personal services securely using payment
collection forms.
The ability to connect to over 30 payment gateways like Square

and Stripe — and enhance conversion rates by giving customers/
donors their choice of payment method (credit card, ApplePay,
CashApp, etc.) — is a draw for small businesses, nonprofits, and
entrepreneurs.
Job application forms
A proper job application saves your organization time and

money. While a variety of form fields can help users properly
screen candidates, what stands out is the ability to automate
communication and internal workflows.
For instance, users can set up email notifications to notify relevant

stakeholders when an application comes in and/or passes initial
screening. And as candidates move through the hiring process, an
automated approval process can work in parallel from beginning
to end, concluding either with an offer letter or a polite denial.

Introduction
Contract management forms
A growing number of users leverage Jotform for contract sign-

offs, invoice generation, or incoming work requests because of
the mobile-friendly feature offering.
Jotform Sign allows contractors to capture e-signatures complete

with digital audit trails. It’s also possible to collect data offline,
which comes in handy when customers need to review and sign
contracts in the field. Form widgets like Terms & Conditions
and PDF Embedder can eliminate even more paper. Plus, form
responses are automatically sent to project management
solutions, spreadsheets, or Jotform Tables.

Introduction
best practices to help you

build forms customers will love
Name
Beverly
First Name
Gomez
Last Name
Prefill Forms
E-Mail
beverly@mail.com
Phone Number Prefill your forms to save your respondents time. They’ll complete
555 999 3328
Membership Period
your forms more consistently, increasing your form conversion rates.
Reminder Emails
Set up reminder emails to capture those “stragglers” who have yet
to fill out your form. Schedule your emails to go out daily, weekly, or
monthly.
Use a Lightbox
Embed your form on your website and make it stand out by highlighting
it with a “Lightbox” treatment.
Thank You Page

Use your form’s Thank You page to prompt your respondents to
download more information or fill out a related form.
YES NO
Conditional Logic
Use conditional logic to show/hide fields in your form or to send a
YES NO YES NO notification to a given stakeholder, based on information a user enters in
your form.

Introduction
Top industry uses
Education
In the education industry, administrators need to send

online forms and approvals for pay raises, resource
requisitions, alumni and departmental surveys, policy
approvals, conference registrations, and so on. Educators’
uses range from testing and student surveys to
extracurricular event signups and parental approvals.
Interconnectivity tip: Read how a dissertation

consulting firm used Jotform’s kiosk mode and
touchless kiosk to collect new client leads at marketing
events. Perfect for administrators and other education
stakeholders who need an event registration solution.
We offer nonprofit organizations and education institutions

a 50-percent discount on our paid plans (not applicable to
for-profit schools and Jotform Enterprise users).
Nonprofit
Often, nonprofits deal with limited resources and not enough bandwidth. They need
streamlined and dependable workflow solutions that reduce manual work and automatically
send information to third-party tools, without breaking the bank. As a result, nonprofit
personnel love Jotform for simplifying donations while helping them build community support.
Interconnectivity tip: Connect your forms using our integrations to scale database and
participant management like this U.K. charity did with Salesforce.

Introduction
Healthcare
Healthcare providers need to comply with

regulations like HIPAA when collecting patient
information digitally. They look to Jotform
to easily create HIPAA-friendly forms as an
alternative to the expense and time of having
IT professionals build a system for them.
Interconnectivity tip: Use patient satisfaction

surveys and view your collected data in
Jotform Tables to understand the impact of
the service you provide. Read how the CEO
of a healthcare provider proved its ROI with
Jotform Enterprise.
Human resources
Everyone, from startups with a handful of employees to enterprise organizations made up

of thousands, uses Jotform to automate HR workflows, both for job candidates and existing
employees. Jotform simplifies the collection and management of job applications, employee
information requests and surveys, leave requests, and more.
Interconnectivity tip: Use

online approvals and third-party
integrations to automate HR
workflows and streamline your
business operations like Horatio.

Introduction
Event planning
Events encompass everything from youth sports to church get-togethers to formal event
planning. Organizers use sophisticated online registration forms, feedback surveys, and
features like kiosk mode to check in people for events. They also use Jotform Tables to manage
guest lists and schedules, and organize collected assets like pictures, media files, and more.
Interconnectivity tip: Read how Dream on 3 digitized its registration and application forms
— and how its applicants used the “save and continue later” form feature — to make the
dream event process easier and more efficient.
Real estate
Landlords often use a payment form that integrates with their preferred payment provider
or ACH to collect recurring rent payments from tenants. For others, like mortgage industry
stakeholders, simply being able to efficiently pass their lead workflow from one database to
another makes a big difference in the bottom line.
Interconnectivity tip: Improve your lead or application process by streamlining data from
mortgage partners at scale. The home loan readiness company Uqual enabled faster data
transfer with Jotform, improving business outcomes for the organization and its customers.

Introduction
Did you know?
Forms can be shared in a variety of ways, with options that are convenient for your
respondents. Whether it’s by email, link, a digital (or analog) QR code, or embedding
a form in your website or on your social media, we’ve got you covered.
Now let’s take a look at how Jotform helped one organization.
Spotlight Literacy Pittsburgh
For more than 40 years, Literacy Pittsburgh — the largest

literacy organization in the region — has been improving
lives through learning in the greater Pittsburgh area.
Through personal tutoring and classroom instruction, Literacy Pittsburgh paves the way for a variety
of adult learners to earn a high school credential, learn English, obtain U.S. citizenship, and improve
their writing or math skills, all free of charge. As a result, the organization helps create a better future
for its students and the communities where they live.

Introduction
Improving digital literacy plays a part in the organization’s vision of creating a more productive
community. So it’s no surprise Literacy Pittsburgh turned to Jotform to digitize what was formerly a
lengthy analog process of onboarding new clients.
Along with creating an intake process that eliminates redundant data entry, the team used Jotform
to build an app that helps increase collaboration. This app acts as a central hub where the team can
access program maintenance, onboarding, and client-related documentation and needs.
Paper-based processes put a hold on productivity
As the data and information manager at Literacy Pittsburgh, Alex

Dow has been involved with the organization for over 20 years. He’s
witnessed the positive impact of his team’s work on people’s lives.
The first step in helping someone change their life for the better is the
intake process. Dow wanted to make this as efficient as possible since
it’s the tipping point for the workflows that follow. To do that, the team
needed to digitize a paper-based form process for everyone entering
the program.
“We had a somewhat lengthy and intensive intake process that required all students to be in person,”
says Dow. “Staff had to meet those students (in person) to explain the forms and conduct an intake
interview.”
Despite the in-person meetings, the paper form process would sometimes result in errors and missing
information the team needed for review and compliance. This meant staff was doing duplicate (or
even triplicate) data entry, which impeded productivity.
Literacy Pittsburgh works with both American- and foreign-born students who have varying
backgrounds. To meet all of these needs, the intake forms were filled with detailed questions that
didn’t apply to everyone, resulting in a lot of extra paper and potential waste.
An online PDF and new app lead to better business outcomes
As with many organizations, the pandemic was a key turning point for Literacy Pittsburgh. Remote
work mandated a transition to a new, digital intake process. So, on the recommendation of a coworker
who had previous experience with the platform, Dow tried Jotform.

Introduction
He discovered that online forms could power an efficient process that prioritized getting new students
through the door. A determining factor in choosing Jotform was what he saw as the platform’s unique
ability to convert the elaborate paper intake form into an online PDF.
The PDF form conversion allowed him to create the conditional logic branches necessary for the
organization’s two tracks of students — those whose primary education is from other countries and
those who came up in the K–12 system here in the United States.
Turn your PDF forms into powerful online forms

with Jotform Smart PDF Forms.

Introduction
As Dow tells it, “We have different questions we want to ask depending on [the students’]
backgrounds, so the conditional logic lets us architect those questions to ensure a more consistent
experience for our students and our intake staff. I’m really impressed with how easy it is to use and
figure out. Every year (the conditional logic feature) seems like it gets better and more intuitive.”
In addition to fast-tracking student intake, adaptations necessitated by COVID heightened the need
to keep staff on the same page. So instead of asking staff to juggle multiple digital logins and all the
applications they were responsible for, Dow tied it all together with Jotform Apps. The app he built
serves as a centralized hub of forms, resources, and other information.
“The simplicity of building the Jotform app made things easy. And it was great to have a centralized
place to make those (form) updates,” he says.
“It really helps onboard new staff as well when you can point to one app and say, ‘Remember this,’
rather than hoping they remember 20 disparate websites. The feedback from staff on using the app
has been really positive.”
Looking for an easy, centralized hub where all of your nonprofit stakeholders
can access your resources? Check out these nonprofit app templates!
Automation opens the door to organizational efficiency

Introduction
Literacy Pittsburgh helps people in the area gain the knowledge they need to create a more
secure future for themselves and their children. By making a difference for individuals, families, the
workforce, and the greater Pittsburgh region — the organization is enabling greater prosperity for all.
“Streamlining the (intake) process frees up staff to focus less on manual entry and more on placement
and student support. Additionally, by removing the paper form, we have more flexibility to meet with
students in the manner they need,” Dow says.
“Many of our students need one-on-one support. So we can more effectively and efficiently collect
data depending on the student’s skill and comfort levels. [Jotform] gives our intake staff more tools in
their tool kit.”
Together with Literacy Pittsburgh, Jotform is proud to play a small part in the effort to improve lives
through learning.

Chapter 1
Form basics and fundamentals

Whether you’re new to Jotform, or have been with us for years, we make it super simple to create a
form or survey for your needs.
If you’re new, head to Jotform.com and sign up with Google, Facebook, Microsoft, or your email
address.
Right off the bat, you’ll have the opportunity to create a new form from scratch or by using one of our
many templates.

Chapter 1: Form basics and fundamentals
If you already have a username and password, log in using the Login link at the top of the page. You
can also log in with your credentials from some of the largest third-party websites.

Your Jotform home base is the My Forms dashboard, which lists your forms and provides various
options for editing and managing them.
Pro Tip:
Take an online course with Jotform Academy. It’s a great way to learn the
basics of the Form Builder and get started with Jotform. Plus, you’ll earn a
certificate to share on social media when you complete all of the courses!

Creating a form from scratch
Jotform’s Form Builder makes it easy to drag and drop different elements into a form that perfectly
matches your needs.
Before you let your creativity flow on a blank canvas, you have a choice to make between a traditional
form, with Classic Forms, or a form that shows the respondent just one question at a time, Card
Forms.
Classic Forms
Drag and drop selected elements onto your form in the Form Builder, and your creation will be ready
to collect submissions in minutes.
In traditional fashion, all the elements will be visible on the form at one time.
1. Click the Create Form button on your My Forms page and then select Start from Scratch.

2. Select Classic Form.
3. Click Add Form Element.

4. Choose your elements one at a time by clicking on them or dragging them onto your form.
Card Forms
By displaying questions one at a time, Jotform Card Forms are perfect for shorter forms that will be
filled out quickly or forms that will likely be filled out on mobile devices. Some popular use cases for
Card Forms include subscription and registration forms, comment or feedback forms, and survey
forms.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you build your first Card Form.
1. Click the Create Form button on your My Forms page and then select Start from Scratch.

2. Select Card Form.
3. Click Add Form Element.

4. Click or drag and drop to add form elements. Since Card Forms work great with just a few form
elements, let’s select two of them: Full Name and Email.
Here’s what your form will look like in the Form Builder after you’ve added the form elements.
Though the screenshot above captures your form as it appears in the Form Builder, with all of the
elements on one page, when it’s viewed by your respondent, each element will appear by itself.

Click the Preview Form button on the top right of your screen to see the form as your respondents
will see it. When viewing your form as a form filler would, you can also view your customizable
Thank You page, which appears after the form has been completed.


Form templates
With more than 10,000 ready-made form templates in our library, you’ll discover how easy it is to
build a form with the click of a button. At the same time, we don’t want you to feel overwhelmed.
Templates are divided into three main categories: Types, Industries, and Professions. Just use the
search bar to find the ideal template for your form.
Some of the most popular template Types are order forms, registration forms, and payment forms. As
for Industries, business, education, and human resources forms are very sought-after. Forms listed
under Professions include forms for teachers, photographers, recruiters, merchants, and many more.
You can edit a form template in the Jotform Form Builder, just as if you started building the form from
scratch. So if you see a template that fits your needs but isn’t perfect, you can customize it by adding,
deleting, or altering form elements or personalizing the form’s style. You can also toggle between
Classic and Card Form templates when searching for a template.
With each option, you can preview the template before you make your selection.

Templates — by you for you
Like much of Jotform, you, the user, play a big part in the solutions we create. We welcome your
participation because your templates (and form needs) help other users kick-start their workflows too.
A significant amount of our 10,000-plus form template library is authored by you! Here’s how you’ve
contributed to some of our most popular forms:
• Users have accounted for a whopping 70 percent of all Order Form templates! It’s a
significant contribution and helps other users selling a wide variety of goods and
services.
• When it comes to Registration Forms, user-created templates represent 65 percent of

the category.
• User-created templates make up 51 percent of the Appointment Form category.

Whether for health, beauty/spa, or general business, fellow users help each other get
their workflows started faster.
• User-made templates constitute 41 percent of the Survey Form category, helping you
quickly conduct market research or understand your customer demographics better.
• Of all the Application Form templates, our users are responsible for creating 59 percent
of them. The need for an application template spans jobs, volunteering, rentals, school
admissions, memberships, loans, sponsorships, and everything in between.
• Users have created 45 percent of all Payment Form templates, so it should be

reassuring to collect payment with your form knowing other users have been down the
same road you’re on.
Pro Tip:
If you’ve made a form with Jotform’s drag-and-drop Form Builder and you’d like to
share it with the Jotform community, simply head to your My Forms page, click on
the More menu for the appropriate form, and select Share as Template. On average,
Jotform users create more than 200 templates each week!

Chapter 2
The Form Builder

Now that you understand the fundamental steps in creating your first form, let’s explore the building
blocks that bring your form to life.
The possibilities can seem endless, as you’ll have a full suite of form features to help you collect any
kind of data you need. But don’t fret; the Form Builder’s user interface is also exceptionally simple.
Form elements
While building your form, click the Add Form Element button on the left side of the Form Builder. The
Form Elements menu will appear on the page.

Chapter 2: The Form Builder
Pro Tip:
If you’re using a Card Form and switch to a Classic Form, some form elements,
widgets in particular, will be removed to match the overall look and feel of the
layout. Read more about when to use Classic or Card Forms.
The drag-and-drop elements are divided into three columns: Basic, Payments, and Widgets. Let’s
take a closer look at these categories.

Basic
Basic elements comprise the practical fields you’ll use in your forms or surveys, not only for
automating the kind of information you gather but for formatting as well.
The most used basic elements are listed below (along with a percentage showing how often they
appear in all forms:
Email (46%) Divider (12%) Appointment (3%)
Long Text (38%) File Upload (10%) Fill in the Blank (2%)
Date Picker (31%) Page Break (9%) Captcha (2%)
Single Choice (31%) Input Table (9%) Scale Rating (2%)
Multiple Choice (24%) Image (8%)
Signature (19%) Product List (5%)
Let’s dig into two of these elements, Signature and File Upload, to spotlight their benefits.

Signature
The Signature element is so heavily used because of the

many kinds of forms that require a sign-off.
The good news? Just drag and drop to enable your forms to
capture e-signatures from form fillers.
Did you know?
On average, nearly 5 million forms with the

Signature element are submitted by users
each month. The popularity of signature
forms led Jotform to create Jotform Sign,
which combines a robust, standalone
e-signature platform with Jotform’s suite of
automation tools.
File Upload
Like e-signatures, file uploads are extremely useful in online

applications, booking forms, evaluation forms, and more.
The File Upload element allows respondents to upload many
different types of files directly to your form, including
• PDF • WMA
• DOCX • FLV
• XLSX • AVI
• CSV • JPG
• TXT • JPEG
• RTF • PNG
• HTML • GIF
• ZIP • MP4
• MP3 • And more

In the Element Settings, you can indicate which types of files you’ll accept. To accept all file types,
enter an asterisk (*). You can indicate how many files your form will accept, set the file size limits, and
set the method for importing your files to third-party solutions like Google Drive.
Payments
Jotform’s Payment elements enable you to collect just about any payment type securely and easily via
your online forms. You can choose from more than 30 payment gateways, including PayPal, Apple Pay
and Google Pay, Square, and Stripe. ACH payment processing is available as well.
To enable online payments in your form, drag and drop your chosen payment element to your form
and authorize your payment provider account via the Form Builder.
Multiple studies suggest that the more payment options respondents have, the higher the conversion
rate, and Jotform gives you plenty of options.
For even more flexibility, you can embed payment forms into your website or create a mobile store
with the Jotform Store Builder.

Widgets
The third column of Form Elements contains Jotform’s widgets, which add functionality — like video,
social media, or maps — to your form. Widgets extend your form’s capabilities, and there are hundreds
to choose from.
Some often-used widgets include the Take Photo widget, which allows form fillers to take photos
directly from your form, the Spreadsheet to Form widget, and the Image Gallery widget.
Did you know?

You can share a link to your
form with collaborators so all
of you can work simultaneously
on the form. Collaborators don’t
need to have a Jotform account,
but Publish tab functions are
disabled for guest collaborators.
Each collaboration session will
have a unique, shareable session
URL that’s available for 72 hours.

Customize your form to match your brand

With Jotform, you have the added benefit of tailoring your forms to match the look and feel of your
brand.
Click on the paint roller icon on the right side of the Form Builder to open the Form Designer. Once in
the Form Designer, you can choose from a variety of preset color schemes, styles, and themes. Those
who have a specific vision of how they want their form to look can personalize it with their own hex
color codes, custom spacing, and even CSS.
Let’s explore all the ways you can customize your forms via the Form Designer.
Colors
In the Colors tab, you can make customizations that are as simple or intricate as you like. Running the
gamut from “princess pink” to “earthy green,” Jotform’s preset color schemes will fit in nicely with any
organization’s brand. If preset color schemes aren’t your jam, all you have to do is copy and paste a
hex color code into the page, form, and/or font color fields.
Form backgrounds aren’t limited to color schemes. If you’d like to use an image as your form’s
background, you can do so by uploading files to the Page Image and Form Image fields from your
computer, or by entering a URL.

Styles
In the Styles tab, you can resize your form. You can also customize the font and font size, and change
the style of your Submit button. According to HubSpot, red CTA buttons outperform green ones
consistently. But when it comes to matching your brand’s look and feel, even scientific results should
be taken with a grain of salt.
To adjust the style of your form, use the dropdown menus and arrow keys to manipulate the styles to
your exact specifications.
You can inject custom CSS into your form using the Inject Custom CSS field at the bottom of the
Styles menu. Also available is the Advanced Designer button, which we’ll get to in a moment.

Themes
You may not always have the time to personalize your form, but at minimum you want it to look
professional. No worries! We have a library of preset themes for you to choose from. To instantly
personalize your form, just click on the theme you want to use, and it will show up in the Form Builder.
In addition to a variety of free and paid themes, you have the option to save your favorite and
previously used themes, so you can always come back to them.
Featured themes are preloaded into the Form Designer. If you don’t see a theme that fits your game
plan, there are more to choose from in the Form Themes Store.
Layout
The Layout tab allows you to change the layout of your form. This is incredibly helpful when you’re
unsure which layout is best for the kind of form or survey you’re sending.
Feel free to switch between Classic and Card Form layouts to see which one works for you.


Advanced Designer
In both the Colors and Styles tab is the Advanced Designer button. This tool allows you to customize
your form down to the tiniest detail, including the way the lines look.
In the Color Scheme menu, you can customize your form’s colors with a unique background, a frame,
and text. In the Form Layout menu, you can customize the layout down to the corners. But please
note that the Advanced Designer will only work with the Classic Form layout, not the Card Form
layout.
The Advanced Designer also allows you to add a cover page, change the label styles, and change the
line layout.
For those who need a bit more design flexibility, you can use CSS (the upper right tab) to code exactly
how you’d like your document to be styled.
After you make changes to your design, click the floppy disk icon on the top left side of the page to
save your progress. When your changes are saved, the button will change to an eye icon and act as a
preview button. This makes it easy to see when your changes are saved.

Click the icon below the floppy disk icon to edit any of your other forms in the Advanced Designer. To
return to the Form Builder, click the Jotform logo icon at the top.

Settings
Once you’ve built your form, you can explore all of the options in Jotform’s Form Settings.
The Settings menu allows you to manage many aspects of your form, such as
• Security
• The type, look, and frequency of notification emails
• The ability to hide and present questions (and pages) based on form answers
• Approval flows that trigger when your form is submitted
• E-signature automation for your form
• And more
Click on the Settings tab at the top of the page. On the left you’ll notice the different form options.
The Form Settings tab lets you customize everything from the name of your form to the security of
responses. Initially, you’ll see the Title box (to create a custom form name), the Form Status field
(which allows you to enable or disable your form), and a toggle to encrypt your form data.

Click the button labeled Show More Options to open a menu containing additional form settings.
Some notable options include changing the language of your form, adding password protection,
enabling translation capability, and allowing form fillers to edit their submissions or continue a form
later.
If you’re a Jotform Enterprise user, you can also limit access to your form by enabling the single sign-
on (SSO) login setting.
Pro Tip:
Toggle on the Preview Form button at the top right of your screen to see what your
form will look like to your respondent. You can view your form in smartphone, tablet,
and desktop orientation. Simply toggle the switch back to return to the Form Builder.
Emails
The Emails tab sets the stage for how you’ll manage communications related to your form
submissions.
By default, you (and others, if you choose) will automatically receive a notification email when
someone fills out your form. Likewise, your respondent will receive an automatic response when they
submit their answers to the form (provided you asked for their email address on the form).
Your email communications are fully customizable, so you can change how they look as well as
indicate how and when you want to send them.

You can also add more emails, or delete some, for your form. For instance, you can create a Digest
Email, which will send you summarized information covering all of your submissions at whatever
interval works best for you.

Conditions
Conditions are a collection of different if/then logic options that will automatically trigger an action
based on the answers of your form filler (in other words, if a certain form condition is met).
For example, let’s say you have a cake order form with a checkbox for additional decoration options.
If a customer checks the box, the Show/Hide field condition will show fields such as topping, fondant,
painting, etc. If a customer doesn’t check it, the fields won’t appear.

Really robust conditional logic is a must-have for form owners who require more nimble question-and-
answer workflows. At Jotform we pride ourselves on a full featured and user-friendly set of conditions.
Your form will be more dynamic because it smartly handles certain responses with specific rules
based on your needs.
We focus on making our conditional logic user interface intuitive so you can quickly identify the fields
and functions you need to get the job done.
For example, take the Update/Calculate field condition that’s used to perform complex calculations.
You can select a dedicated button for mathematical formulas, making it easy to locate the particular
type of function or math properties you’re looking for.

Thank You Page
It may not seem like it, but your form’s Thank You page is important for two big reasons:
1. It allows you to thank your recipients for the time they’ve spent giving you the information
you’re asking for (especially if you want them to do it again in the future).
2. Including follow-up information in your Thank You page gives you another opportunity to
build trust and further engage your users.
To add a Thank You page to your form, click on the Thank You Page tab in the left menu.
You can choose from several different layouts to find a design that matches your brand’s aesthetic.
You can also show any fields that appear in the form on the Thank You page, which is helpful for the
respondent’s reference, or in conjunction with an action you’d like them to take (such as filling out a
related form or downloading a PDF).
The Thank You Page tab helps you create a page that will engage your respondents by giving them
even more information about your brand.

Integrations
We’ve learned from extensive user interviews and case studies that the ability to connect to a range
of third-party solutions is often the deciding factor for folks choosing a form solution.
You’ll be happy to know that Jotform offers best-in-class software connectivity with more than 100
integrations.
Simply click on the Integrations tab to see your options. You can narrow your choices by category: be
it payment, CRM, document sharing, or more. You can also search for an integration.

When you find the integration you need, click on the tile and follow the steps to authenticate your
account. Your form will then be connected, and each submission will automatically port to the
specified solution.
Approval Flows
Creating an Approval workflow for your online form makes the process of gaining digital confirmations
and sign-offs easy. All your collaborators have to do is click a mouse.
To start your flow, click the Create an approval flow button. A new Jotform Approvals window will
open, allowing you to create a tailored workflow based on your needs. Whether that means having
multiple or group approvals, creating conditional rules for approval or denial, or including signatures
along the way, you’ll have what you need to get the job done.

You can also start approval flows from scratch for a truly customized experience. Or you can use one
of Jotform’s 100-plus approval templates. One is bound to fit your current process.
Approval templates come with an associated form template, so you don’t have to worry about building
the form or the approval flow.

Jotform Sign
If your form needs an e-signature field, look no further than Jotform Sign, an easy-to-use e-signature
solution that lets you create documents and collect signatures for them. With Jotform Sign, you can
digitize your paper-based signature processes — saving time and money. Just add the Signature
element to your form and enable Jotform Sign automation.
Jotform Sign automation automatically converts your submitted forms into PDF documents.
You’ll also have access to a digital audit trail for each signed document, and you’ll rest easy knowing
every form user has to give consent for their signatures.
Mobile Notifications
Need to stay up to speed with your forms on the go? Just download the Jotform Mobile Forms app,
and you can get notified on your smartphone whenever there’s a new form submission.

For your convenience, you can customize the form field content you want to include in the body of
your notification as well.
Jotform: Your Mobile Form Builder

Not only can users fill out your forms on
their mobile devices, but you can access the
Form Builder on your smartphone when you
download the Jotform Mobile Forms app.
The same Form Builder you work with on

your desktop can be accessed from the
convenience of your phone. You can edit your
existing forms within the Build, Settings, and
Publish tabs.
Plus, you can create new forms, view form

submissions, and set up kiosk mode, which
locks your form onto the screen of your phone
or tablet, turning your mobile device into a
public survey or registration station.

The automations above are just a sample of the form actions you can take within the Settings section
of the Form Builder.
For a deeper dive into the functionality of each of your form settings, including tips and tricks for
maximizing your productivity, be sure to check out Jotform for Beginners, Vol. 1 & 2.
Publish
When you’re ready to start sending your form to recipients, you’ll enjoy the flexibility you have in
Jotform’s Publish tab.
Whether you’re sharing your form with a link or QR code, embedding it into a site with an iFrame, or
publishing it through WordPress, you’re covered.
In the Publish tab, you can also increase your form conversion rates by creating a prefilled version of
your form so your recipients don’t have to enter redundant information.
To get started, click on the Publish tab at the top of the page. Your options appear in the left
navigation.

The default screen in the Publish tab lists your Quick Share options. You can quickly copy and paste
your form’s link, send it to someone via email, or share your form on social media.
You can also create your own no-code app in a matter of minutes. The app can house one or all of
your forms, which you can then share for anyone on their mobile device to fill out.
Did you know?

In 2023, almost 331,000 people used Jotform Apps to create their own app. That’s
roughly half of the 667,000 total users that have created no-code apps since
Jotform Apps became available to the public.
Creating an app is free.
Embed
If what you really need is a contact or order form that’s native to your website, you can make that
happen in the Embed tab. Or if you want a registration form that’s presented in a lightbox when
someone first visits your website, you can also do that in the Embed tab.

From the simplicity of copying and pasting HTML code, to adding a feedback option that scrolls along
with your user, the customization options you need to successfully embed your form live here.
The best part? We generate the code for you, so it’s easy peasy.
Assign Form
Sometimes it’s harder than it should be to get the information you need. But by assigning a form to
your recipients — or to stakeholders who can then distribute the form to collect data from others —
you eliminate the back and forth.
The Assign by Email feature lets you use individual email addresses or a CSV upload to assign your
form at scale. You can also create a shareable link and customize it with an expiration date.
In the event you need to assign your form to your entire organization (release forms, work policies,
etc.), toggle on the Assign to Everyone in the Organization switch. Note that this functionality is
available to Enterprise accounts only.

Email
The Email tab is perfect if you need to send a link to your form directly within an email. But where it
gets really handy is when you need to set up an automated reminder email that sends on the cadence
of your choice.
Your reminder email’s content

is totally customizable, as
is your send schedule, with
options including daily, weekly,
monthly, and more.
Pro Tip:
You can add multiple email

recipients per invitation
email. However, please
note that the Starter plan
has a limit of 10 invitations
per form via email
invitation.

Prefill
You can send your forms prefilled with your respondents’ information (such as name, email, address,
etc.). This saves your respondents’ time, and by doing so, improves your chances of having more
forms completed.
Use our Prefill tab to pre-populate your forms with respondent data that’s already stored in CRMs like
Salesforce, Airtable, and HubSpot; internal management databases; Jotform Tables; SSO servers; and
your other forms.
For third-party solutions, just authenticate your account and select the database from which you’d like
to pull. For Jotform solutions, simply select the table or form you want to get data from.

PDF
Increasing your productivity with online forms is in our DNA, so naturally we created a way to convert
your form into a fillable PDF.
Simply click the Download button in the PDF tab. A window will open, allowing you to create a fillable
PDF from your form.
Note: Any design changes you make in a Fillable PDF form will affect your actual web form.
Platforms
In the Platforms tab, you can publish your form to over 30 different third-party web hosting platforms
with a simple snippet of code.

Select the platform you need. We’ll generate the code. It’s easy to copy and paste it into your blocks,
or HTML, according to the instructions provided. Your form will be embedded in your site in seconds.
The automations above are just a taste of what you can do within the Publish section of the Form
Builder.
For more information on each of our form publishing options, including tips and tricks for maximizing
your productivity, be sure to check out Jotform for Beginners, Vol. 1 & 2.

Chapter 3
Need-to-know Form Builder features

and updates
Jotform user data: Room for productivity growth
Since the beginning of the decade, Jotform users have created tens of millions of unique forms. But
according to our data, just a fraction of users take advantage of easy-to-add advanced features such
as conditional logic, integrations, prefill, and more.
In another example, fewer than 10 percent of forms include any of the following three added security
features: Captcha, password protected forms, and form encryption.

Chapter 3: Need-to-Know Form Builder features and updates
Any form created with the Form Builder can pay dividends. But the data suggests that many users
could get more from the Form Builder, especially considering how easy it is to add advanced features
to a form.
Form Builder highlights
There are a lot of tools available within the Form Builder, so we’ve compiled a list of need-to-know
features, complete with tutorials and resources that will help you use them right away.
If you have a question that isn’t covered in this section, Jotform still has you covered, with Jotform
Academy, Jotform’s User Guides, and more.
Conditional logic and formatting
Conditional logic may seem complex, but adding it to a form is an intuitive process.
Within the Form Builder, go to Settings. Then select Conditions from the menu on the left. You’ll find
six different ways to automatically trigger an action if a condition is met, starting with Show/Hide Field
at the top of the list.

Click the Show/Hide Field option to access its settings. The example below is for a cake order form. If
a form filler chooses “Chocolate” from the “Choose a cake” field on the form, an element will appear,
asking whether the customer wants milk chocolate or dark chocolate.
Since customers who want a yellow cake won’t need to answer this question, it will remain hidden.
To add more Show/Hide Field options, click the plus sign icon to the right of the condition. Click Save
when finished.
After the condition is set, the Conditions menu in the Form Builder will provide a summary. To access
the full conditions menu again, click Add condition.

Additional conditional logic options include automatic mathematical calculations, skipping to a

different page on your form, overriding default email alerts, and more.
• Update/Calculate Field: Copy a field’s value or perform complex calculations.

• Enable/Require/Mask Field: Require or disable a field, or mask a field (to ensure
submissions are entered in your desired format).
• Skip to/Hide a Page: Skip to or hide a specific page.
• Change Thank You Page: Display a custom message or redirect to a different page
after submission.
• Change Email Recipient: Override your default email alerts and send emails to
specific people.
Prefill
Jotform Prefill can lead to higher conversion rates for your forms — by as much as 200 percent. It’s a
simple formula: Using data to prefill certain elements of your form reduces the time needed to fill out
the form, leading to positive outcomes for all.
You can use data acquired from other forms or Jotform Tables, or pre-populate your form with data
from third-party apps such as Salesforce.

To access Jotform Prefill, go to the Publish section of the Form Builder. There’s a robust list of Prefill
options, from Manual Prefill to Airtable, Pipedrive, monday.com, Salesforce, and HubSpot.
To prefill a form with data from a different form, select the Form Prefill option and then select a form
from the dropdown menu by scrolling through the list or using the search functionality. Click the
Select button when you’ve found the right form.

Next up, match the fields you’d like to prefill. The columns on the left represent incoming data. The
columns on the right represent the form fields that will be prefilled. Delete connecting rows with the
trash icon on the right. If there are additional fields you’d like to connect, click the Add More button.
Click the Save Settings button when finished.
Once the settings are saved, click one of the Add a New Prefill buttons. This will display the input
from the corresponding Jotform table.

Select individual submissions in the table or select them all by checking the boxes on the left. When
finished, click the Create button.
A prefilled form URL will be created for each entry. Click the Select All box or check the box for
individual URLs to reveal more options. Download the URLs, send an invitation via email, delete the
URLs, or indicate whether the prefilled forms are editable or read only.
Open the menu to the right of each entry to send an invitation, copy the URL, rename the prefilled
URL, or delete it.

Did you know?

Jotform Prefill 2.0 added eight different ways to prefill your form. Provide
a prefilled link on your Thank You page, assign prefilled forms with Jotform
Approvals, and more!
Save and Continue Later
For forms that take a bit longer to fill out, it can be helpful to allow responders to save their progress
and continue later. This simple feature can turn incomplete forms into finished submissions.
To activate this feature in the Jotform Form Builder, access the Submit button Properties.

Next, go to the Advanced section of the Properties menu. Click the toggle for Save and Continue
Later to the On position. To the right of that button, enter the text that will appear on the Save button.
Click the Form Settings link near the bottom of the screen to customize automatic reminder emails for
those who have started to fill out your form but haven’t finished.

Within the Form Settings, click the Show More Options button to expand the Settings menu. Scroll
down until you see the Save and Continue Later section. Enable or disable the feature in the
dropdown menu. Click the link below the menu to customize your Save and Continue Later email.
Customize the email subject line and create a unique message with a text editor that allows you to
change fonts and more. Additionally, add an image, a table, or a link. Use the Advanced section to
indicate which email address will be listed as the sender. Reset any of your changes with the Reset
button, or cancel changes with the Cancel button. When finished, click Save Changes.

Distribute forms via social media and more
Jotform’s form distribution features deliver your form to its target audience, whether it’s meant for the
entire world to see or catered to one specific person.
To share your form, go to the Publish section of the Form Builder. The Quick Share page opens by
default. At the top of the page, find the Copy Link button for fast sharing. Alternatively, you can enter
email addresses or upload a CSV file to share via the Invite by Email section.
The Share Form section provides links to share your form via social media or a unique QR code. Click
View More to open the full list of social media share options.
With just one click, open your Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, or X (formerly Twitter) account with an
automatic share link for your form. Additionally, share your form with the Jotform community as a form
template, or click the QR code option to download your QR code, share it with a link, or access an
embed code to place your QR code on your website.

To embed the entire form into your website, access the Embed options within the Publish section of
the Form Builder. The embed code for your form appears at the top of the screen. There are other
embed options available, including code made specifically for WordPress.

To assign your form to a colleague, go to the Assign Form tab. Use the Copy Link button to quickly
assign your form via link, or enter one or more email addresses into the Assign by Email section.
Jotform Enterprise users can assign the form to everyone in their organization with one click via a
button at the bottom of the page.
Jotform integrations
Jotform’s integrations connect Jotform with hundreds of other automation tools, some of which you
likely already use. Manage your Jotform submission data with CRM tools like Salesforce, send Jotform
data to your preferred cloud storage service, conduct email marketing campaigns more effectively
with a variety of email software, accept payment directly through your form, and more.
Jotform’s entire library of integrations is easy to find. Use the Integrations dropdown menu in the top
banner on the Jotform website.

Each integration takes just a few steps to add. For example, to send submission data to your preferred
Slack channel or via Slack direct message, go to the Integrations tab, found in the Form Builder
Settings.

Use the search at the top of the Integrations page to find Jotform’s Slack integration. Click on the
integration’s tile to proceed to the next step.
After authenticating your Slack account and providing Jotform access, choose which Slack channel
or colleague you’d like to send submission data to. Once selected, the menu expands to include
additional options. Send a custom message along with the submission data, send email notifications,
add action buttons to the Slack message (these provide links to view or edit the submission), and
more.
When you’re all set, click the Save button.

On the screen that follows, either add another connection to a Slack channel or direct message, or
use the Complete Integration button to go to the next step.
On the next screen, click the Finish button, and the Slack integration is ready to go.

Jotform payment integrations
For those collecting payment with their form, Jotform offers more than 30 payment processor
integrations and doesn’t charge additional fees. Like other forms, these payment forms can be
embedded into your website.
Add a payment integration from the Integrations section of the Form Builder, or find your preferred
payment integration within the Form Elements. The Payments section is next to the Basic elements.
Click your preferred payment integration or drag and drop it onto your form.

Click the Connect button in the menu that automatically opens.
Follow the prompts to authenticate your payment processor account and allow Jotform to access it.
When finished, the integration will show as connected. Click the Continue button at the bottom of the
screen to complete installation.

Pro Tip:
Use Jotform’s Zapier integration to sync Jotform submissions with more than
3,000 web apps!
Form security: Encryption, password protected forms, and Captcha
Jotform provides a high level of security by default. All account information is automatically encrypted
in transfer and at rest. Additionally, Jotform is PCI DSS Level 1 certified (the highest level of security
for sites that take credit card payments), uses a 256-bit SSL connection for transferring form data,
and more.
There are three easy tools within the Form Builder that can boost form security based on your
needs, whether you’re registering guests for a private event, protecting particularly sensitive data, or
safeguarding against spam. They are the Captcha form element, password protected forms, and form
encryption.
Add Captcha to your form
A CAPTCHA requests that users complete simple challenges to help protect your forms against
unwanted submissions from spammers and spambots.
Jotform’s Captcha form element provides this safeguard. It’s located in the list of Basic form elements
within the Form Builder. Click the element or drag it onto your form to add it.

Below is a preview of the form after the Captcha has been added.
Use the Captcha element’s Properties menu to toggle between three different types: hCAPTCHA
(Jotform’s default Captcha), reCAPTCHA, and JotCaptcha (Jotform’s CAPTCHA alternative that asks
users to enter text from a provided image).

To use Google’s invisible reCAPTCHA, choose reCAPTCHA from the Properties menu, and then
activate Google Invisible reCATCHA with the on/off toggle button.
Encrypt form data
To add an extra layer of encryption to your form data, go to the Settings within the Form Builder.
Toggle on the Encrypt Form Data button to get started.

Next, verify your Jotform account with Google or your password. Click Verify to continue.
Pro Tip:
Some form features aren’t available with form encryption. When adding
encryption, the Form Builder will alert you if there’s a conflict, and you can
choose whether to proceed.

On the following screen, create an access code in the space provided. Check the box that explains
your access code will be needed to view form submissions. When ready, click Enable Encryption.
Password protected forms
If you want to require form submitters to use a password to access your form, go to the Settings
within the Form Builder. Click the Show More Options button to reveal the password protection
feature.

Check the box next to Enable password protection.
Next, create a unique password, and you’re all set.
Let’s take a look at some of these advanced features in action.

Case Study Letterbox Doughnuts: Form Builder features foster growth
Toronto’s Letterbox Doughnuts started out as

a pandemic-era side hustle catering to friends
and family who wanted to celebrate special
occasions during that trying time. Quickly, word
spread about the company’s tasty, letter-shaped
treats, and demand grew exponentially. Owners
Jonathan and Priom Oliver were prepared with
advanced Form Builder features that helped
grow their business.
“As we started to pick up momentum, Jotform

was fortunately in place. I think the business
would have started to fall apart at the seams
without it,” says Jonathan Oliver. Jotform’s
conditional logic and integrations with Slack and
Airtable provided a path for rapid growth. “We
just wouldn’t have been in business, or wouldn’t
have been able to do what we do.”
Priom and Jon of Letterbox Doughnuts in Toronto
Conditional logic streamlines complex ordering
The Letterbox Doughnuts form is for special orders and uses conditional logic to sort a bevy of customer
options. Form fields are dynamic and change based on responses to primary questions on the form.
“Conditional logic is a big piece for us,” Oliver says. “If [there’s] something as basic as a specific date
somebody wants, such as their wedding date, but we are fully booked on that day, it would be a pain to
go through that whole order process and then say, ‘Sorry, we can’t do it.’
“Then there’s what types of doughnuts you want. If you want ring doughnuts, there are questions only
applicable to ring doughnuts, or filled doughnuts, and so on.”

Display from the Letterbox Doughnuts store opening event in 2021
Letterbox Doughnuts uses another form service for other order forms, but the added functionality of
the Jotform Form Builder plays a key role for organizing large events.
“Jotform is really, really good at capturing intricate details for large events and weddings, and we use
the other order form as a more basic happy birthday type of form,” Oliver says. “Jotform allows us to
separate those two parts of the business.”
Letterbox Doughnuts’s special order form is well past the five digit submission mark. That’s a ton of
data. Jotform’s integrations help make that data easy to organize.
Integrations with Slack and Airtable streamline workflow
There are more than 100 integrations available within the Form Builder. These connect your form
to other valuable software programs. There are CRM integrations, payment integrations, storage
integrations, and more. They are easy to add; plus, they save time and boost productivity.
Slack and Airtable integrations expedite the Letterbox Doughnuts production workflow. The company
uses Jotform’s Slack integration to keep its employees updated on incoming orders. It also uses
Jotform’s Airtable integration to automatically transfer form submissions to its backend database.

“The integrations are a big piece for us,” says Oliver. “The form is integrated so that after a form is
completed, we’ll get a Slack notification. We’ll get a Jotform email notification as well. But the Slack
notification is a nice pop to mind because Slack is always open.
“The customer gets the Jotform email notification as well, and the submission is integrated into
Airtable, which is our backend ordering system.”
The daughter of a Letterbox Doughnuts client with a birthday arrangement
From conditional logic to integrations with Slack and Airtable, Jotform’s Form Builder was vital to the
rapid growth of Letterbox Doughnuts.
“We just wouldn’t have been in business or wouldn’t have been able to do what we do,” Oliver says. “The
amount of time we spent on 10 or 15 orders with Jotform was the amount of time we were spending on
two or three orders.
“Without Jotform, we would have stayed a cute little side hustle business.”

The first page of the Letterbox Doughnuts special order form
Form Builder updates

Jotform product teams consistently look for ways to improve all of Jotform’s products, and that
includes the Form Builder.
Take a look at some of the recent updates to Jotform’s No. 1 automation tool and take note: Half of
these updates were requested by Jotform users.
Conditions settings
Setting conditions on your form is even more intuitive after Jotform’s latest update. Icons have been
added to each conditional command, and advanced math equations have a new dedicated button
designed for seamless access.
In the If field, the question, “How many in your party” includes an icon of a dropdown menu to show
what type of question it is.

A new function key, in a vibrant purple color, is clear on the calculator, making it easier to set up
mathematical conditions.

The list of functions that appear after clicking the function key have a more polished look than before,
complete with matching purple icons.
Collaboration link
Jotform has clarified the process of adding collaborators to your form. The Add Collaborators button
is now at the top of the Form Builder. The new design of the popup, which includes a clock icon and a
countdown underneath the link, makes it clear when the collaboration link will expire.
For Jotform Enterprise users, collaboration links never expire. Contact the Jotform Enterprise sales team
to find out more.

Did you know?
You can add the Form Builder to Google Workspace via the Google Workspace
Marketplace!
The Google Workspace Marketplace is an online store with free and paid web
applications built for Google Workspace. Jotform’s free app provides an easy way to
open the Form Builder while using Google Workspace.
Simply search for and select Form Builder by Jotform in the marketplace, click the
Install button, and log into your Jotform account.
When setup is complete, you’ll be able to quickly open the Jotform Form Builder from
your list of Google Workspace apps and build the form you need in no time.

Form status setting
One of the most basic options in the Form Builder Settings is the status of your form. After a number
of Jotform users requested that the status of their forms be clearer, Jotform designers updated the
look of this setting.
There are five status settings, including Enabled and Disabled. When Enabled, the status is easily
viewable in green and reads “Enabled.” Click the form status to change it to Disabled and more.
Further options include Disable on specific date, Disable at submission limit, and Disable on specific
date or at submission limit. When one of the disabled options is activated, the font color changes
from green to blue.

Digest Emails
Jotform’s Digest Emails, which gather insights from multiple forms in a single email, debuted in 2023.
At the request of Jotform users, this feature is now available within the Form Builder.
Go to the Email tab of the Form Builder Settings. To create a digest email, click the Add email button.
On the following page, click on the Digest Email option.

The Form Builder will open the Digest Email settings in a new tab in your browser. Choose who you’d
like to receive the digest, how often it’s produced, and what time it’s sent. Click the Next button to
customize the look of the email.
When you click on an element within the body of the email, a gear icon appears next to it. Click on the
icon to customize the look of your digest email. You can include more forms in your email with the Add
Forms button.
Click the blue gear icon in the upper right corner of the page to reopen the settings from the previous
page. When finished, preview your email with the Test Email button or use the Create Digest button
to complete the setup.

Jotform designers and developers take the lead from Jotform users
You are part of the Form Builder story and what comes next in its development.
Don’t believe it? Read on to find out how Jotform designers and developers have always used
feedback from users to make improvements to Jotform.
The Marvel Team
Mercan Alper leads Jotform’s Marvel Team of designers and developers. Within the last year, the
Marvel Team embraced a new challenge. They are now the lead team in charge of all things Form
Builder, from updates to maintenance and more.
“As a designer, I always wanted to be part of this side of Jotform,” Alper says. “The Form Builder is the
core of Jotform. It’s a great product; it’s been working for nearly 20 years.”

The Marvel Team
According to senior product manager Kaan Cömert, every Jotform product team has a stake in the
Form Builder, because every form created with the Form Builder is connected to advanced Jotform
automation, such as Jotform Tables, Approvals, Reports, and much more.
Constant product feedback and evolution
Jotform’s suite of product tools is vast, as Alper learned quickly when she first joined the company.
“When I first started at Jotform, I suggested features and my colleagues kept telling me, ‘We already
have that,’ ” she says.
To maintain its automation products, Jotform has a culture of constant improvement. Since the
company’s inception, Jotform development has been driven by user feedback.
“In the early days, when Jotform had fewer than 10 employees, we would spend all Friday afternoon
watching usability tests,” says Jotform founder and CEO Aytekin Tank. “We’d have popcorn and watch
users try our product and our new features.”
He explains that if an issue arose, the team set a goal to fix it by the following Friday. To this day
at Jotform, the tradition continues and is known as Demo Day, when product teams present their
progress each week to their colleagues.
“We are always working to continually improve our products. One of the greatest things about Jotform
is that our users respond so quickly with feedback. It’s really great to learn from them,” Alper says.

Provide your feedback on the Form Builder and more
Ever used Jotform and needed some expert advice? Perhaps you have an idea for a new feature. Or
maybe you’d just like to tell us how much Jotform automation has made your life easier.
If you ever need to contact Jotform, it’s easy to reach Jotform support, which is available around the
clock.
“Every user has unique needs,” says Alper. “During design reviews, if more than two users want to
have a new feature, we need to think about it. We may develop it or not, but we need to think about
it because it’s so important. At Jotform, we don’t say, ‘Well it’s only two users.’ We always consider it
because it can be insightful for us.”
Jotform Form Builder: Our core product
The Form Builder and its array of features is connected to every Jotform automation tool — so much
so that even Jotform’s CEO works to maintain it as Jotform evolves.
“Everyone works on the Form Builder. If you check the log you can see everyone’s name there. You
can see Aytekin’s name there too,” Alper says.
Adds Cömert: “The Pegasus Team, who is responsible for the PDF Editor, is making changes to that
product. So they need to come and talk with us. Because at the end of the day, these changes apply
to the Form Builder, and we need to work together.
“The Form Builder is the core product. We need to collaborate with everyone.”
The Form Builder is rewarding on its own, but the more users dive into its advanced features, the more
likely it is they’ll find additional features, from the PDF Editor to Jotform Sign and more.
A tool for everyone
“As a designer, I use lots of tools. Everyone has their own way to use those tools,” Alper says. “It’s the
same with Jotform.
“You can do things in lots of different ways. And you can create lots of different workflows.”
While Alper is talking about Jotform as a whole, the same can be said about the Form Builder. A form
that only takes a few seconds to create can pay big dividends. For those who go further with their
forms, the rewards can be even greater.

Try a Form Builder feature you haven’t used before. Whether it’s a new Thank You page, conditional
logic, widgets or integrations, or anything else new to you, we want you to get the most out of
Jotform’s automation capabilities, starting with our core product, the Form Builder.

Conclusion
Aytekin Tank, Jotform’s founder and CEO, states in his book, Automate Your Busywork, that
“Automation isn’t about working less — it’s about spending your time on the work you care about.”
The work you care about is the special sauce that gives you and your business the best chance for
success.
In today’s fast-paced environment, your workflows should be automated, flexible, secure, integrated,
and user-friendly.
It just so happens that in most cases, those workflows begin with a form. Online forms are the catalyst
for Jotform’s larger mission of automation.
And since 2006, we’ve been intentional every step of the way to center our products on your needs.
User feedback has helped us build a forms platform with automation and usability features that
set the standard for the industry. Simply put, we’ll continue to do everything we can to remove
technological barriers and help you get more done.
So whether your form is a standard contact form collecting a minimal amount of data or a request
form that includes layers of conditional logic, approval tie-ins, tons of email notifications, e-signature
requirements, and a CRM integration, Jotform’s resources will help you create the workflow you need
to be successful.

Conclusion
Jotform pricing
While Jotform offers a free Starter plan with access to all core features, organizations gain even more
flexibility by subscribing to one of the paid plans.
There are four tiers of paid plans, each with different limits on the number of forms and submissions
and the amount of storage.
If your organization needs even more flexibility, the Enterprise plan has a custom price based on your
specific needs.

Conclusion
A form solution at scale: Jotform Enterprise

If you’re in need of a form solution that can support multiple users or are outgrowing your
existing single-user account, Jotform Enterprise is packed with features to maximize
collaboration and security.
An Enterprise plan amplifies your Form Builder experience with benefits like
• A multiuser account for secure collaboration

• Complete data and user management via the Admin Console
• Custom branding, including the URL, with white labeling
• Local data residency to enhance service and compliance
• Single sign-on integrations for streamlined security
• Role-based access and team workspaces
• HIPAA, CCPA, FERPA, GDPR, HECVAT, and SOC 2 solutions
• Dedicated customer success and support
Jotform Enterprise can also help you streamline your existing technology stack, saving your
organization money as well as time.
Jotform empowers you to
• Collect documents, e-signatures, and payments

• Schedule appointments and gather data in the field
• Build, automate, and share reports
• Organize resources with team workspaces and apps
With Jotform, you can eliminate single-service technology

providers in one fell swoop. Plus, our dedicated customer
success team can migrate your existing forms and submission
data in one business day, ensuring a seamless transition with
minimal downtime. Want to learn more?
Contact Enterprise sales or visit our website.

Conclusion
Custom Domain Service Level Agreement
Your online forms can be A Service Level Agreement

hosted using a custom URL (SLA) is available upon
on your company domain. request.
Business Associate Agreement White Labeling
A Customized Business Associate Incorporate your company

Agreement (BAA) is available upon brand and customize the
request. look and feel of your online
forms.
User Management Enterprise-Level Limits
Control who has access to Get unlimited access to the

forms and submissions. form tools you need.

Conclusion
Additional learning resources

Whether you like to learn by reading, watching a video, or something in between, we’ve got the
resources you need.
• Jotform Academy: Learn about Jotform from the experts who built it with this
immersive (and certificate granting) video course program.
• Jotform for Beginners, Vol. 1 & 2: For an instructive deep dive on all of Jotform’s features,
check out the Jotform for Beginners downloadable e-book series (available on Kindle too!).
• Form Support: An answer library for any and all user questions concerning the products and
features of the platform. Search the library or submit your own questions.
• Jotform User Guides: If it’s a Jotform product, chances are there’s a user guide that comes with
it. Explore the guides to learn how to use all of Jotform’s products and features.
• Jotform on YouTube: Finally, for recent announcements, user spotlights, how to’s, and
a repository of our webinars, our YouTube channel is a great resource.
Get started building

your form today!

The Ultimate Guide To Online Forms

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The Ultimate Guide To Online Forms

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Table of Contents

How online forms unlock your creative potential3

Top uses for online forms across type and industry5

Chapter 1 Form basics and fundamentals18

Creating a form from scratch21

Chapter 2 The Form Builder30

Customize your form to match your brand36

Chapter 3 Need-to-know Form Builder features and updates60

Jotform user data: Room for productivity growth60

Form Builder highlights61

Form Builder updates87

Additional learning resources 102

Maybe let’s try to get at this question in a more visual way.

The Ultimate Guide to Online Forms 1

At Jotform, we pride ourselves on inspiring the creative potential of online forms.

The Ultimate Guide to Online Forms 2

How online forms unlock your creative potential

The Ultimate Guide to Online Forms 3

30,000 users convert PDFs to online forms

More than 307,000 users manage data in their Tables workspace

295,000 users created mobile apps to collect data*

Over 25,000 users automated their e-signature workflows*

Over 116,000 users connected their data to third-party solutions for

*Totals for 2023

The Ultimate Guide to Online Forms 4

Top uses for online forms across type and industry

The Ultimate Guide to Online Forms 5

Top form uses

From products and work orders to food and subscriptions,

Users streamline planning for conferences, workshops, schools,

There are over 900 registration form templates to use as is or

Healthcare practices, spas and beauty salons, photographers,

Users can share appointment forms by embedding them on their

Appointment setting solutions like Calendly help sync availability.

The Ultimate Guide to Online Forms 6

Educational institutions, healthcare practices, and HR are big

Users employ best-in-class conditional logic to create more

Users collect payments for orders, donations, subscriptions,

The ability to connect to over 30 payment gateways like Square

Job application forms

A proper job application saves your organization time and

For instance, users can set up email notifications to notify relevant

The Ultimate Guide to Online Forms 7

Contract management forms

A growing number of users leverage Jotform for contract sign-

Jotform Sign allows contractors to capture e-signatures complete

The Ultimate Guide to Online Forms 8

best practices to help you

Thank You Page

The Ultimate Guide to Online Forms 9

Top industry uses

In the education industry, administrators need to send

Interconnectivity tip: Read how a dissertation

We offer nonprofit organizations and education institutions

The Ultimate Guide to Online Forms 10

Healthcare providers need to comply with

Interconnectivity tip: Use patient satisfaction

Everyone, from startups with a handful of employees to enterprise organizations made up

Interconnectivity tip: Use

The Ultimate Guide to Online Forms 11

The Ultimate Guide to Online Forms 12

Did you know?

Now let’s take a look at how Jotform helped one organization.

How online forms unlock your creative potential3

Top uses for online forms across type and industry5

Chapter 1 Form basics and fundamentals18

Creating a form from scratch21

Chapter 2 The Form Builder30

Customize your form to match your brand36

Chapter 3 Need-to-know Form Builder features and updates60

Jotform user data: Room for productivity growth60

Form Builder highlights61

Form Builder updates87

Additional learning resources 102