home

MinistryPlatform

RealmRealm AccountingMinistryPlatformeGivingPDSACSConnectShepherdGrowth MethodHeadMasterRefresh WebsitesTrust CenterGo MethodMissionInsite
RealmRealm AccountingMinistryPlatformeGivingPDSACSConnectShepherdGrowth MethodHeadMasterRefresh WebsitesTrust CenterGo MethodMissionInsite

What would you like to know more about?

Show Contents

Show Page Sections

thumbnailMinistryPlatform

Custom Forms

Create a Form

Instructions to create a Custom Form in MinistryPlatform without using the Form Editor Tool.

Tip: The best and easiest way to create a form is to use the Form Editor Tool!
If, for some reason, you need to create a Form outside of the Form Editor Tool, you can add the record directly.
  1. Go to Custom Forms > Forms.
  2. Click New Form.
  3. Enter a Form Title. The Form Title field does not support HTML. If you are having problems with the Form Responses Tool or other reports, remove the HTML from the Form title.
  4. Enter the Instructions on your form.
    • If the form is standalone and you set Get Contact Info and/or Get Address Info to Yes, these instructions display at the top of the Form.
    • If the Form is accessed as part of event registration, an opportunity to serve, or mission trip registration, the instructions display after the Attendee and Product details and before the Form Fields.
  5. The Complete Message displays when the form is submitted through the Portal Custom Form Page. This only displays if used as a standalone form on the Portal. To set a Complete Message for a Custom Form in the Custom Form Widget, set the complete message Application Label.
  6. The Primary Contact field is used by the default Form Response Process to identify the Contact to notify and is available for custom Views and Processes.
  7. The Notify field, if set to Yes, is used by the default Form Response Process and is available for custom Views and Processes.
    Note: Using the Form Response Process is great for non-event registration-related forms. But it is not recommended for event registration forms because it's possible for a person to complete the form, but not finish their event registration, causing confusion all around. If you're tracking event registrations, use a view notification showing responses from the past 24 hours or seven days. These responses can then be compared to the registered Event Participants.
  8. For standalone forms, you can also add a template to the Response Message field. The routine runs every 15 minutes and sends the message to everyone who fills out your form.
  9. Optional: If needed, set a congregation for your Form to ensure individuals are limited to Locations allowed by Global Filter permissions.
  10. If the form is a Requirement to serve with a ministry:
    1. Add the number of months until the form expires to the Months Till Expires field.
      Add 12 for a form that needs to be completed annually.
    2. Add a number of days to the Expiring Soon Days field. This indicates when the Participant's Qualifications and Certification should start displaying as expiring soon.
  11. If you want individuals to log in before they can complete the form, select Yes for Force Login.
    Note: When a form that requires a login is added to an Event, Mission Trip, or Opportunity, the individual is not able to sign up unless they are an authenticated user.
  12. Click Save.
Add fields to the Form.

Add Fields to a Custom Form

Instructions to manually add fields to a Custom Form in MinistryPlatform without using the Form Editor Tool.

Note: We strongly recommend you use the Form Editor Tool for all tasks related to form fields, including to add, edit, and rearrange form fields, field options, and drop-down lists.
  1. Go to Custom Forms > Forms.
  2. Locate and open your Form.
  3. On the Fields tab, click New Field.
  4. Enter the values for your Form Field.
  5. Click Save.
  6. Repeat these steps for all the fields you want to include on the Custom Form.

Form Fields

These fields are editable on Custom Form records.

Note: Form Fields are unique to an individual form. If you want to apply the same Fields to an additional form, you can copy a form and select the Fields check box in the Copy Sub Page Data drop-down list.
Note: The Alternate Label field is the only field that supports HTML formatting. Including HTML in other fields may result in unintended behavior when the Form is completed. We strongly recommend using the Form Editor Tool to edit your Custom Form.
Field Order
Indicate a number to determine the question order in relation to other fields. We recommend that you order your fields by fives or tens (for example, 5, 10, 15, 20) so that you can easily add questions in between existing fields without having to reorder everything.
Field Label
Indicate a label or question so people will understand how they need to answer. This field has limited characters, so you can use the Alternate Label if you have a long question or statement. If you enter something in the Alternate Label, the contents of the Field Label do not display on the Form.
Field Type
Indicate the type of information to collect:
  • Checkbox: Adds a single check box (option to select or clear). This is a single check box per field. If you want to create a list of check boxes, you can create an Instructions field with the question in the Field Label, then create Check box fields where the Field Label indicates each of the choices that users can select.
  • Date: Adds a calendar pick box.
  • Drop-down List: Adds a drop-down list where the respondent can choose one option from a list of predefined options.
  • File Upload: Adds drag-and-drop or browse functionality so individuals can upload files through Custom Form Answers. This is only available when using the Custom Form Widget. Files are stored as attachments on the Form Field Answer record in the Platform.
  • Instructions: Adds a text field for instructions or additional information. This field type does not collect data.
  • Memo/Large Text Box: Adds a large text box to allow for lengthy responses (up to 30,000 characters).
  • Radio Buttons Horizontal: Adds radio buttons (circular options) where the respondent can choose one option from predefined options. The radio buttons are situated horizontally, one after another.
  • Radio Buttons Vertical: Adds radio buttons (circular options) where the respondent can choose one option from predefined options. The radio buttons are situated vertically, one on top of another.
  • Text Box: Adds space for a short response (up to 250 characters).
Field Values
If your Field Type allows for predefined options, like radio buttons and drop-down lists, indicate the response options here. Separate the various options by pressing Enter.
Required
If Yes, individuals will not be able to complete the form without this field being answered.
Note: If a field is hidden based on the conditional logic configured in the Depends On field, it will not be required.
Placement Required
Indicates whether answers to this field will lead to an internal process, like the respondent being placed in a Group or Event based on their answer. Respondents do not see this.
Alternate Label
Indicate a label or question if the Field Label did not provide enough room. This is ideal for lengthy questions or statements, and you can include formatting such as bold, italics, and links. Comfortably holds 825 characters; anything longer will be cut off or overlap the text box.
Is Hidden
If set to Yes, this field will not display in Widgets or PocketPlatform.
Note: Hidden fields will never be required, even if the Required field is set to Yes. This way, respondents don't run into a situation where they can't submit the form due to a question they can't see.
Depends On
Indicates if the current Form Field is dependent on another one. The current Form Field will be shown or hidden based on the respondent's answer to the Form Field selected here. For more on this, see Conditional Logic.
Depends On Value
The singular Field Value from the selected Form Field that the respondent must choose for the current Form Field to be shown. For more on this, see Conditional Logic.

Remove Fields from a Custom Form

Instructions to remove a field from a Custom Form that doesn't have any answers yet without hiding the form field.

Important: Do not remove fields from Forms where Form Answers have already been collected. Instead of removing questions when Form Answers have already been collected, we recommend hiding the question on the Form. That way, you can keep the collected answers in case you need to report on them later. No further Answers will be collected for the question since people filling out the Form are not able to see it. To do this, set the question's Hidden field to Yes. Alternatively, you can create a "Graveyard" form and assign the field you want to inactivate to that form. Then, if you need to report on past answers, you could reassign the form field back to the correct form.
  1. Go to Custom Forms > Forms.
  2. Locate and open your Form.
  3. On the Fields tab, select the Field(s) to remove.
  4. Change your selection to Current/Unsaved Selection.
  5. From the Actions menu, select Delete.
  6. Review the dependent records, and make a selection if needed.
  7. Click Delete.
MinistryPlatform
portal

Last updated: May 7, 2024