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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 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. You can't use HTML for the Form Title field. If you have 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 respondents must access the Form 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 a respondent submits the form 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 default Form Response Process uses the Primary Contact field to identify the Contact to notify. You can use it for custom Views and Processes.
  7. If the Notify field is set to Yes, the default Form Response Process uses it. You can use it for custom Views and Processes.
    Note: It may be helpful to use the Form Response Process for non-event registration-related forms. But we don't recommend using it for event registration forms because a person may complete the form, but not finish their event registration, causing confusion. If you track event registrations, use a view notification that displays responses from the past 24 hours or seven days. You can then compare these responses 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 completes 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 in 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 display as expiring soon.
  11. If you want individuals to log in before they can complete the form, select Yes for Force Login.
    Note: When you add a form that requires a login to an Event, Mission Trip, or Opportunity, the respondent can't sign up unless they are an authenticated User.
  12. Click Save.
You can add fields to your custom 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.

Form Fields are unique to an individual form. 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: You can only use HTML formatting for the Alternate Label field. If you include HTML in other fields, it may affect your Form's behavior when someone completes it. We strongly recommend you use 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 reordering everything.
Field Label
Indicate a label or question so people 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. 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 people can select.
  • Date: Adds a calendar select 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 function so respondents can upload one file (up to 20 MB) through Custom Form Answers. This is only available when you use the Custom Form Widget. Files store as attachments on the Form Field Answer record in the Platform. Accepted file types include .pdf, .png, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .jfif, .pjpeg, .pjp, and .avif.
    Note: Uploaded images are resized down to 800 pixels.
  • 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 long responses (up to 30,000 characters).
  • Radio Buttons Horizontal: Adds radio buttons (circular options) where the respondent can select one option from predefined options. The radio buttons display horizontally, one after another.
  • Radio Buttons Vertical: Adds radio buttons (circular options) where the respondent can select one option from predefined options. The radio buttons display 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 set to Yes, individuals must complete this field to submit this form.
Note: If a field is hidden based on the Depends On field, it will not be required.
Placement Required
Indicates whether answers to this field lead to an internal process, like placing the respondent 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 long questions or statements, and you can include formatting such as bold, italics, and links. Comfortably holds 825 characters; anything longer cuts off or overlaps the text box.
Is Hidden
If set to Yes, this field will not display in Widgets or PocketPlatform.
Note: Hidden fields are never required, even if the Required field is set to Yes. This way, respondents can't submit the form due to a question they can't see.
Depends On
Indicates if the current Form Field depends on another one. The current Form Field displays or hides 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 select for the current Form Field to display. 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 with Form Answers. Instead of removing questions when you've already collected Form Answers, we recommend you hide the question on the Form. That way, you can keep the collected answers if you need to report on them later. No more Answers come in for the question since people completing the Form can't 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, 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.
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Last updated: July 12, 2024