Building a form
Fields, pages, simple show/hide logic, file uploads and templates.
Field types
In Build, choose Add. The list has a search box, and you can press / to search. Fields are grouped, for example Text, Choice, Contact, Date and time, Files and Layout.
| Field | What it is |
|---|---|
| Short answer, Long answer | Free text, one line or many |
| Email, Cell number | Checked for a valid address. The cell number is a South African number |
| Number | A number, with an optional smallest and largest value |
| Date | A date |
| Multiple choice | One answer, shown as a dropdown or as radio buttons |
| Choose many | Several answers from a list |
| Checkbox, Yes or no | A tick, or a yes or no answer |
| Rating | Stars |
| File upload | A PDF, photo or document |
| Consent | A tick with your own wording |
| SA ID number | Checked for a valid ID number |
| Address | An address with province |
| Signature | A signature drawn on screen |
| Section heading, Text block, Divider line, Space, Picture | Layout. They show something but ask nothing |
| Repeating group | A set of questions people can repeat |
| Grid | Several rows rated on one scale |
| Ranking | People put choices in order |
| Total | Adds up prices, points or numbers |
| Payment details | Shows bank details people pay into |
Payment details only shows your bank details on the form. SharpForm does not take or move the money. People pay you themselves.
You can mark an answer as private. Private answers are not used to route emails or sent to the AI.
Admins and owners can also save a section and reuse it on other forms. Saved sections appear in the Add list.
Pages and logic
Long forms are easier to fill in when split into pages. Add pages in Build and put fields on each one.
Show or hide
Open a field or a page and look for Show this field when (pages say Show this page when). Choose an earlier answer and a value. The field only shows when the answer matches.
Jump to another page
A page can send people to a different page, depending on an answer.
Endings
Endings are what people see after they send the form. You can write your own thank-you message.
Open and close dates
You can set when the form opens and when it closes in the form settings.
File uploads
Add a File upload field to ask for a PDF, a photo or a document.
| Plan | Biggest file | Storage |
|---|---|---|
| Trial | 10 MB | 500 MB |
| Starter | 25 MB | 2 GB |
| Pro | 25 MB | 10 GB |
| Business (coming soon) | 25 MB | 50 GB |
Uploaded files appear with the answer under Responses. There is also a Documents view that lists them.
Logos and pictures you add to a form must be under 2 MB.
Templates
A template is a form that is ready to go. When you choose New form, pick Start from a template.
- Use Search templates to find one.
- Each template shows how many questions it has and what it asks for. Private questions are marked.
- Choose Use this template. You can rename it and change everything afterwards.
Only admins of an organisation can create forms.