Forms
A form lets a person start a workflow by filling in a page — a leave request, a purchase request, an IT ticket. You build the form inside the workflow, share its link, and every response starts one run with the answers.
Two blocks make a form:
| Block | Where to find it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Form Trigger | Triggers section of the palette | The form's first page. Every response starts a run |
| Form Page | Logic category of the palette | A further page of the same form. The run waits there until the person filling in the form sends it |
Before the form accepts responses
A form is an automatic trigger, so the usual rule applies:
| Requirement | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| The workflow is Active | Switching a workflow on publishes it. While it is Inactive the link opens nothing |
| The form is in the published version | A form you add to, or change in, an active workflow stays in your draft until you click Publish changes |
See Publishing changes for how the draft and the published version work. The Link panel in the block always tells you whether the form is open right now — see Link status.
Building the form
- Open the workflow and add a Form Trigger block from the Triggers section of the palette.
- Double-click the block to open its settings.
- Type a Form title and, if you like, a Description.
- Under Fields, click Add field and write the first question.
- Click Save. The Link panel now shows the form's link.
- Connect the blocks that should handle the response, save again, and switch the workflow on.
Form Trigger settings
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Form title | The heading of the form. Required, at most 200 characters |
| Description | Shown under the title. At most 2,000 characters |
| Show the organisation's logo | Shows your organization's logo above the form |
| Cover image | A picture across the top of the form. Upload image takes a JPEG, PNG or WebP file of up to 5 MB; it is cropped to a wide strip. Use Replace image or Remove image to change it. People see a new image after you publish |
| Fields | The questions, plus any headings, text and documents between them. At least one question is required |
| Submit button text | The text on the button. Left empty, the button says Submit. At most 60 characters |
| Message after submitting | What the person sees after sending. Left empty, they see "Thank you, your response has been received." At most 2,000 characters |
| Privacy notice (KVKK), Consent sentence, Keep responses for (days) | Needed for a form that is open to everyone — see Opening a form to everyone. Keep responses for (days) is also required as soon as the form has a File question |
| Link | The form's link, its status, who can fill it in, and the preview |
Message after submitting is shown exactly as you wrote it. References such as <form.submitter.name> are not filled in there.
Fields
Each question is a card. Click the card's header to open or close it; use the arrows to move it up or down and the trash icon to delete it. A deleted field can be brought back with Undo right after you delete it.
| Part | What to put in it |
|---|---|
| Question | The question as the person reads it, for example Start date |
| Answer name | The name later steps use to read the answer. It is suggested from the question; you can type your own |
| Answer type | The kind of answer — see the table below |
| Required | Tick it when the form must not be sent without this answer |
| Hint | A short help text shown under the question |
Depending on the answer type, more settings appear:
| Answer type | The person sees | Extra settings |
|---|---|---|
| Short text | A one-line text box | Example answer, Longest answer (characters) — up to 2,000 |
| Long text | A larger text box | Example answer, Longest answer (characters) — up to 20,000 |
| A text box that accepts an email address | Example answer | |
| Number | A number box | Example answer, Smallest value, Largest value |
| Date | A date picker | — |
| Dropdown | A list to pick one option from | Choices |
| Single choice | Options of which one can be picked | Choices |
| Multiple choice | Options of which several can be picked | Choices, At least (choices), At most (choices) |
| Checkbox | A single box to tick | — |
| File | An area to choose or drop files | At most (files) — from 1 to 5 |
Write Choices one per line; a question can have at most 100 choices, all different.
Rules for the Answer name:
- it starts with a letter and uses only letters, digits and
_(at most 64 characters); - two fields cannot share a name;
- a few names are reserved — the card tells you when you pick one.
A card with a problem shows a red mark in its header and the reason inside, for example "Write the question." or "Another field already uses this answer name."
Changing an Answer name later breaks every step that already reads the answer under the old name. While a field is new, its suggested name follows the question as you type — settle the name before other steps start using it.
Headings, text and documents
Under the field list there are three more buttons:
| Button | Adds |
|---|---|
| Add heading | A section heading between the questions |
| Add text | A paragraph of explanation. You can use bold, italic, lists and links |
| Add document | A document the person filling in the form can download. Upload document takes a PDF, Word, Excel, CSV, PNG or JPEG file of up to 10 MB |
A form can hold at most 50 questions, 20 headings and text blocks, and 3 documents. Documents can be added to the first page only — not to a Form Page.
Preview
Click Preview the form in the Link panel to open Form preview. It shows your draft exactly as people will see it. Nothing is sent from there: fill in some answers and click Check answers to try the checks. When everything is valid you see "All answers pass the form's checks. In the live form, this is where they would be sent."
A field that still has a problem is left out of the preview until you fix it, and the button stays disabled until the form has at least one field without problems.
Sharing the form
The Link panel at the bottom of the Form Trigger's settings holds the link. Click the copy icon next to it and send the link to the people who should fill in the form.
Before the first save the panel says "Save the workflow to get this form's link." Only people who can edit the workflow see the link.
Link status
A line with a colored dot above the link tells you what happens when someone opens it:
| Status line | Meaning |
|---|---|
| "Live · people can fill in the form through this link" | The form is open |
| "Live, but your latest changes aren't published yet — people fill in the published version" | The form is open, but your saved edits wait for Publish changes |
| "Not accepting responses · switch the workflow on to open the form" | The workflow is Inactive |
| "Not accepting responses yet · publish the workflow to open the form" | The form is not in the published version yet |
| "Not accepting responses · this form step is switched off in the published version — switch it on and publish" | The Form Trigger block is disabled in the published version |
| "Not accepting responses · the published form has a problem — fix it here and publish" | The published form is incomplete |
| "Closed · the person who published it can no longer run this workflow — publish it again to take it over" | The publisher left or lost access. Click Publish again; from then on the form's runs use your access |
| "Paused · this form's link was paused, so it opens nothing" | Click Resume the link |
| "Closed · this platform doesn't serve forms open to everyone right now, so the link opens nothing — choose signed-in people below, or ask your administrator" | The form is set to be open to everyone, but that is not allowed on your platform at the moment |
The panel also lists, in an amber box, what is still wrong with the form itself — for example "Give the form a title." or "Add at least one field."
Who can fill it in
Under Who can fill it in you choose one of two options:
| Option | Who can open the form |
|---|---|
| Signed-in people of your organisation with the “Form: submit” permission | People of your organization who are signed in to Arketic. This is the default |
| Anyone with the link, without signing in | Anybody who has the link — customers, applicants, suppliers |
By default every Member, Executive and Admin may submit forms. A person with the Restricted role needs a custom role that includes this permission — see Roles & Permissions.
Opening a form to everyone
The second option is available only where your platform allows forms open to everyone. Where it does not, the option is disabled and reads "Forms open to everyone aren't switched on for this platform." — ask your administrator.
A form can be opened to everyone only when all of this is true:
| Requirement | Where you set it |
|---|---|
| It has a privacy notice — who processes the answers, why, and for how long | Privacy notice (KVKK), at most 5,000 characters |
| It has a consent sentence. The visitor must tick its box before sending; the box starts unticked | Consent sentence, at most 500 characters |
| It says how long responses are kept. After that many days a response and its run are deleted | Keep responses for (days), from 1 to 3,650 |
| It does not continue on a later page | Remove any Form Page that follows it |
| No field asks for a password, a PIN, a card number or a card security code | Change the field |
Choosing the option opens the confirmation Open this form to everyone? Click Open to everyone to confirm. If something is missing you are told what: "The form can't be opened to everyone yet: …". The same rules are checked again every time you publish.
To go back, choose the first option and confirm with Close to everyone. People with the link can no longer open the form, and anyone filling it in at that moment cannot send it.
Responses to a form that is open to everyone come from people you don't know, and each one runs the published workflow with its publisher's access. Check what the following steps do with the answers. The senders stay anonymous: <form.submitter.name> and <form.submitter.email> are empty.
Adding more pages
A Form Page block is a further page of the same form. Place it after the Form Trigger, with any steps you need in between — for example a Condition that decides which page comes next.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Page title | The heading of the page. Required |
| Description | Shown under the title |
| Fields | The questions of this page, built like the first page's. Headings and text are available; documents are not |
| Submit button text | The text on the button. Left empty, the button says Submit |
When the run reaches a Form Page it pauses, the page opens for the person who is filling in the form, and their answers continue the run.
Rules for a Form Page:
- it can only be reached from a Form Trigger;
- the steps of that form may not include a loop or a parallel branch;
- its texts are shown exactly as written —
<…>references are not allowed in them; - only a signed-in person can answer it, so a form with later pages cannot be open to everyone.
A Form Page cannot be tried with Run in the editor. A test run stops there with "Not a mistake: a form's next page opens only for someone filling in the published form. To try it, publish the workflow and fill in the form."
What the person filling in the form sees
Opening the link shows the form: the logo and cover image if you chose them, the title, the description, and the questions in your order. Required questions are marked (required).
Answer checks
An answer is checked when the person leaves the field and again when they send the form. If something is wrong, a red box at the top lists every question to fix — "Fix 2 answers to send the form" — and each question shows its own message:
| Message | When |
|---|---|
| "Fill in this field." | A required answer is empty |
| "Choose an option." / "Choose at least one option." | A required choice is missing |
| "Tick this box to continue." | A required checkbox is not ticked |
| "Enter an email address like name@company.com." | The email address is not valid |
| "Enter a number." | The answer is not a number |
| "Enter 5 or more." / "Enter 10 or less." | The number is outside the limits you set |
| "Enter a valid date." | The date is not valid |
| "Use at most 2,000 characters." | The text is too long. A counter next to the field shows how much is used |
| "Choose a file." | A required file is missing |
Files
A File question shows "Choose a file or drop it here", with its limits written underneath.
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| File type | Any |
| Size of one file | Up to 10 MB |
| Files in one question | As many as you allowed, at most 5 |
| Files in one send, all questions together | At most 5 files and 25 MB |
While the form is being sent the page shows the upload progress and then "Scanning the files…". Every file is scanned before it is accepted. A file that does not pass is named — "… did not pass the security scan. Remove it and choose another file." — and the answers stay on the page.
A document you attached appears with a Download button.
A form with several pages
After each page is sent, the person sees Preparing the next page — "The next page opens here when it is ready." If that takes more than about ten seconds, the page adds that they may leave and shows a Continue later button.
The next page opens with the note "Send this page by …" and a date and time.
A person who comes back later opens the same link. A notice says You have an unfinished response to this form, with the date until which it can be continued:
- Continue your response opens the page where they stopped;
- sending the first page again starts a new response and ends the unfinished one.
After sending
| The person sees | When |
|---|---|
| Your response was sent, with your Message after submitting | The form is complete. Send another response starts over |
| Your request is waiting for approval | The workflow reached an approval. The page says until when the approvers have, and the person may leave |
| This response has ended | The time to answer ran out, the form was closed, or the workflow stopped. Fill in the form again starts a new response |
When the form cannot be opened or sent
| The person sees | Meaning |
|---|---|
| This form can't be opened | The form does not exist, is not accepting responses, or is not published yet. The page does not say which — the person should ask whoever sent the link |
| You can't fill in forms | The person does not have the permission to submit forms. An administrator can grant it |
| "This form was changed while you were filling it in. It's updated here — check your answers and send again." | You published a new version while the form was open |
| "This form stopped accepting responses. Your answers were not sent." | The form was closed while it was open |
| "You've sent this form several times in the last minute. Wait a minute and try again." | Too many sends in a short time |
| "Forms are busy right now. Your answers are still here — try again in a few minutes." | A temporary overload |
A form that is open to everyone
A visitor who is not signed in sees the same form with a few differences:
- a bar at the top names your organization — "… prepared this form" — and states that Arketic never asks for passwords in forms;
- your privacy notice is shown before the button, followed by the consent box, which must be ticked;
- the fixed words of the page, such as (required) and the error messages, are in the account language of the person who published the workflow;
- after sending, the visitor sees Sent and your Message after submitting.
Using the answers in the workflow
A form run hands these values to the following steps:
| Value | How to read it |
|---|---|
| An answer | <blockname.answer_name> — each field card shows the exact reference, for example <formtrigger.start_date> |
| When the form was submitted | <blockname.submittedAt> |
| Which form the response came through | <blockname.formId> |
| Who submitted it | <form.submitter.name> and <form.submitter.email> — empty for a form that is open to everyone |
The answers of a Form Page are read the same way, under that block's own name.
What arrives depends on the answer type:
| Answer type | Arrives as |
|---|---|
| Short text, Long text, Email, Date, Dropdown, Single choice | Text |
| Number | A number |
| Multiple choice | A list of the chosen options |
| Checkbox | True or false |
| File | A file a later step can read; a list of files when the question allows more than one |
See Variables for how references work in general.
What a form run may do
A form run works with the access of the person who published the workflow, on behalf of whoever sent the form. To keep that safe, a form run is more limited than other runs:
- it cannot use connected accounts;
- every recipient, target or record a step picks must be a fixed value in the workflow, or the sender — not something typed into the form.
A step that breaks these rules is named when you publish — see When publishing is refused.
Form runs in Logs
In the Logs tab, form runs carry the Form trigger pill.
While a form with several pages waits for its next page, the run's status is Paused with the note "Waits for the person filling in the form". There is no Resume button on such a run: only the person's answer continues it.
Files sent with a form appear in the run's detail. Each one shows until when it is kept — "kept for the form's retention period, deleted on …". The Download button is offered to the person who published the workflow and, by default, to Admins and Executives; your organization can give it to other people through a custom role.
See Logs for the full walkthrough.
When publishing is refused
Switching the workflow on, or clicking Publish changes, checks every form first. If a check fails, a message starting "Couldn't publish:" names the form or step. The common ones:
| The message says | What to do |
|---|---|
| the form needs a title | Fill in Form title |
| the form needs at least one field | Add a question under Fields |
| the form is incomplete — open it and fix the marked fields | Open the block and fix the cards with a red mark |
| the form has more fields or more headings and text blocks than a form can hold, or more than 3 documents | Keep to 50 questions, 20 headings and text blocks, 3 documents |
| the form has a title, description, button text or message that is too long | Shorten the text |
| the form has a cover image that can't be used | Upload the image again or remove it |
| a step can't run from a form | The step is not allowed in a form run, for example because it uses a connected account. Remove it or move it to another workflow |
| a step needs a fixed value in "…" to run from a form | Type a fixed value into the named setting instead of a reference |
| a form page can only be reached from a Form Trigger | Connect the Form Page after a Form Trigger |
| a form page follows a form whose steps include a loop or parallel branch | Take the loop or parallel branch out of the form's steps |
a form page has <…> references | Write the page's texts as plain text |
| a step has a document; a document can be added to a form's first page only | Move the document to the Form Trigger |
| the form is open to everyone and needs a privacy notice, a consent sentence or the number of days responses are kept | Fill in the three settings — see Opening a form to everyone |
| the form is open to everyone but continues on a later page | Remove the page, or open the form to signed-in people only |
| the form is open to everyone and its field "…" asks for a password, PIN or card detail | Change the field, or open the form to signed-in people only |
| the form takes files and needs the number of days its responses and files are kept | Fill in Keep responses for (days) |
Fix what the message names, save, and publish again. Until then the triggers keep running the previous version.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| The link shows This form can't be opened | The workflow is Inactive, or the form is not in the published version. Check the status line in the Link panel |
| People still see the old questions | Your edits are saved but not published. Click Publish changes |
| The Link panel shows no link | Save the workflow first. If it says "Only people who can edit this workflow see the form's link.", you can view the workflow but not edit it |
| Anyone with the link, without signing in cannot be chosen | Forms open to everyone are not allowed on your platform — ask your administrator |
| A colleague sees You can't fill in forms | Their role does not include the permission to submit forms |
| A later step shows an empty answer | The reference uses a different Answer name than the field. Copy the reference shown on the field card |
<form.submitter.name> is empty | The form is open to everyone, so the sender is anonymous |
| Preview the form is disabled | Add at least one field without problems |
Related pages
- Approvals — ask people to approve a request that came in through a form
- Running Workflows — activating, publishing, and every other way a workflow can start
- Blocks — what each trigger and step does
- Variables — reading values from earlier steps
- Logs — review every form run, step by step
- Roles & Permissions — who may submit forms