Public Forms intro
Public Forms page
Creating a new Public Form
Editing an existing Public Form
Sharing a Public Form URL
Filling out and submitting a Public Form
Paying for Public Forms
Searching and viewing Public Forms
Automations driven by Public Forms
Disabling or Deleting a Public Form

Public Forms

The GoFormz Public Forms feature lets you more easily collect information from people outside of your organization. This is accomplished by creating publicly accessible forms, i.e. forms that can be used without logging into a GoFormz account. This allows anyone to fill out forms and submit them to your account, regardless of whether they have a GoFormz login or not.

There are two different types of Public Forms — Single-Use and Multi-Use — and each is ideal for a different type of scenario.

A Single-Use Public Form Link is created when you make an existing FORM in your account public. This type of link can only be filled out once and can be shared directly with the recipient by email or text message. You can also choose to copy the link directly and share it any way you would like. Once the form is submitted, it cannot be submitted again. This is ideal when you need to gather information from one specific individual. For instance, you might need to get an approval or signature from a customer or partner.
A Multi-Use Public Form Link is created when you make an existing TEMPLATE public. This type of link can be filled out multiple times and can be shared by copying the public link that is generated. Each time this link is opened, a new form based on this template is shown and ready to be filled out by the user. This is ideal for situations where you are looking to gather the same information from a number of different people at once. Common use cases include surveys and questionnaires, where you don't necessarily know exactly who will be filling out your form or how many data points you will have.

See here for more on the distinction between forms and templates.

Public Forms work by sharing a public instance of your form or template. This is done two different ways depending on which of the scenarios chosen above:

Single-Use Public Form Links can be shared by:
- Generating an email with the link to a single recipient
- Sending a Text Message with the link to a single recipient
- Copying the public link directly and sharing it externally with the recipient.
- Note: Once a choice is made above, you cannot go back and choose a different method of sharing for the same link.
Multi-Use Public Forms generate a URL which can then be distributed to select recipients via email, through a sharing app, or on your website.

When the recipient loads the Public Form, they will see the Public Form Editor with the form inside it:

For Single Use forms, this will be the individual form that was made public. If the form has some fields that have already been pre-filled, they will remain pre-filled.
For Multi-Use forms, this will be a brand new form created from the template that was made public, with no pre-filled fields.

The recipient of the Public Form can then use the Public Form Editor to fill out and submit the form. The submitted form will be stored in your GoFormz account.

Public Forms can only be filled out using the Public Form Editor, which is a limited version of the Web Form Editor and can be used without logging into GoFormz. Public Forms cannot be filled out using the GoFormz mobile app. To use a Public Form on a mobile device, you must use the Public Form Editor in your mobile web browser.

GoFormz charges for Public Forms using per-submission credits, which can be purchased on the Public Forms page at any time. Each time a Public Form is submitted, 1 credit is used up. Note that a credit is only used once a form is submitted, NOT when it is created.

Public Forms page

Public Forms are managed via the Public Forms page. This is where you can create, edit, and delete your Public Forms. You can also view Public Form usage, obtain Public Form URLs for sharing, or resend Public Forms shared via email. To access this page, select Public Forms in the top menu.

You can do the following from the Public Forms page:

Create a new form by clicking the Create button in the top right corner
Add credits to your account with the Add Credits button in the top right
Search and filter your Public Forms using the search bar and funnel-shaped Filter button in the top right
View a list of all your existing Public Forms, and perform various management actions on these forms, including editing, sharing, and deleting forms

The bulk of the page displays a list of the Public Forms in your account, with different icons used for Single Use and Multi-Use forms to make them easier to tell apart. The name, number of submissions, expiration date, and last submission date are displayed for each Public Form, and you can sort the Public Forms on any of these four attributes.

The following actions are available for each Public Form from the [. . .] Actions menu:

Resend (Single Use forms sent by email or text message): Resend the Public Form via email to the recipient.
Copy Link (Multi-Use forms OR Single-use forms shared by copying link):: Copy the Public Form link to your clipboard, allowing you to share the link.
View Forms (Multi-Use forms only): View a list of all forms submitted using this Public Form template. The list will open in the Forms Tab, with the appropriate filter applied.
Open Form (Single Use forms only): Open the submitted Public Form in the Web Form Editor.
Edit: Change this Public Form’s configuration. You can change the form’s name, the set of fields that can be completed, and the expiration date. You cannot change the template or form underlying the Public Form.
Delete: Delete this Public Form. This will not delete any forms that were submitted via this Public Form.

Additionally, you can enable/disable a Public Form using the toggle in its Enabled column.

Creating and distributing a new Public Form

To create a new Public Form, do the following:

Create the Public Form. On the Public Forms page, click the Create button at the top to launch the Public Form creation wizard.
Select Public Form type. Choose whether you want to create a Multi-Use or Single Use Public Form. Click Choose a Template for a Multi-Use form or Choose a Form for a Single Use form.

3. Select your form or template. In the next screen, select the form or template that you want to make public. You can use the search bar at the top to search by keyword. In the example below, we've selected the "Job Inspection and Service Report" template. Click Next once you’ve chosen the desired form or template.

4. Configure the Public Form settings.** In the Configure your Public Form screen, fill in the following:

In the Public Form Name field, type in the desired name for this form, or just leave the default name.
In the Choose fields to be completed section, check the boxes next to the names of the fields that you want to be editable in this form. By default, all fields will be editable. Fields that are not editable will appear as read-only in the Public Form Editor, i.e. they will not be highlighted in color.
In the Form View Type section, choose if you want your form to be completed in Form View or List View.
If you want this Public Form to expire, switch on the Expiration toggle and select the desired expiration date from the calendar.

5. Save the new Public Form. Once you’ve finished configuring the form, click the Save Public Form button in the lower right to create the new Public Form.

6a. [For Multi-Use Public Forms Only] Share the Public Form URL with the intended recipients. Finally, on the next screen, we display the new form’s name and the Public Form URL. Share this URL with anyone that needs to fill out the form. You can use the Copy link button to copy the URL to your clipboard, or the Email link button to create an email in your email client, containing some default text along with the Public Form URL. Click Close once you are done.

6b. [For Single-Use Public Forms Only] Choose how you would like to share your Public Form. Next, you will be presented with 3 options for how you would like to share your Single-Use Public Form with the intended recipient.

Send your Public Form via Email. If Email is chosen, you will be talked to a final screen where you will enter:

Recipient Name
Recipient Email Address
Email Subject
Email Body (there is no character limit for the body of the email sent, however, the link will be placed in a button below your custom message)

When you are ready, click Send and an email containing the Form-based Public Form link will be sent to the person identified.

Send your Public Form via Text. If Text is chosen, you will be taken to a final screen where you will enter:

Recipient Name
Recipient Phone Number (note: must follow the E.164 formate. Ex: +15554448888)
Custom Message (note: character count is limited to 110 characters total. The Link will be appended to the bottom of the message sent)

Once the public form is Sent, the link will be appended to the bottom of the text message and the link will be shared in a single text message to the recipient.

Copy Link of the Public Form. Finally, you can choose to simply copy the link of the public form and share it externally in any way you would like.

**Note on database fields: If your template has a database field, you will have to make the DataSource used for that database field publicly available. Otherwise, your Public Form users will not see the dropdown options for that field and will not get any field auto-fill benefits associated with using the DataSource. To make the DataSource publicly available, navigate to the Account tab, select Manage DataSources from the More menu at the top of the app, and click the Public column of your DataSource to toggle it to “Yes”, as shown below. See here for more on DataSources.

Editing an existing Public Form

To edit an existing Public Form's configuration, open the Public Forms page and choose the Edit option from the [. . .] Actions dropdown menu next to the form you wish to edit. This brings up the same Configure Your Public Form screen that you see in step 4 of the creation flow described above. Here, you can change the Public Form's name, the set of fields that can be completed, and the expiration date. After you are done making changes, click the Save Public Form button at the bottom of the screen to save.

Filling out and submitting a Public Form

To fill out and submit a Public Form, simply point your browser at the Public Form URL provided to you. The form will open in the Public Form Editor, which is similar to the Web Form Editor but with limited functionality. The Public Form Editor does not require a login, and therefore can be used by anyone that has the appropriate URL.

Editable fields in the form will be highlighted; in the example below, the “Date” and “Reported Problem” fields are editable, while all other fields are read-only. To edit a field, simply click on it. Depending on the field, you will either see a cursor prompting you to start typing, or a control prompting you to select or enter data (e.g. a dropdown, date selector, signature box, etc.). See here for more on form fields. Use the controls in the footer to move between form pages, as well as to zoom in and out.

Once you are done filling out the form, click the Submit button at the top to submit the form. After you complete the form, you will see a thank you screen. Click the View a copy of your form link on this screen to view your form and save it for your records.

Public Forms cannot be filled out using the GoFormz mobile app. To fill out a Public Form on a mobile device, you must use the Public Form Editor in your mobile web browser.

Public Forms work by generating a URL, which can then be distributed to the desired recipients. Anyone that has the URL can then load it in order to fill out and submit the form.

To share a Public Form's URL, open the Public Forms page and choose the Copy Link option from the [. . .] Actions dropdown menu next to the desired form. This will copy the Public Form's URL to your clipboard. Now you can paste the URL into an email, a sharing app or your website in order to share it.

Paying for Public Forms

GoFormz charges for Public Forms using per-submission credits, which can be purchased on the Public Forms page. Each time a Public Form is submitted, 1 credit is used up — regardless of whether it is a Multi-Use or Single Use form. Note that a credit is only used once a form is submitted, NOT when it is created. Each account gets 25 Public Form credits for free.

To purchase credits, click the Add Credits button at the top right of the Public Forms page. Then in the Buy Credits dialog box, select the desired bundle of credits from the dropdown, and click Buy. Credits are sold in bundles of various sizes from 100 to 15,000. You can choose the appropriate bundle for your needs based on how often you expect Public Forms to be used in your account. Once you click the Buy button, the credit card you have on file with GoFormz will be charged.

Searching and viewing Public Forms

The Public Forms page contains useful information about each of your existing Public Forms, including the number of times each form has been submitted (Submissions column) and the timestamp when the form was last submitted (Last Submitted Date column). If the Public Form has been submitted, the [. . .] Actions menu next to it lets you view the submissions:

For Multi-Use forms, the View Forms option brings up a list of all forms submitted using this Public Form template.
For Single Use forms, the Open Form option opens the submitted form in the Web Form Editor.

The Public Forms page also has several features that help you find a particular form, which is especially useful if you have a lot of Public Forms in your account. This includes the ability to sort forms, search by keyword, filter by type, and filter by form/template.

Sorting. You can sort the Public Forms by the Name, Submissions, Expires and Last Submitted Date columns. To do so, simply click on those column headers; click a second time to toggle between ascending and descending order sorts. This is handy for finding forms that were submitted most recently, forms that expire soon, forms that have the most submissions, etc.

Searching by keyword. To find Public Forms by name, use the search bar in the top right corner. Enter your search term and hit [Enter] to see all forms that contain your search term in their name. In the example below, we search for all forms with the word "inspection" in their names.

Filtering. Use the funnel-shaped Filter button next to the search bar to bring up the Filter by panel. Here, you can filter your forms list on the following dimensions:

Type: View Single Use forms, Multi-Use forms or both
Active/Expired: View active forms, expired forms or both
Enabled/Disabled: View enabled forms, disabled forms or both

Filtering is handy when you have a large list of Public Forms, and want to find only ones that fit a particular set of criteria. In the example below, we filter on all active Single Use Public Forms. Note that the applied filters are also displayed at the top of the forms list.

Searching by Form/Template. Finally, you can display all Public Forms that are based on a particular form or template. To do this, open the Forms Tab or Templates Tab, find the desired form or template, and select Public Forms from the [. . .] Actions dropdown menu next to that form/template. You will see a list of all Public Forms associated with the form or template that you selected.

Automations driven by Public Forms

You can use the submission of a Public Form as a trigger for automations. This is done via Template Events, which can be accessed from the Template Editor by clicking the Manage Events link. From here, you can set up actions that occur automatically when a Public Form is submitted based on that template. The actions include sending an email, transferring the form to a teammate, or tagging the form. See the article on Template Events for details on how to do this.

Disabling or deleting a Public Form

Public Forms can be disabled temporarily or deleted permanently. A deleted Public Form link cannot be reactivated, so be careful when doing this!

To disable a Public Form, find the desired form on the Public Forms page and switch off the toggle in the Enabled column. The form can be re-enabled in the future by simply switching the Enabled toggle back on.

To delete a Public Form, find the desired form in the Public Forms page and select the Delete option from its [. . .] Actions menu. Note that this will not delete any completed forms stemming from this Public Form — it will only remove the Public Form URL, making it invalid and thus preventing the form from being filled out again.