This guide provides an overview of how to create, configure, and publish a form type. In the FOUR Platform, form types act as the templates for the forms that will be completed by your users. They provide smart data capture for the field and the office, featuring logic, validation, and print-ready formats.

Accessing the form type list

  • Navigate to forms: To begin managing your forms, navigate to the administrative section by selecting FORMS > Administration > Form Types. This list is the central hub for creating new forms or updating current revisions.

Managing revisions

  • Understanding revisions: The system utilises revisions to ensure live data remains safe while you make changes.
  • Create a draft: Click "Create Draft" on an existing form type, or create a completely new one. Drafts are not visible to users until they are published.
  • Cloning: Use the "Clone" option to duplicate an existing form type to use as a baseline for a new one.
  • Open the editor: Once your draft is created, click "Open" on that specific revision to launch the Form Builder.

The Form Builder interface

  • Left pane: Manages global settings, logic settings (conditional rules), and print settings.
  • Middle pane: Acts as your visual canvas showing form pages and individual widgets.
  • Right pane: Manages settings for the form layout. If a widget is selected, it displays the configuration settings for that specific field.

Adding and configuring widgets

  • Accessing a page: Click "View" on the specific page you wish to modify in the middle pane.
  • Adding widgets: In an empty region, click the "Add Widgets" button. To place a widget near existing content, click the green "+" icon (the right "+" adds it after; the left "+" adds it before).
  • Configuring widgets: Click directly on any widget to open its settings in the right pane, where you can set labels and requirements.

Testing and publication

  • Preview mode: Before deployment, use preview mode to simulate the form and test its functionality and conditional rules.
  • Publishing the form: Click Save, then Close. In the revision list, click the drop-down next to the "Open" button and select Publish. Add a note about the new version (e.g., version numbers or a change log).
  • Latest status: Once published, the new version becomes the latest version immediately. Devices without an active internet connection will remain on the last version they downloaded until their connection is restored.