Custom Form

Last Updated: 09 Feb 2018

A Custom Form can be used to collect different types of information from your users using an online form. Examples include a contact us form, feedback form, job application, customer surveys etc.

A form consists of either questions or questions grouped into sections. For example, you may have a section called Personal Details, which has the questions Name, Address, and Date of Birth. You may then have a question called Additional Comments, which may not be part of a section.

If you create questions within sections, you can Clone or Link the section to another Custom Form asset. You cannot Clone or Link a question if it is not part of a section.

By default, when you preview the Custom Form, the section and questions that you have added will automatically appear. If the sections are in the wrong order or you wish to add additional information (for example instructions on how to use the form) you can change the layout through the Page Contents Bodycopy.

After the user has answered the questions on the Custom Form, Squiz Matrix can do several things with the results. The diagram below shows what can happen after a user has clicked the Submit button on the Custom Form

The process of the Custom Form after a form is submission
The process of the Custom Form once a form is submitted

As shown in the diagram above, when the user clicks the Submit button, the following actions can happen.

  • A thank you message will be shown. By default, the information they entered on the form will appear. You can change the layout of the thank you message through the Thank You Bodycopy.
  • The user can receive a Receipt Email outlining the information they have specified on the form. This email can be set up on the Email Options screen of the Form Contents asset.
  • A member (or members) of your staff can receive a Recipient Email outlining the information that the user submitted. This email can be set up on the Email Options screen of the Form Contents asset.
  • The information that the user submitted is logged to the Squiz Matrix database. The submission logs can be viewed on the Submission Logs screen of the Form Contents asset.
  • Emails can also be sent to specific users depending on particular values that are entered into the fields by the user. For example, if the user selects NSW , send the job application to the HR Manager in NSW. If the user selects VIC, send the job application to the HR Manager in VIC. This can be set up on the Selective Emails screen of the Form Contents asset.

Custom Forms should not be nested into other assets such as Standard Pages, as this can lead to unexpected caching of the submission details of another user, being shown for other public users to view. It is strongly recommended to always present Custom Forms to the users on their own dedicated URLs and ensure that they are never cached.

A Custom Form can also be used for a send this link to a friend option within your site. This will allow a user to enter an email address into a field and the URL of the last page they were viewing will appear in the email. For example, if the user was viewing your home page when they clicked on the link, the URL of the home page will be sent within the email. This can be set up on the Email Options screen of the Form Contents asset.

Custom Forms with multiple pages can also be created. This will allow a user to complete the form over any number of pages. This is particularly useful for forms that are quite large or have a number of sections. This can be set up in the Form Contents screen of the Form Contents asset. All of these screens and options are described further on in this manual.

Once your Custom Form is created, you can configure its settings on its associated asset screens. These screens are often the same or similar to those for a S and are described in the Asset Screens manual.

The Form Contents asset
The Form Contents asset

Most of the set up of the Custom Form, however, is performed via the Form Contents asset, which is created beneath the Custom Form in the Asset Map, as highlighted in the figure to the right. For more information on this asset, refer to the Form Contents chapter in this manual.

The Edit Contents and Submission Logs screen for a Custom Form are the same as those that are available on the Form Contents screen and are explained further on in this manual.