Capture the right data from everyone

Capture the right data from everyone 

While you’re building your app, it's vital to keep your data accurate and updated. Using forms is one of the most efficient and user-friendly ways to streamline your work. 

With Airtable’s form builder, you can create forms to collect important details from anyone including your team, external vendors, or the public allowing you to view, analyze, and action their responses while protecting underlying data.

In this article, we'll walk through all the ways you can get started with creating forms in Airtable.

Forms: What they do and how to use them

Forms serve as a front door to collecting information from various sources that populate directly into your app for organization and analysis. They're commonly used for workflows like submitting requests and collecting feedback.

The structured nature of forms not only streamlines the intake process, reducing back-and-forth communication but also enables you to add context to your data. By adding additional fields to your app, you can organize form submissions effectively. 

Publish and share your form via a link or embed it on a webpage, reaching out to customers, clients, or contractors without requiring a login or granting access to underlying data.

Here are a few tips for getting the most out of forms:

1. Quickly collect information from anyone

In a matter of minutes, craft and distribute a form to anyone—be it your internal team or an external client—ensuring you gather the insights or feedback you need without delay. 

Once your form is shared, any responses—from project details to client feedback—feed straight into your app. This direct line of information allows you to act swiftly, all while keeping your app's data secure. 

Field types from your app carry over to your form. For example, when you need a due date for a project, just add a "due date" field in the form. It will show as a calendar date picker, so submitters give you the information in a consistent format. This makes sure all dates fit perfectly with your calendar, keeping everything on track without confusion.

2. Add context to make decisions 

Add additional fields to your app to help organize form submissions. 

For example, let’s say you’re using forms to collect applications for an open role on your team. When people fill out the form, you’ll see the information they provided (like name, contact information, and their resume).

You can then add additional fields alongside this information in your app to keep track of their application status, interview dates, or notes from interviewers. 

3. Streamline intake process

Many customers use forms to streamline work requests. The structured nature of forms makes it easy for requesters to provide the information you need—no more going back and forth, or reminding your colleagues to include the right links.

Using forms can keep requests from falling through the cracks. Try these strategies to keep on top of your requests:

Three ways to create a form with form builder

Creating forms in Airtable has never been easier with the help of form builder. Airtable's form builder is an upgrade from Airtable’s original form view and combines its features with the customization power of the Interface Designer.

Whether you're starting from scratch, adding to existing interfaces, or migrating from form view, we've got you covered. This section explores distinct ways to utilize form builder, each designed to cater to your specific needs.

1. Add a form to your app

If you're starting from scratch and don't have any interfaces or forms yet, the process is straightforward. Simply click “Start Building” to open the form builder. 

This is an ideal method for those who are new to Airtable or are creating a new app. You will be greeted with a blank canvas, where you can start adding fields to your form. You can customize the look and feel of your form, including the color scheme, layout, and more.

2. Add a form alongside your existing interfaces

Have existing interfaces? Use the “Add a form” option in the new left pane to integrate a form into your current workflow. 

This method allows you to link the form to existing fields in your app, letting you capture information directly into your existing tables. This is ideal for creating a controlled external portal for capturing data that can seamlessly flow into your internal app with no disruption to normal workflow.

3. Upgrade an existing form view to form builder

This method is ideal for those who have existing forms in the data layer that they want to enhance with the customization options available in form builder. Upgrading allows you to leverage your existing forms and instantly re-create them at the interface layer of your app.

1. Navigate to your existing form in form view and select “Upgrade to new forms”. This action will duplicate your form to form builder, introducing new functionalities. 

2. Publish and share your new form link. Upgrading to new forms will create a new form link. Before you can share your upgraded form, it must first be published. You will then be prompted to select the appropriate sharing audience. 

3. Sunset your original form view link. When you're sure your new form is working just right, you can stop using the old form view link. Before you do this, be sure to check that all automations connected to your form are still working as expected. This step is crucial to avoid any disruptions to your workflows.

Configure your form

With form builder, you can be sure to capture the right information and integrates it into your workflows seamlessly.

Adjust your form’s appearance

Form builder in Airtable lets you design forms that are not only visually appealing but also user-friendly.

1. Organize your form with form groups. Group related fields into sections using form groups. This helps to structure your form logically, making it easier for users to understand and fill out. You can also add a group description, show a background color, and adjust the alignment of field labels to provide further guidance or context.

2. Highlight with rich text formatting. Use rich text formatting on helper text fields to emphasize key information. This feature allows you to make certain parts of your form stand out, helping users to fill out the form accurately and efficiently.

3. Personalize to your brand identity. Add a personal touch to your form with a cover photo and logo images. This not only makes the form more engaging to users, but it also aligns it with your brand identity. Your form will look professional and inviting, encouraging more users to engage with it.

Personalize your form’s functionality

Form builder enhances the way forms work in Airtable, giving you more flexibility and control in collecting important data:

1. Ensure consistency with default values. Make sure data stays consistent by setting a default value for any field. If you want, you can hide this from the view of the people filling out the form or stop them from being able to change it.

2. Specify teammates with the user field. You can specify which users form submitters can select from using the user field dropdown. This feature lets you control the list of users available to submitters.

3. Set conditional field visibility with field rules. You can set rules about when certain fields show up in the form. For example, you might set up the form to only show the first field initially. Then, based on the user's responses, the second field, third field, and so on would appear. This makes your form easier to navigate and more intuitive to fill out.

Share your form with the right audience

With Airtable's form builder, you have full control over who gets to see and fill out your forms. You can share it with anyone or limit it to certain people. Let’s review the options you have to choose from: 

1. Share with anyone online

You can let anyone who has the link fill out your form. If you turn on the "See who submitted a response" option, people will need to sign into Airtable to fill out the form. This way, you can know who sent in each response.

2. Share with your team and organization

If you have a Business or Enterprise Scale plan, you can make your form only available to people in your organization. You'll see a list of "Approved email domains" that are allowed. This means only people in your organization can fill out the form.

3. Share with specific email domains

If you have a paid plan, you can let only people with a certain email domain fill out the form. You just need to type in the email domain, like "airtable.com", and set it up. People will need to sign into Airtable to fill out the form.

4. Share with specific Airtable users

You can choose to share your form only with people who already have access to your base or workspace in Airtable. 

Choose the right form for your workflow

In addition to form builder, Airtable offers a range of form creation experiences to suit your unique needs. Whether you're looking for a creative standalone form or a quick and simple record creation form, there’s a form for you. Let's take a closer look at each option to help you choose the best one for your workflow.

1. Form builder

The form builder is a creative and versatile tool for building standalone forms that can be shared with a variety of audiences. It offers enhanced features like default values and warning messages, which are not available in the form view. Airtable continues to add more sophisticated features to the form builder over time.

2. Form view

Form view is our original form creation experience—and while still powerful and usable—forms made through form builder will benefit from better usability and customization.

3. Interface Designer form layout page

The Interface Designer Form Layout Page is a form that appears as an interface page only to logged-in users with edit access to that particular interface.

4. Record creation forms

Record creation forms are templated forms that allow interface users with editor permissions to create new records without having to navigate the full complexity of the base on the backend. These forms are perfect for quick and simple record creation within an interface workflow.

With these options at your disposal, you can choose the form creation process that best fits your workflow and use case. With Airtable, you have the flexibility to create and share forms that meet your specific needs.

Take action: Create your first form

Now that you know how forms can help your team, it's time to make one yourself. Here's how to do it in three steps:

1. Create and customize your form

Depending on your needs, make your form with form builder or the other form options in Airtable. Customize each part of the form to make it work best for you and your team’s workflow. 

2. Publish and share your form

After you've made your form, you can share it with others. Click on the 'Share form' button to make a link that you can send to the right audience. 

3. Review your submissions

Once you start receiving form submissions, it’s time to review them in your app. Whether you're collecting job applications or feedback surveys, you can review each submission's data to extract valuable insights.

If you need more help with forms, you can look at our Help Center. It has step-by-step guides that can help you. Remember, we're here to help you learn how to make great forms.

Ready to start? Make your first form today!