Adding Fields to a Custom Form
One of the key steps in creating a custom form is adding fields, or questions, to your form. Fields allow you to capture responses into your CRM; and they can then merged into documents & emails, used in reports, or just saved for future record.
To begin adding fields to your form, first go to the Custom Forms page found under the Assets tab. You can then create a new custom form or edit one that you have already created. Once you are editing a form, you will see a page that looks similar to the one shown below. You will find all of your various field options on the left sidebar.
Standard Fields
There are a number of standard fields that come built-in to Lawmatics, such as first name, last name, email, phone number, case title, practice area, etc. Before adding any custom fields to your form, you will first want to browse through the standard fields that come provided, and use those whenever applicable.
Note that you will have different fields available if the form is a matter type form vs. contact type.
To begin adding fields to your form, simply expand one of the field sections on the left sidebar, and then drag and drop the field onto the form, within the dotted lines labelled "Drag and drop fields here".
Once you have added a field to the form, click on it to open additional options, shown on the right:
In the menu on the right side of the screen you have the option to make this field required or not and to set conditional logic. You can also edit the Label of the field. For example, you may want to say something like "Please tell us when you were born, mm/dd/yyyy". You can feel free to change the label of the field accordingly, but know that it will remain the "Birthdate" field, the label only applies on this form.
Custom Fields
On the left sidebar you will see sections for the various types of custom fields. In these sections you will find any fields that have already been created in your firm and you will also have the option to create new fields. Remember that you can manage your custom fields in settings > custom field settings if you wish to delete or edit any custom fields.
You can easily create new custom fields while building your custom form, by clicking the button shown below. Remember that any case-related fields should be created as matter custom fields, whereas any person-related fields should be contact custom fields.
When you create a new field you will need to give it a name and select the field type. Your field name should be very brief, just a word or a few words. Remember that you can always change the label of the field once it is added to the form.
Make sure that you select the appropriate field type for this field. Learn more about custom fields and field types here.
Once you have created the field, you will simply drag and drop it onto the form to add it to the form.
General Fields
General fields are only to be used for questions where the answers are not necessary to save on the CRM record itself. These fields are only used within the constraints of the form itself, and cannot be merged into a document, used in a report, synced to case management, etc.
These types of fields are typically only used for questions that you will not need to take further action with, you may only need to reference them within the form itself.
To add a general field, expand the Advanced section on the left sidebar, and then drag and drop the general field. Once a general field component has been dropped onto the form canvas, click on that field to access its properties and options.
1. Fill out the custom label for the field to indicate to the person what you are asking them (i.e. Please tell us about yourself). You can also select whether this field should be required or not.
2. Chose what type of field you need this general field to be. You can select for many different field types including true/false, date, money, and picklist (which you can create the options for right here on the fly). You also have the option to set conditional logic, just like on any other field, if desired.
You can easily differentiate between your general and custom fields in a form by simply clicking on the field, and then if you see "General Field Options" shown at the top of the right side menu, as shown above, you know it is a general field as opposed to a custom field.
Other Advanced Options
In addition to adding fields to your form, you can also add other objects like notes, booking request, page breaks, etc. Learn more about those options here.
FAQ's
Can I change a general field to a custom field?
No, you will need to replace the general field with a custom field, it cannot be changed from one to the other.
I created a custom field to use on my form but I do not see it in the list of fields on the left sidebar, why?
If you just created the field in your custom field settings, you may need to refresh the page to see it appear in the list of fields for the custom forms. Once you have refreshed if you still cannot find it, try using ctrl + F to search for the name of the field. If you still do not see it, confirm that the field is not a lookup type field, since these can only be used on internal
Where do general fields go when they are filled out since they are not in the CRM?
You will view these fields in the form submission after someone has submitted the form. Learn more about sending forms and viewing form submissions here.