Type a question's title and options straight on the canvas. Everything else lives in the block menu: click the drag handle on the block's left edge (or tap the block indicator on touch) and pick from Turn into, Options,{' '} Validation, and the usual duplicate / move / hide / delete actions.
These options appear on every question, whatever its type.
A field's key β the name automations prefill and read it by β is set in the Keys table, which the toolbar's key icon opens for the whole form: one key per field, option, row and column. Leave a key empty to use the one derived from the title or label. Editing a key on a published form warns you that automations using the old key will break. Each option's hint row also carries its key as a chip you can edit in place. See Field keys for how keys are derived, frozen at publish, and used by callers.
> π‘ **Adding help text** >> formbase is a document-style editor β to add help text or instructions for a question, insert a paragraph or heading block above or > below the field on the canvas. Content blocks between questions are visible to respondents and work just like any other block. >
> βΉοΈ **Title visibility and data** >> Hiding a title does not remove the field from submissions. It still shows as a column header in exports, so give hidden-title fields a > clear internal name. >
Min length and Max length live under Validation in the block menu and apply to{' '} Text Input, Text Area, and Website URL. Text Area is the multi-line variant of Text Input β switch between them with Turn into.
Minimum and Maximum live under Validation and apply to Number,{' '} Star Rating, and a linear scale. Number also has Step: the answer must be a multiple of it, so a step of 1 accepts only whole numbers and 0.5 accepts halves. Leave it empty to accept any number.
These settings apply to choice fields: Radio Buttons, Checkboxes, Dropdown,{' '} Ranking, Single Picture Choice, and Multi Picture Choice.
Single options can also be hidden or preselected from the canvas: with the cursor in an option, press β + H (Ctrl + H) to hide it, or β + D (Ctrl + D) to select it by default.
The Star Rating field shows 5 stars by default. Use Increase max stars and{' '} Decrease max stars in the block menu to set anything from 1 to 10. Turn it into a linear scale from the same menu; the maximum carries over and the menu items become Increase / Decrease scale max.
The Matrix / Grid field creates a grid of choices. Define Rows (the sub-questions) and{' '} Columns (the answers). The respondent picks one column per row. Under Validation you can{' '} Require all rows or set Min answered rows.
File Upload takes Min files, Max files, Max size (MB), and{' '} Accepted types under Validation. See{' '} File uploads & signatures for the details.
The Payment field collects a one-time charge. Set the Amount and Currency on the block β USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, CAD, AUD, CHF, SEK, NOK, DKK, NZD, SGD, HKD, AED, or TRY. Each currency has a minimum charge (0.50 for USD and EUR), and publishing is blocked until Stripe is connected and the amount is valid. See{' '} Payment collection.
A field's default value can come from another field in the same form instead of fixed text β a hidden field (for example a URL parameter) or a calculated field. It works on the six inputs that have a default-value slot: Text Input, Text Area,{' '} Email, Website URL, Phone Number, and Number.
To set it up:
To remove the reference, click the Γ on the chip, press Backspace, or press β + D again.
If you want a literal @ instead β a placeholder like @yourhandle β press Esc to close the menu and keep
typing; the input stays in the mode it was in. A chip turns red when its field has been deleted; re-adding a field with the same name
reconnects it.
The chip replaces the field's placeholder text. The @ only opens the menu as the first character, so a default like{' '}
jeff@example.com stays plain text.
When someone opens the form, the field is pre-filled with the referenced value β for example, a link ending in{' '}
?recipient=Jeff fills a Text Input that references the recipient hidden field with "Jeff". How it behaves:
?age=abc).
See Hidden fields and Calculated fields.
Validation runs as the respondent fills out your form. formbase highlights bad input inline and refuses to submit until everything passes.
Each question type checks its own shape, with nothing to configure. Email checks the address format.{' '} Website URL accepts http and https links only and rejects a host that is not a real domain. Phone Number{' '} checks the number against the selected country. Number, Date Picker, and Time Picker{' '} reject anything that is not a number, a date, or a time.
On Business, an email question can additionally require verification β the respondent confirms that address with a one-time code before the form accepts the submission. The toggle sits under Validation β Verification. See{' '} respondent email verification.
Open the block menu and pick Validation. The rules on offer depend on the question type; these are the exact menu labels.
Radio Buttons, Dropdown, Toggle Switch, Signature, Ranking, Payment, and Schedule appointment take no validation rules β required or not is the only choice. Inside a repeating group, email verification is not offered.
{`^\\d{5}(-\\d{4})?$`}
{`^#[0-9a-fA-F]{6}$`}
{`^[a-z0-9-]+$`}
A value that doesn't match shows a generic "Invalid value" error, so add a paragraph near the field describing the format you expect. An invalid regex is ignored and never blocks submission. Length rules count characters after trimming leading and trailing spaces.
formbase checks validation live in the browser as the respondent types. Format and rule errors appear immediately with an inline message; a "This field is required" error appears once the field has been touched, or when the respondent tries to submit.
> β οΈ **Don't validate sensitive data with regex alone** >For things like credit cards or government IDs, use the appropriate field type or integration. Regex catches shape, not validity.