{"id":40,"date":"2015-09-24T17:28:56","date_gmt":"2015-09-24T17:28:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/umaine.edu\/userguide\/?page_id=40"},"modified":"2018-12-18T09:50:52","modified_gmt":"2018-12-18T14:50:52","slug":"adding-forms","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/userguide\/adding-forms\/","title":{"rendered":"Adding Forms"},"content":{"rendered":"

Start by creating a new form<\/b><\/h3>\n

1. Go to Forms\/New Form<\/b> in the left-hand WordPress menu to create a form.<\/p>\n

2. In the Create a New Form dialog box<\/b>, type in the Form Title in the space provided. OPTIONAL: Add a description of the form (its purpose, intended audience, submission deadline, etc., whatever you think may be useful to the user). Click Create Form<\/b>.<\/p>\n

3. An editing window will appear with 5 steps to get you started<\/b>. Read and follow these steps to create your form.<\/p>\n

\"screenshot<\/p>\n

4. Click the Update Button<\/b> to save changes to your form.<\/p>\n

5. Select Settings\/Confirmations<\/b> to set up a confirmation message. This message will display when a user clicks the form\u2019s Submit button. Typical confirmation messages include a \u201cthank you\u201d for filling out the form, information about next steps, contact information in case the user has questions, and any helpful links.<\/p>\n

\"screenshot<\/p>\n

6. Select Settings\/Notifications<\/b> to set up automated email notifications. At a minimum, you\u2019ll want to set up the form to automatically notify you by email whenever a user submits information via the form. You may also want to notify additional staff or have a copy sent to the user.<\/p>\n

7. Select Settings\/Form Settings<\/b> to change the title or description of your form or to limit the number of submissions or to schedule the form to close on a specific date.<\/p>\n

Embed your form in a Page or Sidebar Widget<\/b><\/h3>\n

To embed your form in a Page<\/b><\/h4>\n

1. Create a new Page or edit an existing Page where you want your form to appear.<\/p>\n

2. In the editing window, place your cursor where you want the form to display on the page.<\/p>\n

3. Click on the Add Form<\/b> button directly above the toolbar.<\/p>\n

4. Select a form from the Insert a Form dropdown menu<\/b>. Select or deselect the checkbox items (the form title and the form description) that you want displayed above the form.<\/p>\n

\"screenshot<\/p>\n

5. Click Insert Form<\/b>. A string of code, not the form, will display in the editing window<\/i>. Save your changes<\/b> by clicking on the Update button or the Publish (or Save Draft) button. To view the form<\/b> as it will appear to the user, preview the Page in in your browser.<\/p>\n

6. Always TEST your form<\/b> to ensure 1) it\u2019s working the way it should, 2) the confirmation message says what you want it to say, and 3) you receive an automated email notification.<\/p>\n

See an example of a simple interactive form embedded in a Page: <\/i>“10 Steps to a Healthier You” Survey<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

To embed your form in a Sidebar Widget<\/b><\/h4>\n

1. Go to Appearance\/Widgets<\/b> in the left-hand WordPress menu.<\/p>\n

2. Click the down arrow to open the Page Sidebar<\/b> widget area.<\/p>\n

3. Drag\/Drop the Form widget<\/b> from the many choices on the left-hand side of your screen into the Page Sidebar widget area on the right.<\/p>\n

4. Give the Form widget a Title<\/b> (usually the same title as your form).<\/p>\n

5. Select the Form from the dropdown menu<\/b>. Select or deselect the checkbox items (the form title and the form description) that you want displayed above the form.<\/p>\n

6. Click on Visibility<\/b>. Select \u201cShow\u201d if \u201cPage\u201d is \u201cname of your page\u201d to ensure the form displays in the sidebar of a specific page. Add additional pages as desired by clicking the + sign.<\/p>\n

See an example of a simple interactive form embedded in a Sidebar: <\/i>Request Information about Maine AgrAbility<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

How to access the form\u2019s data<\/b><\/h3>\n