Conditional Forms

A conditional form is one whose fields appear, disappear or change based on what the user has already entered. Instead of a single long page where every field is shown to every user, the form reveals the next question only when the previous answer makes it relevant.

Why Use Them

• Reduced abandonment: Shorter visible forms get completed more often, especially on mobile.
• Cleaner data: Irrelevant fields cannot be filled in by mistake.
• Logical flow: A booking form for “In-person” reveals the location field; switching to “Online” hides location and reveals a video-link field.
• Compliance branching: If a user ticks “Under 18” you can reveal the parental-consent field.

How They're Implemented

Each conditional rule has two parts: the trigger (an input field and a value to compare to) and the effect (fields to show, hide, require, or pre-fill). Rules are evaluated client-side as the user types so the form feels instant.

Worked Examples

• Insurance claim form: “Type of claim” = “Vehicle” shows make/model/registration; = “Property” shows postcode/value/coverage; = “Travel” shows destination/dates.
• Job application: “Are you eligible to work in the UK?” = “No” reveals a “What's your visa status?” dropdown.
• Bug report: “Have you reproduced the bug?” = “Yes” reveals “Steps to reproduce” and “Environment”; otherwise reveals only “What were you doing?”.
• Event signup: “Will you require accommodation?” = “Yes” reveals check-in/out dates and bed preference fields.

Note: Even though hidden fields don't appear visually, they are still rendered in the page DOM. Use server-side validation to reject any unexpected data — never trust the client to enforce branching.

This article walks through adding show/hide rules to an existing form. By the end you'll know how to chain conditions, group them, and avoid the most common pitfalls.

Step-by-Step

1. Open the form in the form builder.
2. Click on the field you want to conditionally show/hide. Look in the right-hand inspector for Conditions.
3. Click Add Condition.
4. Pick the trigger field, comparison operator, and value. Example: delivery_method equals international.
5. Choose the effect: Show or Hide. (Most rules are “Show when X”.)
6. Save the form.

Comparison Operators

• equals / not equals: Exact value match.
• contains / does not contain: Substring match — useful for tags or comma-lists.
• greater than / less than: Numeric comparison.
• is empty / is not empty: Branch on whether anything was entered.
• checked / unchecked: For boolean and checkbox fields.

Combining Conditions

You can combine multiple conditions with AND / OR. The rule builder groups conditions visually so you can see precedence.

Worked Examples

• Single condition: Show visa status when nationality is not UK.
• AND combination: Show parental consent when age < 18 AND activity type = physical.
• OR combination: Show fragile handling instructions when product category = glass OR product category = ceramic.
• Cascading: Field B appears when Field A = Yes; Field C appears when Field B = Some-value. Each tier is its own rule.

Tip: Avoid more than three levels of nesting. If you find yourself chaining four conditions to control a single field, consider splitting the form into multiple stages instead.

Sometimes a field shouldn't always be required — it depends on what the user said earlier. ActiveManage lets you mark a field as conditionally required using the same rule-builder you use for show/hide.

How It Works

On any field, change Required from “Always” / “Never” to Conditionally. A rule editor appears. Add one or more conditions; if any are met the field becomes required.

Validation Behaviour

• If the field is visible and required, the user sees the usual asterisk and a validation error if they skip it.
• If the field is hidden by another rule, the required status is suppressed automatically (you can't be required to fill in a field you can't see).
• If the field is visible but not required by current conditions, the validation passes even when empty.

Worked Examples

• International delivery: Customs declaration is required only when shipping outside the EU.
• Refund flow: Original order number is required only when the “Type of issue” is “Refund request”.
• Health declaration: Medication list is required only when the user has ticked “I have pre-existing conditions”.
• Employment application: Notice period is required only when the user enters a current employer.

Warning: Server-side validation must mirror the client-side rule. The platform handles this automatically when you use the rule builder. If you write custom validation, replicate the same condition check or you'll either block valid submissions or accept incomplete ones.