Conditional Forms
A conditional form shows and hides fields depending on what has been answered so far.
Where to find it
Architect Panel → Forms:
- Dynamic Add Fields — the definitions, then View Fields on a row
- Conditional Forms — show and hide rules
- Line Item Builders — the builders, then View Line Fields on a row
Why it matters
A form with sixty fields, of which any one person needs twelve, is a form people abandon. The same form showing only the twelve relevant to them is one they complete.
Conditional logic is the single most effective thing you can do to a long form.
Ask the deciding question first
The question that determines what else appears should be near the top. A form that reveals half of itself after question forty has already lost the people who were counting.
Hide, do not disable
A greyed-out field is a field somebody wonders about. A hidden one is simply not part of their form, which is the experience you want.
Hiding is not security
The important caution. A hidden field is hidden in the interface; it is not protected. If a value must not be seen or set by somebody, that is field security, not a display rule.
Decide what happens to hidden answers
Somebody answers a question, changes an earlier answer, and the first question disappears. Is the answer kept or cleared?
Both are defensible and the wrong one is confusing — either an answer reappears unexpectedly, or work is silently lost. Decide, and be consistent.
Keep the rules few
Conditional logic compounds. Three simple rules are comprehensible; fifteen interacting ones produce a form whose behaviour nobody can predict, including whoever wrote them.
If a form needs that many, it is probably several forms.
Rules live with the form
Each conditional form holds its own definition, so the logic travels with the form rather than being configured elsewhere. That is good for maintenance and means the form is the place to look when behaviour surprises you.
Test every path
Each combination of the deciding answers, end to end. The untested path is the one somebody takes on the first day.
Worked example
An application form asks the applicant type as its second question and shows one of three field sets accordingly. Sixty fields became an average of eighteen per applicant, and the completion rate rose substantially. Three rules cover the whole form.
Recommendations
- Ask the deciding question early.
- Hide rather than disable.
- Never treat hiding as security.
- Test every combination of deciding answers.