Forms allow you to collect information from customers when they make a purchase. When you attach a Form to an Event Schedule, customers have to fill out the form when they purchase the Event.


Forms are useful when you need specific information from customers. For example, you can use a Form to collect students' ages, parent information, and emergency contacts. Or you can use Forms to collect customers' dietary preferences for a dinner or special event. Forms are created in the Form section in the ACME Backoffice.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Example of a Form

Creating a New Form

  1. In ACME Backoffice, click on "Forms" in the left navigation panel.
  2. Click "+Create Form" in the upper right corner of the screen.
  3. Enter a name for the form in the box in the upper left.
  4. Check "Show only once per cart” if a customer only needs to fill out the form once, even if they purchase multiple Events that all invoke the form. Do not check it if you need customers to fill out a separate form for each Event.
  5. Click "Create" in the upper right.

    Note: it's important to create your Form before adding elements to it. You will not be able to preview your Form until it has been created.


Adding Elements to a Form

Once your form is created, you can add elements to it and see what it will look like. (See below for a list of Form Elements and how they work.) To do this:

  1. Drag different elements into your form. You can also drag elements around within the form.
  2. When you mouse over an element, a small menu will appear in the upper right:
    • To edit an element, click the pencil:
    • To duplicate the same element immediately below, click the plus sign:
    • To remove the element from your form, click the x:
  3. To see what your form will look like, click "Preview" in the upper right. A separate window will open, showing you your form. Click "Close Preview" to close.
  4. When you're finished, click "Save" in the upper right.
  5. If you're ready to publish the form, click "Publish".


NOTE: All the form elements only take plain text, and they do not display HTML.

Making Form Responses Reportable

When adding elements, you can chose which questions can have responses that are viewable in reporting. If you want to be able to report on responses for a specific question, add a custom field to that element when building it, using a different custom field for each question. You can have a max of 20 responses per form that are reportable.  


Read more about viewing form responses in our Viewing Completed Forms guide.

Draft Forms vs Published Forms

In ACME, you initially create a Form in "Draft" mode. This lets you modify your Form before you publish it. Once you publish a Form, you can use it in Event Templates and Schedules.


While you are working on a Form, you can click "Save" in the upper right corner. This will save your draft so that you can edit it later, but will not make it available for Event Templates and Schedules.


To publish a Form, click "Publish" in the upper right corner. This will make the Form available for Event Templates and Schedules.


If you are wondering whether a Form has been published or not, just click "Forms" in the left navigation panel. The list of Forms will tell you if a Form has been published or is still a draft.


Note: you can still edit Forms that have been published. When you republish a Form, the new version will appear in the Event Schedules it is a part of.

Duplicating and Editing Forms

Often you may want to use a Form you've already created, but only change a few things in it. In this case, it's easier to duplicate an existing Form, then edit it to make your changes.


You can also edit any Form you've already created.

  1. In ACME Backoffice, click on "Forms" in the left navigation panel.
  2. To Edit a Form:
    • Click "Edit" next to the form you'd like to edit.
  3. To Duplicate an existing Form:
    • Click "Duplicate" next to the form you'd like to duplicate. You'll be brought to the Form Creator, where you'll see a duplicate of the Form you chose.
  4. Drag, drop, and edit as needed. Click "Preview" to see what your form will look like.
  5. When you're done, click "Save" in the upper right.


Editing Published Forms

Once a Form is published, you can check to see what Event Schedules it's attached to by clicking "See Usage" in the upper right. If you edit a published Form (using the process described immediately above), when you click "Publish" the Backoffice will show you all the Event Templates and Schedules that will be affected.

Using a Previous Version of a Form

If you accidentally publish a Form you're not happy with, you can revert the Form to the most-recently published version. When you click "Save" after editing a published Form, the button "Get Last Published" will appear in the upper right corner. Click it and you'll be asked if you want to revert the Form to the version that was last published before you made your edits.

Form Elements

Here's what the different Form Elements do and what the different choices mean. (See the top of the page for an example of a Form that employs different elements.) All form elements only take plain text, and they do not display HTML.


Element NameExample
Headings


Label: the text that appears on the form.
Type: what size the heading is.
Paragraphs

Content: the text that appears on the form.
Type: determines whether it's a paragraph or a block quote.

As form elements are plain text, use multiple paragraph objects to create line breaks. Form elements do not display HTML.
Block Quotes

Content: the text that appears on the form.
Type: determines whether it's a paragraph or a block quote.
Text Fields

Text Fields give customers a box they can enter text into.

Label: the text that appears above the text field
Type:there are different kinds of text fields available
  • Text: lets customers enter any text
  • Password: asks customers to enter a password
  • Email address: asks customers to enter an Email address
  • Color picker: asks customers to select a color
  • Phone number: asks customers to enter a phone number
Placeholder: grey text that appears in the text box before customers enter information into it. If a "value" is specified, the value appears instead of the placeholder.Value: a sample answer that appears in the box. Disappears when customers start typing.Max Length: specifies the maximum length of text a customer can enter. This can make sure the user enters the correct number of digits.
Text Area

Label: the text that appears above the text field.
Placeholder: grey text that appears in the text box before customers enter information into it. If a "value" is specified, the value appears instead of the placeholder.
Value: a sample answer that appears in the box. Disappears when customers start typing.
Max Length: specifies the maximum length of text a customer can enter.
Number

Label: the text that appears above the number field.
Min: the minimum value the field will accept.
Max: the maximum value the field will accept.
StepValue: the amount by which the number in the field will increase or decrease when the customer presses the up or down arrow.
Date Field

Date in upper left: works like a Value. If filled out, this date will appear in the field. Otherwise, the field will say "mm/dd/yyyy".
Label: the text that appears above the date field.
Value: a sample answer that appears in the box. Disappears when customers start typing.
Select Field

Label: the text that appears above the select field.
Placeholder: grey text that appears in the text box before customers enter information into it.
Allow Multiple Selections: determines whether the select field has customers choose only one of the available options (above at right), or if it lets customers choose more than one option (below at right).
Options:the choices the form will offer. Click "Add Option +" to add another option.

Note: if customers want to choose more than one option, they will have to press "control" or "command" to do so.



Checkboxes

Toggle: decides whether the checkbox has the customer "check" the box, or if the customer toggles between "on" and "off".
Label: the text that appears above the date field.
Value: not used on checkboxes.
Checkbox Groups and Radio Groups

Label: the text that appears above the Checkbox Group or Radio Group.
Enable "Other": adds an option called "Other".
Options: the choices the form will offer. Click "Add Option +" to add another option.


Add Forms to Event Schedules


Once you've created a Form, you can add it to an Event Schedule. You can decide if customers are required to fill out the Form anytime they purchase the Event, or if they are simply given the option of filling out the Form.


To add a Form to an Event Schedule:

  1. In ACME Backoffice, click on "Events" in the left navigation panel.
  2. Select "Templates" from the expanded Events menu.
  3. Locate the Template that contains the Schedule you want to add a Form to, and click "Edit".
  4. Click the Schedules & Resourcing tab.
  5. Click "Edit" next to the Schedule you want to add a Form to.
  6. Click the Forms tab.


Once in the Forms tab:

  1. Use the pull-down menu to choose the Form you want to add.

    Note: a Form must be published for it to appear here. To learn more, read about Draft Forms vs Published Forms.

  2. If you'd like to edit the Form, click "Edit Form". This will bring you back to the Form Creator. After you've edited your Form, you have to publish it, then return to the Event Schedule.
  3. On the "POS" line, decide if you'd like the Form to appear on the POS, and if it should be required. If you click "yes" for "Require", the Form will have to be filled out during checkout on the POS. If you click "no", the POS will still offer the option to fill out the form, but it will not be mandatory.
  4. On the "Website (B2C)" line, you can decide whether the Form should display on the eCommerce site or not.
  5. Click "Save" to save your changes.