The Properties tab is as important as it gets. Without tweaking anything in this tab, it’s impossible to create a form that’s truly your own. This tab is where you’ll really customize the content of your form: How it performs, how it’s arranged, and even some styling options.

Since the available properties change depending upon which element is currently selected, this chapter contains a comprehensive list of all properties. You can find the one you want more information about by searching for it in alphabetical order.

Allow Dates

Limit the user’s date choice to a range by defining the start and end dates.

  • Only found in the Date element.
Allowed Files

Define a list of file extensions that will be accepted by the form. Click the + button to add a new one, or highlight an item and click the - button to remove it.

  • Only found in the Upload File element.
Alt

The text provided in this field will be displayed if its associated image fails to load.

  • Found in the Image and Logo elements.
Attach to Mail

Uploaded files will be attached to notification emails.

  • Only found in the Upload File element.
Auto-complete

The input field will suggest previous values entered into these fields.

  • Found in the Text Field, Number, Email Address, Web Address, and Phone Number fields.
Background

Choose a background image that will be used in headers and footers. Click the + button to choose an image, or press the - button to remove the selected image and not use a background image. You can also adjust the background image’s starting point and repeat behavior using the provided drop-down menus.

  • Found in the Header and Footer elements.
Button Color

The color of the default submit button.

  • Only found in the Submit element.
Captcha

Choose which type of Captcha to use.

  • Only found in the Captcha element.
Color

Choose the color of the element’s text, and select bold and italic styles if desired. In the Header and Footer elements, this property controls the background color.

  • Found in all elements except the Spacer, Image, Logo, and Submit elements.
Content

This property of the HTML element is a large input box where you paste your HTML code. Simply enter HTML (and even JavaScript, if you’re careful) and it will appear in the form preview. In the drop-down menu below this box, several presets appear. To include one in your form, select it from the dropdown, click the + button, and make any necessary customizations in the Content box. For more help with the HTML element, read this article.

  • Only found in the HTML element.
Date Format

Choose a format in which you would like dates to appear once selected by the user.

  • Only found in the Date element.
Elements

You can choose the color of the text used for radio button and checkbox labels, as well as applying bold and italic styles.

  • Found in the Radio Button and Checkbox elements
Error Message

If an error with a specific element occurs when the form is submitted, this is the message that will be displayed next to that element when the user is returned to the form. For example, if a field has been designated as “Required,” an error message explaining that the user must fill out that field could be included here.

  • Found in the Text Field, Text Area, Number, Password, Drop Down, Radio Button, Checkbox, Upload File, Email Address, Web Address, Date, List Box, and Submit elements.
Font

The font that is used for text-only elements.

  • Found in the Title/Heading, Plain Text, and Submit elements.
Format

Sets the phone number format to be expected in fields created with the Phone Number element. Choose from United States, United Kingdom, or International formats.

  • Only found in the Phone Number element.
Force Steps of…

Numbers that are entered into a Number field must be a multiple of this value.

  • Only found in the Number element.
Friendly Hint

Small text that appears next to an element to help explain what that field is used for.

  • Found in the Text Field, Text Area, Number, Password, Drop Down, Radio Button, Checkbox, Upload File, Email Address, Web Address, Date, and List Box elements.
Group Name

Very similar to the “Name” property given to most fields. Because each individual radio button and checkbox is considered an input, they are placed into groups which are named with this property.

  • Found in the Radio Button and Checkbox elements.
Height

Configures the height of an element in pixels.

  • Found in the Text Area, Section Break, Spacer, Header, and Footer elements.
Hint Color

The color of the text used for “Friendly Hints.”

  • Found in the Text Field, Text Area, Number, Password, Drop Down, Radio Button, Checkbox, Upload File, Email Address, Web Address, Date, and List Box elements.
Hover

This refers to the image that will be displayed when a user hovers over the submit button. Click the + button to choose an image, and the - button to remove the currently selected image.

  • Only found in the Submit element.
Image

Displays the file name of the selected image. Click the + button to choose an image.

  • Found in the Image and Logo elements.
Label

The main text provided for an element.

  • Found in all elements except the Plain Text, Section Break, Spacer, and Static elements.
Layout

Determines how radio button and checkbox groups are arranged.

  • Found in the Radio Button and Checkbox elements.
Link

Place a URL in this field to turn an image into a link that can be clicked.

  • Found in the Image and Logo elements.
Max. File Size

The upper limit of how large an uploaded file can be.

  • Only found in the Upload File element.
Max. Length

The total number of characters that can be entered into a field.

  • Found in the Text Field, Text Area, Password, Email Address, and Web Address elements.
Max. Value

The upper limit that will be accepted for number values.

  • Only found in the Number element.
Max. Width

The widest number of pixels that an element can be. Only appears when a responsive theme is used.

  • Only found in the Section Break element.
Min. Length

The minimum number of characters accepted for a password.

  • Only found in the Password element.
Min. Value

The lower limit that will be accepted for number values.

  • Only found in the Number element.
Name

This is the “behind-the-scenes” unique name given to each input field. This name is used for form results reporting and can be called on for a variety of purposes.

  • Found in the Text Field, Text Area, Number, Password, Drop Down, Upload File, Email Address, Web Address, Date, and List Box fields.
Options

Configure the list of options in a group of choices. Click the + button to add an option, or highlight an option and click the - button to remove it. Rearrange options by highlighting one and moving it up and down with the arrows. Quickly include a predefined list of options by clicking the Pl button.

Predefined lists can be edited by going to File > Browse Resources and choosing the options-list folder.

Note: Check the “Required” box of a Drop Down element to include an item that displays as the default value but cannot be selected, so that the user must choose another element from the list.

  • Found in the Drop Down, Radio Button, Checkbox, and List Box elements.
Padding

Padding creates an invisible space around the selected element. You can choose padding size for each side of the element as measured in pixels.

  • Found in all elements except the Logo element.
Payments

Form elements can have a price value and/or multiplier. A multiplier is basically the quantity.

  • None: The element will not have a price or multiplier value.
  • Price Input: The value the submitter enters into this field is the amount charged for that item.
  • Price Multiplier: The buyer chooses the desired quantity of the item by typing a number into the field (if using a number element) or choosing a number from a drop-down or set of radio buttons. The price for the item is set in the accompanying Price property.
  • Form Total Multiplier: This option can only be set for one element of your form, because the amount entered into this field will multiply the entire total of the order.

Add text to invoice is a property that the Price Input and Price Multiplier options have. It allows you to include a description of the item on the invoice to help explain the charge.

  • Found in the Number, Drop Down, Radio Button, and Checkbox elements.
Placeholder

Temporary text that is provided in an input field to help guide the user’s response. When the user clicks the field, the text disappears, but will reappear if no information is entered.

  • Found in the Text Field, Text Area, Number, Password, Email Address, and Web Address fields.
Position

Defines how certain elements are aligned on the screen: Left, center, or right.

  • Found in the Title/Heading, Plain Text, Image, Logo, Submit, and Captcha elements.
Price

The price set for a form element that is using the “Price Multiplier” value for its Payments property.

  • Found in the Number, Drop Down, Radio Button, and Checkbox elements.
Read Only

The input will be disabled, with the information unchangeable.

  • Found in the Text Field, Text Area, Email Address, and Phone Number elements.
RegEx

Choosing an preset from this list will make its corresponding regular expression appear in the box below it. In this context, a regular expression is a logic statement used to declare which characters and strings of text the corresponding element will allow. You can also supply your own custom RegEx.

When a visitor submits a form, the information they have entered into the regular expressions field will be checked to see if it matches data allowed by the expression in this box. If it does, the data is accepted. If it does not, an error occurs and the visitor is returned to the form.

  • Only found in the Reg. Expressions element.
Regular

This refers to the image that will be used for the regular, untouched state of the submit button. Click the + button to choose an image, and the - button to remove the currently selected image.

  • Only found in the Submit element.
Require X Options to be checked

Define the minimum number of checkboxes that must be selected for the form to be submitted.

  • Only found in the Checkbox element.
Required

The form won’t submit without information being entered into the field.

  • Found in a bazilion elements.
Save to Server

Uploaded files will be saved to the server.

  • Only found in the Upload File element.
Show Element

Show the selected element according to the conditions listed in the drop-down and box shown below.

  • Always: The selected element is visible at all times, including when the form is first loaded.
  • Using Display Rule: The selected element is only shown when the display rule configured below is valid. When this option is chosen, the If property, a set of drop-downs, an Insert button, and a text box appears below the Show Element property. To create a display rule, select a form element from the Choose Form Element drop-down, an operator from the Choose Operator drop-down, and a value from the Choose Value drop-down, and click Insert. The rule you create here is the definition of what must happen on the form for the currently selected element to be shown. You can add multiple rules to a single element by usin the Add Condition drop-down. You can read more about display rules in this article.
  • Found in all elements.
Size

The size of the font used for text-only elements.

  • Found in the Title/Heading, Submit, and Plain Text elements.
Store in Database

Uploaded files will be attached to a configured database.

  • Only found in the Upload File element.
Style

Defines the style of the line used for a Section Break element.

  • Only found in the Section Break element.
Target

Determines where the URL specified in an link will open. “New page” will open a new tab or window; “Same page” opens the link in the same tab/window as the form; “Inside iFrame” opens the link within the same frame that holds an embedded form (this option only works with embedded forms!)

  • Found in the Image and Logo elements.
Text

The text that is entered for a Text Field element.

  • Only found in the Plain Text element.
Use as Contact List

Associates drop-down options with email addresses that will receive form results. All option values must include a label that will be displayed in the form followed by a colon and the email address it is associated with .For example, the option value “Sales Department:Sales <blue@coffeecup.com>” will display “Sales Department” in the drop-down and target the email address “blue@coffeecup.com”, coming from the name “Sales”.

In order for the chosen email address to be received, the Name property of the drop-down element must be placed within brackets in the To: field in the Notification message settings. For example, if the Name property is select21, the value placed in this field would be [select21].You can also use this value in the From: field of the Auto-response message settings.

  • Only found in the Drop-Down element.
Verify

Supplies an identical input field in which information must match the pairing field.

  • Label: The label that is provided for the verification field.
  • Found in the Password, Email Address, and Web Address elements.
Width

Configures the width of an element in pixels or as a percentage of the width of the form container.

  • Found in all elements except the Spacer and Static elements.
 

Reset and Delete

Each element has two more tools in the Properties tab: Reset Styles and Delete.

Reset Styles

When an element is initially created, before you do anything to it, a default style is applied which our designers have created. Web Form Builder gives you the freedom to style those elements using your own discretion. However, you might mess something up and wish you had those default styles again!

Rather than deleting the element and redoing all the content, you can click the Reset Styles button to return styling values to their defaults, effectively preserving your content.

Delete

Don’t need the currently selected element? Click the Delete button and it’s gone.