Field Types
FormForge ships with 14 field types plus dedicated anti-spam fields. Every field type listed below (except Content Block) captures and stores user input. This reference covers each type’s purpose, configuration options, and validation behavior.
Overview
All field types (except Content Block) share the following common properties that you can configure in the form builder:
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Label | Visible label rendered above the field |
| Alias | Auto-generated machine-readable key used in submissions and the API |
| Placeholder | Hint text inside the input (where applicable) |
| Help Text | Supplementary guidance rendered below the field |
| Required | If enabled, the field must have a value before the form can be submitted |
| Sensitive | Marks the value for redaction in exports and SAR responses |
| Width | Layout width in the form grid — full row or half row |
| Conditional Visibility | Show or hide this field based on the value of another field |
Summary Table
| Field Type | Stores Data | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Text | Yes | Single-line text input |
| Textarea | Yes | Multi-line text input |
| Yes | Email address with format validation | |
| Number | Yes | Numeric input (integers and decimals) |
| Date | Yes | Date picker |
| Dropdown | Yes | Single-select dropdown list |
| Radio | Yes | Single-select radio button group |
| Checkbox | Yes | Single boolean toggle |
| Checkbox List | Yes | Multi-select checkbox group |
| File Upload | Yes | File attachment with extension & size limits |
| Rating | Yes | Star or heart rating (0–5) |
| Consent | Yes | GDPR / privacy agreement checkbox |
| Content Block | No | Presentational text, heading, or divider |
| Hidden | Yes | Invisible field for tracking values |
Text
A standard single-line text input. Suitable for names, titles, short answers, and any freeform string value.
Configuration
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Min Length | Minimum number of characters required |
| Max Length | Maximum number of characters allowed |
Validation
- If Required is enabled, the field must not be left empty.
- If Min Length is set, the value must be at least that many characters.
- If Max Length is set, the value must not exceed that many characters.
Textarea
A multi-line text input for longer-form responses such as messages, feedback, or descriptions.
Configuration
No additional configuration options beyond the common properties.
Validation
- Standard Required check only.
An email address field with built-in format validation. Use this instead of a plain Text field whenever you need to collect an email address — it ensures the value is a valid email format before the submission is accepted.
Configuration
No additional configuration options beyond the common properties.
Validation
- The value must be a valid email address (e.g.
[email protected]). - If Required is enabled, the field must not be left empty.
Number
A numeric input field. Accepts both integers and decimals.
Configuration
No additional configuration options beyond the common properties.
Validation
- The submitted value must be a valid number.
- The decimal separator is always a dot (
.).
Date
A date picker field. Renders a native date picker in the browser for easy date selection.
Configuration
No additional configuration options beyond the common properties.
Validation
- The submitted value must be a valid date.
Dropdown
A single-select dropdown list. Users pick one option from a predefined set of values.
Configuration
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Options | List of selectable values displayed in the dropdown |
Validation
- The submitted value must be one of the defined options.
- If Required is enabled, a selection must be made.
Radio & Checkbox
FormForge provides three related selection field types: Radio for single-select from a group, Checkbox for a single boolean toggle, and Checkbox List for multi-select from a group.
Radio
Displays a group of radio buttons. The user can select exactly one option.
Configuration
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Options | List of selectable values rendered as radio buttons |
Validation
- The submitted value must be one of the defined options.
- Only a single selection is allowed.
Checkbox
A single on/off toggle. Useful for yes/no questions or simple confirmations.
Configuration
No additional configuration options beyond the common properties.
Validation
- If Required is enabled, the checkbox must be checked.
Checkbox List
A group of checkboxes allowing the user to select multiple options.
Configuration
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Options | List of selectable values rendered as checkboxes |
Validation
- Each selected value must be one of the defined options.
- If Required is enabled, at least one option must be selected.
File Upload
Allows users to attach files to their submission.
Configuration
| Option | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Allowed Extensions | .pdf, .doc, .docx | Comma-separated list of permitted file extensions |
| Max File Size | — | Maximum file size in megabytes (hard limit: 50 MB) |
Supported File Types
The following file types can be used in the allowed extensions list:
- Documents — PDF, DOC, DOCX, TXT, CSV
- Spreadsheets — XLS, XLSX
- Images — PNG, JPG, JPEG, GIF, WEBP, SVG
- Archives — ZIP
Validation
- The uploaded file’s extension must be in the allowed extensions list.
- The file size must not exceed the configured maximum (or the hard limit of 50 MB).
- If Required is enabled, a file must be attached.
Rating
An interactive rating field that lets users select a value between 0 and 5 using star or heart symbols. Supports half-step increments.
Configuration
| Option | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Allow Half | Off | Enable half-star (or half-heart) increments |
| Symbol | Star | Visual symbol used for the rating display — star or heart |
Validation
- The value must be in the range 0–5.
- If Allow Half is off, only whole numbers are accepted (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5).
- If Allow Half is on, half-step increments are also valid (0.5, 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5).
Consent
A checkbox specifically designed for GDPR and privacy consent agreements. Functionally similar to a regular Checkbox but semantically distinct — it signals that the field represents a legal agreement.
Configuration
No additional configuration options beyond the common properties.
Validation
- Typically used with Required enabled to ensure the user explicitly agrees.
Content Block
Content Block is presentational only. It does not capture user input, is never included in submissions, and is never validated. Use it to add explanatory text, section headings, or visual dividers between actual form fields.
Configuration
| Option | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Style | Paragraph | Determines how the content is displayed — paragraph, heading, or divider |
| Body | — | Rich text content (ignored when style is set to divider) |
Styles
- Paragraph— Displays the body text as a block of content. Use for instructions, disclaimers, or contextual help.
- Heading— Displays the body text as a section heading. Useful for visually grouping related fields on long forms.
- Divider— Renders a horizontal rule. The body content is ignored.
Hidden
An invisible field that is not rendered to the user. Useful for injecting tracking tokens, internal identifiers, or contextual values that should be stored with the submission without user interaction.
Configuration
No additional configuration options beyond the common properties.
Validation
- No validation is performed on hidden fields. They accept any value.
Anti-Spam Fields
In addition to the 14 field types above, FormForge supports dedicated anti-spam mechanisms that are configured at the form level rather than as individual fields. These include:
- Honeypot — An invisible decoy field that catches bots filling in every input.
- Time-to-Submit — Rejects submissions completed faster than a configurable threshold.
- Antiforgery Token — CSRF protection via a server-generated token.
- Cloudflare Turnstile — A privacy-friendly CAPTCHA alternative.
For details on configuring anti-spam protection, see the Security documentation.