# Forms

> Build a form, publish it on your site, and see the submissions and statistics it produces.

Source: https://help.clockworkcrm.com/marketing/forms
Last updated: 2026-09-28

A form collects information from visitors and records it against a contact in Clockwork CRM. Forms
are managed at **Marketing → Forms**.

![The forms list, with views and submissions per form](https://clockworkcrm.blob.core.windows.net/public-internal/docs/marketing/forms-list.png?v=eca04c2a)

## The form list

| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| **Name** | The form's name |
| **Created Date** | When the form was created, and by whom |
| **Modified Date** | When the form was last changed, and by whom |
| **Published** | Whether the form is live |
| **Views** | How many times the form has been loaded |
| **Submissions** | How many times the form has been submitted |

The search box filters the list. The **⋮** menu on each form has:

| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Submissions** | Opens the form's statistics and submissions |
| **View** | Opens the live form in a new tab. Only shown when the form is published |
| **Embed** | Gives you the code to put the form on your website. Only shown when the form is published |
| **Publish** or **Unpublish** | Makes the form live, or takes it down |
| **Settings** | Opens the form settings. See [Form settings](https://help.clockworkcrm.com/marketing/forms#form-settings) |
| **Copy** | Makes a copy of the form |
| **Edit** | Opens the form in the editor |
| **Delete** | Deletes the form |

## Creating a form

1. Go to **Marketing → Forms** and select **Add Form**.
2. Drag fields from the **Modules** tab onto the form.
3. Bind the fields that should fill in contact details to contact properties. See
   [Binding fields to contact properties](https://help.clockworkcrm.com/marketing/forms#binding-fields-to-contact-properties).
4. Add a **Button** and set its **Button Type** to **Submit**.
5. Select **Save**.
6. Back on the form list, select **Publish** from the form's menu.
7. Check the form's **Settings**, then share its link or embed it.

A form must have at least one field, and every stage must have a submit button, before it can be
saved. Hover over **Save** to see what is missing.

## The form editor

The form editor has a panel on the left and the form itself on the right. Clicking a part of the form
selects it, and the panel shows what can be changed about it. It works in the same way as the
marketing template editor, described in
[Email templates and merge fields](https://help.clockworkcrm.com/marketing/email-templates#the-template-editor).

![The form editor: settings on the left, the form being built on the right](https://clockworkcrm.blob.core.windows.net/public-internal/docs/marketing/form-editor.png?v=494e9f24)

The panel has four tabs: **Settings**, **Modules**, **Merge Fields** and **Form Stages**. **Save** is at
the bottom of the panel.

### Settings

**Settings** holds the form's **Name**, then these sections:

- **Text Properties**, **Container Properties** and **Advanced**, which work as they do for
  marketing templates
- **Form Properties**, described below
- **Template Permissions**: the **Users** and **Teams** who can see and work on the form. A new form
  starts with you and the Everyone team. These users also receive submission notifications when they
  are turned on

**Form Properties** sets the look of the form's fields:

| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Background Colour** | The colour behind the form |
| **Form Field Label Colour** | The colour of field labels |
| **Form Field Text Colour** | The colour of the text visitors type |
| **Form Field Border Colour** | The colour of field borders |
| **Form Field Error Colour** | The colour of error messages, such as a required field left empty |
| **Link Colour** | The colour of links |
| **Underline links** | Underlines links when on |
| **Form Field Appearance** | **Outline** draws a border round each field. **Fill** gives each field a shaded background |

### Modules

**Modules** holds the fields and blocks a form is built from. Drag one onto the form to add it. When
a module is selected, its settings appear under the list.

![The Modules tab of the form editor, showing the fields and blocks a form can contain](https://clockworkcrm.blob.core.windows.net/public-internal/docs/marketing/form-editor-modules.png?v=38368749)

| Module | What it adds |
|---|---|
| **Text** | A block of text |
| **Input** | A single-line field |
| **Checkbox** | A tick box |
| **Html** | Your own HTML |
| **Date Input** | A date picker |
| **Textarea** | A multi-line field |
| **Select** | A drop-down list |
| **Radio** | A choice of one option from several |
| **File Input** | A file upload |
| **Image** and **Video** | An image, or a YouTube or Vimeo video |
| **Columns** | A row split into columns, to put other modules side by side |
| **Button** | A button, such as the submit button |
| **Divider** and **Spacer** | A horizontal line, or empty space |

The **Text**, **Image**, **Columns**, **Button**, **Divider** and **Spacer** modules have the same
settings as in marketing templates. In forms they also have:

- hover colours, such as **Text Hover Colour** and **Button Hover Background Colour**, used when the
  pointer is over the module
- **Width**, **Minimum Height** and **Margin** on columns, and a **Wrapped Auto Column Sizing** column
  type with a **Gap** and **Justification**
- **Cell Padding** on columns, and **Image Fit** on images
- **Button Type** on buttons. See [Buttons](https://help.clockworkcrm.com/marketing/forms#buttons)
- **Advanced Settings** with a **CSS Class** applied to the module
- **Visibility Conditions**. See [Showing fields only when needed](https://help.clockworkcrm.com/marketing/forms#showing-fields-only-when-needed)

### Field settings

Every field module has **Dimensions** (the **Width** of the field), **Section Padding** and
**Alignment**.

| Module | Settings |
|---|---|
| **Input** | **Type** (**Text**, **Currency**, **Number**, **Email**, **Phone Number**, **URL** or **Hidden**), **Label**, **Default Value**, **Required** and **Read only**. Text fields have **Min Length** and **Max Length**, number fields have **Min** and **Max** |
| **Textarea** | **Label**, **Default Value**, **Min Length**, **Max Length**, **Required** and **Read only** |
| **Checkbox** | **Label**, **Checked By Default** and **Required** |
| **Date Input** | **Label**, **Default Value**, **Read only** and **Required** |
| **Select** | **Label**, **Options**, **Required** and **Select Multiple**, which lets visitors pick more than one option |
| **Radio** | **Label**, **Options** and **Required** |
| **File Input** | **Max Items**, from 1 to 5, and **Accepted File Types** |

For **Select** and **Radio**, type an option in **Add an option...** and press Enter. Drag options to
reorder them, and double-click one to rename it.

**Hidden** input fields are not shown to visitors. Use them with a **Default Value** or a merge field
to record something with every submission.

### Binding fields to contact properties

Each field except **File Input** can be bound to a contact property with **Bind Contact Property**.
When the form is submitted, the answer is written to that property on the contact. The label shows
**Property Bound** or **Property Unbound**.

Once a field is bound, some settings come from the property instead, such as the type and the
options of a drop-down. If the property is required, **Required** is turned on and cannot be turned
off.

To create or match contacts, bind these properties:

| To create | Bind |
|---|---|
| A person | First name, last name and email address |
| A company | Company name. An email address is also needed, from the company or the person |

See [Form settings](https://help.clockworkcrm.com/marketing/forms#form-settings) for how contacts are created and updated.

### Buttons

In a form, a button's **Button Type** decides what it does. **Button Type** is only available when the
button has no **Button Link**.

| Button Type | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Submit** | Moves on to the next stage, or submits the form on the last stage |
| **Back** | Returns to the previous stage |
| **Reset** | Clears the form |
| **Button** | Does nothing on its own |

### Showing fields only when needed

**Visibility Conditions** shows a module only when earlier answers match.

1. Select the module and turn on **Enable Conditional Visibility**.
2. Under **When**, choose **All rules match (AND)** or **Any rule matches (OR)**.
3. Select **Add Rule**, then choose the **Source Field**, the **Operator** and, where needed, the
   **Value**.

The operators depend on the source field:

| Source field | Operators |
|---|---|
| Checkbox | **Is Checked**, **Is Not Checked** |
| Select and radio | **Equals**, **Not Equals**, **Is Empty**, **Is Not Empty** |
| Date | **Equals**, **Not Equals**, **After**, **Before**, **Is Empty**, **Is Not Empty** |
| Number and currency | **Equals**, **Not Equals**, **Greater Than**, **Less Than**, **Greater Than or Equal**, **Less Than or Equal**, **Is Empty**, **Is Not Empty** |
| Text | **Equals**, **Not Equals**, **Contains**, **Does Not Contain**, **Is Empty**, **Is Not Empty** |

### Merge Fields

The **Merge Fields** tab lists the merge fields that can be placed into the form. Clicking one copies
it. When a contact opens the form from a link in a bulk email, the merge fields are filled in with
their details. See [Email templates and merge fields](https://help.clockworkcrm.com/marketing/email-templates#merge-fields).

### Form stages

**Form Stages** splits a form into steps. **Your Form Stages** lists them.

- The **+** button adds a stage. Double-click a stage to rename it.
- Drag stages to put them in order.
- **Thank-you Message** is the message shown after the form is submitted. It always comes after the
  last stage. A new form's message reads "Thank you for completing our form. We will be in touch with
  you shortly."

Select a stage to edit its modules. Each stage needs its own submit button.

**Page branching rules** on a stage decides where **Submit** goes next, based on the answers so far.

1. Select **Add Branch Rule**.
2. In **Go to page**, choose a stage, **Submit form**, or **Submit & redirect**. For **Submit &
   redirect**, enter the **Redirect URL**, which can contain merge fields.
3. Under **When**, choose **All match (AND)** or **Any matches (OR)**, then select **Add Condition**
   to add rules, as for visibility conditions.

Branch rules are checked in order and the first one that matches is used. A branch rule with no
conditions always matches. If none match, the visitor goes to the next stage.

## Form settings

**Settings** in the form's menu on the form list opens **Form Settings**. Select **Save** to keep your
changes.

### Contact Management

| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Enable auto-create new contacts action** | Creates a person or company from a submission when no match is found. Uses automation credits |
| **When a duplicate is found** | **Skip** links the submission to the existing contact and leaves it unchanged. **Update Existing Record** updates it with the submitted answers, when auto-update is on |
| **Tag new people with** and **Tag new companies with** | Tags added to contacts the form creates |
| **Enable auto-update existing contacts action** | Updates contacts with the answers from bound fields. Uses automation credits |
| **Prefill matching properties** | When a contact opens the form from a link in a bulk email, bound fields are filled in with their current details |

An existing contact is matched on the submitted email address, and a company also on its name. Each
contact created or updated uses one automation action credit. Without credits, the submission is
still saved but no contact is created or updated. All people need unique email addresses.

### Embed Settings

**Allowed Domains** lists the websites the form can be embedded on. Enter a domain without `https://`
or a page name, such as `clockworkcrm.com`, and press Enter. The form can only be embedded on these
sites. Its own link works everywhere.

### Notification Settings

| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Send email notifications to users** | Emails every user and team member in the form's **Template Permissions** when a submission is recorded. The email lists the answers and links to the submission. On for new forms |
| **Send confirmation email** | Sends a marketing template or email stencil to the contact who submitted the form. Choose the template and the sending address in **Use this sending address...** |

A confirmation email is only sent when the submission is linked to a contact with an email address.
It uses one email send credit.

## Publishing and sharing a form

**Publish** makes the form live at its own link. **Unpublish** takes it down, and the link stops
working.

**Embed** opens **Embed Form**:

| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Copy Embed Code** | Copies the code to paste into your website. The form appears in a frame that resizes to fit it |
| **Copy Link** | Copies the form's link |
| **Close** | Closes the dialog |

A form can also be added to a landing page with the **Form** module. See
[Landing pages](https://help.clockworkcrm.com/marketing/landing-pages).

## What happens when a form is submitted

1. The visitor completes a reCAPTCHA check.
2. The submission is saved, with the answers, the page it came from, and the visitor's browser.
3. If the form was opened from a link in a bulk email, the submission is linked to that contact.
4. Contacts are created or updated, following the form settings. If the submission names both a
   person and a company, the person is linked to the company.
5. Uploaded files are saved with the submission and added to the contact's files.
6. Notification and confirmation emails are sent, following the form settings.
7. The visitor sees the thank-you message, or is redirected if a branch rule says so.

Each time the form is loaded it can be submitted once.

Submissions linked to a contact appear on their timeline. See [People](https://help.clockworkcrm.com/contacts/people).

## Submissions and statistics

**Submissions** in the form's menu opens three views: **Overview**, **Submissions** and **Field
Metrics**.

![A form's performance overview: total views, submissions and conversion rate, with engagement over time](https://clockworkcrm.blob.core.windows.net/public-internal/docs/marketing/form-statistics.png?v=a5d96b01)

### Overview

| Section | What it shows |
|---|---|
| **Total Views** | How many times the form was loaded, and by how many unique visitors |
| **Total Submissions** | How many submissions, and from how many unique submitters |
| **Conversion Rate** | Submissions per view, as a percentage |
| **Engagement Over Time** | Views and submissions over time |
| **Form Engagement** | Submissions against views |
| **Device Breakdown**, **Operating System** and **Browser Breakdown** | What the form was viewed on |

### Submissions

**Form Submissions** lists every submission, with the **Contact**, the **Referer** (the page it came
from, or **Direct**) and the browser, and the **Submission Date**. **Filter by** shows **All
Submissions** or only those **With Contact**. **Export** downloads the list with the filter applied.

The **...** menu on each submission has **View submission**, and **Go to person record** or **Go to
company record** when it is linked to a contact. **View submission** shows when it was submitted,
the referer, the browser, every answer and any attached files.

### Field Metrics

| Figure | What it shows |
|---|---|
| **Total Fields** | The number of form fields tracked |
| **Total Responses** | The number of submissions |
| **Avg Response Rate** | The average percentage of submissions that answered each field |
| **Unique Responses** | The number of different answers, across all fields |

Each field then has its own card:

| Figure | What it shows |
|---|---|
| **Response Distribution** | Each answer given, as a percentage of responses, with how many gave it |
| **Total Responses** | How many submissions answered the field |
| **Unique Values** | How many different answers were given |
| **Response Rate** | The percentage of submissions that answered the field. Green at 80% or more, red under 50% |
| **Skipped** | How many submissions left the field empty |

## Related

- [Landing pages](https://help.clockworkcrm.com/marketing/landing-pages), pages a form can sit on
- [Email templates and merge fields](https://help.clockworkcrm.com/marketing/email-templates), the editor and merge fields
- [Website analytics](https://help.clockworkcrm.com/marketing/website-analytics), traffic to the pages holding your forms