Configurations are an essential part of Sheetgo Forms: they are the building blocks to configure the appearance and behavior of your form.
They are included within column headers surrounded by square brackets. You can modify field types and establish dynamic default values with configurations.
How to configure a form
After creating your your first form, you can use form configurations to:
Specify the data type for each field.
Set required fields.
Include timestamps.
Set multiple-choice options.
Allow people to upload files.
Scan a barcode or QR code.
Let's review the most used configurations and their possible uses. Skip to the end for a full list of configurations.
Default values
[default] is one of the most versatile configurations; it sets a default value for the field. It's followed by a colon and the custom value. You can combine [default] with hidden and locked configurations.
You can use [default: random] to generate a random hash id. By default, this configuration hides and locks the field so people who fill out the form will not see it.
You can also use [default: today] to get the current date and time automatically.
Setting a required field
When creating a form, you usually have some mandatory fields. Sheetgo offers two ways to ensure they are filled out: with the [required] configuration or the * symbol.
If someone tries to submit a form without filling in these fields, they will get an error message. However, this configuration doesn't specify the type of data required.
[email] is an essential field in almost every form. With Sheetgo you have two options when creating an email field:
[email] allows the user to fill in their email address. This lets everyone fill in the form without needing to log in.
[default:email] will automatically fill the cell with the user's email that they're logged in with. You can add [locked] to prevent the user from modifying the email that was automatically added.
Both configurations will validate that the input is an email.
This is what the form will look like.
Choosing one option
At some point, your form might ask users to choose from a set of different options. Sheetgo has two configurations that provide different options:
[dropdown] shows a field with an arrow, which expands when clicked to show all the options
[radio] shows the options side by side for the user to choose from.
Dropdown
Radio
The first step to set up both configurations is to establish a data validation on your sheet. This will allow Sheetgo to determine the set of available options.
Learn more about data validation.
Choosing multiple options
To let the user choose many options you can:
Modify [dropdown]
Use [checkbox]
Dropdown
Add the [min] configuration to allow [dropdown] to accept many selections. You can also set an upper limit with [max]. By default, both of these values are 1. Configuring either one to a higher value will allow multiple options to be selected.
This is how the modified dropdown configuration looks on the form.
Checkbox
The [checkbox] configuration is much simpler to set up, but it takes up more space on the form as all options are visible.
This is how the checkbox configuration looks on the form.
Scales
It is common for users to have to input numerical values. For instance, in a satisfaction survey, users may rate their experience on a scale of 1 to 10. Also, in a new order form, users may be required to specify the quantity of a particular item they wish to purchase. In such scenarios, you could use [scale], which shows all numerical options in a single row.
It is recommended that the scale configuration be combined with [min] and [max], which specify the minimum and maximum values of the scale. For instance, if the satisfaction questionnaire mentioned earlier has a scale ranging from 1 to 10.
On the spreadsheet, the configuration can look like this:
On the form, the scale looks like this:
Barcode
[barcode] displays a field to type a product barcode, or you can use the reader option which is the barcode image on the right of the field. This will open your device's camera to scan the barcode without typing it. This configuration can also read QR codes.
To show different questions depending on a user's answers, you can use subquestions, here is a how-to guide of how to set up this configuration.
All current configurations:
* (asterisk) - set a field as required, used outside brackets. Short alternative to the [required] configuration.
[barcode] - display the field with a barcode reader input option, the reader is also capable of reader QR codes.
[checkbox] - force the field options to be displayed as checkboxes, allowing multiple choices to be selected.
[default] - indicate a default value for the field. It’s followed by a colon and the custom value, which may be a phrase or a dynamic keyword - [default:email,locked] would automatically populate the field with the form user’s email address.
[default:email] - set the field to automatically fill with the active user email address.
[default:"text_value"] - set a default value response for the field.
[default:incremental] - incremental id, it counts the number of form submits, this field is hidden and locked by default.
[default:now] - similar to today, but it also records the timestamp along with the date.
[default:random] - random generated hash id. This field is hidden and locked by default.
[default:timestamp] - the unix timestamp of when the response was submitted - this field is hidden and locked by default.
[default:today] - set the field to fill the current date and time automatically.
[default:vlookup] - can be used to set a dynamic autofill that uses the data from a different cell range.
[key:"column_name"] - the column name in the dataset used for the lookup to search for reference values.
[range:"range"] - define the range of cells where the lookup will search for data. Include the column with the lookup value and the column with the desired value.
[index:number_value] - (optional) specify the column number (within the defined range) from which the value should be returned. Starts at 1 for the first column in the range. If left empty, the lookup will bring the value from the last column set in [range]
[fillempty:"text_value"] - configure texts to show when there is no match for default:vlookup. If no text is defined, the "N/A" error will be shown instead.
[description:text_value] - add a description for the field.
[dropdown] - force the field options to be displayed as a dropdown, allowing only one valid choice.
[min:number_value] - minimum number of values users may select from the dropdown.
[max:number_value] - maximum number of values users may select from the dropdown.
[email] - format the field as email, including validation for non-valid email addresses.
[file] - single file selection and/or upload.
[formula] - creates dynamically calculated field using familiar spreadsheet formulas
[grouped] - create a group of questions that the user can repeat if necessary
[hidden] - the field won’t be displayed to the user, but its value will be transferred to the destination spreadsheet. Forces a read-only state.
[label] - name that specific option on the form. In the spreadsheet, that column will remain the same but while using the form it will be named according to your configuration.
[locked] - format the field as read-only, disallowing changes. Can be combined with default to transfer required non-changeable information.
[max:number_value] - add maximum response length validation.
[min:number_value] - add minimum response length validation.
[multiplefiles] - unlimited file selection and/or upload.
[page] - divide your form into pages to have a more fluid layout
[paragraph] - used for text fields, enabling multiline field/text area.
[min:number_value] - add minimum response length.
[max:number_value] - add maximum response length.
[phonenumber] - format the field as a phone number, with the full international format: (+), then country code, city code, and local phone number.
[radio] - force the field options to be displayed as radio buttons, allowing only one valid choice.
[regex] - build a custom validation using regular expression (regex).
[required] - set a field as required.
[scale] - scale question, can be combined with:
[min:number_value] - set the minimum value in the scale.
[max:number_value] - set the maximum value in the scale.
[minlabel:text_value] - add a customized label for the minimum value.
[maxlabel:text_value] - add a customized label for the maximum value.
[section:text] - create a form section before the column where it is added.
[sectiondescription:text_value] - Allows you to set a description for the section. Must be used in combination with the "section" configuration.
Our team is constantly adding new features and configurations to the forms. Contact support to suggest a new configuration.