Configurations are an essential component of Sheetgo forms functionality: they describe the appearance and behavior of your form. They are characterized by square brackets - [ ] - on the header cell of each column in your spreadsheet. You can modify field types and establish dynamic default values by leveraging configurations.

How to configure a form

First, if you don't have one, you need to create your own form. Here's a how-to guide to help create your first form.

We can use form configurations to specify what type of data needs to be filled out, to set required fields, timestamps, a multiple choice option, and even allow us to upload one or multiple files or scan a barcode or QR code.

We will go over some of the most used configurations available.

The default value

The default is one of the most versatile functions you can use for a Sheetgo form, it indicates a specific value for the field. This configuration is always followed by a colon and the custom value. In our example, we used the [default: random] configuration, which generates a random hash id, by default this configuration hides and locks the field, so it will be filled automatically.

We can also use the [default: today] function, which sets the field to automatically get the current date and time, this field is not automatically hidden or locked, but it can be if we use the default combined with the hidden and locked functions, which will look like this:

At the bottom of this page, you will be able to find all the options associated with the default configuration.

Setting a required field

When creating a form we usually have some required fields which we need to be filled out. With Sheetgo we can do this in two ways, either using the required configuration or the *, which we used in our example. This forces the user to fill out the cell to send the form. This configuration only forces the user to fill out the cell, but it doesn't specify the type of data that needs to be filled in.

Email

Email is a primary field in almost every form these days. With Sheetgo you have two options when creating an email field. You can use the email configuration, which allows the user to fill in their wanted email address and alternatively, you can combine it with the default configuration [default:email], it will automatically fill the cell with the user's email that it's logged in. Additionally, you can add the locked configuration to prevent the user from changing the email that was automatically added.

On the spreadsheet, these two options will look like this:

While on the form they will look like this:

Choosing one option

At some point, your form might ask the user to choose one from a set of different options. Sheetgo has two configurations that can be used to complete this task, [dropdown], and [radio]. To set up both of the configurations first, you will need to establish a data validation on your sheet. This will allow Sheetgo to know the set of available options.

If you need you can learn more about data validation here.

The main difference between each option is how they will look on the form. The dropdown will show a field with an arrow, when the user expands it will show all the options below. The radio will show the options side by side for the user to choose from.

Dropdown configuration on the form:

Radio configuration on the form

Or multiple options

Or you want to let the user choose more than one option. In this case, you can use the configuration [checkbox]. Just like the dropdown and radio functions you first need to use data validation on your spreadsheets to set what values will be shown.

This is how the checkbox configuration looks on the form:

Scales

It is common to face situations where users are needed to input numerical values. For instance, in a satisfaction questionnaire, users may be asked to 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 might use the [scale] configuration, which presents all the available numerical options in a single row, allowing users to select their preferred value with ease.

It is recommended to combine the scale configuration with the "min" and "max" tags, 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 configuration will look like this:

Barcode

The barcode configuration displays a field where you can type a product barcode or you can use the reader option, which is the barcode image at the end of the field. This will open your computer camera and scan the barcode, without having to type it. This configuration is also capable of reading QR codes.

If your form needs to show different questions depending on a user's answers, you can do that using subquestion, here is a how-to guide of how to set up this configuration.

All current configurations:

* (asterisk): mark a field as required, used outside brackets. It’s a short alternative to the required keyword.
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": 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 automatically get the current date and time.
- default:vlookup: can be used to set a dynamic autofill that uses the data from a different cell range
  - fillempty:"text": 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.
desc:”text”: add a description for the field.
dropdown: force the field options to be displayed as a dropdown, allowing only one valid choice.
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:140: add maximum response length validation.
min:50: 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.
- max:140: add maximum response length validation.
- min:50: add minimum response length validation.
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: mark a field as required.
scale: scale question, it should be combined with "min" and "max", available additional tags:
- min:1: set the minimum value in the scale.
- max:10: set the maximum value in the scale.
- minLabel:”text”: add a customized label for the minimum value.
- maxLabel:"text": add a customized label for the maximum value.
section:"text": create a form section, that is placed before the field/column where it was added.
sectionDescription:"text": Allows you to set a description to the section. It does not work if the configuration section is not set.

Our team is in a constant process of adding new features and configurations to the forms. If you want to suggest some new validation option we recommend you send in a request to the Community expressing your thoughts. The Product Engineers and Designers for Sheetgo monitor those submissions and often take inspiration from them for additional features and updates.