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

If you don't have Form, you need to create one. Here's a guide to create your first form.

You can use form configurations to:

Specify what data type for each field.
Set required fields.
Include timestamps.
Multiple choice options.
Allow people to upload files.
Scan a barcode or QR code.

We will go over some of the most used configurations available and possible uses. Skip to the end for a list of all configurations.

The default value

The default is one of the most versatile configuration you can use for a Sheetgo form, it indicates a specific value for the field. It's always followed by a colon and the custom value.

In our example, you 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.

You can also use the [default: today] function, which sets the field to get the current date and time automatically. You can use default in combination with hidden and locked configurations (see image below).

Setting a required field

When creating a form you usually have some required fields which need to be filled out. Sheetgo offers two ways to do this: with the [required] configuration or the * used in the example. This forces the user to fill out the cell to submit 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 an important field in almost every form. With Sheetgo you have two options when creating an email field (see image below). You can use the email configuration, which allows the user to fill in their wanted email address or you can combine it with [default] configuration [default:email]. This 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 modifying the email that was automatically added.

Below is what the form will look like.

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].

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.

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

Dropdown

Radio

Choosing multiple options

To let the user choose many options you can modify the [dropdown] configuration covered above or you can use [checkbox]. First need to use data validation on your spreadsheets to set what values will be shown.

To allow [dropdown] to accept various selections, add the [min] configuration. You can also set up an upper limit with [max]. By default both of these values is 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.

The [checkbox] configuration is much simpler to set up, but it takes up more space on the form.

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 questionnaire, 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 might use the [scale] configuration, which presents all the available numerical options in a single row.

It is recommended to combine the scale configuration 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 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) - 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.
[desc:”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 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.