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Content, consent, and advanced fields
These fields shape the form experience, display supporting content, or support specialized behavior. Configure them after the core questions work, and test them carefully because several can change navigation, collect hidden data, or run custom code.
Detailed setup guides:
- Text
- Terms of Service
- Form Progress
- Social Media
- Button
- Hidden Short Text and Hidden Long Text
- Repeatable List
- Code
- Page Break
Text
Use Text for headings, introductions, instructions, explanatory copy, and other content that is not an answer.
Keep essential instructions as text, not only inside an image or video. Use headings to break up long forms and short paragraphs to explain why sensitive information is requested.
Terms of Service
Use Terms of Service when the respondent must actively agree to terms, a privacy notice, or another linked policy.
| Setting | What it does | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Link action | Chooses whether the linked terms open as a URL or in a popup. | Use a popup for concise, stable text; use a URL for a hosted policy that is maintained elsewhere. |
| Link address | Sets the HTTP or HTTPS URL opened by the terms link. | Link only to the approved policy location. |
| Edit popup text | Writes the text shown when the link opens as a popup. | Include the complete approved text and its effective date where needed. |
| Link frame | Chooses whether the URL opens in the same frame, a blank/new frame, or the parent frame. | A new frame usually helps respondents keep their place in the form. |
| Required Field | Requires agreement before submission. | Enable only when an affirmative agreement is actually required. |
Use clear consent wording. Do not make a general Terms field stand in for a specific consent that needs its own plain-language explanation or auditable record.
Form Progress
Use Form Progress in a multi-page form to show respondents where they are in the process.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Step numbers | Displays a number for each step. |
| Page names | Displays page names under the steps. |
| Free navigation | Lets respondents move between form pages by selecting a step. |
Enable free navigation only when users can safely revisit pages without bypassing an intended sequence or confusing dependent conditions.
Social Media
Use Social Media to offer social sharing options for the form.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Configure Networks | Selects and configures the social networks shown. |
| Share Picture | Sets the image used when supported social services share the form. |
Test the shared link and preview image outside the editor. Sharing can expose the form URL publicly, so do not add it to an internal or private form without an explicit publishing decision.
Button
Use Button for a custom respondent action. AbcSubmit supports these click actions:
- No action
- Submit Form
- Reset Form
- Previous Page
- Next Page
- Follow Link
- Show Page
- Save for later (where the feature is available)
Button settings
| Setting | What it does | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Click action | Defines what happens when the button is selected. | Use the built-in form navigation and submit actions where possible. |
| Link to follow | URL opened by a Follow Link action. | Use an approved HTTP or HTTPS destination. |
| Page | Selects the destination for a Show Page action. | Use page names that describe the destination clearly. |
| Link frame | Chooses where a linked page opens. | Use a new frame if the respondent should retain the form. |
Do not add a custom Submit or Reset button without checking how it interacts with the form’s automatic buttons and rules. A Reset action can discard a respondent’s work.
Hidden Short Text and Hidden Long Text
Use hidden fields only when a value must be submitted but should not be shown to the respondent. They are still part of the form data and can be seen in submissions, exports, rules, and connected systems.
Typical uses include a controlled default value, a workflow marker, or a value populated by form logic. Never use a hidden field for secrets, passwords, access tokens, or security decisions. A hidden browser field is not a secure storage mechanism.
Choose Hidden Short Text for a small value and Hidden Long Text for a longer value. Document the internal name and every rule or workflow that sets or consumes it.
Repeatable List
Use Repeatable List when a respondent may need to repeat the same group of fields, such as multiple attendees, line items, or previous employers.
| Setting | What it does | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Min groups | Sets the number of groups initially present when the form loads. | Set the minimum to the smallest sensible number, usually 1. |
| Max groups | Limits the total number of groups a respondent can add. | Set a practical limit that protects the form from accidental excessive entries. |
The maximum cannot be lower than the minimum. Test adding, removing, and submitting several groups, including the upper limit, before publishing.
Code
Use Code only for a reviewed custom implementation. The field has an Edit code action and can render custom behavior inside a form. See the dedicated Code field guide for its complete configuration and release guidance.
Custom code can affect security, privacy, performance, accessibility, and data handling. Before using it:
- Have the code reviewed by an appropriate technical owner.
- Avoid processing secrets or personal data in client-visible code.
- Test on all intended browsers and devices.
- Verify that validation, submit behavior, and error handling continue to work.
- Keep a source-controlled copy of the code and document why it is required.