Table of Contents

Create a Multi-Part Form

Lesley Updated by Lesley

Scenario

You would like your users to complete a form in steps, separated onto different pages.

Some example use cases of this would be:

  • Quizzes
  • Surveys
  • Job Applications

In this example, we will be building a multi-part form that will allow users to fill out an online application with multiple sections.

Requirements

If this your first time creating an app, you'll need to know some basics about adding tables, fields, pages, and views. You can read more on getting started with Knack here: Builder Basics section. 

Other good resources can be found in our About Your Database and Working With Pages sections of the knowledge base.

Steps

Define the Application Table

In the Data section of the Builder, create an Applications table that will store the application details your end users will submit:

Create Part One

  1. In the Pages section of the Builder, add a new page with a form for adding a new Application:
  1. Edit the form to show only the fields you want to ask in part one of the application:

Redirect to the Next Part

Add a Submit Rule to redirect the form to a new child page where you can add a second form to edit the same application record:

Create Part Two

  1. Edit the second page to include the fields you’d like to include in the next part of the form:
  1. Add a Record Rule to the form so that with every submission the Application Date is set to the current date:

Conclusion

Now you have a form with two parts. After your users submit part one (the first form) they will be redirected to part two (the second edit form).

To add more than two parts to your form, repeat steps 2 - 3 until your form has the desired number of parts.

Optional Features

Adding a Confirmation Message

You may want to display a message to the applicant once they submit the last part of the form. To do this, edit the last form and navigate to the Form Rules section. Then under the Submit Rules tab, select “Show a confirmation message.”

Here you will be able to change the text for the confirmation message when the final form is submitted:

Sending Emails

You may want to send an email to a hiring manager, the end user, or anyone else when a new Application is submitted. To do so, edit the final form and go to the Emails section. Here you can click the “Add email” button.

This will allow you to create a custom email to send after the final form is submitted. Add additional receivers by clicking the green + button within the Send section of this rule:

Click here to learn more about sending emails in Knack.

Submit Button Text

You can more clearly guide your users through a multi-step form by customizing the text on the Submit buttons.

For example, you could use "Save & Continue" instead of "Submit" for all form parts, except the last. To do so, go to the Options section and change the text in the "Submit Button Text" option: 

How did we do?

How to Change the Layout of Forms

How to Allow Users to Add New Options in Forms

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