Capturing data with forms

Online forms (HTML forms) allow users to fill out information on a website and can be used to capture a variety of data/information. In GovCMS, forms can be created in the following ways:

• Creation of custom forms (this requires development expertise and would be done by a development partner or in-house development team).

• Creation of a new Webform using the "Webform Module". This is the recommended option for content authors and the focus of this topic.

Note - Forms can also be created by creating a new Content type. However, this method is not recommended as it can lead to mixing public form submissions with site content. The GovCMS Contact Module can also be used to create a form, however functionality is limited using this method.

Webform module/Content type

Webforms can be used to:

• Setup a complex Contact us form.

• Add a survey to your website.

• Include a feedback form on your site.

• Add an order form to your site.

Webforms can be configured to send emails to selected recipients when the form is submitted by a site visitor. Completed form submissions can also downloaded/exported in bulk from the site.

The Webform template is accessible from the content management area of GovCMS. To create a new Webform, click on Structure in the Admin menu, then hover over Webforms and click on Forms.

Image of accessing Webforms from Admin menu

On this page you will see a list of all previously created Webforms. Click on the + Add webform button at the top left to create a new Webform. See exercises 11.1, 11.2 and 11.3 for the steps required to build a Webform and use it on a site page.

Showing the Webform interface and Add webform button

Note: In GovCMS, each Webform is an independent entity; to attach metadata to a Webform, it must be referenced from a Webform content type. This approach allows for broader use-cases of webforms as independent entities and means they can be reused in multiple places.

Webform results

You can view the webform results from the Webform page (if your account has the correct permissions) by clicking on the Results tab. Results can be viewed and downloaded in many different formats.

1. Open an existing Webform

2. Click on the Results tab

Showing the Results tab of an existing webform