Some online forms need a signature, such as contracts, application forms, and approvals. The form captures the signature through a mouse or touch-enabled device and saves it as an image. Formsite’s Signature item allows forms at all account levels to collect signatures on their online forms and surveys.

Signatures appear as links in the form's Results Table like other images. Clicking the link to the image in the Results Table opens the image for viewing. Signature images share some similarities and differences with files uploaded to the form:

Same:

• Both appear as links in the Results Table
• Images and Signatures display as inline images in the Table format. This is the default format for viewing individual results, Notifications, and PDFs.
• Mapped and displayed with custom PDFs and Workflows

Different:

• Cannot delete them from the Results Table like uploaded files
• Signatures do not get sent through the file integrations

Formsite order forms allow form owners to collect payments for products or services. The payment integrations enable PayPal payments, credit cards, or paying by check for convenience. Sending receipts commonly occurs after successful payments using the form’s Notifications settings. Form owners can set the form to send email after successful payments or before, depending on the need.

Some examples of Notifications with order forms are:

• Order receipts (after the successful payment)
• Donation Thank-you (before the payment)
• Recurring subscription (before and after the payment)

Formsite forms are popular with website building services like WordPress, in part due to the easy embedding. Form owners can copy and paste the embed code provided with every form to display the form on the website. Viewing the form as part of the site itself makes for a seamless and convenient user experience. The WordPress plugin makes it even easier for WordPress sites to display Formsite forms.

Most website building sites have ways to add HTML and/or Javascript code. Some examples are:

• Raw HTML or script plugins
• Iframe widgets
• Text editors
• Template files

WordPress provides a way to use plugins to include content with their own code, called shortcodes. Formsite’s WordPress plugin lets site builders embed their forms anywhere using a shortcode.

Formsite makes building online forms easy and every form has a unique link. The form URL directories identify the account and form to display, and URLs are unique for every form. Creating a Formsite account assigns random character values for the directories initially. Account owners looking to customize the directory values can do that, too.

Reasons to customize the Formsite form link include:

• Branding compliance
• Differentiate separate forms
• Descriptive titles
• Use a new form at the same link

Modifying the URL isn't the only way to create a custom URL. Form owners can also embed their forms into another website, making the form accessible at a completely custom link. For customers looking to customize the form link, keep reading to see how it's done.

Creating surveys, quiz forms, and order forms sometimes requires some extra processing. For example, a quiz will need to track correct answers and display the number or percentage correct. Many form types need to assign scores to answers and Formsite’s Scoring feature lets form owners do that.

Some examples of scoring needs include:

• Surveys: Score each answer in a scale to get a ‘weighted’ total
• Quizzes: Score correct and incorrect answers
• Order forms: Assign scores to help with custom calculated costs
• Advanced: Use scores to trigger rules

Update: The Salesforce integration now sends files from File Upload items to the Salesforce record. Read about it on the Salesforce support page.

Formsite’s integrations let form owners connect online forms to other online services. The Salesforce integration, for example, allows form owners to create new Salesforce records from form submissions.

Salesforce lets organizations understand their customers through their data. They display the data to show customers' needs to help focus sales and marketing efforts. With Formsite, collecting data and creating new Salesforce records makes for a powerful customer data combo.

New users of Salesforce often ask how to create new records, and Formsite forms provide a fast and easy way to collect customer data.

Mobile devices have evolved beyond entertainment devices to personal tools. Virtually all services and online interfaces are usable, if not preferred, with smartphones and tablets. As a result, many leading services have adopted a ‘mobile first’ strategy to prioritize non-desktop experiences. Completing forms with mobile devices sometimes generates questions like how to attach mobile photos to a form submission.

As anyone with a mobile device knows, photos and videos have become common and plentiful. No longer limited to using words to communicate, mobile users often prefer to send photos or videos. Even emojis have evolved to communicate context when words are not enough, for instance.

What about completing online forms using mobile devices? A frequently asked question about online forms is how to attach mobile photos. Take as an example an event registration form that asks each registrant to upload their photo for their entry badge.

Formsite forms allow visitors to attach files when submitting the form by using the File Upload item. The system saves each attached file and displays the link in the Results Table. If there are any Notifications set up, any uploaded files are optionally attached to the email, too. A new feature will now show uploaded images in the result data for Table formats in some places.

The Table format appears as a results format with:

• Notifications
• Individual Results
• Results Reports

Forms meant as lead generation tools often appear linked on social media sites. Each individual site has its own slightly different ways to do things, but some best-practices exist for all. Social media sharing can help generate high amounts of traffic, so follow these tips for maximum optimization:

• Create a compelling headline
• Use a custom and engaging preview image
• Include hashtags and other meta information
• Test the frequency and timing
• Add tracking links

The internet makes it easy to start an online business for virtually any product or service. Many people find affordable hosting and easy site builders to take part in the online economy, though collecting orders can still cause problems. Email-only processes are unreliable and collecting credit card information may drive away security-sensitive shoppers. Luckily Formsite has solutions to add ecommerce to most websites.

Embedding Formsite order forms makes online ecommerce easy for both store owners and shoppers. The process for most online shopping breaks down to a few steps:

• Collect order information
• Calculate order total
• Include extra fees or discounts
• Payment processing
• Order fulfillment