There is no one way to build a custom form. These forms are purposefully made to loosely follow a certain set of guidelines in order for you to make the most out of the forms without being too restricted. With that said, there are certain rules that must be followed in order to make the most out of the forms. Please read this guide in its entirety in order to learn about how to build your own custom form.

The following guide will cover these topics:

What is a Custom Form (with example)
Keys and Why They're Important IMPORTANT
Layout Items
Custom Fields
Ordering
Flex Length

Section Two: Creating Custom Forms

Before You Begin
Creating a New Custom Form
Adding Headers
Adding a Drop-Down Menu or Radio Button List
Adding an Information Box
Adding Checkboxes
Adding Start Rows and End Rows
Previewing the Custom Form
Make Fields Inactive (Deleting Fields)

Section Three: Managing Custom Forms

Copying a Custom Form
Attaching Custom Forms to a Single Record
Attaching Custom Forms to Multiple Records
Attaching Custom Forms to All of a Certain Type of Record

Section One

Part One of this guide will cover Custom Form basics. Even if you've built custom forms before, this section may contain information you were unaware of. If you've never built a custom form before, this section will help you understand some key concepts that you should know before you start building.

What is a Custom Form?

Custom Forms allow you to take control over your specialized school data. A Custom Form is a set of custom fields you design and then attach to the record(s) of your choosing (e.g. custom fields in a Person Record, Enrollment Record, Student Record etc.)

For example, let’s say your school has a high school track & field program, and you would like to track:

Which students are registered for specific track & field events
Whether or not guardians have submitted the required paperwork for the child to begin track & field training.
A Note field to communicate to other admins important information they may need to know about the student’s track & field registration for information unique to that student.

Before we go through the building process, let's look at the finished project to get a sense of what our example form will look like.
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Now we've seen an example in its published form, but below is that same example from the Edit Custom Form view. This is what the form looks like before it's published. This guide is going to walk you through each of the items on the below table, how to use them, and what fields make the most sense for storing certain kinds of data.
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IMPORTANT: Keys and Titles

A Key is like a bucket all of your data pours into. Editing a Key or a Field Title is not a good idea when there is already data in that bucket. Why? Because if you have a field called "Photo Release," a key will auto-generate called "photo_release"; then if you edit that field title to "Video Release," the original key will stay "photo_release" which will make your queries very difficult. Every time you try to locate the video_release data, it will say photo_release instead.

Make it a part of your everyday practice to make fields inactive when they are no longer useful to you and creating a new one.

Layout Items

Layout Items help you organize your Custom Form so it looks nice and makes sense to the person filling out the form. Notice the table above where we built the Custom Form. The fields are all vertical. We have to tell BigSIS how we want them to look once the Custom Form is generated. That's where Layout Items come in.

There are four kinds of Layout Items:

Headers: Are titles that help divide each section of the form.

Information Box: Allows you to include static text to explain the form in more detail.

Start Row: Indicates a new row of fields (not actually visible in the form).

End Row: Indicates the end of a row of fields (not actually visible in the form).

Custom Fields

Just to get to this article, you had to use some kind of fields. Fields are what comprise a form; they're versatile, powerful, and you have a lot of options to choose from. Earlier, when we were discussing how to plan your form, we mentioned the importance of choosing the right field. Below is a list of the most common fields in BigSIS, how they work, and some examples of when to use them.

Types of Fields

Checkbox: Checkboxes ask an end-user for a "yes" or "no" answer. In our example, "Women's Hurdling" is checked because the end-user is indicating, "yes, my child is signing up for the Women's Hurdling event." The unchecked boxes mean the guardian is not signing the student up for those events.

Best Use: Checkboxes are great because you can select multiple "yes" options. In the example form, a user can select multiple events instead of choosing only one. Do not make checkboxes required for "yes" or "no" entries. A checkbox should almost always be an optional field for users when using them in a Custom Form. Due to the simplicity of the data collected, these response are very easy to filter by.
Radio Button List: A radio button is also a "yes" or "no" answer except only one option can be chosen at a time. An example of a radio button list is the "Physical Examination Complete" field in the example form. You can only select "yes" or "no," not both.

Best Use: Anytime you need a single answer. For example, if I asked "what is your favorite color?" on a form, I wouldn't want my user to respond "orange" and "green" because that's not what the form was asking. These fields are excellent for required "yes" or "no" entries because a user will be required to select one, whereas a user can skip past a checkbox without engaging with it because, by default, an unchecked checkbox is a "no" response. This field type is very easy to filter by as well.
Textbox: This is a blank field where a user can type whatever they want. For example, a "Name" field would be a textbox because you would need to type in your name.

Best Use: Whenever you're collecting highly specified data from a person that can't easily be selected from a list. Due to in inconsistency of this data, this field is not good for filtering.
Multi-Line Textbox: This field is exactly like a textbox only bigger. The "Note" field in the example form is a multi-line textbox.

Best Use: Works great for Note Fields or for answers to supplemental questions on public forms.
Drop-Down List: You've probably encountered these often. It's a field with a drop-down arrow and, when you click the arrow, a list of options presents itself.

Best Use: Whenever you need a user to select a specific option. You could achieve the same goal with a radio button list, but a drop-down will save you a lot of space on your form since the options only display when the drop-down arrow is clicked. Great for filtering because the values are set and a user can only select one.
Self-Building List: These are like drop-down menu and textbox hybrids. Whereas in a drop-down, you have set choices, a self-building list allows you to enter new choices on the fly.

Best Use: These can be difficult to keep consistent and should only be used on internal forms. Use this field with caution! For example, if you ask "What is your favorite color" and there's already a value in the list that's "orange," but a user types in "oragne," you'll end up with a new value in your list called "oragne" and that can get messy!
Date Input Box: This is a little field that, when clicked, populates a little calendar where a user can select a date, or they can type one in.

Best Use: Anytime a user will need to enter a date. These are great for filtering since the data is consistent and the system will recognize the value as a date. This means that you could potentially filter for a date range, or entries before or after a certain date.

Ordering

Ordering tells BigSIS the order in which Items should appear. You'll see this field frequently around BigSIS. The order is important because it lets you control how items are listed. When you create a new Item (whether Custom Field, Layout Item, Matrix Item etc), an order number will automatically be assigned to that item in intervals of 10. The reason they’re in intervals of 10 is so you have room to add additional Items in between existing Items. If you decide you want to put a new checkbox in between an item with an order number of 10 and another with an order number of 20, you can change the order number of the new field to 15 and that will put it in between those two fields. The same concept applies to Evaluation Matrices, and just about every table in BigSIS. You can find the Order field, but editing, or creating different kinds of Items throughout the system.

Flex Length

Whenever you add a new Field or Layout Item, you'll see a field called Flex Length. The Flex Length tells BigSIS how much space a Custom Field or Layout Item should take up when they are all in a row. For example, if there are 3 fields in a row and the first field has a flex length of 2, whereas the other fields have a flex length of 1, the first field will take up twice as much space as the other 2 field.

Note: A trick to getting all of your fields to "squish" to the left-side of the form is to increase the Flex Length of the last field in the row. If the last field is taking up more space than the rest of the field, it will push everything over to the left.

Example 1: Options 1 - 4 have a Flex Length of 1

Example 2: Options 1 - 3 have a Flex Length of 1, but Option 4 has a flex length of 4

Section Two

Part Two of this guide will walk you through, step-by-step, how to create a custom form.

Before you Begin . . .

Before you begin, it’s a good idea to plan ahead. Planning your form can save you revision time. Take a couple of minutes and ask yourself some questions:

Where is this data going?

Person Record
Student Record
Enrollment Record
Admission Record
Lead Record
Donor Profile
Lead Application or Contract
Other

Is this form for internal use only?
Will it be a part of a form/application/contract sent out to parents?
Will you ever need to filter for this data? If yes, how will you filter for it? For example, in our Track & field 2018-2019 form, there's a multi-line textbox field for Notes. It would be difficult to filter for data in this field because there are no standard parameters. However, it would be very easy to filter for all 2018-2019 Women’s Pole Vaulters because that data only requires a yes or no response since it's a checkbox, which is standardized. If a student is registered for Women’s Pole Vaulting for the 2018-2019 year, all you have to filter for is Women’s Pole Vaulting = “Yes” and you’ll have your list.

If you already know you’re building a very large form, with lots of options, try sketching out the order of fields in advance so you’re prepared. Just a general idea is perfect! Don’t worry, your form isn’t set in stone and you'll be able to revise it until it looks how you want it to.

Creating a New Custom Form

The first thing you need to do is add a new Custom Form to the Custom Form Table.

From the Dashboard:

Click the Forms tab > Custom Fields > Custom Forms
From the Custom Forms table: Click the New button
Title your Custom Form something recognizable by yourself and your team
- Note: This title is not public, only internal so it can be specific. "High School Track & Field Registration 2018-2019 for Enrollments" is a good example.

Your Custom Form has been created, but at this point, it's a blank form with no fields in it.

Note: The remainder of this article will not describe every single field you can add as the steps are all the same. However, click here to learn more about different layout item types and here to learn about different field types. The following instructions detail how to build our example form so you can see how it was built step-by-step.

Adding a Header

From the Editing Custom Form page:

Click the Add New Layout Item button.
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- Enter an Internal (Non-Public) Title for Layout Item.
  - Note: This title is for internal use only and if schools opt to make it something other than the public title, it's usually to convey an internal name for a set of fields that they don't want to be public.
- Enter the Order Number which in this case we'll leave as "10" so it's at the top.
- Select "Header" as the Layout Type.
- Enter the Text to Display in the Header, this is what the user will see if this form is ever made public (e.g. attached to an MPF).
- Uncheck the Visible on public forms checkbox if you do not want this header to appear on custom forms at all.
- The Active checkbox is how you will "remove" headers (and other layout items and fields). Uncheck this box if you are no longer using this Layout Item and it will effectively "delete" the item while saving it in case you change your mind about it later. This is especially important for fields that contain data.
When finished, click the Save and Back button.
Your Layout Item now appears in the Custom Form table.
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Adding a Drop-Down Menu or Radio Button List

The next item in our example for is called a Radio Button List. To learn more about drop-downs and radio buttons, read more about different types of custom fields here.

From the Editing Custom Form page:

Click the New button.
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The Field Label is the question you're asking the user to complete. In this scenario, we're asking "Are you Registering Your Child for Track & Field During the 2018-2019 School Year?".
Next enter the Order number if it needs to be adjusted.
Under Type, select Radio Button List.
- `Note: For demonstration purposes, we're building a radio button list but the steps are exactly the same for a Drop-Down Menu.
You'll notice that upon selecting Radio Button List, a new field has appeared. Since you've indicated you would like to create a list, whether a radio button or drop-down list, you must now create values for that list. Click the combo box (blue plus icon) to add new values to the list.
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Give your new list a Title.
- Note: Once you create the list, it will always appear in the Custom Drop-Down or Radio Button List field under whatever title you enter here. Since the options for my question or "yes" or "no," let's call this list "Yes/No."
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Now it's time to add values to the list, click the New button.
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Enter a title (in this scenario, the title will be "yes").
- Notice the Default checkbox. There must always be a default answer in the list. In this case, we don't want "yes" to be the default because if the user doesn't click "yes" then we assume the answer is "no." Leave the Default checkbox unchecked for now.
Click the Save and Add Another checkbox.
Enter a Title (in this scenario, the title will be "no").
Now, click the Default checkbox so the answer defaults to "no."
Click the Save and Back button.
Once you've entered all of your values, click the Back button.
Notice your list now appears in the Custom Drop-Down or Radio Button List field. Now, in this scenario, we want to set this field as required. Click the Is Required checkbox.
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If you do not want to show this field on a public form (e.g. a Multi Page Form), uncheck the Visible on Public Forms checkbox. In this scenario, let's leave it checked.
When you are finished, click the Save and Back button.

Adding Information Boxes

An Information Box allows you to display text in the form to provide users with additional information about the form.

From the Editing Custom Form page:

Click the New Layout Item button.
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- Enter an Internal (Non-Public) Title for Layout Item.
- Select the Layout Type as "Information Box."
- Enter the Text to Display in the HTML text box.
- Only uncheck the Visible on Public Forms checkbox if you want the message hidden from public view (e.g. if the Custom Form appears in a Multi-Page Form). In this scenario, we're leaving it checked.
- When finished, click the Save and Back button.

Adding Checkboxes

Checkboxes must be added one at a time. They do not function as lists like a radio button or a drop-down menu. This is because you can select multiple checkboxes at a time where as with a list you can only select one option. You can learn more about checkboxes by reviewing the section of custom fields.

From the Editing Custom Form page:

Click the New button.
Enter the checkbox option in the Field Label field. In this scenario, the first option is "Men's Cross Country."
Select the Type as "checkbox."
Then, click either the Save and Back button to return to the previous screen or Save and Continue to continue adding checkboxes.

IMPORTANT: Do Not Make checkboxes required. By default, when a checkbox is unchecked, it's a "no" answer meaning the user will be able to proceed to the next page without ever interacting with the checkbox at all. Instead use a Yes or No Radio Button list if the option requires an answer.

Adding a Start Row and End Row

Start Rows and End Rows allow you to put multiple fields on the same line rather than stacking them, which is the default.

Let's see what this looks like. Here is a section of our example form without a start row or end row:

You'll notice the "Physical Examination Complete" and "Parent Consent Form" radio button lists are stacked on top of each other. Let's say we want them to be side-by-side, like this:

Follow these steps to create start rows and end rows.

From the Editing Custom Form page:

Click the New Layout Item button.
(Right-click and "Open image in new tab" to enlarge)
Complete the New Layout Item page.
- Enter an Internal (Non-Public) Title for Layout Item.
  - Note: This title is for internal use only and if schools opt to make it something other than the public title, it's usually to convey an internal name for a set of fields that they don't want to be public ("start1" is a perfectly good Internal Title).
- Enter the Order Number. Remember the order number is the order in which items appear in the table. You want your start row to appear in the table before the start of the row and the end row to appear at the end of it.
- Select "Start Row" as the Layout Type
- In this context, the Visible on public forms checkbox doesn't matter because start rows and end rows are never visible.
- The Active checkbox is how you will "remove" headers (and other layout items and fields). Uncheck this box if you are no longer using this Layout Item and it will effectively "delete" the item while saving it in case you change your mind about it later. This is especially important for fields that contain data.
When finished, click the Save and Back button.
Your Layout Item now appears in the Custom Form table.

Notice how everything below the start row has turned orange? That's because the orange items are being included in the row.
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If at this point we try to preview the form, we'll get an error stating the form cannot be viewed. This is because we've given the form a start row but not an end row. The form doesn't know where to end the row.
Now, repeat the above steps but for the Layout Type, select "end row.
When finished, click the Save and Back button.

Your table should now appear with your items sandwiched between a start row and an end row to represent the start and the end of the row.

Adding Other Field Types (Not a Drop-Down Menu or Radio Button List or Checkbox)

From the Editing Custom Form page:

Click the New button.
Enter the Field Label, this is the text that displays with the field (e.g. Can we use your child's photograph for promotional purposes?).
Enter the Order Number.
Select the Type of field you wish to use.
Optional: Check the Is Required checkbox if the field is required, meaning a person cannot proceed in completing the form until they've interacted with this field.
Optional: Uncheck the Visible on Public forms checkbox if this field should not be visible on public forms.
Optional: Adjust the Flex Length.
Then, click either the Save and Back button to return to the previous screen or Save and Continue to continue add more field.

Previewing your Custom Forms

As you build your custom form, you can preview the form and see what it will look like to an admin versus what it would look like to a user in the portal if you attached it to a Multi-Page Form such as a Back-to-School form.

From the Editing Custom Form page:

Click the Test and Preview button.

Making Fields Inactive (Deleting Fields)

IMPORTANT: Do not remove fields that contain data, instead make them inactive by following the instructions below.

From the Editing Custom Form page:

Double-click the field you want to edit.
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Uncheck the Active checkbox.
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Click the Save and Back button.

Section Three

Part three of this guide while walk through how to copy custom forms, as well as how to attach custom forms to various records.

Copying a Custom Form

IMPORTANT: Copying a form will not create unique keys. This means if you use the same custom form in a Multi-Page Form, it will pull the previously stored data each time.

For example, if you created a custom field called "name" with the key "name" and copy that form, the "name" field will keep populating with whatever was entered into it previously. So, if I enter "John" into the name field in one area, I will see "John" populate in all other custom "name" fields using that specific "name" key.

From the Dashboard:

Go to Forms > Custom Fields > Custom Forms.
Select the Form to Copy,
Click the Copy button.
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Attaching Custom Forms to a Single Record (Person and Student Records Only)

From the Person Table:

Double-Click the record you wish to edit.
Click the Edit this Record expandable link.
Click Custom Person Data (From Custom Form).
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Select the Custom Form to attach to this record.

From the Student Table:

Double-click the record you wish to edit.
Click the Custom Student Data (From Custom Form) expandable link.
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Attaching Custom Forms to Multiple Records (Person and Student Records Only)

You have the ability to attach a Custom Form to multiple Person or Student Records without doing it one-by-one.

From the Person Table:

Select the Person Records.
Click the Other Actions button.
Select Attach Custom Form.
Select the Custom Form you wish to attach.

Attaching Custom Forms to All of a Certain Type of Record

You also have the ability to attach a custom form to ALL or a certain type of record.

From the Dashboard:

Go to System > Settings > Client Settings.
Click the Custom Forms tab.
You'll notice each record that supports a Custom Form with a corresponding drop-down menu. Select the appropriate Custom Form.
Click the Save and Back button.

The Custom Form you selected is now attached to ALL of that type of record.

Articles in this section

Helpful Links

Overview 2 Training Guide: Part 1 (Custom Forms)

Section One

What is a Custom Form?

IMPORTANT: Keys and Titles

Layout Items

Custom Fields

Ordering

Flex Length

Section Two

Before you Begin . . .