eForms (Form templates)

Form templates let you create structured records in Folderit using form fields instead of starting from an uploaded document. A form record can also include attached files, if your form has a File field.

In this guide:

• Create a form template
• Add fields and link metadata
• Share metadata across forms
• Choose related records
• Required fields and validation
• Create a record from a form
• View or edit a record
• Linked forms, bulk copying, numbering, and reminders

Typical uses:

• Incident / accident reports
• Asset or equipment registers
• Visitor / access logs
• Simple request forms (IT request, access request, etc.)
• Case records (for example customer cases, support tickets)
• Project cards (for construction or other project-based work)

Each time someone fills in a form, Folderit creates a record that lives in a folder, can be searched, approved, secured and edited – just like a document, but it’s all structured data.

Who can create and manage form templates?

Form templates are managed from Admin tools, so you need access to the Admin tools panel for the account.

Admin tools → Form templates

Here you’ll see the list “Manage form templates”.

Creating a new form template

1. Go to Admin tools → Form templates.
2. Click +Template in the top bar.
3. Fill in the Form template details:
   • Form name
     • This is the human-friendly name (e.g. “Incident report”, “Asset register entry”).
     • This name appears under the Upload dropdown when users create a new record.
   • Description (optional)
     • Briefly explain when and how this form should be used.
4. Configure Form settings (right side):
   • Title
     • Shown at the top of the form when a user is filling it in.
     • You can usually keep it the same as the Form name.
   • Record name pattern
     • Defines how the record name is shown in folder listings. You can combine normal text with placeholders that pull values from form fields. Placeholders use the field’s slug in curly braces, for example:
       Incident {incident-id} – {department}
       When the form is submitted, Folderit replaces these placeholders with the actual values and uses the result as the item name.
   • Description
     • Text shown to users under the form title, explaining what the form does.
   • Submit button text
     • Label for the submission button (default: “Submit”).

Adding fields to a form

Under Form fields you define what information users must fill in.

1. Click Add your first field (or Add field).
2. Choose a field type:
   • Text – short free text (titles, names, etc.)
   • Textarea – longer text (descriptions, comments)
   • Email – email address field
   • Number – numeric values
   • Select – dropdown list with predefined options
   • Checkbox – yes/no
   • Date – date picker
   • File – attach a file to this record
   • User – select a Folderit user
   • Relation – link to another record/item
   • Table – add rows of structured data (e.g. line items)
   • Static text – enter the text to display to users; use Rich text or Markdown formatting if needed
3. Configure Field properties on the right:
   • Field label – what users see (e.g. “Incident date”, “Department”).
   • Field-specific settings (options for Select, columns for Table, etc.).
   • Required – tick if this field must be filled in.
4. Add as many fields as needed and drag them to reorder.
5. Click Save when the template is ready.

Link a form field to a metadata field

Use Link to metadata field to connect a form field to an existing metadata field in your account. The dropdown shows only metadata fields of the same data type as the form field.

1. Open Admin tools → Form templates and edit the template.
2. Add a form field and choose its Type.
3. In Field properties, open Link to metadata field and select the existing metadata field you want to use.
4. Complete the remaining field properties and save the form template.

For example, a Date field can be linked to an existing Effective Date metadata field. A Select field offers matching Select metadata fields. If the field you need is not listed, check that it exists in the account and has the same data type.

This is useful when a form should use an established metadata field, such as a department, contract type, or effective date. Leave the selection empty if you do not want to link the form field to an existing metadata field.

Share metadata across forms

Several form templates can use the same existing metadata field. This lets a single folder column display values from records created with different forms. Each form can keep its own field label, and each record keeps its own value.

1. Make sure the metadata field you want to reuse exists in the account. You can review existing fields under Admin tools → Metadata. See creating a custom metadata field if you need a new one.
2. Open Admin tools → Form templates and click the name of the first form template.
3. Click Add field and select a compatible field type. For example, choose Text for an existing String metadata field.
4. In the new field’s properties, select the existing field under Link to metadata field. Set the Label users should see in this form, then click Save.
5. Open the other form template and repeat these steps, selecting the same metadata field. The visible labels in the two forms may be different.
6. Create records from the forms and enter a value in the linked field. In the folder, click Columns, choose the shared metadata field by its name, and click Save.

Example: one form has a field labelled Buyer name and another has Client organisation. Link both new fields to the existing Customer name metadata field. The folder’s Customer name column then shows the value from either form on the corresponding record’s row. Giving two independent fields the same label alone does not establish this link.

Choose the link before saving the new field. After saving, the editor shows “Linked metadata cannot be changed in saved forms” and disables the linked metadata selector. To bring existing records into a shared field, add a new linked field and use Bulk copy field values where appropriate. Review the copying rules first: the operation runs once and can overwrite destination values.

To find which forms use a shared field, open Admin tools → Metadata and click its number in the Forms column. See viewing forms that use a metadata field. For the folder display steps, see showing shared form metadata in one column.

Choose related records in a form

1. Open Admin tools → Form templates and edit the template.
2. Add a Relation field and give it a clear label, such as Customer.
3. Under Fetch options from, select the form template whose records users should be able to choose. Save the template.
4. When creating or editing a record, click Choose an item in that field. Browse folders, or use search if needed. Only records from the selected form template can be selected.
5. Select the record, click Select, and submit the form.

For example, choosing a Client template under Fetch options from restricts the field to Client records. Folders remain available for navigation. These field values are separate from general Related items links. For the difference between searching by name and filtering the current folder list, see Search items by name and Filter.

Required fields and template validation

Enable Required in a field’s properties when a value must be supplied. Users must fill required fields both when creating a record and when editing an existing record; clearing a required field prevents submission.

The template editor also checks field configuration before saving. For example, a Relation field needs a Fetch options from selection, and a Table field needs at least one column with both a name and a key. Correct the messages shown beside the settings to enable Save.

To control which values and attachments carry over when a record is duplicated, use each field’s Copy on duplicate setting. You can also configure a custom duplicate name. See duplicating form records.

Using a form template in a folder

Once a form template is saved, any user with rights in a folder can create records from it.

1. Navigate to the folder where you want the record to be stored.
2. In the top bar, click the downward arrow next to Upload.
3. In the dropdown:
   • The normal options (Upload a Folder, Add a link, New Word document, etc.) are shown first.
   • Below the dashed line, you’ll see your form names (e.g. “Incident report”, “Asset register entry”).
4. Click the form name you want to use.
5. The form opens:
   • Fill in the fields.
   • Click the Submit button (or your custom button label).
6. The new record is saved in the folder you were in when you opened the form.

There is no separate file uploaded – the record itself contains the data you entered.

Form fields don’t just live inside the record. You can add any field from a form template as a column in a folder view, so each record shows its key values (such as Incident date, Department, Status) directly in the list next to the item name.

Form fields also work like any other metadata in search. When building a search filter, you can select a specific form field, choose a condition that matches its data type (equals, contains, greater than, between, etc.), and then enter the value you are looking for. This makes it easy to find exactly the records that match your criteria.

Need to embed a Folderit e-form on your website? If your website is built with WordPress, you can use the Folderit e-forms plugin. For websites built on other platforms, use the Folderit public API to create a custom integration.

Viewing and editing form records

• Each submitted form appears in the folder as its own record (like your example: IN12345).
• When you open the record, you see:
  • The form type below the record name, followed by the form fields and their values (Incident ID, Date, Reported by, Department, etc.).
  • Any attached files.
  • The normal right-side tools (Reminders, Shared to, Retention, Audit log).

To edit a record created from a form:

1. Open the record.
2. Click Modify in the toolbar at the top.
3. The form editor opens with the existing values.
4. Make your changes and Save.

Only users with the EDITOR permissions on that item/folder will see and be able to use the Modify button.

Related form features

Choose the guide for the task you want to complete. These features are configured from the gear menu in a form template’s Actions column.

Linked forms: create a new record using existing data

Create a record of another form type and carry over selected values from the original record. For example, start a purchase order from a purchase request. Learn how to set up and use linked forms.

Bulk copy field values

Copy values between fields within all existing, non-deleted records of one form. This runs once, and existing destination values may be overwritten. Read the bulk-copy instructions and copying rules.

Numbering and automated reminders

• Number form records automatically — use Set up numbering to configure a scheme, choose the forms it applies to, and set the next number and reset schedule.
• Send automated reminders — use Manage reminders for reminders based on date fields, optional conditions, and selected recipients. Rules also apply to existing records.

Record name pattern controls the name shown for each record. Automatic numbering is configured separately through Set up numbering. For a reminder on one individual item, see Reminders.

Behavior, limitations & troubleshooting

Data validation & special characters

Folderit applies a few automatic adjustments to certain special characters to prevent saving errors. If something prevents saving, the form will show an error message in the UI so you can correct the value and submit again.

Record name pattern placeholders

All placeholders come from your form field slugs. If you include an unsupported placeholder, it will simply not be replaced when the record is created (it won’t prevent saving the template).

Slug uniqueness

Field slugs only need to be unique within the same form template. They do not need to be globally unique across your account.

Drafts and autosave

Draft mode is not supported at this time. Forms do not autosave — a record is created only when the user clicks the Submit button.

Folder restrictions (planned)

Form templates are currently available for use in any folder where the user has sufficient permissions. Limiting a template to a specific folder (or a list of allowed folders) is not supported yet, but it’s a planned feature.

If a form doesn’t submit

If a submission fails, the error should be shown in the UI. Review the highlighted fields and the message shown, correct the values, and submit again.