Creating Forms in Huddle

Forms are the gateway between your users and your Smartsheet data. With Huddle's powerful form builder, you can create everything from simple contact forms to complex multi-step applications that feed directly into your Smartsheet workflows.

Why Use Huddle Forms?

While Smartsheet has its own forms, Huddle forms offer significant advantages:

• Custom Branding: Match your organization's look and feel
• Advanced Logic: Create dynamic forms that adapt based on user input
• Multi-Step Forms: Break long forms into manageable sections
• Portal Integration: Embed forms seamlessly within your portal pages
• Enhanced Validation: Complex validation rules and custom error messages
• File Management: Better control over file uploads and attachments

Creating Your First Form

Step 1: Add the Form Widget

1. Open your portal page in edit mode
2. Drag a Form Widget from the widget panel
3. Drop it into your desired column
4. Click Configure Form to open the form builder

Step 2: Connect to Smartsheet

Before adding fields, connect your form to a Smartsheet:

1. In the form builder, click Data Source
2. Select your Smartsheet workspace
3. Choose the target sheet for form submissions
4. Map form fields to sheet columns (done automatically)

Step 3: Add Form Fields

Drag and drop fields from the field library:

Step 4: Configure Field Properties

For each field, you can configure:

• Label: The text shown above the field
• Placeholder: Helper text inside empty fields
• Required: Make fields mandatory
• Validation: Set rules for valid input
• Default Value: Pre-fill fields
• Help Text: Additional guidance for users

Step 5: Set Up Form Logic

Create dynamic forms with conditional logic:

1. Click the Logic tab in form settings
2. Add rules like "Show field X when field Y equals Z"
3. Create branching paths based on user selections
4. Skip irrelevant sections automatically

Advanced Form Features

Multi-Step Forms

Break long forms into steps for better user experience:

1. Click Add Step in the form builder
2. Drag fields into different steps
3. Name each step (e.g., "Personal Info", "Work Details")
4. Add progress indicators to show completion
5. Enable "Save as Draft" for users to continue later

Validation Rules

Ensure data quality with robust validation:

Built-in Validations

• Email: Validates email format
• Phone: Checks phone number patterns
• Number Range: Min/max values
• Text Length: Character limits
• Date Range: Past/future date restrictions
• File Type: Allowed file extensions

Custom Validation

Create your own validation rules:

• Regular expressions for complex patterns
• Cross-field validation (field A must be greater than field B)
• Lookup validation against Smartsheet data
• Custom error messages for failed validation

Form Styling

Customize your form's appearance:

1. Choose from pre-designed themes
2. Customize colors to match your brand
3. Adjust field spacing and layout
4. Add custom CSS for advanced styling
5. Configure mobile-responsive behavior

Form Workflows

Submission Actions

Configure what happens after form submission:

• Thank You Message: Display custom confirmation
• Redirect: Send users to another page
• Email Confirmation: Send receipt to submitter
• Notification: Alert team members of new submissions
• Webhook: Trigger external systems

Approval Workflows

Route submissions through approval processes:

1. Set up approval stages in Smartsheet
2. Configure approval notifications
3. Create approval dashboards in your portal
4. Allow approvers to review and act on submissions

Form Examples

Contact Form

Employee Onboarding Form

Event Registration Form

Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Form Not Submitting

• Check all required fields are completed
• Verify Smartsheet connection is active
• Ensure user has submission permissions
• Look for validation errors

Data Not Appearing in Smartsheet

• Confirm field mapping is correct
• Check Smartsheet column types match form fields
• Verify automation rules aren't moving/hiding data
• Ensure sheet isn't at row limit

File Uploads Failing

• Check file size limits (default 10MB)
• Verify allowed file types
• Ensure Smartsheet has attachment enabled
• Confirm user's browser supports uploads