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JotForm – The Complete Guide

Download the PDFForms being automated in a graphic

Thousands of companies are using JotForm to create online forms. Industries like IT, healthcare and marketing usually depend on survey information but they may find it hard splitting their attention between creating forms and attending to their day-to-day work. With JotForm, however, most of the work is automated and even people without any experience designing or coding can create forms right away.

What is JotForm?

JotForm is a freemium web/app-based tool that helps users create forms online without any coding involved. Since it is online, users are saved from the hassle of downloading and installing software.

What is JotForm Used for?

Basically, forms are what JotForm is used for (and there are also Table and PDF templates). Businesses and organizations have varied needs for forms. It could be a registration form for a school, a marketing survey for a new product, or even order forms for online shops and so much more. This form software enables users to simply design forms to meet their customized needs.

Users can design the forms by adding specific fields using the drag and drop feature. JotForm is also used to capture specific data from respondents and the process can be automated.

How Does JotForm Work?

From the get-go, it seems clear that JotForm was built for simplicity. Although it performs complex tasks, it does so with simplicity. One of the key features a user should know about is the drag and drop feature. The creation of forms is as simple as choosing what you would want your form to look like, and then dragging a block and placing it where you want it to be on a template.

Templates make it easy to understand and work with JotForm within minutes. With thousands of free templates, a user has a guide to design a form for any use. Although it is best to have an idea of what you would like your form to look like, you can still get inspired by the templates to create form designs that will capture the data that you need.

Knowing the features of JotForm can help to better understand how it works:

  • Online based form creation
  • Over 10,000 templates available to free and paid plans
  • Customizable templates and forms
  • Supports multi-language translation including German, Spanish, French, Chinese, etc.
  • Mobile-first form builder software for creating forms using your smartphone
  • Hundreds of form widgets including e-signatures, checklists, and image slider among others
  • Integration with several enterprise apps as well as CRM integration
  • SSL security
  • Unrestricted form fields
  • Free and paid plans

How to Create JotForm?

The form generator is the easiest tool to use when trying to create a form. It allows the user to drag and drop fields and questions onto a form. You can also adjust the fields by moving them around, shrinking or even merging them. You can also change the colors and other appearance features to make your form more attractive or to highlight particular fields.

Many users are interested in knowing how to create a JotForm using the mobile app. The process doesn’t defer much from the desktop procedure. The main advantage of this is that you can create forms fast and from anywhere. By following the steps below, you can create a form in no time.

Step 1: Log into your account and then click on “Create a Form”

Step 2: You will be given 3 options to choose from:

  • Start from Scratch
  • Use Template
  • Import Form

The template option is the best for beginners.

Step 3: Choose between the Classic Form (this contains multiple questions on a single page) and the Card Form (This has a single question per page)

Step 4: When you are directed to the Form builder, you will be able to add your first question in the field provided.

Step 5: You can include other fields you desire such as name, address, submit button, and so on.

Step 6: If you are satisfied with the fields added, go to settings and set what should be done with the form, for example, integration with other apps, setting notifications, and other conditions.

Step 7: Publish the form.

Note: Creating a form is the easiest part, guaranteeing that it serves its purpose can be the hard part. JotForm advises clients ‘Not’ to include too many questions that will bore respondents. Figure out what information you want to get from the form and then plan the questions accordingly. Yes/No questions receive better feedback than open-ended ones.

How to Use JotForm?

JotForm is a versatile form generator. While creating forms is the main purpose it is used for, it is also a great way to collect useful data for different industries. For example, a health professional can use it to collect important health information about patients while an ecommerce business can use the same form builder to set up an order and payment system that is safe and secure from hackers.

With the use of templates, you can use JotForm to quickly build forms for any purpose. You can also integrate with other apps like CRM, document automation software, accounting software, payment software, and so on.

More JotForm examples include:

  • Lead generation forms
  • Online payment forms
  • Employment registration forms
  • Surveys

JotForm Templates

JotForm offers an exhaustive selection of form templates. With thousands of free JotForm templates, a user from any industry can find exactly what they want. These templates are well organized by category so it is easy to find what you’re looking for. Even when you find something close to what you want but doesn’t suit your exact needs, you can alter it to a customized structure.

About JotForm Integrations

Workflows can be automated using JotForm integrations. There are over 100 apps that can sync and work together with this tool so that the information you get in the forms doesn’t just sit there waiting for you to retrieve it. For example, are you an online business? You can create an order form and integrate it with PayPal so that the order process is automatic. Or a marketing company can integrate their forms with a CRM to capture lead information and manage an email marketing campaign. JotForm has a list of apps that can integrate with their software.

JotForm Conditional Logic

You can turn ordinary forms into smart forms by using JotForm conditional logic. With this, you can determine what happens to data on a form based on the response a client gives. It can also determine whether a follow-up question should be asked. A drop down question can appear if a respondent gives a particular answer.

Is JotForm Safe?

Naturally, any organization that deals with private information and financial transactions would wonder if JotForm is indeed safe. The good news is it maintains the highest safety standards with PCI and DSS compliance. This is the same standard of security credit card companies are expected to maintain. Form data is also encrypted using 2048 Bit RSA keys. For the best secure forms, you can consider a paid plan.

JotForm Pricing

JotForm pricing is divided into 4 plans. These are Starter, Bronze, Silver, and Gold. With the exception of Starter plan, all the others are paid plans that are billed annually. Some of the features of these pricing plans include:

Starter: It is a free plan that gives users a 5 form limit, 100 submissions a month, and 100MB space.

Bronze: It's $24 per month with a 25-form limit, 1000 submissions, and 10GB storage.

Silver: This plan offers the best value at $29 per month, 100 forms, 10,000 submissions, 100GM space, and unlimited form views, reports, and HIPPA compliance.

Gold: For $79 per month, a user gets unlimited forms 1TB of storage space, unlimited access to all features as well as HIPPA compliance.

For nonprofits, there is good news. JotForm offers 50% discount. The same applies to educational institutions.

JotForm Account

Getting a JotForm account is as easy as signing up for one. On their home page, you can click on “Sign Up” and a popup will appear on the screen giving you the option to sign up using an email address, Facebook profile, or Apple. It is a simple process that probably uses JotForm forms to capture a user’s information and create an account. If you already have an account and you wish to delete it, you need to note that this will also delete all the forms that you had created. Since the account is free, you lose nothing by remaining signed up even if you downgrade from paid to a free account.

JotForm Review

If we were to summarize, we would highlight the fact that the majority of users and reviewers are impressed by the thousands of templates to choose from. This is a defining factor that puts it in the spot for the best online form builder. Another feature that is appreciated is the simple drag and drop approach which lets anyone put together a customized form. When compared with its alternatives, it remains among the top options and its flexible pricing also makes it a favorite among its growing userbase.

Automate Your Form to Document Workflow

With integration and automation combined, a JotForm user can free up time to concentrate on other aspects of their business. If you automate the form to document workflow, the process of harvesting information and eventually processing it will flow without your constant input into documents that involves proposals, agreements, contracts and more.

Tags Start & End

Tags Can Start & End Anywhere

Appendix B

.NET code for multi-page image output

Appendix A

Java code for multi-page image output

Data Bin Search

The Data Bin can now be searched to find a table, column, node or other piece of data without scrolling through it all.

Shrink to Fit

This will shrink the contents of a cell until it fits the defined cell size.

Time Zone Conversion

A new Windward macro has been added to help with converting dates and times from UTC time to the local time zone.

Image Output Format

New image output formats added.

PostScript Output Format

PostScript, commonly used with printers and printing companies, has been added as an additional output format.

New and Improved Datasets (Designer, Java Engine, .NET Engine)

Datasets have been re-written from scratch to be more powerful and easier to use.

Stored Procedure Wizard (Designer)

This works for all tag types that are connected to a SQL-based data source (Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, or DB2).

Boolean Conditional Wizard (Designer)

Before, conditional statements could only be written manually. Now they can also be built using our intuitive Wizard interface.

Reorganized Ribbon

The ribbon menus have been re-organized and consolidated to improve the report design workflow.

XPath 2.0 as Data Source

Adds various capabilities such as inequalities,descending sort, joins, and other functions.

If you've just discovered us, we're excited. Learn more about Windward document automation software now.

Try Windward with our 30-day free trial and start creating documents in quick time with our low/no code solutions.

SQL Select Debugger

SQL Select  Debugger

  • The look and feel was improved
  • Stored Procedure Wizard
  • Improved Exceptions pane

If you've just discovered us, we're excited. Learn more about Windward document automation software now.

Try Windward with our 30-day free trial and start creating documents in quick time with our low/no code solutions.

Tag Editor/Tag Selector

Added a Query tab as a field for typing or pasting in a select statement

  • Color Coding of Keywords
  • TypeAhead
  • Evaluate is now "Preview"

If you've just discovered us, we're excited. Learn more about Windward document automation software now.

Try Windward with our 30-day free trial and start creating documents in quick time with our low/no code solutions.

Rename a Datasource

All tags using that Data source will be automatically updated with that name.

If you've just discovered us, we're excited. Learn more about Windward document automation software now.

Try Windward with our 30-day free trial and start creating documents in quick time with our low/no code solutions.

Connecting to a Data Source

New single interface to replace 2 separate dialog boxes

If you've just discovered us, we're excited. Learn more about Windward document automation software now.

Try Windward with our 30-day free trial and start creating documents in quick time with our low/no code solutions.

Tag Tree

Displays of all the tags in the template, structured as they are placed in the template. This provides a simple & intuitive way to see the structure of your template. Also provides the capability to go to any tag and/or see the properties of any tag.

Added Javelin into the RESTful Engine

If you've just discovered us, we're excited. Learn more about Windward document automation software now.

Try Windward with our 30-day free trial and start creating documents in quick time with our low/no code solutions.

Support for Google Application Engine Integration

The ability to integrate the Windward Engine into Google’s cloud computing platform for developing and hosting web applications dubbed Google Applications Engine (GAE).

If you've just discovered us, we're excited. Learn more about Windward document automation software now.

Try Windward with our 30-day free trial and start creating documents in quick time with our low/no code solutions.

Additional Refinement for HTML Output

  • Improved indentation for ordered and unordered lists
  • Better handling of template header and footer images
  • Better handling for background images and colors

If you've just discovered us, we're excited. Learn more about Windward document automation software now.

Try Windward with our 30-day free trial and start creating documents in quick time with our low/no code solutions.

Redesigned PDF Output Support

This new  integration will allow for processing of complex scripts and bi-directional  text such as Arabic.  Your PDF output  will be much tighter and more closely match your template, and we’ll be able  to respond rapidly to PDF requests and fixes.

If you've just discovered us, we're excited. Learn more about Windward document automation software now.

Try Windward with our 30-day free trial and start creating documents in quick time with our low/no code solutions.

PowerPoint Support

Includes support for new ForEach and slide break handling, table header row repeat across slide breaks, and native Microsoft support for charts and images.

If you've just discovered us, we're excited. Learn more about Windward document automation software now.

Try Windward with our 30-day free trial and start creating documents in quick time with our low/no code solutions.

Tags are Color Coded

Tags are color coded in the template by type, making it easy to visually identify them.

If you've just discovered us, we're excited. Learn more about Windward document automation software now.

Try Windward with our 30-day free trial and start creating documents in quick time with our low/no code solutions.

Increased Performance

Version 13’s core code has been reworked and optimized to offer a reduced memory footprint, faster PDF generation and full documentation of supported features and limitations in the specifications for DOCX, XLSX and PPTX.

If you've just discovered us, we're excited. Learn more about Windward document automation software now.

Try Windward with our 30-day free trial and start creating documents in quick time with our low/no code solutions.

Advanced Image Properties

Documents can include advanced Word image properties such as shadows, borders, and styles.

If you've just discovered us, we're excited. Learn more about Windward document automation software now.

Try Windward with our 30-day free trial and start creating documents in quick time with our low/no code solutions.

Improved HTML Output

Windward has updated HTML output to reflect changing HTML standards.

If you've just discovered us, we're excited. Learn more about Windward document automation software now.

Try Windward with our 30-day free trial and start creating documents in quick time with our low/no code solutions.

Version 13 New Data Sources

Windward now works with a slew of new datasources: MongoDB, JSON, Cassandra, OData, Salesforce.com

If you've just discovered us, we're excited. Learn more about Windward document automation software now.

Try Windward with our 30-day free trial and start creating documents in quick time with our low/no code solutions.

Generate Code

The Generate Code tool in the designer allows you to open an existing template and, with a click of a button, automatically create a window with the code needed to run your current template with all data sources and variables. Simply copy this code and paste into your application's code in the appropriate place. You now have Windward integrated into your application.

You only need to do this once. You do not do this for each template. Instead, where it has explicit files for the template and output, change that to parameters you pass to this code. Same for the parameters passed to Windward. This example uses explicit values to show you what to substitute in where.

Pivot Tables Adjusted in Output

Any pivot tables in an XLSX template are carried over to the XLSX output. The ranges in the pivot ranges are adjusted to match the generated output. So your final XLSX will have pivot tables set as expected in the generated file.

This makes creating an XLSX workbook with pivot tables trivial.

Imported Template Can be Set to Match the Parent Styles

In an imported sub-template, if its properties for a style (ex. Normal) differ from the parent template's properties for the style, the use in the sub-template can be set to either use the properties in the sub-template, or the properties in the parent.

You set to retain when you don't want the child template's styling to change when imported. You set to use the parent when you want the styling of the imported template to match the styling in the parent.

Any explicit styling is always retained. This only impacts styling set by styles.

Tags can be Placed in Text Boxes

Tags can be placed in text boxes. Including linked text boxes. This gives you the ability to set the text in a textbox from your data.

Tags can be Placed in Shapes & Smart Art

Tags can be placed in shapes & smart art. This gives you the ability to set the text in a shape from your data.

HTML Output Supports Embedded Images

When generating HTML output, the engine can either write bitmaps as distinct files the generate HTML references, or it can embed the images in the HTML providing a single file for the output.

Footnotes & Endnotes can Have Tags

You can place tags in pretty much any part of a template, including in footnotes & endnotes.

Document Locking Supported in DOCX & XLSX

Any parts of a DOCX or XLSX (PowerPoint does not support this) file that are locked in the template, will be locked the same in the output.

Specify Font Substitution

If a font used in the template does not exist on the server generating a report, the font to substitute can be specified.
In addition, if a glyph to be rendered does not exist in the font specified, you can specify the replacement font. This can be set distinctly for European, Bi-Directional, and Far East fonts.

Process Multiple Datasources Simultaneously

If you need this - it's essential. And if you don't need it, it's irrelevant.

Windward enables you to build a document by applying multiple datasources to the template simultaneously. When Windward is merging the data into a template, it processes the template by handling each tag in order, and each tag pulls from different datasources. (As opposed to processing all of one datasource, then processing the next.)

This allows the select tag to use data from another datasource in its select. For example, if you are pulling customer information from one data source, you can then pull data from the sales datasource using the customer ID of the customer presently processing to pull the sales information for that customer. If you're interested in patching together your data from multiple datasources, read this post on our blog.

Written by:_
Genesis Abel

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