Help center

Build a form

A form is built on top of a table from the Bases module: its fields are that table's columns, and every response is written straight into them as a new row. This page walks through creating a form from a table, choosing which columns turn into fields, and setting up each field — its label, help text, presentation, and whether it's required or hidden.

Create a form from a table

Every form points to one table. When you pick the table, myrna reads its columns and generates one field per eligible column automatically — you don't add fields by hand. So have the table ready first, with the columns you want to collect. If you have no table yet, the module tells you to create one in Bases first.

  1. 1Open the Forms module and click "New form".
  2. 2In the "Table" selector, choose the source table. Fields are generated from its eligible columns right away.
  3. 3Set the title and, if you want, a description that appears under the title on the public page.
  4. 4Go through the generated fields and adjust each one (label, help text, "Required", hide, presentation).
  5. 5Reorder fields by dragging the grip, or with the up and down arrows — that order is the order on the public page.
  6. 6Click "Save" — nothing changes in the stored form until you save.
Changing the source table regenerates the field list against the new table's columns. Fields keep the settings of columns that still match; columns that no longer exist are dropped, and new eligible columns are added.

Choose which columns become fields

Not every column can be filled in by an anonymous respondent, so only some column types become form fields. A column is turned into a field when its type is eligible and it isn't hidden in the table; every other column is simply left out.

  • Eligible column types: Text, Integer, Decimal number, Currency, Select, Multi-select (tags), Date, Checkbox, Rating (stars), URL / Link, Email, and Phone.
  • A field starts with the column's name as its label; you can rename it for respondents without touching the column. A colored badge on each field card shows the column type.
  • Columns hidden in the Bases table don't produce a field.
Formula, Reference, Task, Attachment / File, Image, Progress, Autonumber, Lookup, Rollup, and Reverse links columns can't become form fields — they hold calculated or derived values, link to private records, or need a file upload, none of which fit anonymous collection. If a table has only columns of those types, the builder shows "This table has no columns usable in a form."

Field types and presentation

A field's type is inherited from its column and decides the input shown on the public page: a text box, an email or phone box, a number box, a date picker, a checkbox, or a star rating. For selection columns you also choose how the options are laid out — the presentation changes only the look, never the stored value.

Select — Dropdown
A menu that opens the list of options. This is the default for single selection.
Select — List
The options shown stacked as a pickable list, one choice at a time.
Select — Radio
Radio buttons where exactly one option can be chosen.
Multi-select — Dropdown
A menu where several options can be picked. This is the default for multiple selection.
Multi-select — Checkboxes
A stack of boxes, letting the person check more than one option at once.
Presentation is offered only for selection fields; the "Default (table)" reset button returns a field to its type's default presentation if you want to undo the choice.

Required fields and hidden fields

Mark a field as "Required" to make it mandatory. A required field can't be hidden at the same time — the eye button is disabled with the hint "Required fields cannot be hidden" — and hiding a field removes it from the public page entirely: it is neither shown nor collected. Use hide for columns you don't want to ask about.

  1. 1Tick "Required" on any field the person must fill in.
  2. 2Add help text under a field when the expected input needs a hint.
  3. 3Use the eye button ("Hide field") to keep a column out of the form without deleting anything.
  4. 4Save, publish and open the public link to check the form behaves as you expect.
Every submission is validated on the server before it is accepted: required answers must be present, and each value must match its column type (numbers, dates, email, URL, phone, and selection options are all checked). A submission that fails validation is rejected and never becomes a row.

Team templates

If you work in a team, a saved form can be shared as a starting point for your teammates. "Share as team template" publishes the form's structure and design to the team; "New from a shared template" creates a new form of your own from any shared template.

  • Share: with a saved form open, click the share button in the header ("Share as team template"). Click it again to stop sharing.
  • Reuse: in the sidebar, click "New from a shared template" and pick a template from the list — you get an independent copy to edit freely.
The look of the public page — accent color, appearance, font, corners, density, and title image — is covered on "Design and appearance". Turning the form public, sharing the link and QR code, and reading answers back in the table are covered on "Publish and responses".