A complete reference for every field type available in UniLink forms — what each one does, when to use it, and how to configure validation and conditional logic.
The quality of data you collect from a form depends almost entirely on the field types you choose. Ask for a phone number with a plain text field and you will get inconsistent formats, typos, and missing digits. Ask for it with a phone field and you get validated, clean data every time. UniLink gives you 12 distinct field types, each designed for a specific kind of input. This guide explains each one and tells you exactly when and how to use it.
What Each Form Field Type Does
UniLink's form builder divides fields into input types, selection types, date and time, upload, and utility fields. Understanding the distinction helps you pick the right tool for each piece of information you need to collect.
Input fields — short text, long text, email, phone, and number — are for freeform data the respondent types in. Each has built-in formatting and validation appropriate to its data type. Selection fields — dropdown, radio buttons, and checkboxes — constrain the respondent to a set of predefined options, which produces cleaner, more analysable data. The date picker gives you a structured date in a consistent format. File upload collects documents, images, or other files directly through the form. Rating captures numeric sentiment on a scale. Hidden fields pass background data (like a URL parameter or campaign source) without showing anything to the respondent.
Choosing the right field type reduces form errors, speeds up completion, and makes responses easier to filter and export later. A form that uses a dropdown instead of a short text field for "country" is trivially easy to segment in your analytics; a free-text version requires manual normalisation before it is usable.
How to Get Started With Form Fields in UniLink
- Open the Form Builder — in your UniLink dashboard, go to Forms → New Form (or edit an existing form). The builder opens with a blank canvas on the left and a field panel on the right.
- Add a field — click the + Add Field button or drag a field type from the panel into the form. The field appears in the canvas and the settings sidebar opens automatically for that field.
- Set the field label and placeholder text — the label is what respondents see above the input. The placeholder text appears inside the field as a hint (e.g., "Enter your full name") and disappears when the user starts typing. Keep labels short and clear.
- Mark required fields — toggle the Required switch in the field settings to prevent form submission unless this field is filled in. Mark only the fields you genuinely cannot process a submission without; over-requiring fields reduces completion rates.
- Configure validation — for text fields, set minimum and maximum character lengths. For number fields, set allowed ranges. For email and phone fields, validation is automatic. For file upload, set accepted file types and maximum file size.
- Add conditional logic — click Logic in the field settings to configure show/hide rules. Choose a trigger field, a condition (equals, contains, is not empty), and the value that activates the rule. The field will only appear when the condition is met.
- Preview and test the form — click Preview to open the live form in a new tab. Test every field type, trigger any conditional logic you set up, and submit a test response to verify the data arrives correctly in Form → Responses.
How to Use Conditional Fields
- Identify the branching point — conditional logic works best when one answer determines which follow-up questions are relevant. For example: "Are you a business or an individual?" can show entirely different follow-up fields for each answer.
- Set up the trigger field first — add the field that will trigger the condition (usually a dropdown or radio button) and give it clear, distinct option values. Conditional logic references these values exactly.
- Add the dependent field — add the field you want to show conditionally. In its Logic settings, set the rule: Show this field when [trigger field] equals [specific value].
- Test each branch — preview the form and select each option in the trigger field to confirm the correct dependent fields appear and disappear as expected. Also test submitting the form with each branch active to ensure responses are saved correctly.
- Chain conditions for complex flows — UniLink supports multi-level conditional logic, so a field revealed by condition A can itself trigger a further condition. Keep chains to two or three levels maximum to avoid confusing respondents.
- Use conditional logic to replace multiple forms — instead of creating separate forms for different user types, use one form with conditional branches. This gives you all responses in a single unified response list, making analysis easier.
Key Settings Explained
| Setting | What it controls | Best practice |
|---|---|---|
| Field type | The input mechanism and data format collected | Match the field type to the expected data: use Email for emails, Number for quantities, Dropdown for fixed option sets |
| Required toggle | Whether the form can be submitted without completing this field | Require only the fields you genuinely need; each additional required field reduces completion rate |
| Validation rules | Min/max length, numeric range, accepted file types | Set sensible limits (e.g., max 500 characters for a short text, max 10 MB for file uploads) to prevent abuse and data quality issues |
| Conditional logic | Show or hide the field based on a previous answer | Use to keep forms focused and relevant; hide fields that do not apply to a respondent's situation |
| Option order (dropdown/radio) | The sequence of choices presented to the respondent | Put the most common or neutral option first; avoid ordering that biases selection (e.g., do not put "Strongly Agree" first in a satisfaction scale) |
utm_source) and UniLink will populate it from the query string when the form loads. This lets you attribute form submissions to specific campaigns or traffic sources without asking respondents anything.How to Get the Most Out of Form Field Types
The most common form-building mistake is using a short text field for everything. It feels flexible, but it produces inconsistent data that is hard to analyse or automate downstream. Every time you catch yourself typing "please enter your [X]" in a placeholder, ask whether a more specific field type — phone, email, number, dropdown — would collect cleaner data with less effort for the respondent.
Radio buttons and dropdowns both present a list of options, but they behave differently at scale. Use radio buttons when there are fewer than five options and you want all of them visible at a glance. Use a dropdown when there are five or more options, or when the form is on mobile where a long radio list is difficult to scroll through.
Checkboxes are the right choice when respondents can legitimately select more than one answer. If the answer is mutually exclusive (only one can be true), use radio buttons instead. Mixing these up is one of the most common form UX errors and it creates data that cannot be reliably interpreted.
The rating field is particularly useful for post-transaction or post-event feedback forms. Pair it with a long text field (hidden by default, revealed via conditional logic when a low rating is selected) to automatically prompt unhappy respondents for qualitative context without forcing everyone to explain a positive rating.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Conditional field not appearing | Trigger value in the logic rule does not exactly match the option text in the trigger field | Check that the condition value is an exact string match, including capitalisation and spacing |
| Validation blocking valid input | Min/max length or allowed range is set too restrictively | Review field validation settings and widen the allowed range; test with real-world input values |
| Dropdown options displaying in wrong order | Options were added without manually setting the sort order | Drag options in the field settings panel to reorder them; UniLink preserves the order you set |
| Hidden field not capturing URL parameter | The URL parameter name in the field settings does not match the actual query string key | Verify the parameter name is lowercase and matches exactly (e.g., utm_source not UTM_Source); test by loading the form URL with the parameter appended |
Pros
- 12 specialised field types cover the vast majority of data collection scenarios without custom code
- Built-in validation for email, phone, and number fields eliminates the most common data quality issues
- Conditional logic lets a single form handle multiple audience types cleanly
- Hidden fields enable automatic attribution without adding any visible complexity for respondents
Cons
- Complex multi-level conditional logic can become difficult to manage and debug as forms grow
- Dropdown and radio fields require pre-defined options, which means updating the form if your option set changes
- File upload fields require attention to storage limits and file type restrictions to prevent misuse
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between radio buttons and a dropdown?
Both let respondents choose one option from a list, but radio buttons display all options visible simultaneously, while a dropdown collapses them into a single click-to-expand menu. Use radio buttons for short lists (2–4 options) and dropdowns for longer lists or mobile-first forms where screen space is limited.
Can I use conditional logic with checkboxes?
Yes. You can trigger conditional logic based on whether a specific checkbox option is selected. In the logic settings, choose the checkbox field as the trigger and select "contains" as the condition with the option value you want to watch for.
What validation does the Phone field apply automatically?
The Phone field checks that the entered value contains only digits, spaces, hyphens, parentheses, and a leading plus sign (for international codes). It does not validate that the number is a real, active phone number — it only enforces correct formatting.
Can I pre-fill fields from URL parameters?
Yes. Use a Hidden field and set its default value to the URL parameter name (e.g., email). When the form loads with that parameter in the URL, UniLink populates the field automatically. You can also pre-fill visible fields this way — useful for personalised form links sent via email campaigns.
Is there a limit to how many fields a form can have?
UniLink does not impose a hard limit on the number of fields per form, but best practice for completion rates is to keep forms as short as possible. Forms with more than 10 visible fields at once see significantly lower completion rates. Use conditional logic to show only what is relevant to each respondent.
Key Takeaways
- UniLink offers 12 field types — choosing the right type for each question improves data quality and reduces respondent friction.
- Use dropdowns for lists of 5+ options; radio buttons for 2–4 mutually exclusive options; checkboxes for multi-select.
- Conditional logic shows or hides fields based on previous answers, keeping forms short and relevant for every respondent.
- Hidden fields capture URL parameters (like UTM sources) automatically without any visible input from the respondent.
- Mark only genuinely required fields — each additional required field reduces form completion rates.
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