Types of fields in forms: complete guide

In today’s digital environment, process automation and document digitisation are key elements in business transformation. In this context, features such as the digital forms offered by Viafirma Documents play a fundamental role. However, in order to benefit fully from them, we

What are Viafirma forms?

Forms are a set of containers or labels where information entered by the user can be collected. They appear under the concept of ‘label’ or ‘tag’, represented by English terms. In other words, these forms allow you to define what data must be provided during the signing process.

How are they inserted?

Their configuration is very simple. Once the form has been created, select the form field and access the properties panel. You can access it from a simple view or an advanced view. If you would like more details about this step, we recommend visiting the “Advanced form field options” section in the documentation. However, we will use the simple view to enter the different labels.

Once the data has been collected, we can add it to a document in an orderly manner, so that it is user-friendly and with prior verification of the data. The information can be completed by the signatory, the person signing the request, or a combination of both.

If there is integration with other systems, for example, with a CRM, these fields can be completed automatically.

Where can it be inserted?

The information collected in the fields can be inserted into the document to be signed or used later in your internal processes, even without including it in the document.

Types of fields in forms

Below, we explain what types of fields you can use in forms to make the user experience as efficient and robust as possible:

1. Email
2. Text
3. Password
4. Date
5. DateTime
6. Time
7. Number
8. Phone
9. Select
10. Radio
11. Checkbox
12. Textarea
13. Link
14. Today text
15. Label

Email

This type of field provides automatic format validation for emails.

Text

This field can include alphanumeric characters and is the most generic field. It is perfect for collecting data such as first name, last name or address, i.e. basic information.

They can be customised with labels, placeholders (grey text that appears within the field to indicate what type of information the user is expected to enter), validations and specific formats (e.g. numbers only, capital letters, custom patterns, maximum or minimum number of characters, etc.).

If we use this field to collect the signer’s tax identification number, the following validations are also available as preconfigured options:

• ID number
• ID number/foreign ID number
• Tax ID number
• Tax ID number/company tax ID number

Password

Password field which, as a special feature, hides the values entered in it with a character mask.

Date

This type of field displays a calendar to the signer to make it easier for them to select the date they need to enter as data in the form/document to be signed.

DateTime

In this case, when choosing this type of field, in addition to the calendar, a digital clock will be displayed so that the time can also be easily selected.

In field types that include ‘Date’, you can also choose the format in which you want the entered data to be displayed.

Time

Only the clock will be displayed to select the time.

Number

In this case, when selecting this type of field, only numeric values will be allowed. In addition, there will be two small arrows to the right of the field displayed to the signatory: one pointing up and one pointing down, so that, if necessary, the number can be indicated using them.

iPhone or telephone

In this type of field, we can only enter data that corresponds to a telephone number. The field is divided into two parts: the first is for indicating the country code, which we can set by default to the one we need. The second is where the user/signatory enters the telephone number.

Select

A drop-down menu is displayed with the available options, which we will have to indicate manually in values or have a list prepared in advance and select it to display it. The user can only choose one of the options from the drop-down menu.

Radio

This works in a similar way to the ‘Select’ type, but in this case the options are displayed.

Checkbox

In this case, it works similarly to the ‘Radio’ type, with the difference that more than one option can be selected from all those displayed.

Textarea

It has the same characteristics as the ‘Text’ field, but is designed for data that requires more display space. An example of the use of this type of field would be for the signatory/user to enter any comments they may have.

Link

The link field type allows access to external URLs through configurable links. It can be used, for example, to link to the company’s privacy policy.

Today text

This field type displays the date on which the form/signature request is accessed. You can configure the appearance you want it to have, for example:

Label

The label field type is used to display informative text, such as instructions, titles or clarifications, which guide the user without collecting data. It is useful for improving understanding of the form and avoiding errors.

Advantages offered by different types of fields in forms

The use of digital forms not only optimises data collection, but also provides multiple advantages for your organisation. They allow you to standardise information, minimise errors thanks to automatic validations, and improve the user experience with clear interfaces adapted to each type of data.

In addition, they facilitate integration with other systems such as ERP or CRM that you may have, streamlining processes and reducing manual tasks. Their flexibility in field configuration makes it possible to adapt them to any need, ensuring efficiency, security, and traceability in every interaction.

In an environment where efficiency makes all the difference, form field types are the key to taking the next step towards business transformation. Want to try our application tool? Contact us today and take advantage of a free one-month DEMO.