Forms

You can customize the forms used across your organization, including adoption, foster, volunteer, surrender, donor, and pet forms.

Accessing Forms

1. Open Settings
2. Make sure the settings sidebar is showing Organization Settings
3. Click Forms

Overview

Custom forms let you collect the information your process actually needs. Each form type can be tailored to match your workflow while still keeping a consistent experience for staff and public applicants.

Available Form Types

PawPlacer provides customizable forms for:

• Adoption Applications - For potential adopters
• Foster Applications - For temporary pet fostering
• Volunteer Applications - For volunteer recruitment
• Surrender Forms - For owner surrenders of animals
• Donor Forms - For donor records and donor-specific details
• Pet Forms - For fields shown when adding or editing pets

All form types are managed from Settings > Forms. Use the form type tabs at the top of the page to switch between them.

Customizing Forms

Navigating Form Settings

To customize any form:

1. Go to Settings > Forms
2. Select the tab for the form type you want to modify
3. Select the template you want to edit, then use Edit or Preview

Understanding Form Structure

Each form consists of:

• Sections - Logical groupings of related questions (e.g., "Personal Information," "Home Environment")
• Fields - Individual questions or input fields within each section

Managing Sections

To organize your form:

1. Add Sections - Click "Add Section" and provide a name and optional description
2. Reorder Sections - Use the drag handle (⋮⋮) to drag and drop sections
3. Edit Section Details - Click the edit button to modify titles and descriptions
4. Delete Sections - Click the delete button to remove sections (this will delete all fields within)

Managing Fields

Within each section, you can:

1. Add Fields - Choose from various field types:

• Text - Single line text input
• Textarea - Multi-line text input
• Select - Single selection dropdown
• Multiselect - Multiple selection dropdown
• Boolean - Yes/No buttons
• Media Upload - File or image uploads
• Agreement - Terms acceptance with optional signature
• URL - Website or link input
• Number - Numeric input
• Date - Date picker
• Tel - Phone number input
• Email - Email input
• State - US state dropdown
• Tags - Entity tag selector, available for supported record types

Pet forms also include pet-specific fields such as generated names, age, weight, species-dependent breed/color/coat fields, pet photos, pet status, microchip, primary veterinarian, AI description generation, and adoption fee.

2. Configure Each Field:

• Set field label and description
• Mark fields as required or optional
• Add placeholder text
• Define options for select fields
• Mark fields as internal-only when they should be visible to staff but not external applicants
• Include eligible fields in AI-powered descriptions or matching when those features are enabled

3. Field Arrangement:

• Use drag handles to reorder fields
• Group related fields within sections
• Create logical flow for applicants
• Preview the form before using it

Form Templates

For adoption, foster, volunteer, surrender, and donor forms, PawPlacer supports:

1. Custom Templates - Create and save different form configurations
2. Multiple Templates - Have different forms for different situations

You can:

• Create new templates from scratch
• Duplicate existing templates
• Set a default template for each form type
• Edit template names and descriptions
• Require external applicants to accept your terms and conditions before submission

Pet forms use one managed template for the add/edit pet experience. You can customize its sections and fields, preview it, and reset it back to the default pet form.

Special Considerations

Volunteer Forms

Volunteer forms include:

• Standard volunteer information fields
• Customizable sections and fields
• Support for availability scheduling when adding volunteers manually
• No internal-only field toggle

Surrender Forms

Surrender forms collect owner contact details and intake information for animals that may be surrendered. Public surrender submissions create surrender cases and draft animal intake data for staff review; they do not create pet profiles automatically.

Adoption and Foster Forms

These forms can incorporate:

• Pet preference questions
• Home environment assessments
• Previous pet experience questions

Implementing Your Forms

Once you've customized a form:

1. All changes are saved automatically as you work
2. The form is immediately available for new applications
3. Set it as default using the template menu options
4. Existing applications continue using their original form structure

For public application forms, use Settings > Widgets or your public profile links to share the form externally.

Permissions

Only users with Form Administrator privileges or higher can modify forms. Users without that permission are blocked from editing.

Best Practices

• Keep forms concise - Ask only for information you'll actually use
• Group related questions - Use sections to organize content logically
• Use clear language - Avoid jargon and complex terminology
• Indicate required fields - Make it clear which information is essential
• Test your forms - Complete the application process yourself to identify any issues
• Consider accessibility - Ensure forms can be completed by people with disabilities