Group frequently-used fields into field sets

If you’re making a lot of similar forms, make things faster by grouping fields you frequently use together in a field set. You can insert the same field set into as many forms as you need, so all your forms will be more consistent.

If you update a field set that's already used in existing forms, this will automatically update the fields in those forms, too. This is a great way to keep information in your forms up to date.

Create or edit a field set

Only admins can create and edit field sets. If you’re not an admin, you can still add them to forms.

1. From the main menu, go to Admin > Field sets.

2. Select Create field set to add a field set, or choose an existing field set to edit it.
   When editing a field set that is already used in published forms, deleting fields within that set will remove access to any response data you've previously received to those fields. (This will not create a new version of the form). To retain access to response data, it's a good idea to hide fields you don't want to use anymore with display logic.

3. Name your field set.

4. Give it a Description so that other people using it know what forms it works well on.

5. Select fields from the field menu to automatically add them to the field set’s Section, or drag and drop them so they’re right where you want them. You can’t add sections to field sets.

6. Name your fields and fill out their details like you would in a form. You can also use lists to build your field set fields. Check out Create ready-made lists of answers to add to fields for help with lists.

7. Once you’ve added your fields, drag and drop them using the hand icon so they’re in the order you want.

    

8. Save your field set.

Add a field set to a form

1. Open a form from Forms or create a new form.

2. In the field menu, choose Advanced, and drag and drop Field set into your form.

   

3. In the field set dropdown menu, choose a field set and select Add.

   
4. If you'd only like to use some of the fields in a field set, you can break it apart into its constituent forms by hovering over the field set and selecting Edit. 
   
   
   Field sets that are broken into their individual fields will no longer be automatically updated to reflect changes to the original set. 

6. Save your form. When you preview or publish the form, you’ll see that the field set displays the fields that have been set up in the Admin area.
   
   

   

Only admins can see this list.

1. From the main menu, go to Admin > Field sets.

2. Select a field set to open it. You can also delete field sets by using the '...' menu. 
   Be careful when deleting field sets, as this will delete those field sets from any forms currently using them, and prevent you from accessing response data associated with those fields. 

3. Go to the Usage tab.

    

4. Here you’ll see a list of the forms that are using this field set.
   

   
   You can search the list and select a form to edit it in its Build screen.

Now you understand field sets, you can build forms really quickly. Now that you’re using more complicated OpenForms features, why don’t you try setting up a data connection?