Form Field Types

TimelyChurch Forms gives you a palette of field types organized into four groups in the form builder: Inputs, Choices, Special, and Layout. Use the right field type for each piece of data you want to collect -- the type determines how the field renders, how it is validated, and (for some fields) how it can be mapped to a Person profile.

Adding Fields

From the form editor, you can add fields in two ways:

1. Click to add -- Click any field type in the left sidebar palette (on smaller screens, tap the Add Field button) to add it to the bottom of your form.
2. Reuse Profile Fields -- If you have custom Person fields defined, they appear in a separate Profile Fields palette at the top of the sidebar. Clicking one adds it with automatic profile mapping pre-configured (you will see a small "Profile" badge on the field).

Once added, you can:

• Drag to reorder fields using the drag handle on the left side of each field
• Edit any field with the pencil icon to open the slide-over editor (clicking the field's body also opens it)
• Duplicate a field to create a copy
• Delete a field (you will be asked to confirm; existing submission data is preserved)

Input Fields

Text Input

A single-line text field for short responses.

• Use for: Names, short answers, custom identifiers
• Settings: Placeholder text, min/max length validation, required toggle
• Width options: Full, Half, One Third

Multi-line Text (Textarea)

A multi-line text field for longer responses.

• Use for: Comments, prayer requests, detailed descriptions
• Settings: Placeholder text, min/max length validation, required toggle

Email

A text field with email validation built in.

• Use for: Collecting email addresses
• Validation: Automatically validates proper email format
• Settings: Placeholder text, required toggle

Phone

A text field designed for phone numbers.

• Use for: Collecting phone/mobile numbers
• Settings: Placeholder text, required toggle

Number

A numeric input field.

• Use for: Ages, quantities, dollar amounts, any numeric value
• Validation: Only accepts numeric input
• Settings: Min/max value validation, placeholder text, required toggle
• Tip: Set an optional Price per unit on a Number field to turn it into a paid quantity -- the form charges (quantity × unit price) when paired with a Payment field. See Payment below.

Date

A date picker field.

• Use for: Birthdates, event dates, start dates
• Validation: Validates proper date format
• Settings: Required toggle

Time

A time picker field.

• Use for: Preferred contact times, availability windows

Date and Time

A combined date and time picker.

• Use for: Appointment scheduling, event timestamps

URL

A text field with web-address validation built in.

• Use for: Website links, social media profiles, online portfolios
• Validation: Validates proper URL format
• Settings: Placeholder text, required toggle

Choice Fields

Dropdown (Select)

A single-selection dropdown menu.

• Use for: Selecting one option from a list (e.g., T-shirt size, service time, campus)
• Settings: Add/remove options, required toggle

Multi-Select

A field that allows selecting multiple options using checkboxes.

• Use for: Skills, interests, availability (multiple days), dietary restrictions
• Settings: Add/remove options, required toggle

Radio Buttons

A set of mutually exclusive options displayed as radio buttons.

• Use for: Yes/No/Maybe, choosing a single preference from a short list
• Settings: Add/remove options, required toggle

Checkboxes

A single or group of checkboxes.

• Use for: Agreements, opt-ins, single Yes/No questions
• Settings: Add/remove options, required toggle

Yes/No

A simple toggle for binary choices.

• Use for: Consent forms, simple confirmations, boolean questions

Special Fields

The Special group in the builder palette covers richer input types -- file uploads, signatures, composite fields, and the Payment field.

File Upload

Allows respondents to upload a file with their submission.

• Use for: Resumes, photos, signed documents, supporting materials
• Settings: Allowed file types (comma-separated extensions), max file size (MB), required toggle
• Note: For security, uploads are limited to common attachment types (images, PDFs, Office documents, text, ZIP) with a size cap.

Signature

A signature capture field.

• Use for: Consent forms, waivers, agreements requiring a signature

Address

A composite field for capturing a full mailing address (street, city, state, postal code).

• Use for: Home addresses, mailing addresses

Name

A composite field for capturing a person's full name (first name and last name).

• Use for: Structured name collection

Hidden

A hidden field that is not visible to the respondent but can carry a fixed value (e.g., a campaign source, a referral ID).

• Use for: Tracking where submissions come from, passing metadata
• Settings: Default Value (the value submitted with the form)

Repeater

Allows respondents to add multiple entries of a set of sub-fields (e.g., adding multiple children to a registration).

• Use for: Registering multiple people, listing multiple items
• Settings: Item label, minimum/maximum number of rows, and a sub-field designer (define the columns -- text, email, phone, number, date, or select -- shown in each row)

Payment

The Payment field lets your form collect a card payment at submission time. It is powered by Stripe through your church's Stripe Connect account, so the money lands in your own Stripe account.

• Use for: Registration fees, deposits, paid sign-ups, donations tied to a form
• Settings: A fixed Amount (USD) charged by the form
• Pricing options: The form total can be a fixed amount (set on the Payment field), a payer-chosen amount with an optional minimum, or a per-unit quantity charge (set a Price per unit on a Number field, and the form charges quantity × unit price). The total is always recomputed on the server -- the amount can't be tampered with from the browser.
• What happens on submission: The respondent enters their card details in a Stripe card form, the charge is processed, and the submission is recorded along with the payment. Each paid submission posts to your Fundraising income and is recorded as a transaction so it shows up in your finance records.
• Refunds: A paid submission can be refunded from its linked record.

Before you go live with payments: Your church must have Stripe connected (Finances → Stripe). Stripe's minimum charge is $0.50.

Layout Fields

Layout fields do not collect data -- they help organize and structure your form visually.

Section / Heading

Adds a heading to break your form into logical sections.

• Use for: Separating groups of related questions (e.g., "Personal Information", "Emergency Contact")

Instructions / Paragraph

Adds instructional text or a paragraph of content within the form. Supports rich text formatting via a built-in editor.

• Use for: Providing directions, explanations, or disclaimers between fields

Page Break

Splits the form into multiple pages. Respondents will see a "Next" button to proceed.

• Use for: Long forms that benefit from being broken into manageable steps

A Note on Event Registration Dates

When a form is set up to register people for an event series (a recurring event with multiple dates), TimelyChurch automatically adds an Event Date Picker to the top of the form so respondents can choose which date they are registering for. This field is added for you -- you do not add it manually from the palette.

Editing a Field

Click the edit (pencil) icon on any field to open the slide-over editor. Depending on the field type, you can configure:

Tip: Use Half Width and One Third fields to place multiple fields side-by-side, such as First Name + Last Name (two halves), or City + State + ZIP (three thirds).

Reordering Fields

Drag any field using the grip handle on its left side to reorder it within the form. The new order is saved automatically when you drop the field.

Saving Changes

When you make changes to fields, an Unsaved indicator appears at the top of the form canvas. Click Save to persist all your changes at once.

Conditional Logic (Show / Hide / Require Rules)

Conditional logic lets a field react to answers given elsewhere on the form -- for example, "only show 'Spouse Name' if 'Marital Status = Married'", or "require 'Allergy Details' only when 'Has Allergies = Yes'".

To set it up, open a field in the editor, scroll to the Conditional Logic section, and turn on the toggle. Then configure:

• Action -- what to do when the rules match: Show this field, Hide this field, or Require this field.
• Match -- whether all rules must match (AND) or any rule (OR).
• Rules -- one or more rows, each made up of a trigger field, an operator, and a value. Add as many rules as you need.

The available operators include: Equals, Does not equal, Contains, Does not contain, Begins with, Ends with, Greater than, Less than, Is filled, Is empty, Before (date), After (date), Is one of, and Is none of. For "Is one of" / "Is none of", separate the values with commas.

The rules are evaluated when the form is filled out, and again on the server when it's submitted -- so a hidden field is never validated, and a conditionally-required field is enforced only when its rule matches.