Table of Contents
DeskDirector Forms - Question Types in Detail
Updated
by Niamh Ferns
Question Types in Detail
Here are all the types of questions currently supported in forms.
To check out how, head to DeskDirector forms - Embed content
Choice
By default, this is a single-choice question (radio buttons). If you want to change it to a checkbox that allows multiple selections, enable the Multiple answers option. If you want to convert the field into a dropdown selection, enable the Dropdown option. The name given will be displayed to the user.
Text
Simple text input, which is single-line by default. Check the “Long answer” box to make this multi-line. Custom Validation – Maximum length of the input.
Email / URL
Looks the same as a short text field, but with extra HTML5 email input validation.
Statement
The field will be displayed inside as prompt text. The description can also be added as additional info. This field is very useful in explaining something to your users. This field does not serve the purpose of the section.
The statement field description also supports Markdown, giving it more flexibility. You can display hyperlinks, bullet-pointed lists and more.
The statement field in the example below is only visible when an end user selects yes:
Number
Simple numerical input. Custom Validation – Equality/Inequality conditions
Date / Date Time
Users will be presented with an easy-to-use calendar.
Time
Users will be presented with an easy-to-use time input.
Phone
A phone input allows users to enter a phone number with format validation. Our system performs the heavy lifting to verify phone format according to the country code that's been selected.
Address
A standard short text input with Google auto-complete support. You can specify which country Google will provide suggestions from.
Dynamic
More information regarding this field is in this separate guide - DeskDirector Dynamic Fields
Field Value Format for Automations
One of DeskDirector's core offerings for forms is the ability to collect accurate data that can be used for automations. Through this, you can extend DeskDirector's forms to work with whatever automation platform you choose. It also allows you to integrate DeskDirector's forms cleanly and comfortably into your existing systems.
We try to make these work for you, not against you.
Field JSON Data Model
{
"name": "question title",
"description": "Description markdown",
"identifier": "id_of_field",
"type": "field_type",
"choices": [
{
"name": "Name of first choice",
"identifier": "choice_1",
"selected": false,
},
{
"name": "Name of second choice",
"identifier": "choice_2",
"selected": true,
}
],
"value": "Value for text, phone, email, number, date, time, address fields. Or used for additional info of other choice field."
}For the choice field and the dynamic select field, the field result is easy to understand. For fields such as phone, date, time, and email, it requires a deeper understanding of how systems format the result value. You can find more on this below.
Phone Field
For the phone field, we employ the E164 format.
E164 format is also supported by telephone link and all phone-related applications.
tel:+14155552671 equal to +1 (415) 555-2671
Date Field
For the date field, the format is according to the ISO 8601 spec. This includes formatting for dates or date times.
- Date: 2022-01-24
- Date Time: 2022-01-24T13:34
Time Field
For the time field, the format is also according to ISO8601 spec. It records the time in the 24-hour format. Hours will be displayed as 00 through 23, minutes displayed as 00 through 59, etc.
- Example 1: 01:23 - 1:23 AM
- Example 2: 12:59 - 12:59 PM
- Example 3: 23:59 - 11:59 PM
Multiple Entries
Multiple entries are currently supported by phone, date, time or email fields. Entries are delimited with ;.
- Date Time: 2022-01-24T13:34; 2021-11-02T00:23; 2022-05-21T23:03
- Date: 2022-01-24; 2021-11-02; 2022-05-21
- Phone: +14155552671; +12015550123
- Email: sample_1@test.com; test@deskdirector.com
Frequently Asked Questions
"Can a form result contain corrupted or invalid data?"
If forms are submitted through the Client Portal, then all values should be validated and correctly formatted. But if the result is submitted through other automation platforms, then our server does not perform validation against the form result. Which means, it is best for automations to have fallback logic.
"For multi-entries, can one of the entries be empty or in an invalid format?"
No, if a form has been submitted through the Client Portal. It is still best for automation to apply a defensive programming approach however, in case your automations lead to errors. Always assume data could be corrupted.
"Can we update the form result through API?"
Not at moment. In the future, we plan to introduce a feature to update a ticket note that has been created with a form. You will be able to modify results through our UI and through our internal API (although it is not recommended to do so).
