PLS-5A: Form Types, Builder Interface & Elements

Last updated: October 5, 2026

Overview

Understanding form types and the form builder interface is foundational to creating effective data collection tools in Housing.Cloud. This module introduces all available form types, walks through the form builder interface, explains sections and elements, and helps you choose the right element type for each question.

What you'll learn:

All 11 form types and when to use each
How to navigate the form builder interface
What sections are and how they create pagination
All 13 element types with examples and use cases
How to preview forms and duplicate existing forms

Time: 20 minutes

Understanding Form Types

Housing.Cloud offers 11 distinct form types, each designed for specific use cases within your housing operations. Some form types attach to system functions (cycles, task categories, settings), while others are standalone tools you can use anytime.

Core Form Types (Always Available)

These form types are available to all institutions:

Application Forms

Purpose: Collect housing applications during a housing cycle

Attaches to: Housing cycles (required)

Creates: Application records in the system

When to use: When students apply for housing for a specific term (Fall 2025, Spring 2026, etc.)

Example: "Fall 2025 First-Year Housing Application" with questions about room preferences, roommate requests, and special accommodations

Student Questionnaire (Bio) Forms

Purpose: Collect detailed student information for roommate matching

Attaches to: Housing cycles (optional, used in Roommate Finder)

Creates: Public bio profiles students can browse

When to use: When you want students to find compatible roommates based on lifestyle preferences

Example: "Roommate Questionnaire 2025" with questions about sleep schedule, study habits, cleanliness, and hobbies that appear in public profiles

Additional Forms

Purpose: Versatile, standalone forms for any purpose

Attaches to: Nothing—these are standalone like Google Forms

Creates: Form responses accessible from student profiles

When to use: When you need to collect information outside the housing cycle context—surveys, feedback, special requests, documentation

Example: "Summer Storage Request Form," "Housing Satisfaction Survey," "Emotional Support Animal Documentation"

Task Forms

Purpose: Collect information when tasks are created or completed

Attaches to: Task categories (maintenance, safety checks, room inspections, etc.)

Creates: Task form responses attached to task records

When to use: When you need custom questions based on the type of request (facility issues need different questions than room change requests)

Example: "Maintenance Request Form" asking "What is broken?" and "How severe is the damage?" or "Room Change Request Form" asking for justification and preferred room

Task Forms: One Section Only - Task forms are limited to a single section because they don't support pagination. If you create multiple sections in a task form, only the first section will display to users. Keep task forms simple and single-page.

Feature-Gated Form Types (Optional)

These form types require specific features to be enabled at your institution:

Animal Forms

Feature required: ANIMALS

Purpose: Collect information about pets and emotional support animals

Attaches to: Housing cycles with tag-based applicability

When to use: When students need approval to bring animals to housing

Example: "ESA Registration Form" collecting animal type, documentation, and care requirements

Interaction Forms

Feature required: INTERACTION_FORMS

Purpose: Ensure student staff (RAs) record consistent information when documenting interactions with residents

Attaches to: Global student staff settings (tenant-wide)

When to use: When RAs submit interaction records and you want to standardize what data is captured

Example: "RA Interaction Report" with fields for interaction type, severity, and follow-up actions

Daily Notes Forms

Feature required: INTERACTION_FORMS

Purpose: Define what information student staff must capture in daily operational notes

Attaches to: Daily note types (global setting)

When to use: When student staff submit daily logs and you want structured data collection

Example: "Duty Log Form" with questions about rounds completed, incidents observed, and resident conversations

Recruitment (HR) Forms

Feature required: HR

Purpose: Collect applications for student staff positions

Attaches to: Job postings and recruitment workflows

When to use: When hiring RAs, desk attendants, or other student staff

Example: "RA Application 2025-26" with questions about experience, availability, and leadership skills

Feedback Forms

Feature required: HR

Purpose: Collect feedback from residents or staff

Attaches to: Feedback workflows

When to use: When you need to gather opinions, evaluations, or suggestions

Example: "Mid-Year RA Performance Feedback" or "Resident Satisfaction Survey"

Visitor/Guest Forms

Feature required: GUEST_MANAGEMENT_FORMS

Purpose: Manage guest invitations and check-in/check-out

Attaches to: Guest management module

When to use: When tracking visitors to residence halls

Example: "Guest Check-In Form" collecting guest name, relationship to resident, and stay duration

Don't See a Form Type? If you don't see Animal, Interaction, Daily Note, HR, Feedback, or Visitor forms in your setup, those features haven't been enabled for your institution. Contact your Housing.Cloud implementation team if you need access to these form types.

The Form Builder Interface

All form types (except their specific attachment points) use the same form builder interface. Understanding this interface is key to creating any form in Housing.Cloud.

Accessing the Form Builder

Navigate to Setup in the navigation panel
Select Forms from the submenu
Choose a form type tab (Applications, Tasks, Student Questionnaire, Additional Forms, etc.)
Click + New Form button to create a new form, OR
Click an existing form name to edit it

Form Builder Layout

The form builder has three main areas:

Left Sidebar: Form Structure

Shows all sections as collapsible accordion items
Click section title to expand/collapse
Shows all questions nested under each section
Drag sections to reorder using the drag handle (⋮⋮)
+ Add Section button at the bottom

Center Panel: Question Editor

Displays the currently selected question for editing
Shows question text, description, required toggle, element type selector
For selection-based questions (Radio, Checks, Dropdown, Ranking): shows choice options
Condition button for setting conditional visibility
Duplicate and Delete buttons

Right Sidebar: Form Settings (Collapsible)

Details: Created date, status (Draft/Published), form type selector
Structure: Section count, question count
Usage: Shows where form is used (only visible when published)
Preview button with eye icon (opens preview in new tab)

Understanding Sections

Sections divide forms into pages, creating a clear structure as students progress through the form.

What Sections Do

For Application Forms and Bio Forms: Sections create pagination. Each section is a separate page with Next/Previous buttons. Students complete one section at a time.

For Task Forms: Sections do NOT create pagination (task forms don't support multi-page workflows). Only the first section will display. Always use one section for task forms.

For Additional Forms: Sections create pagination like application forms.

Adding a Section

In the form builder, click + Add Section at the bottom of the left sidebar
A new section appears with a text field for the section name
Enter a section name (e.g., "Personal Information," "Room Preferences," "Roommate Compatibility")
Section name is required—you'll see a validation error if left blank

Managing Sections

Reorder: Drag the section up or down using the drag handle (⋮⋮) or use Up/Down arrow buttons
Rename: Click in the section name field and edit the text
Delete: Click the trash icon on the section, then confirm deletion
Add questions: Click + Add Element within the section

Organize by Topic: Use sections to group related questions. For example, a housing application might have sections for "Personal Information," "Room Preferences," "Roommate Matching," and "Special Accommodations." This creates a logical flow and prevents overwhelming students with too many questions on one page.

Understanding Elements (Question Types)

Elements are the building blocks of your forms—the actual questions students answer. Housing.Cloud offers 13 element types, each designed for specific kinds of data collection.

Text-Based Elements

TEXT

What it is: Free-form text input (single line or paragraph)

When to use: Open-ended questions, names, descriptions, feedback

Examples: "What is your preferred name?", "Describe your ideal roommate", "Any special requests or accommodations?"

Configuration options: Question text, description, required toggle

STATIC_TEXT

What it is: Display-only text with no answer field

When to use: Instructions, section headers, explanatory text, form guidance

Examples: "Please answer the following questions about your sleep habits", "This section helps us match you with compatible roommates"

Configuration options: Text content only (not marked as required, no answer collected)

Static Text Doesn't Collect Data: This element type is purely informational. It won't appear in form responses and students don't answer it—they just read it. Use it to guide students through your form.

Selection-Based Elements

RADIO

What it is: Single-select from a list of options (exclusive choice)

When to use: When students can only pick ONE option from a list

Examples: "Preferred room type" (Single, Double, Triple, Suite), "Are you a smoker?" (Yes, No), "Class standing" (First-Year, Sophomore, Junior, Senior, Graduate)

Configuration options: Question text, description, required toggle, choice options (can add tags to each choice)

DROPDOWN

What it is: Single-select from a dropdown menu (functionally identical to RADIO but saves space)

When to use: When you have many options and don't want a long list of radio buttons

Examples: "Preferred building" (when you have 10+ buildings), "Major" (long list of academic programs), "Home state" (50 states)

Configuration options: Same as RADIO (question text, choices, tags)

Radio vs Dropdown: Use RADIO when you have 2-5 options and want them all visible. Use DROPDOWN when you have 6+ options to save vertical space. Both collect the same data—it's just a presentation choice.

CHECKS

What it is: Multi-select checkboxes (students can pick multiple options)

When to use: "Select all that apply" questions

Examples: "Which amenities are important to you?" (Air conditioning, Private bathroom, Quiet hours, Study lounge), "What are your hobbies?" (Sports, Music, Reading, Gaming, Socializing)

Configuration options: Question text, description, required toggle, choice options (each choice can add tags)

RANKING

What it is: Students rank items in order of preference

When to use: When you need to know priority order, not just yes/no

Examples: "Rank your top 3 building preferences" (students drag to reorder), "Prioritize these roommate qualities" (cleanliness, quiet, social, studious)

Configuration options: Question text, items to rank, number of selections allowed

Feature note: May require feature flag RANKING_QUESTION

Date & Time Elements

DATE

What it is: Calendar date picker

When to use: When you need a specific date without time

Examples: "What is your birthday?", "Preferred move-in date", "When do you plan to arrive on campus?"

Configuration options: Question text, description, required toggle

DATE_AND_TIME

What it is: Calendar date picker plus time selection

When to use: When you need both date and specific time

Examples: "Preferred move-in appointment", "When would you like to schedule a room viewing?"

Configuration options: Question text, description, required toggle

Specialized Elements

FILE

What it is: Document upload field

When to use: When students need to submit documents, photos, or files

Examples: "Upload your ESA documentation", "Attach proof of address", "Submit a photo of your student ID"

Supported file types: PDF, PNG, JPEG, DOCX

Configuration options: Question text, description, required toggle, file type restrictions

RANGE

What it is: Slider or rating scale

When to use: Rating questions, preference levels, agreement scales

Examples: "How important is a quiet environment?" (scale 1-5), "How clean do you keep your space?" (Not very, Somewhat, Very)

Configuration options: Question text, min/max values, default options (pre-configured with "Not likely", "Somewhat likely", "Extremely likely")

SOCIAL_LINK

What it is: URL or social media handle input

When to use: When collecting social media profiles for roommate matching

Examples: "Instagram handle", "LinkedIn profile", "Personal website or blog"

Configuration options: Question text, description, required toggle

Display note: Social links appear in public student profiles during roommate finder

INV_PREFERENCES (Inventory Preferences)

What it is: Special field for selecting building and/or room type preferences

When to use: Housing applications where students indicate building or room type preferences

Examples: "Select your preferred buildings" (shows list of all buildings), "Preferred room type" (Single, Double, Triple, Suite)

Configuration options: Show buildings, show room types, or both

Limitation: Maximum of ONE inventory preferences question per form

SIGNATURE

What it is: Digital signature capture

When to use: Agreement confirmation, contract signing

Examples: "Sign to agree to housing terms and conditions"

Integration note: Requires Anvil ESignature platform integration

Choosing the Right Element Type

Here's a quick decision guide:

If you need to collect...	Use this element type
Open-ended text (names, descriptions, feedback)	TEXT
Instructions or guidance (no answer)	STATIC_TEXT
One choice from 2-5 options	RADIO
One choice from 6+ options	DROPDOWN
Multiple selections (select all that apply)	CHECKS
Ranked preferences	RANKING
A specific date	DATE
Date and time	DATE_AND_TIME
Document upload	FILE
Rating or scale	RANGE
Social media profile	SOCIAL_LINK
Building or room type preferences	INV_PREFERENCES
Electronic signature	SIGNATURE

Using the Preview Feature

The preview feature lets you see exactly what students will see when filling out your form—before you publish it.

How to Preview a Form

In the form builder, click the Preview button (eye icon) in the right sidebar
Form preview opens in a new tab showing the student-facing view
You can test the form by filling out questions
Test conditional logic by adding profile tags or seeing application tags appear as you answer
Preview responses are NOT saved to the system

Always Preview Before Publishing: Use preview to catch errors, test conditional logic, and verify the student experience. Check for typos, validate that conditional questions appear/disappear correctly, and ensure the form flows logically from section to section.

Learn more about preview features in Preview a Form.

Duplicating Forms

Instead of building a form from scratch, you can duplicate an existing form and modify it.

How to Duplicate a Form

Navigate to Setup → Forms
Click + New Form button dropdown
Select Copy existing form
Modal appears: select the form you want to duplicate from the list
Click Copy
New cloned form opens in the form builder with status "In Progress (Draft)"
All sections, questions, and configuration are copied
Make your edits and publish when ready

When to Duplicate vs Build from Scratch

Duplicate when:

Creating a new cycle's application form that's similar to last year's
You need a form with slight variations (e.g., "Spring Housing App" based on "Fall Housing App")
You want a template to start from rather than a blank form

Build from scratch when:

Creating a completely new form type for a new purpose
No existing form is similar to what you need
You want full control over structure from the beginning

Cloned Forms Inherit Everything: When you duplicate a form, all sections, questions, choices, tags, and conditional logic are copied. Remember to review and update tag assignments and conditional logic if your new form serves a different context or housing cycle.

Key Takeaways

Housing.Cloud offers 11 form types—some always available, some feature-gated
Most form types attach to system functions (cycles, tasks, settings); Additional forms are standalone
Sections create pagination for Application, Bio, and Additional forms; Task forms support only one section
There are 13 element types ranging from simple text to specialized fields like inventory preferences and signatures
Preview before publishing to test conditional logic and validate the student experience
Duplicate forms to save time when creating similar forms for new cycles
Choose element types based on the kind of data you need: TEXT for open-ended, RADIO/DROPDOWN for single-select, CHECKS for multi-select, DATE for calendar input, etc.

What's Next

Now that you understand form types, sections, and elements, you're ready to learn how tags create dynamic, intelligent forms.

Continue to: PLS-5B: Tags in Forms - Conditional Logic & Application Tagging

Additional Resources

Form Types and Form Elements Overview - Quick reference
Create a Form - Step-by-step guide
Preview a Form - How to use form preview
Create a Task Form - Task form specifics