Question types

The catalog of form question types and which backing field types they're compatible with.

basic

A question type is the runtime widget a respondent interacts with. Each type binds to a specific backing-field type; the designer enforces compatibility.

Text input

  • Short text. One-line input. Compatible with text (varchar) fields. Settings: max length, placeholder, regex validation.
  • Long text. Multi-line text area. Compatible with text fields without a length cap.
  • Email. Short text with email validation. Compatible with text fields.
  • URL. Short text with URL validation. Compatible with text fields.

Numeric

  • Integer. Whole number input with up/down spinner. Compatible with integer and bigint.
  • Decimal. Floating-point input with configurable precision. Compatible with decimal, float, double.
  • Percent. Decimal with % suffix and 0-100 default constraint. Stored as 0-100 (not 0-1.0).
  • Currency. Decimal with a currency symbol prefix.

Date and time

  • Date. Calendar picker. Compatible with date.
  • Time. Clock picker. Compatible with time.
  • Datetime. Combined. Compatible with timestamp or timestamp with timezone.

Choice

  • Single select (dropdown). One option from a list. Compatible with text or pick-list-typed fields.
  • Single select (radio buttons). Same data shape; different widget. Use for short lists where one-click is faster than a dropdown.
  • Multi-select (checkboxes). Multiple values. Compatible with text-array fields or with a delimited-list convention.
  • Single select (autocomplete). For long lists (50+). Searchable; the data shape is the same as the dropdown.

Choice lists can be inline (defined per question) or reference a Pick list item (preferred for reusable vocabularies; see Pick list).

Spatial

  • Location pick. A small map; respondent taps to drop a pin. Compatible with point geometry. Optional reverse- geocode after the pick.
  • Capture current location. One-tap "use GPS" with no map. Compatible with point.
  • Draw line / polygon. A map with line/polygon draw tools. Compatible with line / polygon geometry.

File and media

  • Photo. Camera capture or upload. Stored as a feature attachment.
  • Audio. Microphone capture or upload.
  • Video. Camera capture or upload. Often size-capped per org settings.
  • Signature. Touch-pad signature capture. Stored as a PNG attachment.
  • File. Any document upload (PDF, DOCX, etc.).

Special

  • Note. A non-input that displays helper text. Doesn't produce a stored value.
  • Calculate. A non-input that computes a value from other questions and stores it. Compatible with any field. Common use: a "completed_at" timestamp set to now() on submit.
  • Barcode. Camera-based barcode/QR scanner. Compatible with text fields.

See also

  • Conditional logic. Showing or hiding questions based on answers.
  • Form designer. The visual builder that orchestrates these.