Details

Created: Thursday, 16 July

Written by Adam Wannamaker

Click here to Download the Component

Click here to see the Demo

From the backend components menu of the Joomla! Administrator Panel,

Select:  Components->Forms

There is no "Fields" tab/menu item in the backend because fields are always linked to a form. You have to first create a Form before you can create Fields.

Forms

To create a new Form: Click the "New" button in the Forms component toolbar.



Each Form has two required input settings: 

1. The Title- a name that you save the form under
2. The Alias- a name that is used in the URL 

 

* Enabling "Search Engine Friendly URL's" from your Joomla! configuration will ensure Search Engine Optimization under the Alias name

Emails Options

There are two different emails:

1. One email goes to the Administrator
2. One email goes to the General User

Both emails can be customized individually and independently from

1. One email goes to the Administrator

In order for the submission email to be sent properly, the Administrator has to insert an email address to be sent to.  If an email address is not inserted, the submission will be sent to the default system email address set in the mailer settings in the global configuration of Joomla!.

Once the email is inserted, set the Option Email Result to “Yes”

 

You can provide more than one email address separated by a comma.

In addition the Administrator can provide an email “From address” “From Name” and the “Subject Line”as well as “CC's” an “BCC'”.   You can also use “Form Fields” in the subject line.
Insert the placeholder “[FIELDNAME]” inside the email subject line.

2. One email goes to the General User

 

Upload Files

If your form contains a field of type "file upload" you can use this option to controle whether the uploaded file should be attached or not. If you set this option to "no" the mail will only pass the file name or a link to the uploaded file (depending on your settings of the "Show a download link" option in the receipt mail section).

User Inputs

By default user inputs are included in the result email unless manually hidden.

 

 

Zip Uploads

There is an option to archive all of the attachments into a single *.zip file available for download.

 

 

There are lots of other options to control forms individually. Each option is explained in detail in backend. Hover over the label of an option and you will see the description. You can save the form and use it, after filling in the required setting.

 

 

Fields

You can add fields to your form, as soon as you have saved the form. Click the fields button, which is now available in the forms button toolbar. This will open the fields list view.

 

 

Click the "New" button in fields list view toolbar to create a new field.

 

 

Field options depend on your field type selection and will be available after you selected the field type.

 

Form Conditions

Conditional fields are only displayed in the form when the user has selected a specific option for another field. So there are always at least two fields involved. Select Boxes, Radio Buttons, and Check  Boxes, can be used to trigger the visibilty of other fields.

Setting up a conditional field

1.     Create at least one field of type select, radio, checkbox group or checkbox.
2.     Create a second field, which you want to make conditional.
3.     Save the second field
4.     Click inside the input of the "conditional list" option of the second field. You will see all options which you created for the first field, in this dropdown list.
5.     Select the option, that will trigger the display of the second field.
6.     Use Ctrl for multi selection.
7.     Save the second field.

 

You can select more than one condition in the "Conditional field" option list. These conditions will always be considered or conditions.

 

The Submit Button

The submit button is a field  type, which you have to create manually and is necessary for the forms to function.

Publishing the Forms

Go to the menu manager and create a new menu item. Choose Forms -> Form as menu item type and select a form in the modal window that pops up when you click on Choose a form. Enable the menu option Show Page Heading if you want to show the form's title as page heading.