Forms
ClearCMS has a built-in form builder. You can create contact forms, sign-up forms, surveys, and more. No code needed.
Opening the form builder
In the left sidebar, click Forms. You will see your existing forms, how many responses each has received, and quick-start templates.
Creating a form
Click New Form. You have two options:
- Start from scratch — a blank form you build field by field.
- Use a template — pick from 12 ready-made templates organized by category: contact, newsletter, registration, feedback, applications, and business.
Give your form a name (the web address is created automatically) and click Create.
Adding fields
The form editor shows your fields in the center and settings on the right. Click Add Field to add a new field. ClearCMS supports 18 field types:
| Category | Field types |
|---|---|
| Text inputs | Text, Email, Phone, URL, Number, Textarea |
| Selection | Select (dropdown), Multi-select, Radio buttons, Checkbox, Checkbox group |
| Date & time | Date, Time, Date & time |
| Special | File upload, Hidden field, Heading (display only), Paragraph (display only) |
For each field you can set:
- Label — what the visitor sees
- Placeholder — hint text inside the field
- Help text — appears below the field
- Required — whether the field must be filled in
- Width — full width or half width (for two-column layouts)
- Validation -- minimum/maximum length, number range, or a custom rule
For dropdown, radio, and checkbox fields, add the list of options in the field settings.
Reordering and removing fields
Drag fields up or down to reorder them. Click the delete icon on any field to remove it.
Form settings
The right panel has settings that control how the form behaves:
Submission
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Submit button text | The label on the submit button (default: "Submit") |
| Success message | What visitors see after submitting |
| Redirect URL | Send visitors to a different page after submission (optional) |
Spam protection
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Honeypot | A hidden trap for spam bots. On by default -- leave it on |
| CAPTCHA | Optional extra protection. Asks visitors to prove they are human |
Notifications
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Notify emails | Email addresses that receive a notification on each submission |
| Send confirmation | Sends an automatic reply to the person who submitted the form |
| Confirmation subject / message | Customize the confirmation email |
Integrations
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Newsletter signup | Automatically add the submitter's email to your newsletter list |
| Send to another service | Automatically forward responses to an outside tool (like a mailing list or customer tracker) |
Access
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Require authentication | Only logged-in users can submit |
| Allow multiple submissions | Let the same person submit more than once |
Always test your form before publishing by submitting it yourself. Check that required fields work, the success message shows, and notifications arrive.
Publishing a form
Forms have three states:
- Draft — saved but not accepting submissions
- Published — live and accepting submissions
- Archived — hidden from visitors, no new submissions
Change the status in the form editor toolbar. Only published forms accept responses.
Viewing submissions
Open a form and click the Submissions tab. You will see every response with the sender's email, status, and date.
Click a response to view the full details. From there you can:
- Mark it as read, replied, or spam
- Add internal notes
- Archive it
Use the filters at the top to view only new, read, replied, or spam responses.
Exporting responses
Click Export CSV to download all responses as a spreadsheet.
Form templates
ClearCMS includes 12 templates to get you started quickly:
| Category | Templates |
|---|---|
| Contact | Contact Form, Detailed Contact Form |
| Newsletter | Email Only, With Name, With Preferences |
| Registration | Event Registration, Class/Workshop Registration |
| Feedback | Simple Feedback, NPS Survey |
| Applications | Volunteer Application, Job Application |
| Business | Quote Request, Consultation Request |
Templates are fully editable — use them as a starting point and customize the fields to fit your needs.
Tips
- Keep forms short. Every extra field reduces completion rates.
- Use half-width fields to place two short fields side by side (like first name and last name).
- Write clear labels — visitors should understand what's expected without extra instructions.
- Test your form before publishing by submitting it yourself.
- Use the honeypot (on by default) plus a CAPTCHA if you receive spam.
If you need to send form data or read responses from your own code, see the Forms API developer docs.