# Create New Webform

This guide explains how to create a new webform on your Varbase site, either from a template or by building one from scratch.

## Creating a Webform

### Step 1: Navigate to the Webform Management Page

1. Go to **Structure > Webforms** in the admin navigation sidebar, or navigate to `/admin/structure/webform`.
2. Click the **Add webform** button.

### Step 2: Set Basic Information

1. **Title**: Enter a descriptive title for the webform (e.g., "Contact Form," "Event Registration," "Feedback Survey").
2. **Administrative description**: Optionally add a description to help identify the form's purpose in the admin interface.
3. **Status**: Set the form to Open (accepting submissions) or Closed (not accepting submissions).
4. **Category**: Optionally assign a category for organizing webforms in the admin listing.
5. Click **Save** to create the webform.

### Step 3: Build the Form

After saving the basic information, you are taken to the form builder:

1. Click **Add element** to add a field to the form.
2. Browse or search the available element types:
   * **Basic elements**: Text field, textarea, email, number, telephone.
   * **Advanced elements**: Date, time, select, radios, checkboxes, autocomplete.
   * **File upload elements**: Managed file, image upload, document upload.
   * **Composite elements**: Name, address, contact information (multi-field groups).
   * **Markup elements**: Static HTML, horizontal rule, message text.
   * **Layout elements**: Fieldset, details, container, flexbox for organizing form structure.
3. Select an element type to add it to the form.
4. Configure the element:
   * **Title**: The label displayed to users.
   * **Required**: Whether the field must be filled out.
   * **Description**: Help text displayed below the field.
   * **Default value**: A pre-filled value.
   * **Validation**: Rules for acceptable input (e.g., minimum length, pattern matching).
   * **Conditions**: Show or hide this field based on other field values.
5. Click **Save** to add the element to the form.
6. Repeat for each additional field.

### Step 4: Arrange Fields

* Drag and drop fields in the form builder to reorder them.
* Nest fields within fieldsets or containers for logical grouping.
* Use the form preview to check the layout.

## Using a Template

Instead of building a form from scratch, you can start from a template:

1. On the **Add webform** page, look for the option to use a template.
2. Browse available templates (e.g., the Professional Business Contact template included with Varbase).
3. Select a template to create a new webform pre-populated with the template's fields and configuration.
4. Customize the form as needed. Add, remove, or modify fields.
5. Save the webform.

## Configuring Form Settings

After building the form, configure its settings:

1. Click the **Settings** tab on the webform.
2. Key settings include:
   * **General**: Form status (open/closed), submission limits, and access controls.
   * **Form**: Submit button text, preview page, confirmation message or redirect URL.
   * **Submissions**: How submissions are stored and managed.
   * **Emails/Handlers**: Email notification configuration (see [Setting up Email Handlers](/content-designers/webforms/setting-up-email-handlers.md)).
   * **Access**: Control who can view, submit, and manage the form.
   * **CSS/JS**: Custom CSS or JavaScript for the form (advanced).

## Testing the Form

Before making the form available to visitors:

1. Click the **View** tab to see the form as users will see it.
2. Submit a test entry to verify that:
   * All fields work as expected.
   * Required field validation is enforced.
   * Conditional logic shows and hides fields correctly.
   * The confirmation message or redirect works.
   * Email notifications are sent (if configured).
3. Check the **Results** tab to confirm the test submission was recorded.
4. Delete the test submission when done.

## Tips

* Keep forms as short as possible. Only ask for information you truly need.
* Use clear, descriptive labels and help text for each field.
* Group related fields together using fieldsets.
* Use conditional logic to hide fields that are not relevant to all users, keeping the form streamlined.
* Always test the complete form workflow, including submission confirmation and email notifications, before going live.


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.varbase.vardot.com/content-designers/webforms/create-new-webform.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.