Field Types Reference

BuoyForms includes 29 field types organized into categories. This guide explains each field type, when to use it, configuration options, and how it compares to alternatives.

Quick Reference

Basic Input Fields

Text Input

Single-line text field for short answers.

When to use: Names, titles, company names, short answers — any response that fits on one line.

Text Area

Multi-line text field for longer responses.

When to use: Comments, feedback, detailed descriptions, "tell us more" questions.

Email

Email address field with built-in format validation.

When to use: Contact forms, lead capture, account creation, follow-up requests.

Number

Numeric input with optional min/max bounds.

When to use: Quantities, ages, budgets, counts, measurements.

Phone

Phone number field with international formatting.

When to use: Contact forms, appointment booking, support requests.

URL

Website link field with protocol validation.

When to use: Portfolio links, company websites, social media profiles.

Checkbox (Single)

Single true/false toggle.

When to use: Terms acceptance, opt-ins, consent acknowledgment, yes/no questions.

Selection Fields

Radio Group

Single choice from a list of options — all options visible at once.

When to use: 2–7 mutually exclusive options where all choices should be visible.

Checkbox Group

Multiple choices from a list — respondents can select more than one.

When to use: "Select all that apply" questions, interest lists, multi-select filters.

Select Dropdown

Single or multi-select dropdown menu.

When to use: Long option lists where showing all choices would be overwhelming — countries, departments, product categories.

Picture Choice

Image-based selection where each option is a visual card.

When to use: Product selection, style preferences, visual surveys, mood boards.

Rating & Scoring Fields

Scale

Discrete numeric scale with labeled endpoints.

When to use: Agreement levels, satisfaction, likelihood — any question where the answer is a point on a fixed scale.

Slider

Drag-handle input for continuous numeric values.

When to use: Budget ranges, percentage estimates, approximate values where exact precision isn't needed.

Rating (Stars)

Visual star (or heart/circle) rating.

When to use: Product reviews, service ratings, experience feedback.

NPS (Net Promoter Score)

Industry-standard 0–10 loyalty measurement.

When to use: Measuring customer loyalty, tracking brand advocacy, benchmarking against industry standards.

CSAT (Customer Satisfaction)

1–5 satisfaction rating for specific interactions.

When to use: Post-purchase feedback, support ticket follow-up, feature satisfaction.

CES (Customer Effort Score)

1–7 effort rating for process evaluation.

When to use: Measuring how easy it was to complete a task — onboarding, checkout, support resolution.

Date & Time Fields

Date

Calendar date picker.

When to use: Birthdays, deadlines, appointment dates, event dates.

Date & Time

Combined date and time picker.

When to use: Appointment scheduling, event registration, delivery windows.

Time

Time-only picker.

When to use: Office hours preferences, recurring schedule times, time-of-day questions.

File & Signature Fields

File Upload

Let respondents attach files to their submission.

When to use: Resume collection, document submission, image uploads, supporting evidence.

Signature

Capture a handwritten or typed signature.

When to use: Contracts, consent forms, approval workflows, waivers.

Advanced Fields

Likert Scale

Rate agreement across multiple statements on the same scale.

When to use: Employee surveys, course evaluations, research questionnaires — any time you need consistent comparison across multiple items.

Likert Score

Single-statement Likert with explicit scoring per option.

When to use: Weighted agreement questions, scored assessments, polls where each option has a point value.

Grid / Matrix

Multi-row, multi-column question grid.

When to use: Comparing multiple items across the same criteria, course evaluations, product feature ratings.

Ranking

Drag-to-reorder priority ranking.

When to use: Feature prioritization, preference ordering, "rank these from most to least important."

Rich Text

WYSIWYG formatted text editor.

When to use: When you need respondents to format their answers with bold, italic, links, or lists.

Heading

Display-only section title — not a data-collecting field.

When to use: Breaking long forms into visual sections, adding instructions, creating visual hierarchy.

Calculation

Computed field that derives its value from other fields — respondents see the result but can't edit it.

When to use: Order totals, weighted scores, BMI calculators, quiz scoring.

// Sum of multiple fields
{field_price} * {field_quantity}

// Weighted average
({field_q1} * 0.3) + ({field_q2} * 0.5) + ({field_q3} * 0.2)

// Conditional scoring
{field_nps} >= 9 ? "Promoter" : ({field_nps} >= 7 ? "Passive" : "Detractor")

Choosing the Right Field Type

For measuring satisfaction

For collecting choices

For collecting text

For assessments and scoring