Short Answer Fields

Note: This article applies to the new Form Step experience in Streamline.

Short Answer fields provide a simple, single-line way to collect concise information from users in your form design.

They’re versatile and ideal for capturing short responses such as names, company details, email addresses, or quick calculations.

Adding a Short Answer Field

1. In the form editor, click Add Field.
2. From the Basic Fields section, select Short Answer.
3. The field will appear on your form, ready for customization.

Customizing Field Properties

After the field has been added, you can edit its properties directly within the form builder.

You can:

• Change the title of the field to match the information you’re collecting.
• Add placeholder text to show users an example of what to enter.
• Include helper text below the field to provide additional context or instructions.

To the right of the field title, you’ll also find quick-access icons to manage visibility and behavior:

• Toggle Required on or off.
• Click the eye icon to hide or show the field.
• Click the lock icon to make the field read-only.
• Click the two boxes to duplicate the field.
• Click the trash can to delete it.

Field Settings

In the field settings panel on the top right, you’ll find additional options for more control over how the field behaves:

• Data Mapping Label: Add an internal label for data mapping or CSS targeting.
• Default Value: Pre-fill the field with a default response.
• Character Range: Set a minimum or maximum character limit for responses.
• Format input: Choose from several different preset formatting options, including:

SSN 

The format requires xxx-xx-xxxx and will blur when the user leaves the field.

Note: The value that is sent to next steps is not masked unless sent to another form with another SSN field. If this option is used, the user is unable to set their own custom character length for that field.

EIN

The format requires xx-xxxxxxx and will blur when the user leaves the field.

Note: Similar to SSN, the value that is sent to next steps is not masked unless sent to another form with another EIN field. If this option is used, the user is unable to set their own custom character length for that field.

Alphanumeric:

• Users can use this option if they want only letters or numbers (no characters like -, ), & etc)

• Can be used with character length for custom IDs, codes etc

Numeric:

• Users can use this if they want numbers only, this will allow leading zeros (unlike the number field)

• This is for numbers with leading zeros that don’t need to be used in calculations.

Alphabetic:

• Users can use this if they want letters only

These options help you control how the field interacts with your workflow and ensure consistency in the data collected.

Tips for Using Short Answer Fields

• Use short answer fields for brief responses. If you need longer text entries, consider using a Long answer field instead.
• Add placeholder text when clarity matters (for example, “Enter your first name”).