Form Container Widget

What you can do with the Form Container

To	Do this
Choose where entries are saved	Connect a list.
Let people enter more than once, up to a limit	Limit repeat entries.
Cap total entries	Cap total entries.
Block bots	Turn on Google reCAPTCHA (Scale plan and higher).
Show a message, a pop-up or another page after someone enters	Choose what happens after submit.
Get an email for every new entry	Turn on email alerts.
Reward entrants for referring friends	Turn on Refer-a-Friend (Build plan and higher).
Send entries to another tool, such as Mailchimp	Set up form integrations.

Before you start

• A form is a Form Container with Field Widgets inside it, such as name and email fields. See Field Widget.
• Every entry is saved to one list. Several forms can share a list, and their entries count toward the same Maximum Entries Limit.
• Check Limit repeat entries on every new form. Each Form Container has its own setting, and it may start at one entry per person. See Limit repeat entries.
• Don't put a Form Container inside another Form Container. Use the Container, Two-Column or Three-Column Widget to lay out your form instead. Nested forms may not submit, and the Builder shows an error if it finds one.
• Some settings need a higher plan: reCAPTCHA and the Fraud Filter need Scale, and Refer-a-Friend needs Build.

Add a Form Container

1. Click the Form Container icon in the Add Widgets Panel, or drag it into the preview.
2. Click the pencil icon on the widget to open its settings.
3. Use the menu on the left, or Back and Next, to move between sections.
4. Click Save and Exit when you're done.

To rename the widget, click the pencil icon next to its name at the top left of the settings, type the new name and press Enter. The widget's CSS ID, which starts with #, is at the top right.

Settings at a glance

Section	What it does
List	Chooses or creates the list entries are saved to.
Entry Restrictions	Limits repeat entries and total entries, and turns on reCAPTCHA.
Instant Win	Turns on Instant Win prizes. See Instant Win.
Fraud Filter	Flags or blocks entries that match patterns you set (Scale plan and higher). See Fraud Filter.
Form Integrations	Sends entries to other tools. See Form integrations.
After Submit	Sets what visitors see after they enter.
Refer-a-Friend & Sharing	Turns on referral points and connects a Share Widget. See Refer-a-Friend.
Approvals/Alerts	Approves entries automatically and sends email alerts.
Advanced	Image Editor, Advanced Points for Actions, the default Submit button, and Form Values.
Text	The text your form shows. Edit the fields to suit your campaign.
Visibility	When, where and to whom the form shows. See Widget visibility.
Extras	Main Tag, CSS classes and Smart Labels. See Widget extras.

Connect a list

• Use an existing list: Click Choose existing list, find the list by scrolling or searching, and click its name. To disconnect it, click the X next to its name.
• Create a new list: Click Create new list, enter a Name, the Number of test entries, and optional Tags, then click Create.

A list keeps every entry saved to it, so a new campaign that uses an older campaign's list shares that list's entry count. For a fresh count, create a new list.

Entry restrictions

Limit repeat entries

Use Limit repeat entries to decide how many times one person can enter. Visitors who reach the limit see the message you write here.

1. Choose how to tell entrants apart: by Email Address or by Login. by Email Address counts the address typed in the form. by Login counts the address the entrant verified with a code, and needs a Login Field on the form (Max plan). See Email Address or Login.

2. Set how many entries each person gets:

   • entry every and a number of hours or days: people can enter again once that time has passed. One entry every 24 hours gives each person a daily entry.
   • A maximum of and a number: each person can enter up to that many times in total.

3. Add the message people see when they reach the limit.

To remove the limit, select None. The choices are None, by Email Address and by Login, and you can pick one at a time. Changes apply to a live campaign once you publish them.

With by Email Address, Gmail addresses that differ only by dots count as the same address. For example, janedoe@gmail.com and jane.doe@gmail.com share one limit.

For setting up Login and the other ways to protect your form, see Entry restrictions.

Cap total entries

1. Tick Maximum Entries Limit.
2. Enter the Maximum number of entries, such as 20.
3. Add an Entry limit has been reached message.

The cap counts every entry across all Form Containers connected to the same list, including entries from earlier campaigns that use the list. Test entries aren't counted. If several people enter at the same moment, the cap can be passed by a few entries. If that's a problem, use Instant Win with the Prize distribution strategy set to All at start.

Bot prevention

Click Configure in Campaign Settings → Security to turn on Google reCAPTCHA. See Restricting entries using reCAPTCHA.

Choose what happens after submit

Option	What visitors see
Use Action Widgets to show results (default)	Whatever your Action Widgets show, such as a thank-you message or a Share Widget.
Use pop-up to show confirmation	A confirmation pop-up.
Redirect to another URL	The web page you enter.

Get email alerts for new entries

1. Open the Form Container's settings and go to Approvals/Alerts.
2. In Email alerts to, enter the addresses to notify. Separate several addresses with commas, semicolons, pipes (|) or spaces, with or without a space after each separator. For example: ana@example.com, sam@example.com.
3. Set the Email from address and Email subject line.
4. To approve entries straight from the email, include the approval link.
5. Click Save and Exit.

While you're typing a second address, the field shows "Email-to address is not valid". The message goes away once the address is complete.

Some addresses, such as @yahoo.com addresses, can't be used as the Email from address because of their DMARC rules.

Approve entries automatically

In Approvals/Alerts, tick Automatically approve entries to approve every entry as it arrives. Leave it unticked to review entries first. Galleries set to hide unapproved entries then show only the ones you approve.

Advanced

• Image Editor: Lets entrants edit images they upload.
• Advanced Points for Actions: Stops the same action earning points on more than one entry.
• Submit Button: Shows or hides the default Submit button.
• Form Values: Copies answers to matching fields in other forms in the same campaign, so entrants don't type them twice. On by default for new forms.

Style the form

Select the Form Container, then use the Style Panel to change its Submit Button, Submit Messages, Confirmation Pop-Up and Widget styling, such as background color and maximum width.

If something goes wrong

What you see	What to do
"Email-to address is not valid" in Email alerts to	If you're still typing an address, finish it and the message goes away. Otherwise, check each address for typos, and separate addresses with commas, semicolons, pipes or spaces.
Alert emails don't arrive	Check your spam folder, and that every address in Email alerts to is spelled correctly. If your Email from address is on a domain with strict DMARC rules, such as @yahoo.com, use a different address. See Troubleshooting emails.
Nobody can enter after a few entries	The Maximum Entries Limit may have been reached. It counts every form connected to the same list. Raise or turn off the limit.
A person can't enter a second time	Your repeat entry limit is applying. In Limit repeat entries, choose more entries or a shorter wait, or select None, if they should be able to enter again.
The form won't submit, or the Builder shows a nesting error	A Form Container is inside another Form Container. Move the inner fields into a Container or column widget instead.
Entries go to the wrong list	Check the List section and connect the right list.

FAQs

Can I be notified every time someone submits an entry?

Yes. Turn on email alerts in the Form Container's Approvals/Alerts settings.

Can I send email alerts to more than one person?

Yes. Enter every address in the Email alerts to field, separated by commas, semicolons, pipes (|) or spaces.

Can I create a form with conditional logic (if/then)?

Yes. See Understanding conditional logic.

Can I submit entries myself without showing the form on my live campaign?

Yes. Submit them in the Campaign Builder, and use the form's visibility settings to show it only in the Builder.

How do I let people enter more than once?

In the Form Container's Entry Restrictions, use Limit repeat entries to choose how many entries each person gets, either one every set number of hours or days, or a maximum in total. See Limit repeat entries.

Related resources

• Entry restrictions
• Field Widget
• Form integrations
• Share Widget
• Where are the entries?
• How to build a form (video)
• Creative ways to grow your email list (blog)