What is a Form Builder

Similar to using a smartphone or social media app, building forms with a form builder can be equally intuitive in nature. A well-designed graphical interface allows forms to be built visually instead of writing code or uploading files to a web server. A modern, up-to-date form builder may include drag-and-drop functionality that provides the ability to add, rearrange, sort, duplicate, and delete fields visually by holding and moving a computer mouse or trackpad down. Unlike programming, building forms visually creates and generates the end product in real time.

Traditionally, a form builder comes included with all the functionality required to build forms, including different input types, setting custom input labels, a form submit button, and a way to review submissions. These features are at least required to build a functioning form for a website. When using a form builder, these features are included out-of-the-box and automatically work when you build and save a form.

Well established and developed form builders offer additional features aimed at offering flexibility and customization. These features may include settings, integrations, APIs, templates, and support. A feature rich form builder can either create a custom form to spec or offer a built-in solution through an integration or API. Form builders with advanced functionality will ultimately save time and reduce development costs when creating custom forms.

Form builders can either be used by installing them onto a content management system or logging into a website or app. For example, a form builder could be packaged together and made available for download in the form of a WordPress plugin. Alternatively, if your website or blog is not built using a content management system, or you do not have a website or blog, building forms and hosting them online through an online form builder is the route to take.

Taking advantage of software is essentially a web development shortcut. For example, when saving a newly created form with a form builder, a link is auto-generated with an embeddable copy and paste code/link that can be instantly shared. However, when building forms manually through programming, each form and page will need to be recreated every time a new form is needed. Online software offers the competitive benefit of handling these types of web development jobs dynamically for their users.

Form security and database management are both handled and managed by the form company. Form security may include browser-side validation, server-side validation, SQL injection, XSS, and anti-spam prevention. These security measures are pre-implemented features designed to protect against malicious attackers and keep user submission data secure. Securing and protecting forms, user data, and databases is a critical requirement in building forms.

Database management and the existence of a database in general are certainly pros when using an online form builder. Deploying and managing a database can be a time-consuming task and require a level of technical skill and know how. When storing submission data into a web server's database, database queries written in a server-side programming language are a requirement in order to communicate and store the data securely. When using an online form builder, databases and web forms automatically communicate with each other without coding or programming knowledge.

A form builder is a software specifically designed to create forms for websites. In the past, the only way to build forms was by writing and customizing HTML. Now that the internet has evolved, software companies and developers have built form builders that allow individuals and companies the ability to build highly custom forms visually with a graphical interface.