Formstack has updated and released v4 of Formstack Forms. This release has several important changes to how Forms are created and presented to form submitters.

New Big Features

  1. Updated WCAG and 508 Compliance

  2. New Progress Bar that shows page number

  3. Updated Date/Time Fields

  4. A new Share page

  5. On-field error messages

  6. Default to blank instead of the first option when using dropdowns

A conversion tool is being released for Formstack Admins to convert existing v2 or v3 forms to the latest version. All forms on the account must be reviewed, and it is recommended that they be upgraded before May 31, 2024, to ensure that all forms work as intended. All forms not manually updated will be updated automatically on July 2, 2024.

Form Builder Help Needed

On v4 Forms will be enabled on our account. All new forms built in Formstack will utilize v4 Forms, and all existing forms and subsequent copies of existing forms will continue to use the current version they are on. However, we must migrate all older forms to v4. To facilitate this migration, all form builders will be asked to check their forms for compatibility before they are migrated. Steps to preview what your form would look like can be found in the FAQ - Is there a way to see what the form will look like?. Form utilization on our account is also at a high level again. This is also a great time to sunset and delete any unnecessary forms. Please take the time to review every form.

Migration Steps:

  1. On , a new folder called “Migration” will be created in each Root Folder within Formstack

  2. An Excel sheet for each department will be sent to form builders detailing each form within their department folder. This Excel sheet will serve as a means to facilitate migration.

  3. Once a form has been validated to be functional in v4, please Move the form into the “Migration” folder. At the end of every Friday, all forms within the Migration folder will be updated to v4, and the Excel Sheet will be updated accordingly to reflect them being updated.

  4. Once updated, your form can be moved back to its original folder.

Form Validation Steps:

To validate that your form is compatible with Formstack Forms v4, please do the following:

  1. Open your form in your browser of choice

    1. Example: https://sjuit.formstack.com/forms/test_form_2

  2. In the URL bar, add the following text to the end of the URL

    image-20240126-184851.png


    ?v4=true

    1. If your form is using SignOn for security, you can erase the appended SSO information and insert the code above; reload your page with the appended text

      image-20240126-185116.png

  3. Your form will now load using the v4 Formstack Forms version. Check your form for any visual anomalies. v4 Forms includes updates to progress bars for multipage forms, defaults to showing blank options on dropdowns, and changes to the header and footer areas of the form. If you have a custom image or background on your form, please ensure they look correct before moving your form to the Migration folder. If you run into an issue, please check the FAQ - What if there is a visual anomaly/error when previewing my form as a v4 Form? For instructions on what to do.

Known Issues:

Issue 1: Email Validation in Workflow Forms

In workflow forms, where email validation is used, steps 2+ allow for editing of a section where email validation is present. Step 2+ participant users must copy and paste the email into the validation box before submitting the form.

FAQ

Will this affect my submissions?

The transition from form version 3 to form version 4 should not affect your submissions. The field settings are all the same between versions, so data will be stored and displayed in the same way. 

Is there a way to see what the form will look like?

Yes, you can preview what a form will look like by appending the following string to the end of your Form’s URL. 

?v4=true

Example v2/v3 Link: https://sjuit.formstack.com/forms/test_form_2

Example v4 Link: https://sjuit.formstack.com/forms/test_form_2?v4=true

You should test forms by appending the string to all forms within your Formstack Folders.

What if there is a visual anomaly/error when previewing my form as a v4 Form?

If you see a visual anomaly or error when previewing your form as a v4 form, please get in touch with us. If your form is actively taking on submissions, we can copy the form and update the copy to v4. From there, you can adjust the form settings on the copy of the form to fix the issues, and then we can implement those changes and upgrade your original form.

What if my form is embedded?

Forms embedded on webpages via Javascript, iFrame, or Lightbox code should not require additional changes once upgraded. However, previewing these forms before upgrading is highly recommended, as visual changes may occur during the upgrade. You can append the string provided to your embedded forms to have them load as v4 Forms while embedded on your page

What was included in the new WCAG compliance?

Compliance is for WCAG 2.1. The Formstack Light and Formstack Dark themes were tested for compatibility. The audit was completed on all form fields and settings.  If you want to view the full review and VPAT, you can find them on the Formstack Trust page. MarComm should review any custom themes before being deployed on Forms to ensure they are ADA-friendly.