Field types

Forms ships 23 field types — split into inputs (collect an answer from the respondent), display widgets (lay out a branded document), and a container for column layouts. Pick the right one per question and Forms takes care of the input control, validation, and how the answer appears in the response table and PDF.

Inputs

These collect data. Every input shows up as a column in the responses table and gets a row in the printed PDF.

Type	What it does
Short text	A single-line text input. Use it for names, titles, and any answer that fits on one line. Label supports rich text.
Long text	A multi-line textarea. Use it for descriptions, comments, and longer responses. Label supports rich text.
Email	Validates that the answer looks like an email address before accepting the submission.
Phone	A phone-number input. Accepts most common formats; no strict validation by default.
Number	Numeric input. Use it for ages, counts, prices, and anything that should arrive as a number.
Multiple choice	Pick exactly one option from a list. Renders as radio buttons on the public page.
Checkboxes	Pick any number of options from a list. Renders as checkboxes on the public page.
Dropdown	Pick exactly one option from a list, but as a compact select menu instead of radios.
Date	A date picker. Submitted as an ISO date (YYYY-MM-DD).
File upload	File upload (max 10 MB). Allowlist of common types; the file goes straight to Vercel Blob and the response stores its public URL.
Signature	Draw a signature on a canvas, or type a name to render it in a script font. Submitted as a base64 PNG (max 150 KB), thumbnailed in responses and embedded in PDFs.

Document widgets

These are for layout — header bars, images, line-item tables, totals boxes, comparison cards, dividers. They live alongside your inputs in the editor but collect no data. Most shine in Document-style PDFs, where the form is the printed document.

Type	What it does
Section heading	Not an input. Renders as a styled heading on the public page and in the PDF. Label supports rich text.
Paragraph text	Not an input. A paragraph block for clauses, instructions, terms — content lives in the label and renders with whitespace preserved.
Header bar	Branded full-width bar at the top of a document. Uses your form's brand color; can repeat on every page of the PDF. Always lives at the top level.
Image	Inline image — logo, photo, or signature flourish. Uploaded to Vercel Blob, sized inline in the PDF.
Table	Static line-item table with per-column formulas (e.g. @qty * @unitPrice). Hand-written safe parser — no eval. Renders identically in the editor and the PDF.
Totals	Half-width totals box for subtotals, tax, deposit, balance — with an emphasis row treatment for the headline number (TOTAL CONTRACT PRICE, etc).
Card	GOOD / BETTER / BEST comparison card. Designed to live inside a 3-column Columns widget; one card per slot with title, price, bullet list and accent.
Page break	Document-mode utility. Forces a new page in the PDF; no-op on the public web form.
Spacer	Document-mode utility. Inserts adjustable vertical whitespace.
Divider	Document-mode utility. Draws a horizontal rule across the page.
Source exhibit	Cited evidence card. Paste a URL, capture a frozen snapshot, and ship a labeled exhibit (with optional pull quote) that links back to the source. The snapshot is pinned at capture time, so the signed PDF stays auditable even if the source page later changes.

Containers

Containers hold other widgets in slots. Use them to put two inputs side-by-side, or three Cards in a comparison row.

Type	What it does
Columns	Container widget. Splits a row into 2 or 3 slots and lets you drop any other widget into each slot. Only allowed at the top level.

Choosing a type

When in doubt for an input, pick Short text. It accepts anything, and you can switch to a stricter type (Email, Number) later if respondents enter messy data. For document layout, start with a Header bar and build downward — Columns to split a row, a Table for line items, a Totals box at the bottom, Cards for package comparisons.

Next: Documents & PDFs — how these field types print, brand, and ship.