When building your Quotify forms, you’ll come across different field types (input types). Here’s a quick guide to help you pick the right one for the job:
Multi Choice (Checkboxes)
- What it is: Lets users select one or more options.
- Example: Services required? ☐ Web Design ☐ SEO ☐ Hosting
- When to use: Use checkboxes when multiple selections are allowed or expected.
Single Choice (Radio buttons)
- What it is: Lets users select only one option from a list.
- Example: Plan type? ○ Basic Plan ○ Pro Plan ○ Enterprise Plan
- When to use: Use radio buttons when the user must choose one and only one option.
Dropdowns (sometimes called Select boxes)
- What it is: A dropdown list where users pick one option.
- Example: [ Select your country ▼ ]
- When to use: Use selects when there are too many options to show all at once or when space is limited.
Range slider
- What it is: Lets users pick a value between two numbers using a slider.
- Example: Size Required? 1 - 100
- When to use: Use range sliders for things like budgets, quantities, or measurements where users need to select a value within a scale.
Area
- What it is: A measurement field that asks for width × length and calculates the area automatically (e.g. square metres or square feet).
- Example: Room size? Width [5] × Length [4] = 20 sq m
- When to use: Quote work that’s priced by floor area: cleaning, painting, flooring, landscaping, tiling, render. Lets the customer enter the dimensions they actually know (length and width) and you price against the resulting area without them needing to do the maths.
Perimeter
- What it is: A measurement field that asks for width and height and calculates the perimeter automatically:
(width + height) × 2. Sibling to Area; same UX, different sum. - Example: Screen size? Width [1.2] × Height [0.8] → perimeter = 4 m
- When to use: Anything priced by the linear edge of an object: fencing, skirting, cornice, gutter runs, screen edging, banner hemming, kerbing, garden borders, piping on cushions, weld or seal lengths in fabrication. If your unit price is “per metre” rather than “per square metre”, this is the one.
Date
- What it is: A date picker for selecting a specific day from a calendar.
- Example: Date of event? [📅 12 June 2026]
- When to use: Event bookings (weddings, parties, photo shoots), project start dates, or anything where the when affects the price — rush surcharges, weekend rates, peak-season pricing.
Plain Text Input
- What it is: A simple field for free text on a single line.
- Example: Name: [ ] Email: [ ]
- When to use: Use text inputs for anything that requires the user to type something manually in one line: names, postcodes, addresses, short custom requests.
Long Text
- What it is: A multi-line text area for longer free-text answers.
- Example: “Tell us about your project”, a multi-line input box that grows as the user types.
- When to use: Briefs, detailed requirements, descriptions of an existing problem, additional notes. Anything where one line isn’t enough room for the customer to give you a useful answer.
Structural elements
As well as the input fields above, you can add elements that structure the form rather than collect an answer:
Step
A page break that splits a longer form into steps, so customers work through it a section at a time instead of facing one long list. Steps can carry conditional logic too, so you can branch the whole flow, not just individual questions. See when to use a multi-step form.
Subheading
A section header to group related questions, so a longer form reads as clear sections.
Plain text block
Non-interactive text for context or reassurance: a note on what’s included, or a short explanation before a question. It collects nothing, it just tells the customer something.
Rule of thumb:
- If the choices are fixed ➔ Use checkboxes, radios, or selects.
- If the input is open-ended and short ➔ Use a text input.
- If the input is open-ended and long ➔ Use a long text field.
- If it’s numerical with a range ➔ Use a slider.
- If it’s a measurement (length × width) ➔ Use an area field.
- If it’s a linear edge (per metre) ➔ Use a perimeter field.
- If it’s time-specific ➔ Use a date field.