Note: This article covers forms in the new document creation experience. If your workspace hasn't been updated yet, see Create forms (classic experience).
By default, every question in your form is visible to anyone who opens it. Conditional logic lets you build rules that show or hide specific questions — and set default values — based on what a person enters. This keeps your form focused and avoids asking for information that isn't relevant.
How rules work
Each rule follows a WHEN / THEN / ELSE structure:
WHEN — one or more conditions based on a question's value
THEN — actions to take when all conditions are met
ELSE — alternate actions when conditions are not met
Each action can show or hide a question, show or hide an option within a choice field, or pre-fill a field with a value.
Important: All questions are visible by default. Rules hide questions that are currently shown — they don't reveal questions that were hidden at setup. Plan your logic around the "hide when not applicable" pattern.
Open the form rules panel
Open your template and select Edit form to enter the form editor.
Select the expand icon (crossed arrows) in the top bar. The Form rules panel opens on the right.
Select + Create rule to add your first rule.
Create a rule
1. Add a condition (WHEN)
In the rule editor, select + Add condition under WHEN.
Select the question you want to base the condition on. The dropdown lists all questions in your form by their label.
Select an operator.
Enter a value if the operator requires one.
The operators shown depend on the type of question you select.
Text questions (Short text, Long text, Email, Phone number):
Operator | When it triggers |
equal | The response exactly matches the value |
not equal | The response does not match the value |
contains | The response includes the string |
contains exact word | The response includes the exact word |
doesn't contain | The response does not include the string |
starts with | The response begins with the value |
ends with | The response ends with the value |
empty | The field has no value |
not empty | The field has any value |
Number questions:
Operator | When it triggers |
equal | The value exactly matches |
not equal | The value does not match |
greater than | The value is above the number |
less than | The value is below the number |
greater than or equal to | The value is at or above the number |
less than or equal to | The value is at or below the number |
Multiple-choice, Dropdown, and Checkboxes questions:
Operator | When it triggers |
equal | The selected option matches |
not equal | The selected option does not match |
is empty | No option has been selected |
is not empty | Any option has been selected |
Note: To check multiple conditions, select + Add condition again. All conditions in a single rule must be met for the THEN actions to run. Verify AND/OR behavior in the UI — this needs production confirmation before publishing.
2. Add an action (THEN)
Select + Add action under THEN.
Choose an action from the list.
Action | What it does |
Show question | Makes a question visible |
Hide question | Hides a question from view |
Show option | Shows a specific option in a Multiple-choice, Checkboxes, or Dropdown question |
Hide option | Hides a specific option in a Multiple-choice, Checkboxes, or Dropdown question |
Set default value | Pre-fills a question with a specific value when the condition is met |
Select the question (or option) to apply the action to.
3. Add an ELSE action (optional)
The ELSE section runs when the WHEN conditions are not met. Use it to reverse an action — for example, hide the question when the condition is not met and show it when it is.
Select + Add action under ELSE and choose from the same action set.
4. Save the rule
Select Save rule. The rule appears in the Form rules list. You can return to it at any time to edit or delete it.
Example: hide a question unless another is filled in
Goal: Only show "Client SSN" when the user has entered something in "Client middle initial."
Section | Setting |
WHEN | Client middle initial — not empty |
THEN | Show question → Client SSN |
ELSE | Hide question → Client SSN |
With this rule, "Client SSN" stays hidden until the person enters a middle initial.
Tips for conditional logic
Use ELSE to clean up hidden state. If you show a question in THEN, hide it in ELSE so it returns to its hidden state when the condition is no longer met.
Use "Set default value" to reduce typing. If a condition implies a predictable answer, pre-fill it — the user can still change it.
Order matters. Rules run in the order they're listed in the Form rules panel. If two rules affect the same question, the last one applied wins.