Form Builder

Form Builder

Form Builder Overview

Authorium lets project owners and admins create online forms that allow users to input any information required to complete projects, from the initial project request to submission forms filled in by external suppliers.

Project owners and admins can also define “custom variables” to populate forms and documents throughout their projects, enabling streamlined and reliable solicitation processes.

Topics in this section:

  • Adding a Form Builder Stage to a Project Template

  • Creating and Configuring Form Templates

  • Variables

Adding a Form Builder Stage to a Project Template

The Form Builder Stage is a workflow stage where your team creates customized forms for gathering essential project information.

To add a Form Builder Stage, start from the Project Template Workflow screen.

Select Add Stage to Workflow.

Select Form Builder.

Fill in the stage name and description, but do not change the Stage Type.

Save Stage when finished.



Creating and Configuring Form Templates

Creating Form Templates

Forms in Authorium are created from templates (just like projects and documents). Form templates can be either:

  • Specific to an individual Project Template

  • Global (reusable across multiple project templates)

To build a form within a Project Template, start from the Configuration screen, then do the following:

Find and open the Project Template you want to add a form to.

Open an empty Form Builder stage and select Edit Form. 

Note: If the Form Builder stage is tied to a global form template, there will instead be an option to View Global Form.

When you are done making changes, select Save.


To create a Global Form (one that can be used across multiple projects), start from the Configuration screen, then do the following:

Select Global Project Content and navigate to the Form Templates tab.

Select Add Form Template to create a new global form template.

When you are done setting up your global form template, select Save.


Configuring Form Templates

After creating a form template, it needs to be configured by adding different components. There are two main types of components:

  • Layout components configure a form’s appearance or organizational layout. Examples are a label field set, field set, panel, or tabs. 

  • Basic and advanced components collect data from users. Examples are text, dropdown, radio buttons, date/time, or a user’s signature.


You should generally build your form’s layout first, then add input components. Each field of a form is highly customizable, with a number of settings.

To arrange the layout of your table, start from the Layout tab.

Click on the Layout table tab.

Navigate to Layout.

Drag columns to the work area, then click Save.

Add components to each individual column. 

To finish, click save. This will make your form appear as a template on the Global Form Page.


To add other components, start from the Form Builder Interface.

Drag the component you want to use into the work area.

Label the field and provide a placeholder value. Use the preview screen to see how the component will appear on the form.

Modify components as needed by clicking on the question mark beside each option and toggling settings. For example:

  • Display settings (such as placeholder text, display masks, and tooltips)

  • Data collection (such as the default value, text case, and whether to allow multiple values)

  • Data validation (such as maximum and minimum lengths, error messages, and whether a field is required)

  • Conditional display rules (allowing you to set a component to display a specific result when a different component of the form has a certain specified value)


Using Input and Display Masks

Under Display Settings, the input and display masks let you control how information is entered and displayed. 

  • The input mask sets a predefined format which user input must adhere to, and changes the display to match. 

  • The display mask does not affect the actual values which are entered, but does control how the user input is shown in the field.

Both use 9 to represent numeric input, a for alphabetical input, and * (asterisk) for generic alphanumeric input.

As an example, if we added an input mask of ‘(999) 999-9999’, the user would only be able to enter up to 10 digits into that form field (and they would appear in the format of a cell phone number. 

However, if we mistakenly used that as a display mask (without an input mask), the user could enter letters as well as numerals, but would still see the numbers in the same format. So if the user typed ‘123abcd7e89 EFG 1234’ into our form, that would appear as ‘(123) 789-1234’ to the user, but the form field would receive the entire string, which would be a problem if we were expecting a 10-digit phone number.


Variables

Variables allow you to use information from other sources–such as responses to forms–across your project (i.e. in other forms and documents). This is useful for tracking and automatically populating various sorts of information, such as costs per unit, expected timelines, or results from evaluations.

There are two ways to map and define variables: 

  • Project Data Mapping 

  • Custom Variables

Project Data Mapping

Project data mapping links form field inputs to variables, which can be used in other documents or other forms (for example, a responder’s input for cost per unit defines the “costPerUnit” variable.)

  • This feature is only available in project templates that contain forms.

  • In the data mapping interface, variables are grouped together by Workflow Stage

  • Only certain kinds of form fields can be mapped to variables (for instance text fields, numbers, and currency fields)

To set up project data mapping variables, start from the Configuration screen.

Select Project Template.

Click Add Stage to Workflow, and select Form Builder as the stage type.


Toggle “Use a Template for this Stage” and select a form template.

Click Save Stage.

Go to the Data Mapping tab to access the project template’s variables.

Edit any variables as needed by selecting the three dots beside the variable.

Save changes when finished.


Custom Variables

Custom variables are defined manually within a project, rather than being auto-populated from form input. For example, you could define inflation assumptions that would be applied throughout multiple parts of an RFP.

  • Custom variables are not linked to form fields.

  • They are not constrained by project stage (i.e., they can be used anywhere within a project)

  • They can be used to populate multiple form or document templates.

To add and configure custom variables to a project template, start from the Configuration screen and then:

Open an existing project template.

Navigate to the Data Mapping tab.

Select Add Variable, next to Custom Variables.

Select an associated stage and fill in the name, key, and value.

Save changes.

Configure the variable as needed through the variable’s dropdown menu.


To use custom variables in a document, start from the Project Template Workflow screen and then:

Select Add Stage to Workflow. 

Select Collaborative Document Management.

Save Stage, then select that stage.

Next, Select Add Document and choose “New Collaborative Document Template”

Name the document and choose the document’s category accordingly.

Select the newly created document template.

Select your new custom variable by beginning to type the following: {{ and choose the autosuggestion.

You may also select your new custom variable by selecting Choose Insert, then Merge field to insert a custom variable.

Mark this section of the document complete. 

Save and publish the project template.


To use custom variables in a form, start by going to the Workflow tab and then:

Select a previously built form by selecting the Form Builder Stage.

Next, select Edit Form.

Add a variable by dragging the variable component onto your form.

Create a label that is appropriate to the variable type chosen.

Save the form and publish the project template.



Adding Calculations Components

Adding calculations components to a form lets you calculate values based on form inputs or other project / global variables. For instance, if a project has a strict limit on permitted costs per unit or overall expenses, you could set up a calculation component that looks at the relevant form responses and flags ones which are over budget.

In order for calculations components to appear in the user’s Form Builder workflow stage settings, the feature must be enabled at the organizational level. 

To use calculations components in a form, start from the Project Template Workflow screen.

Select Add Stage to Workflow, then select Form Builder.

Select Enable Calculations Component, then Save Stage.

A table representing the Calculations Component will now appear below the form in the Form Builder. You can configure the Calculations Component by clicking on the three-dot menu beside it and selecting Edit Table Information.

From here, you can change the component’s name, the section header, and the supporting text description. 


You can also choose to enable the following options:

  • Turn on Response Columns - Allows users to fill in columns and fields in the table in later stages of the project.

  • Enable a Calculated Total for this Table - Adds a calculation field for the table allowing you to choose a calculated total. 

    • After enabling calculated total, you can also choose whether to include tax in the calculations, and whether to allow additional fees that add to the subtotal.

When you are done editing the Calculations Component, select Save to be taken to the Component Preview. You can also reach the Component Preview from the Form Builder stage by selecting Edit Table Columns.

While here, you can add rows and columns, and can edit table columns by selecting Edit Column from the three-dot menu beside them.

Here you can change the column’s name and field type. If the component is configured for them, you can also choose whether to mark a column as a Responder Field, set up the Calculation for Row Totals, and fill out the Additional Costs & Fees section.

Once you are done setting up the Calculations Component, you can return to the Form Builder stage via the top navigation.

    • Related Articles

    • Authorium Overview

      Authorium is a digital platform that modernizes and streamlines collaboration among government administrators by providing a centralized place to create, review, and approve a wide range of documents and contracts - from procurement to budgets, ...

    • User Roles and Permissions

      User Roles and Permissions in Authorium This article provides a comprehensive overview of user roles and permissions in Authorium. It explains how these roles and permissions work and how to configure them to meet your organization's specific needs. ...

    • Authorium Release Notes

      The Authorium platform is updated on a regular basis to add new features and improvements based on learnings and feedback from our users. This support article describes what's new for each product release, with the newest release notes listed at the ...

    • Projects

      Projects Overview Authorium allows agencies to manage document-centric projects (including but not limited to procurements, grants, budgets, legislation, etc.) from the initial request to writing/editing, stakeholder review, submissions, and ongoing ...

    • Fair & Reasonable Solicitations

      Step-by-Step User Guide Last updated: May 8, 2025 Getting Started 1. Navigate to the Authorium application in your browser and log in to your account. Access https://app.authorium.com/ and enter your email address to sign in to your account. 2. ...