Forms

Multi step form builder

A classic form set to paginated stops being one long scroll and becomes a wizard. The canvas splits into sheets, respondents get Back and Next with a page counter, and no field is ever cut across a break.

Create a form with OneCraftA long form before and after the switch, and where the page breaks land

A long residential rental application form open in the classic builder — A long classic form on the canvas, the kind worth splitting into steps.

What paginated actually changes

One setting changes the canvas from a single continuous surface to a stack of A4 sheets, using the same page break engine that lays out the PDF. Respondents then see a wizard: one sheet at a time, Back and Next buttons, and a page counter in the footer if you turn it on. Nothing about your fields changes, so you can flip it on and off while you decide.

Where the breaks fall

Breaks are worked out, not placed by hand. Two rules do the work: no component is split across a break, and a section heading never ends up alone at the bottom of a page with its fields on the next one. If a page is landing badly, the fix is usually to add or remove a spacer above the block that is straddling the line.

How many steps

Group by the kind of information you are asking for, not by an even count of fields. Company details, then contact, then requirements, then the declaration reads as four sensible asks. Four pages of three fields each reads as bureaucratic. If a step has only one field in it, merge it upward.

What it does for finishing

A wizard borrows the good part of one question at a time, which is that the first step looks cheap, without the cost of a screen per question. It also gives you a natural place to put the heavy asks. Put the declaration and the signature on the last page, once someone has already invested four screens of effort.

How it works, in three steps

Step 1
Set the layout mode to paginated
It is a form level setting on a classic form. The canvas immediately redraws as stacked sheets so you can see the breaks.
Step 2
Read the breaks and adjust the spacing
Look for a page that ends on a heading or leaves a field stranded. Adjust the spacing above the block rather than dragging fields around.
Step 3
Turn on the page counter
The classic footer can show "Page X of Y". On a four step form that number is what stops people abandoning at step two.

The full walkthrough with screenshots is in the guide Turn a long classic form into steps.

Limits worth knowing

Paginated is a classic form setting. Conversational forms are already one question per screen.
You cannot drag a page break to a chosen spot. Breaks come from the layout engine and you influence them with spacing.
Page size is A4 portrait, A4 landscape, Letter or a custom size you set, and it applies to the whole form.

See it on a finished piece

Rental application form

27 fields

Job application form

20 fields

Patient intake form

25 fields

Questions people ask

Does splitting a form into steps lose answers if someone goes back?

No. Back and Next move through the pages of one form, and the answers stay in place until the form is submitted.

Can I choose exactly where each page starts?

Not directly. The same engine that paginates the PDF decides, keeping components whole and headings with their fields. Spacing above a block is the lever you have.

Do the steps show a progress bar?

Classic paginated forms show Back and Next and, if you enable it, a page counter in the footer. The animated progress bar belongs to conversational forms.

Make your own form

The button opens the generator with this use case already described. Change the wording to match yours, generate, then edit anything you like.

Create a form with OneCraft