Intake forms allow filling out a single form that creates the needed name, event, and/or matter records for new clients in a single step. This article covers adding and editing your own intake forms.

If your goal is to add a new field (or fields) to an intake form that does not currently exist on your Name or Matter screens, please follow the steps in this article to create the new field in the database and add it to your screens first: Adding a New Field to a Name or Matter Screen.

Add, Clone, or Edit an Intake Form

1. Select File > Setup > Intake Form Manager.
   
   
2. The Intake Form Manager window opens.
   • Click Add to create a new intake form,
   • Click Clone to make a copy of an existing intake form and use it as the basis of your new form.
   • Click Edit to change an existing form.
     
     

Cloning an intake form is usually easier than creating one from scratch. If you click Add, you can also choose From Template, which allows you to use a template for creating the new form. This is similar to cloning an existing form.

Editing Records

When you add, edit, or clone an intake form, the Web and Intake Form Designer appears. Navigate to the Records tab.

Records Tab

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On the Records tab, there is a list of the records that will be created by the intake form. Each record listed there represents a unique record (such as a name or matter) that will be created when the intake form is submitted. These records also determine the layout of the form, as each record has its own header which divides it from the other records on the form.

It is NOT possible to split a record into two separate sections (e.g., asking for basic information on a matter, then the client's info, then detailed information on the same matter). Adding another Matter or Name record to the intake form will cause the intake form to create multiple name or matter records, rather than applying to the existing name or matter on the form.

Link Type or Code

Next to each record is the Link type or code that is assigned to the record when it is created. This is typically used on name records, to assign how they are linked to the matter record created by the intake form. For example, if the intake form has a Names record with a link type of CLIENT assigned, when the intake form is completed, the name created will be linked to the matter as CLIENT.

Adding a New Record

1. To add a new record, click Add a Record, and select the type of record to add. The record can be a name, event, matter, or note, as well as, in some cases, records from extra databases.
   
   
2. You can also click Clone Record to make a copy of an existing record that you would like to use as a template for your new record.

Records are listed in the order that they appear on the intake form. If you would like to change the order that the records appear in, highlight the relevant record, then click Move Up or Move Down.

Editing Record Properties

Highlight a record on the Web and Intake Form Designer, then click Edit to change the properties on a record. The Intake Form Record Properties window opens.

In the Intake Form Record Properties window, you can change the following:

General properties

• Header text to show above this record: Enter the text you want to appear above the selected record’s group of fields on the Intake Form. Check Header in Bold if you want the text to be bolded.
• Footer text to show below this record: Enter the text you want to appear below the selected record’s group of fields on the Intake Form. Check Footer in Bold if you want the text to be bolded.
• Link type: If applicable, this allows you to choose how the record will be linked to the matter record created by the intake form (e.g. a name record linked as the plaintiff).

Fields to include on this form

This section is the list of fields that you will be able to fill in on the intake form for this record. For example, on a name record, you will want to include any relevant information that you would fill out for a new contact (last name, first name, address, etc.).

1. Click Add Field to add a new field to include. In most cases, you will want to select Field as the type from the dropdown list. The other options are for advanced users only. When adding a new field, a list of database fields available to add will be shown. Double-click the relevant field, then proceed to the section on Editing Field Properties below.
   
   
2. Click Edit Field to change an existing field.

Fields are listed in the order that they appear on the Intake Form. To change the order of fields, highlight the field and click Move Up or Move Down.

Editing Field Properties

After adding or editing a field, the Intake Form Field Properties window appears.

From here, you can set the following:

• Label: how the field will be labeled on the intake form.
• Name: the name of the field inside the database structures. It cannot be edited.

In most cases, this is all you need to set on this screen. Read on for more advanced options:

• Default value: Enter the initial value that will appear automatically in the field's box, if desired.
• Message line: Enter the text to appear in a tool tip when the intake form user hovers over the field with the mouse or tabs into the field.
• Abacus codes list: If you want the input on this field to be constrained to a preset Abacus codes list (e.g. who codes), click the Lookup button and select a set of Abacus codes. Otherwise, you can check Use custom list instead, and set a custom list of codes for this field on the intake form.

For a description of the fields on the When used in Abacus tab below, see this article: Adding a New Field to a Name or Matter Screen