The content type of answer is really helpful, but it's not really an answer at all! There is no space for a user to enter an answer, and there's no question, it's simply text from you to your user. You can use this answer type to enter display text or other formatted content in the form. Here are some ways that other groups have used this type to give you some food for thought for your own forms:

• To create an introduction to the form, or to give instructions on how to fill out the form.
• To create sections, for instance, "Your home" or "Previous pets" that bunch up questions about one subject
• To create a "Next steps" section at the end of the form to acquaint them with the process of how the completed form will be handled by your organization
• To define terms used in the form, such as "outdoor access" or "protection from predators"

Here is an example of some text one group used:

Once the application is processed and both your and our questions are answered, we can arrange a meeting between you and your chosen pet. Again, thanks for your interest, and be assured we'll be in contact as soon as possible. Because we are solely a volunteer organization, we ask you to bear with us: events in our lives (work, family) may cause a delay in our getting back to you or arranging an interview or meeting with your intended family fur friend.

Here is an example of a simple thank you from another group:

When you select the freeform type, you enable a large text window for your user to fill out whatever they want to say. It's designed for open-ended questions. So rather than, "Do you have a fenced yard?" you might want to ask "What type of fence (how high, composition, gated, etc.) do you have?" This is the type to select.

Here is an example of what one group asked:

This is a shorter version of the freeform text (above) that allows your user to enter text, but a limited amount of text. Use this for open-ended questions with very short answers.

Here's an example of what one group asked:

With the drop-down list answer, you will create a list of answers that your user will see as a drop-down list box. They will simply select one (and only one) from the list. You may want to combine this type with a freeform type of question/answer. For instance, if you ask "What circumstances would cause you to consider declawing your new cat?" in a free-form question/answer, you may want to follow up with "Do you intend to declaw your new cat?" In this way, you can get more insight by expanding on the question you ask first.

Here is an example:

With the multiple question/answer, you create a list of answers, as you did with the drop-down type, but in this type, the user can select more than one answer. Some groups use "none" or "all" as answers. You can require them to select at least one answer from the list. If you do require an answer, the user will receive an error message when they try to save the form without selecting at least one answer.

Here is an example:

When you select the check boxes answer, your user is confronted with all possible answers, and simply ticks off all that are applicable. You cannot require checkbox questions to be answered, so if you do have a question that must be answered, use a multiple select box instead.

Here's an example from one group for a commonly asked question:

Radio buttons are little round checkboxes, rather than the square ones. This question type is similar to the checkboxes above. The user is confronted with all possible answers and selects one answer by ticking off the radio button.

Here is an example:

"Available animals" is the answer to a question that you must create. For instance, you might ask, "Which animal are you interested in?" And then select Available animals as the answer. That ensures that your user will be offered the drop-down menu for selecting an animal from the list of animals whose status is marked "available." It's very important to use this question because should you want to create a PDF contract for completing the adoption, the contract will not populate the name of the animal if you don't have a question for which Available animals is the answer. Having this question and answer also links the application to the animal selected.

Here's an example of the use of Available Animals. Remember that Available animals is the answer, not the question. You must ask the question first, then select Available animals as an answer type.

When you use the Available animals type of question/answer, the user will see a list of all the animals on your website marked as Available for their status. It helps to keep the status up to date! Here is what your user sees:

Sponsorship Animals acts very similarly to Available Animals. Your question would be worded so as to elicit an automatically generated list of all the animals available for sponsorship. For instance, you might ask, "What animal would you like to sponsor?" The tool will automatically create a list of animals for the user to select the animal they want to sponsor.