> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.dapta.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.dapta.ai/dforms/builder/question-settings.md).

# Question settings

A tour of the Question settings pane in the dForms editor: Question type, Required, Placeholder, Default answer, Field key (and what renaming it changes), Hidden question, Ends the form, Show reveal s

Every question you select in the editor gets its own **Question settings** pane on the right. The top of the pane changes with the question type; the bottom half (**Logic**, the screen switch, **Advanced settings**, **HubSpot**) is the same for almost every question. This page explains the shared settings one by one, so you know what each switch does before you flip it.

Type-specific sections (options for choice questions, **Min**/**Max** for sliders, **Answer length** for long text, **Event type** for a scheduler, and so on) are covered in the [Question types](/dforms/builder/question-types.md) pages.

***

**Step 1:** Click a question in the **Questions** list (or on the canvas). The **Question settings** pane opens with the basics at the top:

<figure><img src="https://3835013762-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FCy5rSNtQmtqYCGzJlNEB%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-2360318e2da1509cd31dad58258dc674e5e94f18%2Fforms-question-settings-01-basics.png?alt=media" alt="The Question settings pane showing Question type, Required and the type specific settings"><figcaption><p>The top of the pane: the question type, whether it is required, and the settings for that type.</p></figcaption></figure>

| Setting             | Available on                                                          | What it does                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| ------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Question type**   | Every step                                                            | Swaps the question to another type without losing its place. The title and description stay; type-specific settings reset to the defaults of the new type. On a question that shares a screen, a note under the select reads **Schedulers, reveal screens and file uploads always get a screen of their own.** Switching to one of those types moves the question to a screen of its own. |
| **Required**        | Every question that collects an answer (not Message or Reveal screen) | On by default. Respondents cannot continue until they answer. On a Scheduler, turning it off adds a **Skip for now** link.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
| **Placeholder**     | Short text, Long text, Website, Email, Dropdown                       | Ghost text shown inside the input while it is empty. Leave empty for none.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
| **Delete question** | Every step                                                            | The trash icon in the pane header removes the step.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |

> **💡 Tip:** The question title, the description and, for choice questions, the option labels are edited directly on the canvas, not in the pane. The pane is for behaviour; the canvas is for words.

***

**Step 2:** Scroll down and click **Advanced settings** to expand it. The header shows small badges summarising what is set on this question (**Dynamic**, **Ends form**, **Hidden**, **Default set**, and **Scored** on a slider that awards points by range), so you can spot a configured question at a glance even when the section is collapsed.

<figure><img src="https://3835013762-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FCy5rSNtQmtqYCGzJlNEB%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-a417360f2f004b18f028f212154a8b56b09e4ac9%2Fforms-question-settings-02-advanced.png?alt=media" alt="The Question settings pane with the Logic card, the Show on the same screen as the question above switch and the Advanced settings section expanded below them"><figcaption><p><strong>Advanced settings</strong> holds prefill, dynamic questions and the behavior switches.</p></figcaption></figure>

| Setting              | What it does                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
| -------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Prefill from URL** | Read only. Shows your form's public path with a ready-made example parameter for this question, for instance `/acme/f/my-form?company=value`. Click **Copy** and append it to your link; the answer arrives filled in. Works for visible questions as well as hidden ones. |
| **Default answer**   | Used when the link carries no value. Anything in the URL wins over this. Up to 512 characters. Not offered on Name, Scheduler or steps without an input.                                                                                                                   |

> **⚠️ Note:** Precedence is always the same: what the respondent types beats the URL, and the URL beats **Default answer**. Keys starting with `utm_` are never read from the URL (they are captured separately as campaign data), so do not use them as field keys.

***

**Step 3:** Further down, **Behavior** holds the switches that change how the step acts in the flow:

<figure><img src="https://3835013762-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FCy5rSNtQmtqYCGzJlNEB%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-47169b9f16d503087add59b9a0099677bf39ec95%2Fforms-question-settings-03-behavior.png?alt=media" alt="The Behavior switches: Ends the form, Hidden question and Show reveal screen after"><figcaption><p>The <strong>Behavior</strong> switches change how the step acts in the flow.</p></figcaption></figure>

| Setting                      | Available on                                                      | What it does                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| ---------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Ends the form**            | Questions and Messages (not Scheduler or Reveal screen)           | "Completing this question ends the form immediately (disqualification)." As soon as the respondent answers this step, the form jumps to the ending. On a screen of several questions, the form ends when the respondent submits that screen. The step gets an **Ends form** badge. |
| **Hidden question**          | Questions with an input (not Message, Reveal screen or Scheduler) | "Not shown to respondents. Its answer is filled from a matching URL parameter (?key=value)." The step shows a **Hidden** badge in the list and is skipped in the live form. On a question that shares a screen, the hint adds **Hiding it also takes it off its screen.**          |
| **Field key**                | Every question that stores an answer                              | The name this answer is stored under, the URL parameter that prefills it, and what you type between brackets to recall it in a later question (`[key]`). Letters, numbers and underscores, up to 64 characters.                                                                    |
| **Show reveal screen after** | Visible questions on a Slides form                                | Adds a reveal card right after this question. Turning it off removes that card. Edit its copy by selecting the card. On a question that shares a screen, the switch reads **Show a reveal screen after this screen** and adds the card after the last question of the screen.      |

### Field key: what happens when you rename it

Field keys are generated automatically (`text_2`, `slider_4`, `multiple_choice_1`…). Renaming them to something readable (`company`, `leads`, `role`) makes prefill links, recall tokens and integrations much easier to work with.

* Type the new key and press **Enter** or click away. Anything that is not a letter, number or underscore is cleaned up; **Escape** cancels.
* A key that another question already uses is refused: **Another question already uses that key.** A key with no letters or numbers is refused: **A key needs at least one letter or number.**
* Renaming cascades. Show/hide conditions, branching rules, dynamic-question variants, outcome overrides, `[key]` recall tokens and the HubSpot property mapping that pointed at the old key are updated to the new one. If the HubSpot mapping cannot be moved, the editor tells you: **The field key was renamed, but its HubSpot mapping could not be moved. Re-pick the property in Connect.**
* Past submissions keep the old key. Rename early, before the form collects real data.
* The **Name** question has two keys (one per field, `firstname` and `lastname` by default) edited in its **Name fields** section.

### Ends the form (disqualification)

Use **Ends the form** on the step that closes the conversation for people who do not qualify: typically a **Message** that says "Thanks, this is not a fit right now", reached through a branching rule from a qualifying question. The respondent sees the ending screen immediately after that step; later questions are never shown. See [Branching & jumps](/dforms/logic/branching.md) and [Ending screen](/dforms/logic/ending-screen.md).

### Hidden question

A hidden question is a field that exists only to receive a value from the link, for example `?campaign=spring` or a referral code. Respondents never see it, but the value is stored with the submission, can be recalled with `[campaign]` and is sent to HubSpot and webhooks like any other answer. The full walkthrough is in [Hidden fields & URL prefill](/dforms/builder/hidden-fields-and-url-prefill.md).

***

## Show on the same screen as the question above

On a **Slides** form, a switch right after the **Logic** card puts this question on the same screen as the question above it, so respondents answer both together with one button. Turn it off to start a new screen at this question. It does the same as the chain icon between two cards in the **Questions** list, and it is the only way to group questions when the window is too narrow to show that list.

<figure><img src="https://3835013762-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FCy5rSNtQmtqYCGzJlNEB%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-293b43d04b8d7713acf56e1c9d20dd11151ebb1e%2Fforms-screens-02-settings-switch.png?alt=media" alt="The Show on the same screen as the question above switch below the Logic card, unavailable on a Scheduler with the reason Schedulers, reveal screens and file uploads always get a screen of their own."><figcaption><p>When a question cannot join the screen above, the switch stays visible and says why.</p></figcaption></figure>

The switch is shown but cannot be turned on, with the reason under it, when the question is the first one shown in the form, is a **Scheduler**, **Reveal screen** or **File upload**, is hidden, or would join a screen that already holds 10 questions. It does not appear on a **One page** form. See [Several questions on one screen](/dforms/builder/screens.md).

***

## Button labels

The button under each step reads **Next** on a question and **Submit** on the last screen of the form. A screen with several questions has a single button. Some steps show no button at all: a **Single choice** or a **Dropdown** alone on its screen advances as soon as the respondent picks an option, and a **Scheduler** advances by itself because booking a time is the answer.

The default words follow the form's language (**Siguiente** and **Enviar** on a Spanish form). To use your own words for the whole form, fill in **Design → Button text**; see [Language & button text](/dforms/design/language-and-button-text.md). There is no per-question button text, and the button is not editable on the canvas.

A **Message** is the exception: when you add one, its button is set to **Continue**, and it keeps that word in every language and whatever you type in **Button text**.

## Other cards in the pane

* **Logic** shows the step's show/hide and branching rules in plain sentences (or **No logic yet. This question always appears and continues in order.**) with an **Edit logic** button, plus the **Personal email only** switch when the form has an email question. See [Show & hide conditions](/dforms/logic/conditions.md).
* **Show on the same screen as the question above** (Slides only) groups questions into screens. See the section above.
* **Scoring** (choice questions and sliders) decides whether the question counts toward the score. See [Scoring](/dforms/logic/scoring.md).
* **HubSpot** maps the answer to a contact property once HubSpot is enabled on the form. See [Map questions to contact properties](/dforms/connect/hubspot/map-questions.md).
* Contact questions (**Name**, **Email**, **Phone**) carry a **Contact** tag in the list. They identify the lead and never add to the score.

***

## What's next

* [Hidden fields & URL prefill](/dforms/builder/hidden-fields-and-url-prefill.md): build links that prefill answers.
* [Recall answers with @](/dforms/builder/recall-answers.md): reuse a field key inside a later question.
* [Dynamic questions (variants)](/dforms/builder/dynamic-questions.md): vary the title by an earlier answer.
* [Several questions on one screen](/dforms/builder/screens.md): group questions on one Slides screen.
* [Show & hide conditions](/dforms/logic/conditions.md) and [Branching & jumps](/dforms/logic/branching.md): the **Logic** card in depth.


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