Fields are the building blocks of your form. This guide covers every field in the Fields panel: what it's for, and what each setting in the right-hand panel does. To add any field, drag it from the Fields panel onto your form, then select it to open its settings.
Settings every field shares
Most fields have these settings on the right hand panel:
Label: the question, title or instruction people see, for example "Key Information".
Required: turn this on if the field must be answered before the form can be submitted. Required fields show a red asterisk (*) on the form builder.
Rules: Show if, Enable if and Require if let the field react to other answers. See "Use rules to show, enable or require fields".
The settings below are the extra ones for each field
Input
Lets people type an answer, such as a name, a reference number or notes.
Label and Required: as above.
Mode: choose what type of answer to collect:
Text
Number
URL (web link)
Phone
Email
Min length and Max length: set the shortest and longest answer allowed. Leave empty for no limit.
Multi-line: turn on to give people a bigger box for longer answers, such as comments.
Choice
Build a multiple choice question.
Label and Required: as above.
Option 1: type the first answer.
Optional: enter a Score next to it.
Select the bin icon to remove an option.
Add option: select to add each extra answer.
Allow multiple: turn on if people can pick more than one answer.
Minimum score (under Checklist settings): the score needed to pass. Below this, the field fails, and anything that depends on it stays closed. See "Scoring and pass marks on forms".
Example: "Is the work area clear?" with the options Yes, No and N/A.
Lookup
Lookup allows you to add a 'pick' selector from a record already in Chime ie. select a person, or a site.
Label and Required: as above.
Looks up: choose the type of record:
Site,
Site area
Person
Client
Supplier
Equipment
Equipment issue
Payment request type
RAG rating
Lets people give a Red, Amber or Green rating.
Label and Required: as above.
Allow not applicable: turn on to add a fourth answer 'N/A'
Score per rating: optional scores for Red, Amber and Green. See "Scoring and pass marks on forms".
Example: "Condition of site welfare" rated Red, Amber or Green.
Date & time
Records a date, a time, or both.
Label and Required: as above.
Mode: choose
Date & time
Date only
Time only
Not in the future: turn on to stop people entering a future date.
Not in the past: turn on to stop people entering a past date.
With both turned on, only today's date is accepted.
Earliest date and Latest date: optional. Only allow dates between these two.
Duration
Records how long something took.
Label and Required: as above.
Unit: choose Seconds, Minutes or Hours.
Min and Max: optional. Set the shortest and longest time allowed.
Photo
Lets people take or upload photos.
Label and Required: as above.
Min photos and Max photos: set how many photos must or can be added.
Capture location: turn on to record where each photo was taken.
Camera only: turn on so people must take a new photo rather than upload an old one.
This applies in the app. On a phone browser the camera opens, but on a computer people can still choose a file.
Allow captions: turn on to let people add a caption to each photo.
Signature
Collects a signature.
Label and Required: as above.
There are no extra settings.
Example: You can collect signatures from a group (ie collecting toolbox talks signatures) by putting Signature field it in a section titled 'Signatures' with Repeatable turned on.
Barcode
Lets people scan a barcode or QR code. Example: "Scan equipment tag" with QR code ticked.
Label and Required: as above.
Accepted formats: tick the barcode types to accept:
QR code, Code 128, Data Matrix, Code 39, EAN-13 and PDF417, with more under More formats
Leave them all unticked and the scanner reads any format it supports.
Location
Records the GPS location of the person filling in the form - they just need to press a button.
Label and Required: as above.
There are no extra settings.
When filling out the form, the person will press a button to automatically capture their location (see below)
Media
Shows an image or PDF to the person filling in the form. It doesn't collect an answer. Example: a site plan or a diagram showing how equipment should be set up.
Label: as above.
Content type: choose Image or PDF.
File: select Choose a file and upload it.
Images must be PNG or JPEG, up to 10 MB.
Video
Shows a YouTube / embedded video in the form for viewing. Example: a short safety briefing video to watch before starting work.
Label and Required: as above.
YouTube video: paste a YouTube link or embed code.
File
Lets people upload documents. Example: "Upload test certificate" with PDF and Images ticked.
Label and Required: as above.
Min files and Max files: set how many files must / can be uploaded.
Max file size (MB): the largest file allowed. This applies to each file, not the total.
Accepted types: tick the file types allowed:
Images
PDF
Word documents
Spreadsheets
CSV
Plain text
Zip archives
Leave them all unticked to allow any type.
Label
Allows you to adds instructions or guidance text. It doesn't collect an answer.
Text: type your text on the Write tab.
Optional: format your text using these options. To make something:
Italic: put a single asterisk either side of the words.
For example,
*Fill out details*shows as Fill out details.Bold: put two asterisks either side of the words.
For example,
**Fill out details**shows as Fill out details.Link: put the link text in square brackets, followed by the web address in round brackets. For example,
[Site rules](https://...)shows as a link called "Site rules".
Preview: select this tab to check how your formatted text looks.
Separator
Adds a dividing line to break up a long section. It doesn't collect an answer.
Drag it to where you want the line.
There are no settings needed
Use Case
Anyone building or updating a form
💡 Tips
Give every field a clear Label. Fields show as "Untitled" until you do, which makes rules harder to set up.
Use Lookup rather than Input for people, sites and equipment, so answers link to real records and are spelt the same every time.
Use Label and Media to guide people through the form, and a Show if rule to show guidance only when it's needed.