---
title: Intake fields
category: administration
order: 8
lastUpdated: 2026-06-08
featureAvailability: GA
roles: [admin]
navigationPath: Administration → Intake forms → (open a form) → Fields
relatedArticles: [administration/intake-forms, administration/categories, teacher-portal/referrals]
---

## At a glance

- **Who uses it:** Admins authoring intake forms.
- **When to use it:** When creating a form, or revising it based on submissions you receive.
- **Permissions required:** Administrator.
- **Navigation path:** Administration → Intake forms → open a form → Fields tab.

## Purpose

Fields are what submitters fill out. Choosing the right field types — and asking for only what you need — keeps forms short and submission quality high.

## Field types

- **Short text** — names, brief descriptions.
- **Long text** — concerns, narratives.
- **Select (single)** — categories, urgency, role, grade.
- **Select (multi)** — applicable concerns, supports already tried.
- **Teacher picker** — pulls from the school's teacher directory; submitters select an existing teacher rather than typing one.
- **Date** — incident date, observation date.
- **Boolean** — yes/no toggles ("Parent contacted?").

Each field has:

- **Label** (shown to submitter).
- **Help text** (small print under the label).
- **Required** toggle.
- **Sort order** (drag to reorder).
- **Versioning** — edits create a new version; historical submissions display under the version that was active when they were submitted.

## Hidden / system fields

Every intake form includes a hidden **honey-pot** field named `website` used to drop bot submissions. Do not remove it. The platform also enforces a hidden timestamp + IP rate limit at the route layer.

## Step-by-step

### Add a field

1. Open the form. Go to **Fields**.
2. Click **Add field** and pick a type.
3. Configure label, help text, options (for selects), and required.
4. Drag into position.
5. **Save**. The form's version bumps and historical submissions remain visible under their original version.

[SCREENSHOT: admin-intake-fields-editor]
_Administration → Intake forms → open form → Fields tab with three fields configured and the Add field menu open._

### Use the teacher picker

When a form needs the submitter to name the student's teacher, use the **Teacher picker** field instead of free text. This avoids name typos and lets your assignment rules use teacher identity reliably.

The picker shows only teachers from your directory; if the directory is empty, submitters see a fallback prompt to type the teacher's name and the admin gets a follow-up.

## Tips & best practices

- Aim for 6–10 fields per staff intake form, fewer for student intake.
- Make required fields actually required — every required field is friction that filters submissions.
- Use help text for clarification once, not for an instruction manual.

## Common mistakes

- Deleting fields mid-year — historical submissions render with gaps. Mark fields **Inactive** instead.
- Long select lists — split into nested categories (see [Categories](/help/administration/intake-forms)) for better usability.

## Related articles

- [Configuring intake forms](/help/administration/intake-forms)
- [Submitting a referral](/help/teacher-portal/referrals)

## FAQ

**Can I conditionally show a field based on another field's value?**
Conditional logic is scoped per customer during onboarding; the default builder does not include it yet.

**Will old submissions break if I change a field's type?**
No — historical submissions are pinned to the version of the form they were submitted under. Changing a type bumps the version forward.