Getting started using WPForms plugin
This page explains how to use the WPForms plugin to create a form.
If you want your customers to communicate with you, have WPForms at the bottom of select web pages.
Summary
Before you read the rest of this page, watch the video below. It will help you follow the rest of the WPForms plugin instructions.
Sketch on scrap paper
Before you create your first form, sketch what you want on scrap paper. It will give you a good idea which fields to add where in your new form.
Installing your new WPForms plugin
In edit view, find the word Plugins in the left-hand menu. Click Plugins > New. You will get Search Plugins box in the upper right. Type in wpforms.
The WPForms bear logo will show up within a square. Click Install Now and then Activate.
Create blank form
The word WPForms will show up in the vertical menu. Click on WPForms > Add New > Create Blank Form.
In the next paragraph we are assuming that you want to include the visitors name and email address in the form. We are also assuming that you want a field in which the visitors can choose from 2 or more options.
Click on Name. The Name boxes show up on the right-hand side. Click on Email. Click on Dropdown. Click on Field Options. Select First Choice and replace it with the option you want the viewer to see. Do the same for the Second Choice. Click the minus signs to delete the box you don’t need.
Make sure you toggle the Required box so that visitors know whether or not filling in a field is mandatory.
Add Fields as required. As you add a Field, click on it to open up the Field Options menu. Make sure you change the Label and the Description.
Creating an email address
For security reasons, you must receive your form emails at an address that has your domain name after the at sign (@). To get started creating that email address, go to the black menu in edit mode. Click on WPForms > SMTP. Unless you feel you should do otherwise, click the Sendinblue radio button.
At some point you will have to go to that Sendinblue web page and study it well. Especially get to know about setting up DKIM, SPF & DMARC code in the DNS settings. You may have to get some help from your domain name registrar tech support department.
WPForms Notification
After all of your Fields are in, click Settings > Notifications. The Send To and From boxes must both have the same email address. It must be an address with your domain name after the at sign (@).
In the illustration here, the name of the form has been inserted into the subject line. You can use whatever seems reasonable here. The purpose of the subject line is to help you identify the emails in which you are interested.
On the Notification page you can also change the wording in your Submit button. After making all of the changes, click the orange Save button.
Using WPForms to test your form
You do not have to add a live form to a web page in order to test it out. The GIF to the right shows you how to test a form. You simply hover over WPForms in edit view. Click All forms.
Find the name of the form you are working with and click Preview. A new web page will be created. It will have a usable form in it. Only you will be able to see this page.
Inserting form on web page
To insert the form on a web page, go to a page in edit view. In the black menu on the left, click on WPForms > All forms. Hover over the name of the forms you want. In that line you will see a shortcode such as the one you see here.
Use Cmd C to copy the shortcode (including the square brackets) into your clipboard. Use Cmd V to paste it where you want the form to be. For instance, I wanted the form named Video/GIF to be below this paragraph. So, I simply copied the code above into my clipboard and used Cmd V to paste it below.
Related pages
Setting Up Form Notification Emails