Designing user-friendly forms in SharePoint is crucial for efficient data entry and workflow management. Infowise Ultimate Forms helps you create custom dynamic forms. It combines such features as:
- Customizable responsive layout
- Tabs and accordions
- Dynamic permission rules
- Advanced input validation
- Dynamic rules
- Repeating sections
- Public external forms
Our customers are especially fond of the tab and accordion control. They help them design complex forms while preserving clean and compact user interface. Tabs are also responsive by nature, automatically switching to accordions on small mobile screens.
One of the most interesting features of tabs and accordions is Button navigation. It allows users to navigate form tabs using buttons, offering a guided and intuitive experience. This article explores the benefits and implementation of button-based tab navigation in Ultimate Forms. You will learn how to create multi-step SharePoint forms with ease.
Understanding Button-Based Tab Navigation
In complex forms, presenting all fields simultaneously can overwhelm users. Dividing forms into tabs helps organize information, but traditional tab navigation allows users to jump between sections freely.
Infowise Ultimate Forms addresses this by enabling navigation through buttons. That helps guiding users step-by-step and ensuring data is entered in a logical sequence.
Using the specialized Progress theme for tabs, you can create wizard-like appearance for your forms.
By using a visual representation of progression, it makes it clear to the user what to expect. And by forcing navigation via buttons only, it makes it impossible for users to enter information out of sequence.
Implementing Button Navigation in Ultimate Forms
1. Accessing the Form Designer
Begin by opening your SharePoint list and accessing the Infowise Ultimate Forms designer. This tool allows you to customize form layouts and functionalities without coding. Access it via the Design button on the list's toolbar.
2. Configuring Tabs
Add or select an existing Tabs control in your form. In the properties pane on the right, enable the option for navigation through buttons. You can also enforce navigation exclusively through these buttons, preventing users from clicking on tab headers to switch sections.
You can also control in which forms buttons only navigation is mandatory. It sometimes makes sense to only require sequential data entry in New forms. In Edit forms the information is already present. Users might be able to enter or modify information without any particular sequence.
3. Customizing the Button Bar
A Button Bar appears below your tabs, typically featuring "Previous," "Next," and "Save" buttons. You can rename these buttons, adjust their styles, and provide translations for multilingual support. For advanced customization, switch the Button Bar to Custom mode to add or remove buttons as needed.
4. Publishing and Testing
After configuring your form, publish it and test the navigation. Users will now progress through the form using the buttons. The interface will only display the relevant buttons for each tab (e.g., Previous does not appear on the first tab).
When you reach the last tab, you will see that Save button now appears and there is no Next button.
Dynamic Tabs
One of the most important features of the modern forms are the permissions. You can assign permissions to any control or column on the form. Permissions control whether or not the element is visible. And in the case of column and buttons, you can disable or make them read-only.
Permission rules are inheritable. When you assign permission rules to a container-like control, they apply to all the contained controls. For example, when you apply rules to a tab, all the columns and controls within the tab inherit those rules. You can however override with additional rules at any level.
When applying permission rules to tabs, you can control which tabs appear in the tab control. Permission rules can contain conditions. These condition can reference column values on the form.
The form will apply permission rules dynamically in real time. This makes it easy to show or hide tabs based on column values entered by users on preceding tabs. For example, you select the category of your Help Desk ticket to be Hardware. It immediately displays an additional tabs with hardware-related columns.
By hiding tabs with irrelevant columns, you simplify the data entry process. This ensures higher quality of input.
Advantages of Button-Based Navigation
- Enhanced User Guidance: Users are directed through the form in a predetermined sequence, reducing confusion and errors.
- Improved Data Integrity: Sequential navigation ensures that all necessary fields are completed in order. This helps maintaining data consistency.
- Dynamic Permissions: Show and hide subsequent tabs according to selections on previous tabs.
- Customizable Interface: The ability to tailor button labels and styles allows for alignment with organizational branding and user preferences.
- Multilingual Support: Providing translations for button labels ensures accessibility for users in different languages.
Real-World Applications
Employee Onboarding
Guide new hires through a multi-step onboarding form. This ensures they complete sections like personal information, tax forms, and policy acknowledgments in the correct order.
Customer Feedback
Collect structured feedback by directing customers through sections such as product experience, service satisfaction, and suggestions. This helps you enhance the quality of responses.
Project Proposals
Streamline proposal submissions by leading users through sections covering project objectives, timelines, budgets, and required resources, ensuring comprehensive information is provided.
Additional Resources
Conclusion
By leveraging button-based tab navigation in Infowise Ultimate Forms, organizations can create structured, user-friendly forms that enhance data collection and workflow efficiency. This feature simplifies complex forms. It guides users through processes seamlessly. And thus ensures that all necessary information is accurately captured.
