Conditional logic lets you create smarter, dynamic forms that adapt to what the user is doing. Instead of showing every possible field at once and overwhelming your visitors, you can show or hide specific fields based on the answers they have already given. The result is a form that feels shorter, more relevant, and more personal — because each visitor only sees the questions that apply to them.
This is one of the most powerful features in Form Forge PRO. Without it, you have two choices: show every field to everyone (which makes forms long and intimidating) or create multiple separate forms for different scenarios (which creates a management headache). Conditional logic solves both problems.
How Conditional Logic Works
Every conditional rule has three parts:
| Part | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger field | The field whose answer determines what happens | A dropdown called “I am a…” |
| Condition | The rule that must be true | “is equal to Business” |
| Target field | The field that shows or hides based on the rule | A text field called “Company Name” |
When the visitor selects “Business” from the dropdown, the “Company Name” field appears. When they select “Individual,” it stays hidden.
How to Set Up a Conditional Rule
Open the form in the builder and click the pencil icon on the field you want to show or hide (the target field). In the right-hand Field Settings panel scroll down to the Conditional Logic section. Tick Enable conditional logic for this field to reveal the rule builder.
Then configure:
- Action — choose Show this field (the field appears when the rules pass) or Hide this field (the field disappears when the rules pass).
- Match — choose All conditions (AND) when every rule must be true, or Any condition (OR) when one rule is enough.
- Rules — for each row pick the trigger field (any other input field on the form), an operator, and a value. Click + Add rule to add more rows; click the × button next to a row to remove it.
The available operators are:
| Operator | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| equals | Trigger field’s value is exactly the value you typed | Case-sensitive |
| does not equal | Trigger field’s value is anything other than the value you typed | |
| contains | Trigger field’s value contains the substring you typed | Useful for “email contains @company.com” |
| does not contain | Trigger field’s value does not contain the substring you typed | |
| greater than | Trigger field’s numeric value is greater than the number you typed | Returns false for non-numeric values |
| less than | Trigger field’s numeric value is less than the number you typed | Returns false for non-numeric values |
| is empty | Trigger field has no value | The Value box is disabled |
| is not empty | Trigger field has any value at all | The Value box is disabled |
The rule updates the form draft immediately as you change it. Click Save Form at the top of the screen to persist the change. The rule is stored on the form (not on the field) so reloading the editor shows your rule again exactly as you set it up.
Hidden fields do not validate as required and do not save data, so empty answers do not appear in your submissions. The same rules are evaluated on the server side, so a tampered or non-browser submission cannot post a value to a field that should have been hidden.
The builder also shows a compact rule summary under Conditional Logic so you can see whether a field has no rules, one rule, or several rules without opening every row. Field settings are tied to the selected field ID, not its visual position, so reordering cards while the settings panel is open does not apply changes to the wrong field.
Existing rules created through the AI Insight “Split form” suggestion or via the REST API show up in the new editor automatically — they are normalized into the same Action/Match/Rules layout the first time you open the field’s settings.
Five Real-World Examples with Step-by-Step Setup
Example 1: Show company details for business customers- Trigger: Radio field “Customer Type” with options “Individual” and “Business”
- Target: Text field “Company Name,” Text field “Job Title,” Number field “Company Size”
- Rule on each target: Show when “Customer Type” is “Business”
- Result: Business customers see three extra fields. Individual customers see a shorter form.
- Trigger: Radio field “How did you hear about us?” with options “Google,” “Social Media,” “Friend,” “Other”
- Target: Text field “Please specify”
- Rule: Show when “How did you hear about us?” is “Other”
- Result: The specify box only appears when the visitor picks “Other.”
- Trigger: Checkbox field “Shipping address is the same as billing address”
- Target: Address field “Shipping Address”
- Rule: Hide when checkbox is checked
- Result: By default the shipping address shows. When the visitor checks the box, it disappears.
- Trigger: Select dropdown “Dietary Preference” with options “No restrictions,” “Vegetarian,” “Vegan,” “Gluten-free,” “Other”
- Target: Textarea “Please describe your dietary needs”
- Rule: Show when “Dietary Preference” is not equal to “No restrictions”
- Result: Anyone who has a dietary preference sees the details field. Those with no restrictions skip it.
- Trigger: Number field “Number of Guests”
- Target: Repeater field “Guest Names and Emails”
- Rule: Show when “Number of Guests” is greater than 1
- Result: Solo attendees see a simple form. Group registrants get a section to enter each guest’s details.
Multiple Conditions
You can add multiple conditions to a single field. For example, show a field only when “Customer Type” is “Business” AND “Annual Revenue” is greater than “$1M.” Use the AND operator when all conditions must be true, or the OR operator when any one condition is enough.
> Tip: Keep your conditional logic simple. One or two conditions per field is ideal. If you find yourself creating complex chains of five or six conditions, consider whether a multi-step form with different paths might be a better approach.
> Good to know: Without PRO, all fields are always visible. Conditional logic is a PRO feature. If you downgrade from PRO, any conditional rules you set up will be ignored and all fields will display at all times. Your data and rules are preserved, though — they reactivate if you upgrade again.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Creating circular dependencies where Field A depends on Field B and Field B depends on Field A. This creates confusing behavior.
- Forgetting to test every combination. If you have a dropdown with five options, test the form with each option selected.
- Making required fields conditional without thinking it through. If a conditionally hidden field is marked as required, visitors cannot submit the form when that field is hidden. Form Forge handles this correctly by ignoring validation on hidden fields, but always test to be sure.
[Screenshot: The Conditional Logic tab in the right panel showing a rule — “Show this field when Customer Type is Business”]
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