Conditional Visibility in Forms

Using conditional visibility (or nested questions) in your form keeps your form as short as possible, saving time for both your applicants and reviewers. 

Quick Links:

• What is Conditional Visibility?
• Method 1: Add Conditional Visibility to a Question/Element
• Method 2: Add Conditional Visibility to the Response to a Question/Element
• How Conditional Visibility Appears in Form Builder
• What Happens to Data in a Hidden Section

What is Conditional Visibility?

In your form, you may want to ask a question and, depending on the response given, you'd like additional questions to appear or disappear. We call showing these additional questions "Conditional Visibility". They could also be referred to as "nested questions". There are few ways you can set this up.

Method 1: Add Conditional Visibility to a Question/Element

In the example below, the question/element "What is the total $ amount of funding you're requesting?" is the Conditional Element. We would like this Conditional Element to show up ONLY IF the applicant selects "Cash donation" in the initial question. To set this up, you would click on the "eye" icon for the Conditional Element.

This Element Visibility window will pop up. You’ll be able to select the initial question which, in this example, is "What type of funding are you requesting" and the response that will make the Conditional Element visible which, in this example, is "Cash donation".

Repeat this step for all Conditional Elements.

Method 2: Add Conditional Visibility to the Response to a Question/Element

Another way you can set up Conditional Visibility is to add a condition to the response option. Using the same example as above, you would click on the eye icon for "Cash donation".

This Add Conditional Elements window will pop up. You will be then be able to create a group of questions/elements that will show when that response is chosen OR select an existing element or group from your form that will only appear if "Cash donation" is chosen.

Repeat this step for all response options.

How Conditional Visibility Appears in Form Builder

When Conditional Visibility has been added to a question/element, group, or response option, you will see a yellow dotted line around them and, when you hover over top, you'll see a description of the condition.

What Happens to Data in a Hidden Section

It is possible that an applicant could choose a response option that shows some Conditional Elements and then later change their response which then subsequently re-hides the Conditional Elements.

If this happens, and the applicant filled in some of the Conditional Elements with information, that information will not be discarded while they work.

However, when the applicant submits their application, any data that is in a re-hidden section will NOT be stored in the Do Some Good database and it will not be available to you as an administrator when you review the submission.