Frappe Web Forms

Build public-facing web forms for data collection, submissions, and customer self-service.

When to use

• Creating forms for external users (no Desk access)
• Building support/ticket submission forms
• Collecting customer feedback or registrations
• Enabling self-service data entry portals
• Replacing simple portal pages with form-based workflows

Inputs required

• Target DocType for form submissions
• Which fields to expose on the web form
• Authentication requirements (login required vs guest)
• Whether users can edit/resubmit entries
• File upload requirements

Procedure

0) Prerequisites

Ensure the target DocType exists and has the fields you want to expose.

1) Create the Web Form

1. Type "new web form" in the awesomebar
2. Enter a Title (becomes the URL slug)
3. Select the DocType for record creation
4. Add introduction text (optional, shown above the form)
5. Click "Get Fields" to import all fields, or add fields manually
6. Set field order and which are required
7. Publish the form

2) Configure settings

Setting	Purpose
Login Required	Require authentication before form access
Allow Edit	Let users edit their submitted entries
Allow Multiple	Let users submit more than one entry
Show as Card	Display in card layout style
Max Attachment Size	Limit file upload sizes
Success URL	Redirect after successful submission
Success Message	Custom message after submission

3) Make it a Standard Web Form (app-bundled)

Check "Is Standard" (visible in Developer Mode) to export the form as files:

my_app/
└── my_module/
    └── web_form/
        └── contact_us/
            ├── contact_us.json    # Web form metadata
            ├── contact_us.py      # Server-side customization
            └── contact_us.js      # Client-side customization

4) Add server-side customization

# contact_us.py
import frappe

def get_context(context):
    """Add custom context variables to the web form."""
    context.categories = frappe.get_all("Support Category",
        filters={"enabled": 1},
        fields=["name", "label"],
        order_by="label asc"
    )

def validate(doc):
    """Custom validation before the document is saved."""
    if not doc.email:
        frappe.throw("Email address is required")

    # Prevent duplicate submissions
    existing = frappe.db.exists("Support Ticket", {"email": doc.email, "status": "Open"})
    if existing:
        frappe.throw("You already have an open ticket. Please wait for a response.")

5) Add client-side customization

// contact_us.js
frappe.ready(function() {
    // Handle field changes
    frappe.web_form.on("field_change", function(field, value) {
        if (field === "category" && value === "Urgent") {
            frappe.web_form.set_df_property("description", "reqd", 1);
        }
    });

    // Custom validation
    frappe.web_form.validate = function() {
        let data = frappe.web_form.get_values();
        if (data.phone && !data.phone.match(/^\+?[0-9\-\s]+$/)) {
            frappe.msgprint("Please enter a valid phone number");
            return false;
        }
        return true;
    };

    // Custom after-save behavior
    frappe.web_form.after_save = function() {
        frappe.msgprint("Thank you for your submission!");
    };
});

6) Control permissions

• Guest access: Uncheck "Login Required" for fully public forms
• Portal roles: Assign portal roles to control which logged-in users see the form
• User permissions: Set explicit document-level permissions on the target DocType
• Row-level access: Use User Permission rules to restrict which records users can edit

7) Style the web form

Web forms use the website theme by default. For custom styling:

<!-- Add custom CSS via Web Form → Custom CSS field -->
<style>
    .web-form-container { max-width: 600px; margin: 0 auto; }
    .web-form-container .form-group { margin-bottom: 1.5rem; }
    .web-form-container .btn-primary { background-color: #2490EF; }
</style>

Verification

• Web form accessible at the correct URL (/contact-us)
• All fields render correctly
• Required field validation works
• Submission creates the correct DocType record
• Login requirement enforced (if configured)
• Edit and resubmit work (if configured)
• File uploads work within size limits
• Success message/redirect works after submission
• Custom Python validation runs on submit

Failure modes / debugging

• Form not accessible: Check if published; verify URL slug
• Permission denied on submit: Check DocType permissions for Website User or Guest
• Fields not showing: Ensure fields are added to the Web Form (not just on the DocType)
• Custom JS not loading: Check browser console; ensure file path is correct
• Validation not firing: Verify validate function in Python file returns/throws correctly
• Duplicate entries: Check "Allow Multiple" setting; add custom duplicate detection

Escalation

• For DocType schema → frappe-doctype-development
• For Frappe UI portal apps → frappe-frontend-development
• For API endpoint access → frappe-api-development

References

• references/web-forms.md — Web Form creation and customization

Guardrails

• Validate input server-side: Never trust client validation; check in validate() Python method
• Use captcha for public forms: Enable reCAPTCHA for guest-accessible forms to prevent spam
• Sanitize output: Escape user-submitted data when displaying; use frappe.utils.escape_html()
• Limit file uploads: Set max file size and allowed types for attachment fields
• Check rate limits: Consider throttling form submissions from same IP

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Why It Fails	Fix
Missing DocType permissions	"Permission denied" on submit	Grant Create permission to Website User or Guest role
Not handling file uploads	Files don't attach to record	Configure Attach field properly; check upload limits
XSS vulnerabilities	Security risk	Escape user input in display; use `
Forgetting to publish form	404 error	Check "Published" checkbox in Web Form
Client-only validation	Invalid data in database	Add validate() method in web form Python file
Not testing as guest user	Works for admin, fails for users	Test in incognito/logged out mode