Converting Classic Forms in Act-On's New Forms Composer

  • Updated

With the arrival of Act-On's new Forms Composer, Classic Forms are now a legacy feature and no longer available to new Act-On accounts. However, existing accounts with saved Classic Forms still have access to this legacy feature.

Classic Forms will have limited support going forward. For this reason, we recommend that you convert and update your Classic Forms in our newest Forms Composer. Migrating your Classic Forms to our latest version of Forms Composer will ensure your Act-On forms remain up-to-date and give you access to updated Form features.

Disclaimer: This article relates to Classic Forms, a legacy feature unavailable for new accounts. If you need information on using Act-On Forms, see Forms Composer User Guide.

Instructions

To migrate your Classic Forms to the latest version of Forms, follow these steps:

Step 1: Find and Migrate Your Classic Form

  1. Go to Content > Forms and in the Forms tab at the top left, under Form Type, select the filter Classic Forms.

  2. In the Form Manager on the left, use the filters and folders to find the Classic Form you want to convert. Then from the list, select it with the checkbox, and from the three dots More actions menu, select Migrate form:

    migrate

  3. In the confirmation dialog that appears, select Migrate form. A confirmation appears:

    migrate
    This creates a new-format Form copy of the Classic Form in the Default Folder. The original Classic Form is unaffected.
  4. Find the migrated Form and open it in the Form Composer.
    Tip: To easily find your newly migrated Form, click All Forms and order the list by LAST UPDATED:
    migrate

Step 2: Update Elements in Your Newly Converted Form

You've successfully converted your Classic Form to the new Forms Composer. Now, you'll need to ensure that elements from your original Form were updated correctly during migration. Some components from Classic Forms will not automatically migrate to the latest version of the Forms Composer. You will need to reinsert these manually.

Elements that Migrate Automatically

Your newly converted Form will preserve specific original properties from the Classic Form, including:

  • Title
  • Description
  • Submission List
  • Form Response Options (this excludes Response Display settings, which are not available yet in the new Forms Composer)

You can modify or update automatically migrated properties in the Properties tab as desired.

Converting your Classic Form will not affect any previous submissions or submission lists you've collected with the original Form.

Elements to Update Manually

Some components of your Classic Forms will not automatically migrate in the updated Forms Composer. These include:

  • External Web Analytics
  • Stationery / Design Elements
  • Logo
  • Fixed-width / Adaptive-width
  • SEO
  • ​​​​​​​CSS
  • File Upload Block

The new Forms Composer will highlight elements that did not migrate from your Classic Form. You will need to reinsert missing form elements before saving and embedding your newly converted Form.

Example:

This Classic Form uses a logo and stationery for branding purposes:

Screen Shot 2022-01-06 at 9.42.29 AM.png

When opened with the new Forms Composer, the converted version of this Form no longer has a logo. Forms Composer will highlight the missing logo's original location, indicated by a red placeholder section:

Screen Shot 2022-01-06 at 9.45.50 AM.png

In the Design tab, placeholder blocks like the example above will show missing design elements that did not migrate from your Classic Form. You can remove these placeholder blocks manually by clicking  . Placeholder blocks will automatically delete once you've saved your converted Form.

You'll find a notification in the Design tab reminding you that the Stationery feature is no longer supported in the new Forms Composer. Click on the Form Properties section (highlighted pink and indicated by a blue dot) in the Settings bar.

Screen Shot 2022-01-06 at 9.56.41 AM.png

The Edit Form Properties panel will appear, allowing you to update the styling and layout of your converted Form. The notification will disappear once you've saved your updated Form, or you can manually close the notification yourself.

   Screen Shot 2022-01-06 at 10.13.08 AM.png

Preserve Custom Javascript

You can preserve custom Javascript code by copying it from your Classic Form and pasting it into the Landing Page where your newly updated Form resides (in the "Form Load JS" section). We recommend checking whether this code is still needed before adding it to your updated Form.

Step 3: Embed Your Migrated Form

Once you've converted and updated your Classic Form in the new Forms Composer, it's time to save your newly converted Form. Saving your converted Form creates a new, stand-alone Form separate from the original Classic Form. You'll find your converted Form in the Forms folder.

You'll need to embed the converted Form in any Act-On Landing Pages or third-party web pages where the original Classic Form resides. Converting your Classic Form does not automatically update embedded instances of the Classic Form with the converted Form. Use the Embed tab in the new Forms Composer to re-embed the Form in your Act-On Landing Page or external web page.

Screen Shot 2022-01-06 at 10.27.26 AM.png

For more instructions on embedding your Form in a landing page, see Forms Composer User Guide.

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