If you can't find a form you need in our Forms Library and need more than editing an existing form, you can build your own right in YAPI's Form Builder!  Follow the instructions below to create custom forms that best fit your practice's needs. We also recommend viewing our Creating a Basic Custom Form video tutorial.

This article covers how to make a basic "non-integrated" form in YAPI.  If you want to create a custom Patient Information or Medical History form (a "data-integrated" form), read over this article, then see Creating a Custom Patient Information Form or Creating a Custom Medical History Form.

Table of Contents Opening the Form Builder Adding Name and Title Setting Form Options Adding Questions Adding Formatting Elements Rearranging Questions & Formatting Elements Finishing Up Related Articles

Prefer to watch a video? Click below: Click    to view full screen.

 

Opening the Form Builder

1. From the YAPI Dashboard, click Setup & Manage and select Manage Documents and Templates.
2. Click the iPad Forms tab.
3. Click New.

 

Adding Name and Title

To start your form, give it a Title and Name. 

These can be the same if you want, but they do different things:

	The Title is patient-facing and acts as a title that patients see at the top of their form.
	The Name is office-facing and acts as the form's file name that your staff sees within YAPI.

Warning!  Do not include punctuation (like  < > : ‘ “ / \ | ? * &)  or special characters (like ñ and é) in the Name or Title and do not leave an extra space at the end.  This can cause issues with the form (failure to open on an iPad, inability to edit, etc.)

 

Adding Questions, Text, and Formatting Elements

The Question Area of the Form Builder holds all the other parts of your form including patient name, questions, paragraphs of text, signature boxes, and formatting elements like headers and separating lines.  These are all available in the same list when you click Add.

For every form, always include:

• Patient Name
• Questions and/or Text
• Signature Box

Adding the Patient Name Question

Completed forms can't be filed without a Patient Name, so this is important!  To add a Patient Name question:

1. Click Add.

2. In the Select Question Type window that pops up, select Patient Name, then click Add.

   

3. Make sure the Is Required checkbox is selected.

   

4. Optional: Select Has Border to add a border around the question. 

5. Optional: Select Include Birthday to require that the patient enter their birthdate below their name.

 

Adding Other Questions

Just like with the Patient Name, to add each of your questions to the form, click Add. In the Select Question Type window that pops up, select the question type you want to use and click Add again.

The most popular question type is Single-Line Text, which is a simple question with a space for a short answer, but our Questions & Formatting Elements in the Form Builder article has a complete list of question types, what they look like, and what options they have available.  Use this article to learn about additional question types with answer options like lists, checkboxes, and Yes/No options.

 

Adding a Paragraph of Text

If you need to add a block of text to your form for patients to read - for example, your financial policy or a list of treatment procedures and risks - you can add this as a Paragraph.  Adding a Paragraph is the same as adding any other question:

1. Click Add. 

2. In the Select Question Type window that pops up, select Paragraph and click Add again.

3. Add your text, then click OK.

   

Tip: To format your text with different colors, bold and italic formatting, and to add bulleted or numbered lists, see Using HTML to Customize Forms.

 

Adding a Signature Box

Forms need a signature acknowledging that the person completing the form has read it and filled it out completely.  To add a signature box:

1. Click Add. 

2. In the Select Question Type window that pops up, select Signature and click Add again.

3. Make sure the Is Required and Add Name checkboxes are selected.

4. In the Footer box, indicate who is meant to sign here - for example, "Patient or Guardian Signature".

   

   Warning!  Do not include punctuation (like  < > : ‘ “ / \ | ? * &) or special characters (like ñ and é) here. This can cause issues with the form (failure to open on an iPad, inability to edit further, etc.)

5. Click OK. 

6. Optional: Repeat these steps to add another signature box for a provider to sign.

Tip: If your practice uses Fast Import and your providers want to review this form before it auto-files, add a second provider Signature and uncheck Is Required.

 

Adding Formatting Elements

Within your form, you can also add formatting elements like section headings, dividing lines that separate sections, extra spacing, and page breaks.  Add these in the same way you would a question, by clicking Add and selecting the element from the list.

We recommend adding a Header reiterating the form's Title.  This way, when the form is filed, the saved copy shows the title in case you print it:

1. Click Add. 

2. In the Select Question Type window that pops up, select Header and click Add again.

3. In the Header window that pops up, enter the form's Title in the Header Text box and under Destination, select iPad.

   

   Why am I selecting iPad and not Both?  The Header isn't needed for online forms.  The Title appears on the form itself automatically, so choosing Online or Both would cause the title to display twice.

For a full guide that explains each type of formatting element, see Questions & Formatting Elements in the Form Builder.

 

Rearranging Questions & Formatting Elements

To move a question or formatting element up or down on your form, simply click and drag it where you want it to go!

 

Setting Form Options

There are several options at the top of the Form Builder window that affect how your form works.  For a basic form, you only need to focus on two of them: Compact and Scrollable Single Page.  

• Select Compact if you want elements on your form to be closer together, saving space.  Otherwise, leave this box unchecked.

• Select Scrollable Single Page if you want patients to complete the form on a single page, allowing them to scroll down through the form until they're finished. Leave this box unchecked if you want a patient to see one page of the form at a time, clicking the Next button after each one.  

More Options and PMS Integrated settings aren't relevant to simple forms and Multi-Edit is no longer a working feature.  Leave these settings alone.  To learn more about the PMS Integrated option, see Creating a Custom Patient Information Form or Creating a Custom Medical History Form. To learn more about More Options, see Creating Custom Spanish Forms.

 

Finishing Up

To save your form, click Save, then close the Form Builder.  Even if you've saved, a popup will always ask if you want to save before closing the window; click Yes.

Before using your form, you need to enable and test it on an iPad to make sure it's patient-ready.  For that next step, see Testing Your Custom Form on an iPad.

Tip: If you want an online copy of the form to send to your patients or post on your website, connect with our Customer Support team once your form is finished and has been tested on an iPad.

 

Related Articles

• Questions & Formatting Elements in the Form Builder
• Testing Your Custom Form on an iPad
• Enabling & Disabling Individual iPad Forms