Choosing the right field type

Which form field should you use?

The right field type depends on what the data represents and how people will interact with it. A wrong choice creates confusion or meaningless data.

What you need	Best field type	Why
Pick ONE from 2-5 options	Radio buttons	All options visible at once
Pick ONE from 6+ options	Dropdown	Saves space, searchable
Confirm multiple items done	Checklist	Multi-select with validation
Yes/no confirmation	Radio buttons	Two clear, unambiguous options
A specific date	Date	Calendar picker prevents format errors
A detailed explanation	Long text	Room for multi-line responses
Brief data (name, number)	Short text	Single line, optional validation
Upload evidence/files	File upload	Multiple files, up to 100MB each
Select a person	Assignee picker	Pulls from Tallyfy members, groups, and guests
Structured data rows	Table	Defined columns, unlimited rows

A single-item checklist isn’t a real choice - it’s just confirmation. Use a different approach when you only have one thing to verify.

Instead of this	Use this	Example
Checklist with 1 item	Yes/No radio buttons	”Has payment been received?”
Single-option dropdown	Yes/No radio buttons	”Approved?” with Yes/No
Checkbox for confirmation	Radio buttons + conditional fields	See example below

Better pattern - payment confirmation:

Radio buttons: “Has payment been received?” - Yes / No
Conditional date field (shown if Yes): “Date payment appeared in bank account”
Optional file upload: “Upload proof of payment (bank statement)”

This captures actual proof - not just a meaningless single selection.

Checklists shine for multi-item verification:

Good examples:

Quality check: “Verified formatting”, “Checked for errors”, “Confirmed accuracy”, “Reviewed by second person”
Equipment handover: “Laptop returned”, “Badge collected”, “Keys returned”, “Parking pass collected”
Approval criteria: “Budget approved”, “Legal reviewed”, “Manager signed off”, “IT security cleared”

Validation options:

Both let you pick ONE option. The difference is display.

Radio buttons - best for 2-5 options where you want all choices visible at once. Radio fields require at least 2 options.

Dropdown - best for 6+ options, or when screen space is tight and options are self-explanatory.

For yes/no questions, always use radio buttons. A two-item dropdown just adds an unnecessary click.

Your field choice affects what automation rules you can build:

Field type	Available rule conditions	Example
Radio buttons	Equals, not equals, contains, is empty	If “Priority” = “High” then assign to Manager
Dropdown	Equals, not equals, contains, is empty	If “Department” = “Finance” then show finance steps
Checklist	Contains, not contains, equals, is empty	If “Requirements” contains “Legal Review” then show legal step
Short text	Contains, equals, greater/less than, is empty	If “Country” contains “USA” then show US compliance step
Date	Equals, greater/less than, is empty	If “Start Date” is past today then show warning

Dropdown for binary choices - Use radio buttons. Dropdowns add an unnecessary click for yes/no decisions.
Single-item checklists - Not useful. Use radio buttons or conditional fields instead.
Long text for structured data - Use separate short text fields or a table when you need specific pieces of information.
File upload for simple confirmations - Don’t require uploads when a radio button would do. It creates friction.
Missing validation - Mark required fields as required. Enable email validation on text fields that collect email addresses.

Tallyfy form fields collect user input on kick-off forms and individual tasks. Types include…

Tallyfy builds forms directly into workflow steps, so every submission triggers a trackable…

Tallyfy’s Checklist form field lets you break a single task into smaller, checkable subtasks…

Pre-fill form fields with static text, dynamic variables from earlier steps, or system values…

Get in touch

About Tallyfy