> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.formal.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Forms > Create structured data collection forms for workflow triggers via Slack ## Overview Forms enable structured data collection that can trigger [workflows](/docs/guides/configuration/workflows). A form defines a set of typed fields that users fill out via Slack. When submitted, the form data is available to workflow actions via CEL expressions. Forms are useful for **Access requests**: Enable users to request access to perform specific actions on resources with time-bound parameters for policy suspensions. ## Form Structure A form consists of: * **Name**: A unique name within your organization * **Description**: Optional description shown to users when filling out the form * **Fields**: One or more typed fields for data collection ### Field Types **Text and numeric inputs:** * `string` — Plain text input * `number` — Numeric input * `email` — Email address input * `url` — URL input **Date and time inputs:** * `date` — Date picker * `time` — Time picker * `timestamp` — Combined date and time picker **Selection inputs** (require options configuration — see [below](#selection-field-options)): * `select` — Single-select dropdown * `multi_select` — Multi-select dropdown * `checkbox` — Checkbox group * `radio` — Radio button group ### Field IDs Each field has an `id` that must match the pattern `field_[_a-zA-Z0-9]+`. This ID is used to reference field values in workflow actions via `trigger.form_submission.submission.field_`. ### Selection Field Options The `select`, `multi_select`, `checkbox`, and `radio` field types all require an options configuration. All four types support **static options**. Only `select` and `multi_select` also support a **dynamic options source**. A field must have one or the other, not both. #### Static Options Provide a fixed list of options directly in the field configuration. Each option has a `label` (displayed to the user) and a `value` (submitted with the form). #### Dynamic Options Dynamic sources allow you to populate `select` and `multi_select` inputs by calling a `List` endpoint on Formal's API. This is useful when the set of options changes over time (e.g., listing resources, users, or datastores). `checkbox` and `radio` fields do not support dynamic sources and must use static options. A dynamic source has the following configuration: | Parameter | Description | | ------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **App** | The service name (e.g., `core.v1.ResourceService`) | | **Command Name** | The method name without the `List` prefix (e.g., `Resources` for the `ListResources` method) | | **Machine User ID** | The machine user used to authenticate options retrieval | | **Input** | The JSON request body. Use `${{ query }}` to interpolate the user's search text into the request. You can also pass `searchFields` to control which fields are searched | | **Transform** | A CEL expression evaluated against the response body (available via the `body` variable) when the response is a 200. Should return a list of objects with `value` and `text` fields | The `searchFields` parameter in the input controls which fields the `search` term is matched against. For example, `"searchFields": ["name", "technology", "hostname"]` restricts matching to those three fields on the target resource. ## Filling Out Forms ### Slack Integration Forms can be filled out via Slack using the "Fill out form" shortcut. A [Slack integration](/docs/guides/integrations/chats) needs to be linked to your Formal organization. #### Slash Command Type `/formal form` to open a modal where you can select and fill out a form. #### Submission Flow 1. User opens the form shortcut in Slack 2. User selects a form from the searchable dropdown 3. User fills out the fields and submits 4. A confirmation message with the submitted values is sent to the user 5. Any workflows with a matching `form-submission` trigger are executed ### Desktop App Forms can also be filled out via the Formal desktop app. #### Submission Flow 1. User opens the desktop app 2. User runs `formal form fill` and selects a form from the shown list 3. User fills out the fields and submits 4. A confirmation message with the submitted values is shown to the user, along with a command to submit the same payload again without needing to re-select the form 5. Any workflows with a matching `form-submission` trigger are executed You can also display forms and their fields using `formal form list -o [jsonl|yaml]` for programmatic use. ## Using Forms in Workflows Forms connect to workflows via the `form-submission` trigger type. See the [workflows documentation](/docs/guides/configuration/workflows#form-submission) for trigger details. Form data will not be saved in the Formal Control Plane unless there is at least one workflow with the corresponding `form-submission` trigger type. ### Example: Access Request with Approval ```yaml theme={null} trigger: type: form-submission name: access_request args: id: form_abc123 actions: - type: ask-in-chat name: ask_approval args: message: "${{ trigger.form_submission.submitter_email }} is requesting access to ${{ trigger.form_submission.submission.field_resource }}. Reason: ${{ trigger.form_submission.submission.field_reason }}. Approve?" recipient_channel: "security-approvals" integration: slack ``` ### Referencing Form Data in CEL Form submission data is available under `trigger.form_submission`: | Expression | Description | | ----------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | | `trigger.form_submission.form_id` | The ID of the submitted form | | `trigger.form_submission.form_name` | The name of the submitted form | | `trigger.form_submission.submitter_email` | Email of the user in Slack who submitted the form | | `trigger.form_submission.submission.field_` | Value of a specific field by its ID | ## Terraform Example ```hcl theme={null} resource "formal_form" "access_request" { name = "access-request-form" description = "Form for requesting database access" field { id = "field_reason" name = "Reason" type = "string" } field { id = "field_resource" name = "Resource" type = "select" config { option { label = "Production" value = "production" } option { label = "Staging" value = "staging" } } } field { id = "field_duration" name = "Duration (hours)" type = "number" } } ``` For a dynamic options source (e.g., fetching resources from Formal): ```hcl theme={null} resource "formal_form" "dynamic_access_request" { name = "dynamic-access-request" description = "Access request with dynamic resource selection" field { id = "field_resource" name = "Resource" type = "select" config { options_source { app = "core.v1.ResourceService" machine_user_id = formal_user.machine.id transform = "body.resources.map(r, {\"value\": r.id, \"text\": r.name})" command { name = "Resources" } input = { search = "${{ query }}" limit = "25" searchFields = jsonencode(["name", "technology", "hostname"]) } } } } field { id = "field_reason" name = "Reason" type = "string" } } ``` See the [formal\_form resource documentation](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/formalco/formal/latest/docs/resources/form) for the full schema reference. ## Next Steps Learn about workflow triggers, actions, and chaining Configure your Slack integration for forms