A Contact Form Advanced form with File Upload fields lets clients send you their details and documents in one go, instead of by email attachments. With EverWeb 4.6 and later you can split a long form into pages, so it doesn't overwhelm people. The files are stored in your Client Area, ready to download.
Who uses this
- An accountant asks clients to upload last year's return, their income statements and a summary of expenses before tax season.
- A family lawyer collects a new client's background and the documents relating to their case.
- A mortgage broker collects payslips and proof of income before the first meeting.
- A brand consultant collects a questionnaire, the client's logo and examples of designs they like.
What you need
- The Contact Forms Enhanced add-on for File Upload (and for Signature). Packages differ in upload space: see What is the Contact Forms Enhanced Add-on?
- EverWeb 4.6 or later for Step Break pages, Address, Consent and Signature. File uploads also work in EverWeb 4.5.
- HTTPS (the padlock) on your website: see My site says 'Not Secure': how to get HTTPS (SSL) on your website. On another host, check What are the server requirements of the Contact Forms Enhanced Add-on?
The basics of the form widget are in Build a custom form: quote requests, registrations and file uploads.
Sample form plan (an accountant's tax intake)
| Field label | Control Type | Settings / Price |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | TextBox | Required |
| Required | ||
| Phone | Phone Number | |
| Home address | Address | Required |
| About your tax year | Step Break | Starts page 2 |
| Which apply to you? | Checkbox | Employed, Self-employed, Rental income, Pension, Investments |
| Anything we should know? | Text Area | |
| Your documents | Step Break | Starts page 3 |
| Last year's tax return | File Upload | Accept: PDF |
| Income statements | File Upload | Accept: Images And PDF |
| Expenses summary | File Upload | Accept: Custom, .pdf,.xls,.xlsx,.csv |
| Anything else | File Upload | Accept: Any. Optional |
| Confirm and send | Step Break | Starts page 4 |
| I confirm the information is correct | Consent | Link to your privacy policy |
| Signature | Signature | Optional |
Set it up
- Buy the add-on and sign in to your account in EverWeb (EverWeb > Settings on a Mac, Edit > Options on Windows).
- Drag Contact Form Advanced onto a page, open Inspector > Widget Settings, choose your add-on in Contact Form Enhanced Add-on and type a Contact Form Name, such as Tax intake 2027. This name is how you find the form in your Client Area.
- Add the fields in order. For each File Upload field, choose the file types in Accept: Any, Images, Images And PDF, PDF, Audio, Video, ZIP, All Media, Text File, Word Document, Excel, or Custom, where you type the endings yourself, such as .pdf,.doc,.docx.
- Add a Step Break where each new page should start. The Step Break's text is the title of the page after it. Don't start the form with one, and don't put one inside Columns. Visitors get a progress bar and Back and Next buttons, and Next only checks that page's required fields.
- Use Control Instructions/Tip under each upload to say what you want, for example "A PDF from your bank or employer is best. Photos are fine if every page is readable."
- While you design, Preview first form page only shows page 1. Untick it to check the other pages.
- Choose a thank-you page in Forward To Page that says what happens next, then publish with File > Publish Entire Site and test with real files.
What you receive
- An email with the client's answers, each time someone sends the form.
- In your Client Area, under Contact Form Submissions > View Form Submissions, choose the form and click Select. Uploaded files show in the Attachments column (scroll the table to the right if you can't see it). Click the icon to download one, or tick several submissions and choose With Selected > Download Attachments.
- Export gives you a CSV file of all answers, to open in Excel or Numbers.
Keep clients' information safe
- Don't ask for card numbers, bank account details, passwords or government ID numbers in a form field. If a document shows a full account or ID number you don't need, ask the client to cover it before uploading.
- Files are kept on EverWeb's servers until you delete them. Download what you need, then delete old submissions from the Client Area (With Selected > Delete).
- Your profession or country may have rules about how you collect and keep client documents. Check the rules that apply to you. If your regulator requires a particular secure portal, use that.
Good to know
- One file per File Upload field. Add one field per document, plus a spare "Anything else" field. For many files, ask clients to put them in a ZIP file and set Accept to ZIP.
- How big a file can be depends on your add-on package's space and on your web host. Ask for PDFs rather than large photos where you can.
- Fields can't appear or hide depending on an earlier answer. Make optional uploads clearly optional, or keep separate forms for separate services.
- Columns stay side by side on phones, so only pair two short fields, such as first and last name.
- If File Upload switches back to another type, EverWeb isn't signed in or no add-on is chosen at the top of Widget Settings.
Related articles
- Build a custom form: quote requests, registrations and file uploads
- Get agreements, contracts and consent forms signed online
- Build a website for your accounting or bookkeeping practice with EverWeb
- Build a website for your law firm with EverWeb
- What are the server requirements of the Contact Forms Enhanced Add-on?