Documentation User Guide

Create and Publish Your First Form

This guide helps you create your first Elzo Forms form, add a few fields, publish it on a WordPress page, and confirm that submissions are saved.

Use this guide when you want to test the full form flow from creation to submission.

Before you begin

Make sure Elzo Forms is installed and active on your WordPress site.

For your first form, keep the setup simple. A small contact or request form is enough to confirm that the builder, publishing method, and submissions are working correctly.

A good first form includes:

  • a name field;
  • an email field;
  • a message field;
  • a submit button.

After this form works, you can add more fields, conditional logic, multi-step layout, or PRO workflows.

Create a new form

To create a form:

  1. Open your WordPress dashboard.
  2. Go to the Elzo Forms area.
  3. Choose the option to create a new form.
  4. Enter a clear form name, such as Contact Form or Request Form.
  5. Save the form.

Use a name that helps you recognize the form later in the dashboard. The form name is mainly for your own organization.

Add fields to the form

Add the fields that visitors need to complete.

For a first form:

  1. Add a name field.
  2. Add an email field.
  3. Add a message field.
  4. Review the order of the fields.
  5. Save the form.

Keep the first version short. A short form is easier to test and easier for visitors to complete.

Configure field settings

After adding fields, review the settings for each field.

For each field:

  1. Open the field settings.
  2. Check the field label.
  3. Make the field required if the visitor must complete it.
  4. Add placeholder or help text if it makes the field easier to understand.
  5. Review any field-specific options.
  6. Save your changes.

Use clear labels. For example, use Email address instead of only Email if that makes the field easier to understand.

Save and preview the form

After you add and configure the fields:

  1. Save the form.
  2. Preview the form if a preview option is available.
  3. Check that the fields appear in the expected order.
  4. Check that required fields are marked clearly.
  5. Submit a test entry if the preview allows it.

If something looks wrong, return to the builder, adjust the form, and save again.

Publish the form on a WordPress page

Publish the form where visitors can access it.

Depending on your site setup, you may publish the form using a block, shortcode, or another embed option provided by the plugin.

To publish the form:

  1. Open the WordPress page where you want the form to appear.
  2. Add the form using the available Elzo Forms embed method.
  3. Save or update the page.
  4. Open the page on the frontend.
  5. Confirm that the form appears correctly.

If your site uses caching, clear the cache after updating the page.

Submit a test entry

Always test the form after publishing it.

To test the form:

  1. Open the page where the form is published.
  2. Fill in each required field.
  3. Submit the form.
  4. Confirm that the success behavior appears.
  5. Return to the WordPress dashboard.
  6. Open the submissions area.
  7. Confirm that the test entry was saved.

Testing the form yourself helps you catch required-field issues, layout issues, and submission issues before visitors use the form.

Check the saved submission

After submitting the test entry, review the saved submission.

Check that:

  • the submitted values are present;
  • the correct form received the entry;
  • the entry is readable in the dashboard;
  • no important field is missing;
  • the form behavior matches what you expected.

If email notifications are enabled, also check whether the notification was delivered. A form can submit successfully even if email delivery needs separate configuration.

What to do next

After your first form works, you can improve it step by step.

Common next steps include:

  • adding more field types;
  • adjusting field settings;
  • adding conditional logic;
  • splitting a longer form into multiple steps;
  • configuring email notifications;
  • reviewing submissions;
  • adding PRO workflows when you need automation actions or PRO-only condition types.

Avoid adding too many features before the basic form works. Build the form in small steps and test after each major change.

Troubleshooting

The form does not appear on the page

Confirm that you added the correct form to the page and saved the page. If the site uses caching, clear the cache and reload the page.

The form appears, but it does not submit

Check required fields, validation messages, browser console errors, caching or minification tools, and possible theme or plugin conflicts.

The submission is not saved

Submit a simple test entry with only the required fields. If it still does not save, check whether the form is configured correctly and whether another plugin or server security rule may be blocking the request.

Email does not arrive after submission

First confirm that the submission was saved in WordPress. If the submission exists but the email does not arrive, review the email notification settings and consider using SMTP for more reliable email delivery.

A required field is hidden by conditional logic

If a required field is hidden, visitors may not be able to complete the form. Review your conditional logic and test the form again.

  • Field Types Overview
  • Field Settings
  • Conditional Logic for Fields
  • Multi-Step Forms
  • Submissions Screen
  • Email Notifications

Applies to

  • Elzo Forms Free
  • Elzo Forms PRO
  • WordPress admin
  • Frontend form display

Last reviewed

2026-07-03

 
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