With Rules, you can decide which questions in a form stay fixed once the answer is submitted. This prevents data that shouldn't change from being modified later, even if someone edits the answer.
💡 Creating and editing rules is available on the Enterprise plan. If your account moves to another plan, existing rules keep working, but they can only be deleted.
Lock types
For each question, you choose how it's locked:
Lock only if answered: when the form is submitted, the answer is locked. If the question was left empty, it can be filled in during a later edit and, once saved, it's locked too.
Lock even if empty: when the form is submitted, the question is locked even if it has no answer. It can't be filled in or edited later.
How do I create a rule?
Open the form in the Form Builder and go to the Rules tab.
Click Create rule.
Under Where does it apply?, choose one question or Several form questions.
Under What do you want to do?, select Lock and click Continue.
If you chose several questions, select them under Which questions do you want to lock?. They're grouped by section.
For each question, under How do you want to lock this question?, choose Lock only if answered or Lock even if empty.
Click Save rule.
If you choose several questions, one rule is created for each question.
Questions that only display text, such as instructions, don't appear in the list because they have no answer.
View and edit rules
In the Rules tab, you'll see a card for each locked question, with its question type and a sentence explaining how the rule works.
To change the lock type, click the rule's pencil. Below the options, you'll see This is how it will work, with a summary of how the rule will behave. Click Save rule to apply the change.
Delete a rule
Click the rule's trash can and confirm with Delete rule.
When you delete a rule, the locked questions become editable again, including in answers that were already submitted.
What does the lock look like when editing an answer?
On the web platform, when you edit a submitted answer, locked questions are shown as read-only:
If the question had an answer, you'll see the message "Recorded on submit. It can't be edited."
If the question was left empty and is locked even if empty, you'll see the message "Locked on submit. It can't be edited."
In the app, rules travel with the form and work offline, in both display modes. If an edit is rejected when syncing, the answer shows a notice. Version 4.15.0 or later is required.
The lock applies across all channels: even if an edit comes from somewhere else, changes to locked questions are rejected.
Frequently asked questions
Can I lock question groups or subquestions? Yes. Rules can be applied to questions, subquestions, and groups.
What happens if I delete a rule? The questions become editable again, including in answers already submitted.
What happens if my account is no longer on Enterprise? Existing rules keep working. You won't be able to create or edit rules, only delete them.