Using the Flex Form Builder

The Flex Form Editor is a powerful tool for customizing patient intake and update forms.
Use these features effectively to enhance form usability and data integration.
Regularly preview and update forms to ensure accuracy and efficiency in your practice.

Forms created in the Form Builder can be added to automated messages sent from your Text & Emails Timeline. For additional information, click here: How Do I Access My Timeline?

Flex Forms serve as your electronic forms solution and cannot be printed for patients to complete on paper. Instead, patients will fill out Flex forms on tablets or their personal devices. Once submitted, forms automatically import into Open Dental, and a PDF copy is saved in Images. For additional information, review these resources: 

• How Can I Use Flex On My Tablet?
• How Do I Send Forms Manually?

Notes:

• If your office is using Legacy Forms you must first enable Advanced Forms for this guide to be helpful. For a walk-through guide, view this article: How to Switch from Legacy Forms to Advanced Forms.
• The Flex user must have administrative permissions in Flex to access the Form Builder, which is found in the settings tab. To update a user's permissions, view this article: How Do I Change User's Permissions?

In this guide, you will learn how to:

1. Access the Form Builder
2. Edit forms
3. Save/Update and Preview forms
4. Create forms
5. Import a shared Flex form
6. Manage Form Elements
7. Configure Elements
8. Format Elements and Forms Layout
9. Set up Conditional Logic
10. Manage Office Policies
11. Manage Medications & Conditions
12. Manage Referral Sources

Form Editor Overview       details are covered later in the article within individual sections.

1. The system includes four default forms:
   • New Patient Form – English and Spanish
   • Health History Update – English and Spanish
2. The Form Builder interface includes:
   • Update & Preview
   • Element menu—for a detailed walkthrough of the elements menu, view this guide: Overview of the Elements Menu in the Flex Form Builder.
   • Form Title field
   • Language selector
   • Designation selector (HHU = Health History Update, NPF = New Patient Form, or None)
     • How you designate your form determines how it is sent automatically. For information review the Flex Timeline, here.
   • Create New Form (covered below).
   • Import Flex Form —more details are included in this article: Importing Web Forms into the Flex Form Builder.
   • Watch Video [tutorial] —also found here: Form Editor Overview.

1. Access the Form Builder

1. Log into Flex as an administrative user. 

2. Click the Settings icon in the top left.
3. Ensure Advanced Forms is enabled.
4. Click Edit Web Forms, then select the Form Builder tab.

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2. Edit Forms:

• 1. To edit a form select it from your list.
  2. Click Yes when prompted.

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3. Save/Update and Preview forms

• Click Update to save changes.
• Click Preview to view the form as patients and staff will see it.
  • • Always preview a form before and after making any changes.
    • The preview feature lets you scroll through the form without requiring you to enter responses.
    • Navigate forward and backward to review its layout and content.
• To edit further, return to Forms.

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4. Create Forms

1. Click Create New Form.
2. If an existing form is open, you’ll be prompted to save changes first.
3. If confirmed, a blank form opens for customization.
4. Set Title, Language, and Designate your form type.
5. Add Elements (covered below).
6. Save as needed.
7. Preview as needed.

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5. Import a shared Flex Form

• Practices with multiple locations can share existing forms internally:
  • • At the location you want to copy forms from, click Download Form to save the form file.
    • Share the file internally with the importing location.
    • At the importing location, click Import Flex Form.
    • Select the saved form file.
  • This ensures consistency across locations.
  • For a detailed guide on sharing forms between locations, view this article: Importing Web Forms into the Flex Form Builder.

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6. Manage Form Elements

Adding Elements to your Forms

1. Click an element from the right panel to select it.
2. Drag it to the left and drop it into your form.
   • If you clicked the element once it was automatically added to the bottom of the form.
3. To reposition, click and drag the element to the desired location.

4. Release the mouse to place the element.

Editing Form Elements

• The left side contains elements within the form.
• The right side displays element options.
• To edit an element:
  
  • Double-click it or click the pencil icon.

Deleting Elements from Forms

1. Locate the element in the form preview on the left.
2. Click the "X" to remove the element.
3. A warning prompt will appear: "Are you sure you want to remove this field?"
4. Select Yes to confirm deletion or No to cancel.

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7. Configure Elements

• Required Field – Toggle on to make a question mandatory.
• Reference Name – Used to set Conditional Logic. 

  • Use a dash (-) instead of a space. Spaces and capital letters are not allowed in this field.

• Integration Phrase – Used for importing answers into Open Dental.
• Label
  • Use this field to build your question. Text typed here displays as the 'question' on the form.
• Conditional Text –
  • Allows labels to change based on patient age.
  • Useful for differentiating adult vs. child patient forms.
• Subline – 
  • Text appears under the associated question.
  • Allowed on the following elements: Header, Text Field, & Signature (v6.13 and above). 
• Association Options –
  • Send patient responses to Open Dental.
  • Ensure the Import box is checked and a field is selected for data transfer. 
• Prepopulate –
  • Automatically adds patient data from Open Dental into the form.
  • Commonly used in Health History Updates.
• Carry Over to Additional Forms –
  • Use this to pre-fill details when multiple forms for dependents are being completed at once.

For additional information on the Elements Menu, check out: Overview of the Elements Menu in the Flex Form Builder.

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8. Format Elements and Forms Layout

• Use these formatting options to set restrictions for the text field. To remove restrictions, set it to 'none.'
  
  • • none
    • Social Security
    • Phone
    • Email
    • Zip code
• Adjust field widths for optimized layout:
  • Full Width
  • 1/2 Width
  • 1/3 Width
  • 1/4 Width

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9. Set up Conditional Logic

• Displays elements based on user selections.
• Example:
  • If “Yes” is selected on the “Do you have dental insurance?” element, additional insurance questions appear.
• Set conditions within the element to create dynamic forms.
• Conditional Logic links to a previous element using the Reference.

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10. Manage Office Policies

1. Click the Policies tab.
2. Select a policy from the menu on the left.
3. Start typing to add text.
   • Backspace to delete.
   • Highlight or double-click text to change the format and add links.
   • [Ctrl] keyboard shortcuts also work here.
4. (Optional) Set Language
   • Any changes made in the default language (English) must also be reflected in the alternate language(s) set.
5. Save in the bottom right.
6. Return to the Form Builder.
7. Add your policy to your form:
   • Click the form.
   • Select Yes when prompted.
8. Scroll down to find Policies on the left.
9. Double-click your policy element or click the pencil icon.

10. Refresh by selecting a different policy, then returning to your desired policy.

11. Scroll to the top and Update.

    • This applies the changes made in the Policies Tab to your patient forms.

    • Tip: Preview your form to see changes made in real-time.

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11. Manage Medications & Conditions

• The Medications & Conditions interface includes:
  • Clear Medication Lists
  • Trim List
  • Insert Recommended
  • Add Category
  • Alphabetize
  • Add Medication/Condition
    • Notes: Conditions are Problems in Open Dental. | If you accidentally click 'clear medication lists' select 'insert recommended' to recreate the default lists within your categories.
• Use these steps to make changes in each tab individually.
• The same steps apply to both tabs.
• Changes saved in these tabs are reflected on the form in real-time. 
1. Click the desired tab.
2. Notice the Open Dental List on the left.
   • Medications & Conditions pull from Open Dental. Here is a guide from the Open Dental Help Center. For additional information, please contact Open Dental.
3. Click an element from the left panel to select it.
4. Drag it to a category on the right, then release the mouse to drop it. 
5. To reposition, click and drag the element to the new location.

6. To remove it from the category:

   • click, drag, and drop it back into the Open Dental List on the left.

7. Click a category title to rename it.
8. To delete a category, click the 'X' in the top right corner of the category.
   • Note: There is no warning prompt. If you haven't saved, you can refresh your browser.
9. Save in the bottom right.

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12. Manage Referral Sources

• Use this section to add referral sources to your New Patient forms.
• Changes saved in this tabs are reflected on the form in real-time.
1. Click the Referrals tab.
2. Notice the Open Dental List on the left.
   • Referrals sources pull from Open Dental. Here is a guide from the Open Dental Help Center. For additional information, please contact Open Dental.
3. Click a referral source from the left panel to select it.
4. Drag it to Web Form Referrals on the right, then release the mouse to drop it. 
5. To remove a referral source from the form:
   • click, drag, and drop it back into the Open Dental List on the left.
6. Save in the bottom right.

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➡️If your office is using Legacy Forms and have not yet switched to Advanced Forms, first view this article: How to Switch from Legacy Forms to Advanced Forms↗️.

📽️For a video on Using the Flex Form Builder, click here↗️.

If you found this information helpful, please like and/or comment below!

If you have questions, please contact Flex Support.

Thank you!