Writing form responses to a data table custom field

A Data Table question can write its responses straight into a contact's data table custom field, rather than only storing them inside the form submission. This lets you capture structured, repeatable data — such as vote intentions, qualifications, enterprise agreements or other multi-row records — directly onto a Contact profile, where it becomes part of their structured data for reporting, segmentation and historical tracking.

This builds on the standard Data Table question block (see Question blocks (types, Data Table & conditional logic)) by adding a Custom Field Data Table option that links the question to a contact-level data table custom field.

What this feature does

• Populates a contact's data table custom field directly from a form.
• Reuses the column definitions already configured on the data table custom field as the form's questions.
• Supports flexible, multi-row data entry, so one contact can have many rows of related information.
• Lets you reorder, hide or require individual data table columns within the form.
• Lets you set default values for supported data table fields.
• Automatically creates a new data table row on each submission.
• Links each new row to the correct contact profile.

Creating a form that writes to a data table

1. Open the Forms feature.
2. Create a new form, or edit an existing form.
3. Drag a Question block onto the canvas.
4. Set the Question Type to Data Table.
5. Locate the Data Table Type dropdown.
6. Select Custom Field Data Table.
7. Choose the data table custom field you want to populate.

Once you select the custom field, SwiftFox automatically generates a question for each column defined on that data table custom field — you do not have to recreate the columns by hand.

Configuring the data table questions

After the questions are generated, fine-tune how they appear in the form:

1. Review the generated questions, which correspond one-to-one with the columns on the data table custom field.
2. Drag and reorder the questions if you want a different order from the underlying column order.
3. Use the three-dot menu on any question to:
   • Show or hide specific columns.
   • Exclude columns that are not relevant to this particular form.
4. Mark individual questions as Required where an answer is mandatory.
5. Set default values for supported field types, including:
   • Select options.
   • Date fields — including defaulting a date to the form submission date.

Linking the data table row to the right contact

Each submission needs to be attached to a contact so the new row lands on the correct profile. How this happens depends on how the form is distributed:

• Open or general forms — include an Add/Update Contact block so SwiftFox can match or create the contact and link the data table row to that profile (see Add/Update Contact block (matching, fields & custom fields)).
• Targeted forms sent to known contacts (via a tracked email link, a per-individual link, or the Login portal) — the data table row links to the contact automatically, with no Add/Update Contact block required (see Pre-filling forms for targeted contacts).

On submission, a new row is added to the selected data table custom field on the contact's profile.

How this fits with the rest of SwiftFox

• Data table custom fields are configured as custom field sections with defined columns; this feature simply surfaces those columns as form questions.
• Responses captured this way become part of the contact's structured profile data, available for advanced reporting, segmentation and historical tracking.
• Typical use cases include canvassing and vote tracking, qualifications, enterprise agreements, and any survey or operational capture that needs repeatable rows.

Form data table vs custom field data table

There are two ways a Data Table question can store its answers:

• Form data table — responses are stored only within the form submission.
• Custom field data table — responses are written as rows directly onto the contact's data table custom field. This is the option described on this page.

FAQs

What is the difference between a form data table and a custom field data table?

A form data table stores responses inside the form submission only. A custom field data table writes rows directly to the contact's profile.

Can I choose which columns appear in the form?

Yes. Individual columns can be hidden, reordered or marked as required using the three-dot menu on each generated question.

Can I set default values for data table fields?

Yes. Defaults can be set for supported field types, including dates (such as the submission date) and select fields.

Does each submission create a new data table row?

Yes. Every submission adds a new row to the linked data table custom field on the contact.

Do I always need an Add/Update Contact block?

Only for non-targeted forms. Targeted forms automatically link the submission — and the new row — to the correct contact.

What is this best used for?

Any scenario requiring flexible, repeatable records, such as vote tracking, qualifications, agreements, or survey-style data capture.