Set an input format on a Paubox Forms field

Input Field questions can collect more than plain text. Set a format on any Input Field so responses come back consistent, whether that field asks for a phone number, a Social Security number, a date, or a ZIP code.

Set a field's format

1. Add or select an Input Field question in the form builder.
2. In the field's properties panel, open the Field Type dropdown.
3. Choose a format: Any, Email, Phone Number, Number, Date, SSN, or ZIP code.

The field's placeholder updates automatically to show a real example of the format you chose, for example (555) 555-5555 for Phone Number or 123-45-6789 for SSN. If you already set your own placeholder text, it's left as is.

How each format behaves

• Phone Number, SSN, and ZIP code shape the response as the person types, so a phone number always comes back as a phone number, not a mix of formats across submissions. ZIP code accepts both 5-digit (12345) and ZIP+4 (12345-6789) formats.
• Date displays as mm/dd/yyyy and shapes input as the person types it. It rejects an impossible month or day as it's typed, and catches an invalid date, like February 30, when the person moves on to the next field.
• Email and Number validate that a response is a properly formatted email address or a number.
• Any applies no format. Use this for international phone numbers or dates, since Phone Number and Date formats are built for US patterns.

Note: If you're editing a form that already collects dates in a different format, older responses stay associated with the field. Only new responses submitted after you set the format follow the new pattern.

Where this helps

A consistent format makes exported submissions easier to use downstream, whether you're pulling them into a spreadsheet, another system, or reviewing them one at a time. It also cuts down on back-and-forth: a masked phone or ZIP field tells the person filling out the form exactly what you need before they submit.