Metafields

Metafields are an admin-only companion to each normal entry. Respondents do not see them; admins use them for review state, notes, ownership, calculated values, and integration IDs.

How they work

Every normal form includes a metafields area. When an entry is created, its metafield defaults are available immediately.

Metafields follow the main form’s version state: draft previews use the draft metafields where available, and published forms use the published metafields. Their answers, revision history, and workflow behaviour remain separate from respondent answers.

Design metafields

Open the form builder and choose Metafields. The editor uses the same pages, field types, shared properties, default values, display logic, and validation controls as the main field builder.

Typical fields include:

• review_status — Select with a fixed default such as New
• assigned_to — Select or text identifier
• review_notes — Textarea
• external_record_id — Read-only or Hidden text
• approved_total — Number derived by a workflow
• Admin buttons for actions such as Approve or Send

Keep the structure compact: it appears as an operational panel beside entry details.

Edit on an entry

Open an entry. Its metafield form appears in the right-hand panel on wide screens and below the main tabs on narrow screens. Values save automatically as you edit.

Switching to metafield Revision History flushes pending values and completes the current batch.

Revision batching

FormWork batches nearby metafield changes into a readable revision. A batch normally closes after one minute idle, on explicit completion, or after ten minutes maximum. This avoids creating one revision per keystroke.

Metafield history is separate from the normal entry’s history. See Entry Revisions.

Workflows

Metafield fields can participate in answer-update and button-click workflows. These workflows can use both respondent answers and metafield state.

Common pattern:

1. An admin changes review_status or clicks Approve.
2. A condition checks the internal state.
3. Steps update data, generate a PDF, send email, or call an extension.
4. The run is visible on the normal entry’s workflow diagnostics.

Use the reference picker rather than guessing paths. Metafield values are available through the current entry’s metafield relationship in supported contexts.

Views, exports, and files

Saved views can include metafield answer references as filters and columns. An export of that view resolves the same values. Files attached to the metafield entry are included in deletion handling with the base entry.

Boundaries

• Metafields are admin-only in the user experience, not a separate permissions system inside the account.
• They are not visible to respondents simply because the main form links to them.
• Their answers and history are kept separate from normal respondent answers.
• Deleting the main entry also deletes its metafields.

For field controls, see Field Settings. For automation, see Workflow Basics.