Before you share your submission form with creators, run through this checklist. It covers the ten most common things that go wrong at launch — from unsaved versions and broken conditional logic to payment errors and missing thank-you messages. Working through it takes fifteen minutes and saves you from a wave of confused creator emails.
1. Have you saved the latest version of your form?
This is the single most common mistake. Dapple auto-saves your work in Form Builder, but auto-save does not publish the changes — you need to click Save new version explicitly. If you skip this step, you may see the correct fields in Form Builder but creators will still see the old version of the form.
Open the project → Form Builder.
Click Save new version in the top-right corner.
Confirm the version number incremented in Version History.
Full guide: How Form Versions Work in Dapple
2. Are you using the Page link as your main link?
The Page link — your branded listing URL that shows all your active projects — is the best link to share. Unlike a direct project link, the Page URL never changes, does not sit behind a sign-in wall, and updates automatically as you add or close projects. Most organisations set this as the permanent link on their website and never touch it again.
Direct project links still work, but use them for single, isolated opportunities where the Page link isn't appropriate.
Link type | Best for | Changes? |
Page link | General use — website, email campaigns, socials | Never |
Direct project link | Specific single opportunity promotion | Only if project is deleted |
Find your Page link under the Share tab or in Organisation Settings → Pages.
3. Have you checked all your form fields?
Open the live form as a creator or applicant (use an incognito window) and read every field carefully. It's easy to miss a typo, a wrong label, or a mandatory toggle that's set incorrectly.
Check each field for:
Correct wording — does the question say exactly what you mean?
Mandatory vs optional — is the required toggle set the right way?
Field type — is a dropdown the right choice, or would radio buttons work better?
Help text — have you added guidance where creators might get stuck?
File type upload — are the accepted file types correct? Have you set docs but need to accept images? Double check each of these
Full reference: Form Field Reference: Every Field Type
4. Have you tested your conditional logic?
Conditional logic is powerful and also the easiest thing to misconfigure. The only reliable way to test it is to fill in the form yourself as a front-end user and work through every possible answer combination.
For each conditional rule:
Trigger the condition — does the correct field appear?
Avoid the condition — does the field stay hidden?
Check AND/OR stacks — do multi-rule fields behave correctly?
Test on mobile — conditional logic rendering can differ on small screens.
Remember: admins always see every field in the backend regardless of conditions. You must test as a creator (in an incognito window or a separate browser) to see what they actually see.
Full guide: How to Set Up Conditional Logic in Dapple Forms
5. Are payments set up correctly?
If your form includes a payment step, run a complete test transaction before going live. A $1 payment test on a paid form is the cleanest way to confirm the whole flow works — from the payment field rendering correctly through to the confirmation screen. Reset the price once tested to the desired amount.
Check:
The correct payment amount is set for each tier.
Payment fields are appearing at the right point in the form.
Conditional payment logic (e.g. different fees per category) triggers correctly.
A test submission goes through and appears in your submissions list.
The creator receives a payment confirmation.
Run the test in an incognito window using a real card (you can refund after), see that the correct payment amounts are triggered.
6. Are hidden fields set correctly for Review Panels?
If you are using Review Panels for judging, this is critical. Any field that contains personally identifiable information — creator name, contact details, institution — must be explicitly hidden from Review Panel members to maintain blind review integrity. Hidden fields are set per-field in Form Builder.
Before launch:
Open Form Builder → click each field that should be hidden from reviewers.
Check the Visibility settings for that field.
Set it to hidden for the relevant Review Panel(s).
Save new version.
Fields that are not explicitly hidden will be visible to your reviewers. Check every field, not just the obvious ones — job titles, organisational affiliations, and portfolio URLs can all break anonymity.
Full guide: How to Hide Fields from Review Panels
7. Is your availability set correctly?
Visibility (who can see the form) and Availability (when the form accepts submissions) are separate settings. It's possible to publish a Public form that immediately rejects submissions because Availability is set to Closed.
Availability setting | What it does |
Anytime | Form accepts submissions whenever the project is Public or Private |
Closed | Form shows but rejects new submissions — even on a Public project |
Between Dates | Form auto-opens and auto-closes on your chosen dates |
Open Project Settings → General and confirm the Availability setting is correct before sharing the link.
8. Does your form have a thank-you message set?
When a creator completes a submission, they see a thank-you message. The default is generic. Set a custom message that confirms what happens next — when you'll be in touch, what the review timeline looks like, and anything else the creator needs to know immediately after submitting.
You can set the thank-you message in Form Builder → Form Settings → Confirmation. Keep it brief and reassuring. Creators who submit and then hear nothing often assume something went wrong.
9. Have you customised the confirmation email?
Dapple sends an automatic confirmation email to every creator after they submit. The default message works, but a customised email that uses your programme's name and tone is far more professional and reassuring. It can also include key information like the deadline for decisions or a contact email for queries.
Find the confirmation email settings in Project Settings → Messages.
10. Do your images display correctly?
Check the header image and any other images in the form render correctly at different screen sizes. A header image that looks fine on desktop may crop badly on mobile. Dapple recommends specific image dimensions for each placement.
Optimal dimensions: What Are the Best Image Dimensions for Dapple Submission Forms
Open the form on mobile to confirm the header image is not distorted.
Check any inline images in welcome messages or guidelines.
Confirm the organisation logo is displaying correctly on the Page.
Pre-launch checklist at a glance
Check | Where to do it |
Save new version | Form Builder → Save new version |
Page link set as main link | Share tab → copy Page URL |
All fields reviewed (wording, mandatory toggles) | Form Builder → each field |
Conditional logic tested as a creator | Incognito window → fill form |
Payments tested with a real transaction | Incognito window → complete submission |
Hidden fields set for Review Panels | Form Builder → field Visibility settings |
Availability confirmed | Project Settings → General → Availability |
Thank-you message set | Form Builder → Form Settings → Confirmation |
Confirmation email customised | Project Settings → Messages |
Images checked on mobile | Preview on phone or use browser dev tools |