The Form Builder's Preview mode lets you see your submission form exactly as a creator would see it — before it goes live. Open your project, click Form Builder, then click View → Preview. In Preview mode, conditional logic fires and all steps are navigable without mandatory fields blocking you. Use Preview to test your form's logic and flow before saving and publishing a new version.
How do I switch to Preview mode in the Form Builder?
Preview mode is accessed via the View button in the Form Builder toolbar. Here's how to get there:
Open the project and click the Form Builder tab.
In the toolbar, click View.
Select Preview from the dropdown.
The form renders as a creator would see it. Use the step navigation to move through the form.
To make changes, click View → Edit to return to edit mode.
You can toggle between Edit and Preview as many times as needed — your draft is saved between switches.
What can I test in Preview mode?
Preview mode is a full functional rendering of the form, not a static screenshot. That means:
What you can test | How it works in Preview |
Conditional logic | Fields show and hide based on creator responses, exactly as they will in the live form |
Step navigation | You can move between steps freely — no mandatory fields will block you |
Field types | All input types (short text, long text, date, upload, dropdowns, etc.) are interactive |
Form design | Header images, branding, and layout render as the creator will see them |
How do I test mandatory fields without getting blocked?
In Preview mode, Dapple removes the mandatory-field gates that would otherwise prevent a creator from progressing through steps. You can click through every step without filling in required fields. This makes it straightforward to check that conditional logic is working across the whole form in a single pass, without needing to populate every field first.
If you want to test the full creator experience — including mandatory field validation — use the live form link instead (see below).
How do I view the live form as a creator would see it?
Once you're happy with the form and have saved a published version, you can open the live form via the Share button:
Click Share in the top toolbar of the Form Builder.
The Share Form panel shows the public link to your form.
Click View Form in New Tab.
The form opens in a new browser tab exactly as a creator would land on it.
If using the same email address used to sign in, any submission made via this link — including test submissions from your own team — will appear in your Submissions list as a real submission but marked with a "test" label. If you want to keep your Submissions list clean, use the Preview mode in the Form Builder for internal testing instead.
Method | What it tests | Submissions created? |
Form Builder → View → Preview | Logic, field layout, step flow — no mandatory field gates | Demo submissions (flagged) |
Share → View Form in New Tab | Full live creator experience, including mandatory field validation | Real submissions |
What's the difference between saving a draft and publishing a new version?
Dapple auto-saves your form as you build it — that's the Last saved timestamp in the Form Builder toolbar. A saved draft is only visible to your team inside the Form Builder. It doesn't affect what creators see when they open the live form.
Publishing a new version (Save & Publish New Version) replaces the live form with your latest changes. Creators who open the form after publishing will see the updated version. Any creator mid-submission at the point of publishing will continue on the previous version until they submit or abandon.
Always preview before publishing — once a version is live, creators can start submitting against it immediately.
Best practice: testing a form before launch
Use Form Builder → View → Preview to check all conditional logic before publishing.
Navigate every step path in Preview, including branches created by conditional fields.
Toggle back to Edit mode to fix anything — you can switch as many times as needed.
When the form looks right in Preview, click Save & Publish New Version to make it live.
Use Share → View Form in New Tab for a final check of the live form if you want to confirm the public URL is working.
Remind your team that submissions made via the live link are real — they'll appear in your Submissions list.