In Cognota, you can build fully customized request forms to capture exactly the information your team needs when a new request comes in.
Admin and Power Users can get started, by navigating to Settings > Configurations > Intake > Request Forms.
Click the Create Form button. If you need to create a legacy form instead, click the arrow on the right side of the button and select Create Legacy Form.
💡 Note: The Dynamic Form Builder is the new default form creation experience. Existing legacy forms are not affected — you can still view, edit, and use them.
Step 1: Form Details
The first screen is Form Details — this is where you configure the form itself before building its questions.
Name — the form name visible to requesters when selecting a request type
Description — a brief overview shown to requesters before they start filling out the form
Business Units — which business units can see and submit this form
Request Type — the category this form falls under (e.g., Content Development, Consulting)
Default Request Owner — the team member(s) notified and assigned when this form is submitted
Once you've completed the Form Details, click the Form Builder tab to start building your questions.
Step 2: Form Builder
The Form Builder is where you design the questions requesters will see and fill out.
The screen is split into two areas:
Left panel — your library of Form Fields and Page Elements
Right canvas — your live form layout. Drag components from the left and drop them onto the builder to add them.
Default Fields
Every form includes two sets of hardcoded fields that are always present and cannot be removed.
Default Fields — visible to requesters when creating a request:
Request Title — the name the requester gives their request
Description — a general description of the request
The following fields are also present but auto-populate on submission and do not need to be filled in manually:
Requesters — automatically populated based on who is logged in and submitting the form
Business Unit — auto-populated on submission for business users; learning team users can view and populate this field when submitting a request
Default Internal Use Fields — visible to your learning team only, never shown to requesters. These fields are always present on every form and cannot be removed:
Owners — the team member(s) responsible for the request
Reviewers — internal reviewers assigned to the request
Business Reviewers — business-side reviewers assigned to the request
Internal Priority — defaults to Medium; your team can adjust this after submission
Form Fields
Drag any of the following field types from the left panel onto the builder to add a question:
Single Line Text — short answers such as names, titles, or brief input
Paragraph Text — long-form answers for context, details, or explanations
Number — quantities, budgets, or headcount
Checkbox — a single yes/no or on/off selection
Checkboxes — multiple-select lists
Radio Button — single-select from a list of options
Email — collecting an email address
URL — links to documents, websites, or resources
Phone Number — phone contact with optional input mask formatting
Date / Time — scheduling, deadlines, or timeframes
Currency — monetary values with a currency selector
File Upload — attachments such as briefs, assets, or documents
Dropdown — single or multi-select from a defined list
⚠️ Note: The Toggle, Range, and Date Range field types from the legacy form builder are no longer available as standalone fields. These can be recreated easily — use a Checkbox or Radio Button in place of a Toggle, and two Date / Time fields placed side-by-side in a Column for a date range.
Looking for inspiration? Check out the Request Form Question Bank for a library of commonly used questions you can reference when building your forms.
Page Elements
Page Elements are structural components that organize your form layout. They are not question types — they control how questions are grouped and displayed.
Informational Text
Add a block of text anywhere on the form. Use this for disclaimers, instructions, or section context. Supports rich text formatting including images and links.
Columns
Group multiple questions side-by-side in columns. The column label is internal only. Its sole purpose is to identify the column so you can target it with conditional logic. Drop your fields into the column to organize them.
Field Group
Adds a visible section header to group related questions. Use this to break long forms into clearly labeled sections (e.g., "Training Details," "Audience Information").
Managing Fields in the Form Builder
When you hover over any field, page element, or page tab on the builder, four action icons appear in the corner:
⚙️ Edit — open the field's configuration settings
✥ Move — drag to reorder the field on the builder
⧉ Copy — copy the field; a fifth Paste Below icon appears to place the duplicate. All field configurations carry over to the pasted copy.
🗑️ Delete — remove the field from the form
Configuring a Field
Click the gear icon (or drag and drop a new one onto the builder) to open its configuration panel. All field types share the following options across four tabs: Display, Data, Validation, and Conditional.
Display Tab
Available on all field types:
Label — the question name visible to the requester
Internal use only — when enabled, this question is hidden from the requester and visible only to your internal team. Internal fields are marked with "(internal)" next to them in the builder.
Placeholder Text — the greyed-out hint text shown inside the field before the requester types
Description — subtext that appears below the field to clarify what you're asking for
Tooltip — adds a ? icon next to the field label; hover text provides extra context without cluttering the form
Additional display options by field type:
Single Line Text, Paragraph Text — option to show a character counter
Number — add a prefix and/or suffix (e.g., "$" as a prefix or "hours" as a suffix)
Checkboxes, Radio Button — option to display choices horizontally instead of stacked
Phone Number — input mask to enforce a specific format (all standard phone number formats are supported)
Date / Time fields include two additional dedicated tabs:
Date tab — toggle the date picker on/off; optionally disable specific dates, weekends, or defined days of the week
Time tab — toggle the time picker on/off; option to use 12-hour (AM/PM) format
Data Tab
Available on all field types except File Upload.
Default Value — pre-populate a field with a starting value that the requester can change before submitting. Use this for fields where most requesters will give the same answer, so they only need to act when the answer is different.
Additional data options by field type:
Number — show thousands separator, set maximum decimal places, require decimals
URL, Dropdown — allow multiple values
Currency — choose the display currency (e.g., USD, CAD, EUR)
Validation Tab
Available on all field types.
Required — when enabled, the requester cannot submit the form without completing this field. Any missing required fields are highlighted automatically when the requester clicks Submit.
Additional validation options by field type:
Number — minimum and maximum value
Single Line Text, Paragraph Text, Email — minimum and maximum character count
Checkboxes — minimum and maximum number of selections required
Conditional Tab
Available on all field types, page elements, and pages.
Conditional logic controls whether a field or section is shown or hidden based on how the requester answered a previous question.
To set up a condition:
Choose Show this field or Hide this field
Choose whether Any (OR) or All (AND) conditions must be met
Add one or more rules based on responses to other fields in the form
Conditions applied to a Column, Field Group, or Page automatically apply to all fields within that section — you don't need to configure each field individually.
Example: Conditional Logic in Practice
Imagine a general learning request form used across your organization. You want to capture delivery logistics, but only when the request is for instructor-led training — not for self-paced content.
Add a Radio Button field: "What type of learning solution are you requesting?"
Options: Instructor-Led Training, Self-Paced eLearning, Job Aid / Reference MaterialAdd a Column containing three fields:
"Preferred delivery dates" (Date / Time)
"Estimated number of learners" (Number)
"Preferred delivery location or platform" (Single Line Text)
On the Column, open the Conditional tab and set:
Show or Hide: Show this field
When: All
When "What type of learning solution..."
Is: Is Equal To
Value: Instructor-Led Training
Those three fields now only appear when the requester selects Instructor-Led Training — keeping the form clean and focused for all other request types.
Adding and Managing Pages
Forms can have one or multiple pages. Click + Add Page on the builder to add a new page.
Hover over a page tab and click the edit icon to rename it
To make an entire page internal — visible to your team only, not the requester — enable the Internal setting on that page. Internal pages are marked with "(internal)" next to the page name in the builder.
Conditional logic can be applied at the page level, so entire pages can appear or stay hidden based on earlier responses
Activating Your Form
Once your form is fully built and ready to go live:
Go to the Form Details tab
Toggle the form to Active
This makes the form visible to requesters in the portal. To deactivate a form at any time, toggle it back to inactive — it will no longer appear to requesters but remains in your form list.
