Field Types

Every field on a form maps 1:1 to a property on the backing database. The slash menu (/) groups field types into Fields, Content, and Layout.

How Fields Map to Database Properties

When you drop a field via the slash menu, Ascend automatically:

1. Adds a new property of the matching type to the backing database (if one doesn't already exist for that field).
2. Creates a fieldConfig entry on the form storing the label, description, placeholder, and required flag.
3. The field's type is implied by the database property. Change the property's type in the database and every form bound to it sees the change.

This means renaming a field's label changes only the form. Changing a field's type changes the underlying database property — and affects every other form, view, and row that uses it.

Field Types Reference

Field	Database property type	Notes
Short Text	text	Single-line text input. Best for names, titles, short answers.
Long Text	text (multiline)	Multi-line textarea. Best for descriptions, feedback, comments.
Email	email	Validates RFC-5322-ish format on the client. Server re-checks.
Phone	phone	Free-form phone input — no country-code lookup.
Number	number	Integer or decimal. Used for filtering with > / < in conditional logic.
Single Select	select	One choice from a list. Render as dropdown or radio group (per-field setting).
Multi Select	multi_select	Multiple choices. Render as dropdown with chips or checkbox group.
Checkbox	checkbox	Single yes/no toggle.
Date	date	Native date picker.
File Upload	file	Single file upload. Stored in the team's blob storage and counts toward your storage quota.
URL	url	Validates URL shape on the client.
Rating	select (1–5)	A pre-configured single-select with options 1–5. Renders as star buttons by default.

Per-Field Settings

Click any field in the designer to open the field settings popover. Available controls:

Setting	What it does
Label	The question shown to respondents. Defaults to the database property name.
Description	Help text under the field — explain what you want, give examples.
Placeholder	Greyed-out hint inside the input.
Required	Form won't submit until this field has a value. Re-validated server-side.
Hidden	Field exists in the form but isn't rendered. Useful when paired with conditional logic ("show field if …").
Render as (Single/Multi Select only)	Switch between dropdown, radio buttons, or checkbox group.
Delete	Removes the field from the form. The backing database property is kept.

Required vs. Conditionally Required

There are two ways a field can be required:

1. Always required — toggled on in the field settings.
2. Conditionally required — a logic rule like "require Phone if Contact Method equals Phone".

The server re-evaluates both at submit time. Hidden fields (whether hidden manually or by a logic rule) are never required, even if the toggle is on.

What You Can't Do (Yet)

• Multi-file upload in a single field
• Country-aware phone validation
• Signature capture
• Hidden URL parameter prefill (e.g. ?utm_source=newsletter)
• File uploads from anonymous respondents on free plans (storage limits apply)

Next

• Content & Layout — Headings, dividers, page breaks
• Conditional Logic — Show/hide/require/skip-to logic