Manuals / Forms gateway / Step by step

Step by step Quick reference

Which version is for me? Step by step (this page) is for anyone — even if you've never opened a terminal; it walks you through it and includes a builder that writes the command for you. The Quick reference is for developers who just want the parameters and the HTTP API.

Add a form, step by step

You don't need to know how any of this works. Describe the form you want below, copy the line we build for you, paste it into your computer's terminal, and your form is live. That's the whole job.

You'll need one thing: your access token, a long secret string Flowsmith gives you. It's what proves the request is really you. Keep it private. Don't have one yet? Ask Flowsmith.

Nothing to install. This guide uses curl, which is already built into macOS and Windows. New to all this and want to double-check your computer's tools? See Set up your computer.

Step 1Describe your form

Fill these in. Everything updates live below — nothing is sent anywhere while you type.

Your site name (a short nickname)

What's this form for?

Where should the messages arrive? (your email) Your website address (where the form lives) Fields visitors fill in

① Copy this line for your terminal

② Then paste this on your web page

Step 2Run the line in your terminal

The "terminal" is a plain text window built into your computer. Opening it:

Mac — press ⌘ + Space, type Terminal, press Enter.
Windows — press the Start key, type PowerShell, press Enter.

In that window: replace YOUR_TOKEN with the token Flowsmith gave you, paste the line from box ①, and press Enter. If it worked you'll see something like:

{ "ok": true, "created": true, "site": "photorobot", "form": "contact" }

Your form is now live the instant that line runs — there's nothing to publish or wait for.

Step 3Put it on your page

Paste the HTML from box ② into your web page where you want the form to appear. If your site builder has an "embed" or "custom HTML" block, that's the spot. The two <script> lines at the top only need to be on the page once.

That's it. Submissions arrive in your inbox and are saved safely — spam filtering, the "I'm not a robot" check and everything else are already handled for you.

Two common situations

The same form on lots of pages

Want one contact form on your home page, your about page and your footer — all going to the same place? Define it once (one run of Step 1–2) and paste the same box-② snippet on every page. They all feed the same inbox and show together in your admin. Just make sure every web address those pages live on is in the "Your website address" box.

A different form for one section

Say your Academy section needs a different form — different fields, maybe a different inbox. Build a second form with its own "What's this form for?" name (e.g. academy), its own fields and email, and paste that snippet on the Academy pages. One site can have as many forms as you like; each is independent.

Prefer the terse version, or want the raw HTTP API? See the quick reference.