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Quick Start

Get up and running with NetPad in 5 minutes. This guide will walk you through creating your first form and connecting it to MongoDB.

Step 1: Sign Up or Sign In​

  1. Visit your NetPad instance (or http://localhost:3000 for local development)
  2. Click "Sign Up" or use magic link authentication
  3. Complete the authentication process

Step 2: Create Your First Form​

You can create a form in three ways:

Option A: Start from Template (Fastest - Recommended)​

  1. Navigate to Form Builder:

    • Click "New Form" or navigate to /builder

  2. Open Template Gallery:

    • Click the "Templates" tab
    • Browse templates by category (Business, Events, Feedback, etc.)

  3. Choose a Template:

    • Click a template card to preview
    • Review fields and details
    • Click "Use Template" or "Customize"

  4. Configure Form:

    • Name your form
    • Select target MongoDB collection
    • Customize fields as needed
tip

Templates provide pre-configured forms for common use cases. See the Template Gallery Guide for details.

Option B: Import from Schema​

  1. Navigate to Form Builder:

    • Click "New Form" or navigate to /builder

  2. Connect to MongoDB:

    • Enter a MongoDB connection string, OR
    • Select from saved connections, OR
    • Use auto-provisioned Atlas cluster (if available)

  3. Import Schema:

    • Click "Import from Collection"
    • Select a collection to auto-generate form fields
    • NetPad will create fields based on your MongoDB schema

  4. Customize Fields:

    • Review and adjust field properties
    • Add or remove fields as needed

Option C: Build from Scratch​

  1. Navigate to Form Builder:

    • Click "New Form" or navigate to /builder

  2. Connect to MongoDB:

    • Enter a MongoDB connection string, OR
    • Select from saved connections, OR
    • Use auto-provisioned Atlas cluster (if available)

  3. Add Fields Manually:

    • Drag fields from the sidebar
    • Configure field properties (name, type, validation)
    • Add more fields as needed

  4. Configure Form Settings:

    • Set form name and description
    • Configure access control (public, authenticated, or restricted)
    • Customize theme (optional)

  5. Test Your Form:

    • Use preview mode to test the form
    • Fill out the form and verify validation works

  6. Publish:

    • Click "Publish" to make the form live
    • Copy the shareable URL
    • Share with users or embed on your website

Step 3: Submit Test Data​

  1. Open the published form URL
  2. Fill out the form
  3. Submit the form
  4. Data will be saved to your MongoDB collection

Step 4: View Submissions​

  1. Navigate to your form in the dashboard
  2. Click "View Responses" or "Analytics"
  3. See all submissions in a table view
  4. Export data as JSON or CSV if needed

Example: Contact Form​

Here's a simple example to get you started:

  1. Create Form: Name it "Contact Form"
  2. Add Fields:
    • Text field: "Name" (required)
    • Email field: "Email" (required, email validation)
    • Textarea: "Message" (required, min 10 characters)
  3. Connect to MongoDB:
    • Collection: contacts
    • Database: Your chosen database
  4. Publish: Get your shareable URL
  5. Test: Submit a test entry

Next Steps​

Now that you've created your first form, explore more features:

Common Questions​

Q: Do I need to create the MongoDB collection first?
A: No, NetPad will create the collection automatically when the first submission is made.

Q: Can I edit a published form?
A: Yes, you can edit forms at any time. Changes are versioned, and you can revert if needed.

Q: How do I restrict who can submit?
A: Configure access control in form settings: public (anyone), authenticated (must sign in), or restricted (domain/user whitelist).

For more help, see the FAQ or Form Builder Documentation.