Preview your form

Preview enabled question catalog blocks as applicants will see them before publishing — and know what preview does and does not show.

Before publishing, preview how enabled question blocks and their questions appear to applicants. Preview is a read-only check in the form builder that shows catalog block content in display order — the last quality gate before a form version goes live on the Apply portal and submissions start flowing into application review.

Preview is intentionally scoped: it reflects enabled question catalog blocks and their order, not the entire applicant experience. Understanding that scope prevents false confidence — you still verify custom fields, conditional logic, cohort assignments, and deadlines separately before publish.

Why it matters

Publishing a form exposes it to real applicants. Errors in catalog block order, missing sections, or wrong required configuration create support burden and Needs update cycles during review. Preview lets administrators catch catalog block presentation issues without submitting a test application or waiting for the first real submission to appear on the Pending tab.

Preview does not replace a full pre-launch checklist. It is one step in a broader validation workflow alongside reviewing custom fields in the builder, confirming eligible cohorts, and coordinating program publish. Used together, these checks reduce the gap between what administrators intended and what evaluators see in the detail sheet.

How it fits

Preview sits between form configuration and publish. Custom fields configured in the builder workspace follow a parallel path — review them directly in the layout, not in the preview dialog. After publish, applicant answers appear in the applicant detail sheet for staff evaluation.

Key concepts

Term	Meaning
Preview dialog	Read-only modal showing enabled catalog blocks in display order with their questions.
Enabled blocks	Catalog blocks turned on in Form preferences — only these appear in preview.
Display order	Block sequence set in form preferences — matches applicant-facing order for catalog content.
Empty preview	Shown when no catalog blocks are enabled — not an error, but a signal to enable blocks or rely on custom fields only.
Out of preview scope	Custom fields, conditional logic interactions, actual submission, and portal branding.

How to open the preview

Open an application form in the form builder inside an application program.

Go to the Form preferences section (catalog block settings).

Select Preview. A read-only dialog shows enabled question blocks in display order with their questions.

The preview reflects which catalog blocks are enabled and their order on the form. It does not submit data or show conditional logic interactions in real time.

What preview shows and does not show

Shown in preview	Not shown in preview
Enabled question catalog blocks	Custom fields added outside catalog blocks
Questions within each enabled block	Conditional logic show or hide behavior
Block display order	Submission deadline or cohort picker
Block and question labels as configured	Study contract or health insurance integrations
Read-only layout	Portal branding or navigation

When the preview is empty

If no blocks are enabled, the preview shows an empty state. Enable at least one question catalog block in form preferences, then open preview again.

An empty preview does not necessarily mean the form is empty — a form can consist entirely of custom fields with no catalog blocks enabled. In that case, the builder layout is your preview surface. Many forms combine both: preview for catalog sections, builder review for custom fields.

Before you publish

Use preview together with these checks:

Required blocks and fields are marked correctly.
Cohort assignments match the intended intake.
Submission deadline is set if the intake has a closing date.
Study contract or health insurance options are configured if your workflow uses them.

Extended pre-publish checklist

Check	Where to verify
Catalog block content and order	Preview dialog
Custom field layout and labels	Form builder workspace
Required flags on fields and blocks	Form builder and Form preferences
Eligible cohorts	Form creation settings or form configuration
Submission deadline	Form creation settings
Platform mapping	Field properties in form builder
Conditional logic rules	Field properties (verify manually — not in preview)
Parent program publish state	Publish an application program

After publish, the first real submission on the Applicants Pending tab is the ultimate end-to-end test — but preview and the checklist above should catch catalog block issues before applicants encounter them.

Best practices

Preview after every catalog change — Re-enable or reorder blocks, then preview again before publish.
Preview as a reviewer — Read questions as an evaluator would: is wording clear? Are required document blocks present?
Do not skip custom fields — Walk the full builder layout for non-catalog content; preview alone is insufficient for mixed forms.
Coordinate with catalog maintainers — If the question catalog was recently updated, save or republish the form so snapshots are current, then preview.

Common pitfalls

Assuming preview is the full applicant form — Applicants also see custom fields, cohort selection, and portal chrome not shown in the dialog.
Testing conditional logic in preview — Conditional logic does not run in the preview dialog. Verify rules in field properties and consider a test submission during soft launch if logic is complex.
Publishing with empty preview and no custom fields — An empty preview with no custom fields means applicants would see a blank questionnaire.
Forgetting program publish — A published form inside an unpublished program may not be reachable on the portal.

FAQ

Can I submit a test application from preview?

No. Preview is read-only and does not submit data. Test submissions require a published form on the Apply portal.

Why do my catalog changes not appear in preview?

Ensure blocks are enabled in Form preferences and the form has been saved after catalog updates propagated. Catalog snapshots update when forms are saved or republished.

Does preview show file upload fields?

Yes, for questions inside enabled catalog blocks — upload fields appear as part of the block layout. Verify upload requirements in the block editor and required settings.

Build an application form

Configure blocks, custom fields, mapping, and publish workflow.

Manage the question catalog

Maintain the catalog blocks that appear in preview.

Publish an application program

Make the form available to applicants through the Apply portal.

Review an application

See how published form answers appear to evaluators after submission.