Form Opening & Closure in Kiwiform

Overview

Form Opening & Closure settings allow you to manage the availability of your form and control how it appears when it’s not accepting responses.

Whether you're running a limited-time campaign, event registration, job application window, or seasonal survey, these controls help you:

• Automatically open and close your form

• Display clear messages before launch

• Show custom closure messages after deadline

• Maintain a professional and organized experience

These settings are available inside the Access & Availability tab in Form Settings.

How to Access Form Opening & Closure Settings

1. Open your form in the builder.

2. Click the Settings icon in the top toolbar.

3. Go to Access & Availability.

4. Enable and configure the options you need.

5. Click Save.
   
   

Schedule When Your Form Opens

Set Submission Start Date

Turn this option ON to choose when your form should start accepting responses.

When enabled, you can configure:

• Time Zone

• Date

• Time

Before the selected start date, respondents will not be able to submit the form.

This is useful for:

• Event registrations launching on a specific date

• Product launches

• Scholarship or job application windows

• Early access campaigns

You don’t need to manually open the form — it activates automatically at the scheduled time.

Schedule When Your Form Closes

Set Submission Deadline

Enable this option to automatically stop accepting submissions at a specific date and time.

You can configure:

• Time Zone

• Date

• Time

After the deadline:

• The form will stop accepting responses

• The closure message (if enabled) will be shown

This prevents late submissions and ensures fair deadlines.

Common use cases:

• Contest entries

• Event registrations

• Application deadlines

• Limited surveys
  
  

Customize the Opening Message

Display Form Opening Message

When your form has a future start date, you can show a custom message to respondents.

When enabled, you can customize:

• Opening Title

• Opening Message

• Background Image (optional)

This message appears before the form opens.

Example:

• Title: “This form is not open for responses yet.”

• Message: “The submission period hasn’t started yet. Please check back later.”

This ensures users understand why they cannot submit yet.

Customize the Closure Message

Display Form Closure Message
When your form is closed (either manually or after deadline), you can show a customized closure screen.

You can configure:

• Closure Title

• Closure Message

• Background Image (optional)

This message appears when:

• Submissions are disabled

• Submission limit is reached

• Deadline has passed

This ensures users understand why they cannot submit yet.

Example:

• Title: “This form is not available for responses.”

• Message: “We’re not accepting responses at this time. Thank you for understanding.”

This improves clarity and avoids confusion.

What Respondents See

Depending on your settings, respondents may see:

• A message that submissions haven’t started yet

• A message that submissions are closed

• A scheduled opening notice

• A deadline-based closure notice

Clear communication builds trust and improves user experience.

When Should You Use These Settings?

Use Form Opening & Closure settings when:

• Running limited-time campaigns

• Collecting applications with strict deadlines

• Managing event registrations

• Temporarily pausing submissions

• Launching forms on a specific date

These settings help automate availability and reduce manual monitoring.

Related Settings

For full availability control, you may also want to review:

• Enable Form Submissions

• Set Submission Limit

• Prevent Duplicate Submissions

Together, these controls give you complete command over response collection.

Best Practices

• Always set the correct time zone when scheduling.

• Enable opening message if your form has a future start date.

• Enable closure message for better communication after deadline.

• Test your form in preview mode before publishing.

• Double-check the form status before sharing links.

Summary

Form Opening & Closure features allow you to schedule availability, manage deadlines, and display clear messages when your form is not accepting responses. By combining automated scheduling with customized messaging, you ensure respondents always understand your form’s status.