Dropdown

Free feature

Dropdown is available to all Fomr users.

The Dropdown component provides a compact single-selection menu that expands when clicked. It works well for questions with many options where displaying all choices at once would take too much space.

When to use Dropdown

Dropdown is ideal for:

• Country or region selection
• Category selection from long lists
• Year or date selection
• Department or team selection
• Any single-choice question with 5+ options

Tip

For shorter lists (under 5 options), consider using Multi Choice instead, as it shows all options at once and requires fewer clicks.

Adding a Dropdown component

1. Open your form in the editor

2. Drag the Dropdown component from the left sidebar onto your form

3. Click the component to select it and configure its settings

4. Add your options in the settings panel

Configuration options

Question label

The main question or prompt displayed above the dropdown.

Examples:

• “Country”
• “Select your department”
• “How did you hear about us?”
• “Preferred contact method”

Description

Optional helper text that appears below the question label.

When to use descriptions:

• To provide selection guidance
• To clarify what the options represent
• To indicate if selection affects other questions

Examples:

• “Select the country where you currently reside”
• “Choose the department most relevant to your inquiry”

Placeholder

Text displayed in the dropdown before a selection is made.

Examples:

• “Select an option”
• “Choose a country”
• “Pick one”
• ”— Please select —“

Options list

The list of choices available in the dropdown menu.

To manage options:

• Click to add new options
• Drag to reorder options
• Click the delete icon to remove options
• Edit option text directly

Tips for options:

• Order logically (alphabetically for long lists, by frequency for shorter ones)
• Keep option text concise
• Use consistent formatting across all options
• Consider grouping related options together

Required

Toggle whether a selection must be made before the form can be submitted.

When enabled:

• An asterisk (*) appears next to the question label
• Users must select an option to submit
• A validation message appears if no selection is made

Tips for effective use

Use for longer lists. Dropdowns shine when you have many options. For 4 or fewer options, Multi Choice is often better.

Order options thoughtfully. Alphabetical order works well for long lists like countries. For shorter lists, consider ordering by popularity or logic.

Write clear placeholders. The placeholder should indicate what kind of selection is expected.

Keep options concise. Long option text can be hard to read in a dropdown. Aim for brevity.

Consider searchable dropdowns. For very long lists (like countries), Fomr’s dropdown includes search functionality.

Include “Other” when needed. If your list might not cover all cases, add an “Other” option.

Dropdown vs. Multi Choice

Aspect	Dropdown	Multi Choice
Space	Compact, expands on click	Shows all options
Best for	5+ options	2-5 options
Interaction	Click to open, then select	Click directly on option
Visibility	Options hidden until clicked	All options visible
Mobile	Works well	Works well

Searchable dropdown

For dropdowns with many options, users can type to filter:

• Start typing to filter options
• Matching options are highlighted
• Makes long lists (like countries) easy to navigate

Validation

When a dropdown is marked as required:

• A selection must be made before submission
• The placeholder doesn’t count as a valid selection
• A validation message appears if submitted without selection

Accessibility

The Dropdown component is built with accessibility in mind:

• Proper select/combobox semantics
• Keyboard navigation (Arrow keys, Enter, Escape)
• Screen reader compatible
• Focus states are clearly visible
• Type-ahead search functionality

Handling responses

Dropdown responses in your form results:

• Show the selected option text
• Can be filtered by selection
• Are included in exports
• Allow analysis of selection distribution