Stop the Workarounds: We Need Native Multi-Step Forms

Stop the Workarounds: We Need Native Multi-Step Forms

After over 17 years of community requests, I'm hoping the Zoho team can finally address the lack of native multi-page form support in Zoho Creator. This has been one of the longest-standing feature requests in the community, with threads spanning nearly two decades:
The Issue
Zoho Creator currently has no native support for multi-page forms (also known as wizard forms, step forms, or tabbed forms). When building applications with complex data entry requirements—employee onboarding, loan applications, patient intake, vendor registration—developers have no built-in way to break a single form into logical, digestible steps.
Meanwhile, Zoho Forms has had robust multi-page form support for years, including page breaks, progress indicators, conditional page navigation, and page rules. This creates an inconsistency within Zoho's own product ecosystem.
The Product Asymmetry
The disparity between Zoho Forms and Zoho Creator is striking:
Capability Zoho Forms Zoho Creator
Page Break field type ✓ Native support
Drag-and-drop page breaks
✗ Not available
Progress indicator / Step bar ✓ Built-in
Shows respondent progress
✗ Not available
Page navigation (Next/Previous) ✓ Automatic
Customizable button labels
✗ Not available
Conditional page skipping ✓ Page Rules
Skip pages based on answers
✗ Not available
Page-level validation ✓ Validates before advancing ✗ Not available
Single form, single record ✓ Yes ✗ Requires multiple forms
The irony: Zoho Forms—a standalone form builder—has more sophisticated form UX capabilities than Zoho Creator—a full application development platform. Developers building enterprise applications in Creator are stuck with inferior form experiences compared to a simple survey tool.
Example Use Case
Consider an Employee Onboarding Form with 40+ fields across these logical sections:
  • Step 1: Personal Information (name, contact, emergency contacts)
  • Step 2: Employment Details (position, department, start date, manager)
  • Step 3: Payroll & Banking (bank account, tax forms, direct deposit)
  • Step 4: Benefits Selection (health insurance, retirement plans)
  • Step 5: IT & Equipment (laptop preference, software access, badge photo)
  • Step 6: Policies & Acknowledgments (handbook, NDA, consent forms)
Desired behavior: User completes each step, sees their progress, and can navigate back to review previous sections—all within a single form that creates a single record.

Current reality: User is presented with a massive scrolling form with 40+ fields, or developers must implement complex workarounds using multiple forms, lookups, and Deluge scripts.
The Current Workarounds (All Suboptimal)
To achieve multi-page form behavior, developers are forced into one of these suboptimal approaches:
Workaround 1: Multiple Related Forms ("Form Chain")
Create separate forms for each "step" and link them via lookups. Use Deluge scripts to pass record IDs between forms and auto-populate fields.
// Step 1 form On Success:
step2_url = "#Form:Step_2_Employment?Employee_Lookup=" + input.ID;
openUrl(step2_url, "same window");

// Step 2 form On Load:
if(input.Employee_Lookup != null)
{
emp = Employee[ID == input.Employee_Lookup];
input.Name = emp.Name;
input.Email = emp.Email;
// ... populate all fields from Step 1
}
  • Problem: Data is scattered across multiple tables
  • Problem: Complex lookup relationships and Deluge scripting required
  • Problem: No "go back" functionality—user must start over if they need to edit Step 1
  • Problem: Reporting requires joining multiple forms
  • Problem: Breaks the single-record-per-entity principle
Workaround 2: Stateless Form Daisy Chain
To avoid creating "junk" records when users abandon the form mid-process, advanced developers use Stateless Forms for intermediate steps, passing all field values via URL parameters, and only writing to the database on final submit.
// Step 1 Stateless Form - "Next" button:
step2_url = "#Form:Step_2_Stateless?"
+ "Name=" + encodeUrl(input.Name)
+ "&Email=" + encodeUrl(input.Email)
+ "&Phone=" + encodeUrl(input.Phone)
+ "&Address=" + encodeUrl(input.Address)
+ "&City=" + encodeUrl(input.City)
+ "&State=" + encodeUrl(input.State)
+ "&Zip=" + encodeUrl(input.Zip);
// ... repeat for EVERY field
openUrl(step2_url, "same window");

// Step 2 Stateless Form - "Next" button:
step3_url = "#Form:Step_3_Stateless?"
// Pass ALL fields from Step 1 again...
+ "Name=" + encodeUrl(input.Name)
+ "&Email=" + encodeUrl(input.Email)
// ... plus all Step 2 fields
+ "&Department=" + encodeUrl(input.Department)
+ "&Manager=" + encodeUrl(input.Manager);
openUrl(step3_url, "same window");

// Final Form - actually saves the record
  • Problem: Stateless forms cannot use advanced field types including Subforms, File Upload, Signature, Image, and Audio—severely limiting data collection capabilities
  • Problem: Every single field must be manually mapped in URL strings
  • Problem: Adding one field to the schema requires updating scripts on every "Next" button
  • Problem: URL length limits restrict how many fields can be passed
  • Problem: No "go back" functionality—previous values are lost unless passed forward
  • Problem: Extremely brittle—maintenance nightmare for forms with 30+ fields
Workaround 3: CSS Hacks ("Fake Tabs")
Use Notes fields with custom HTML/CSS to create tab-like visual navigation, combined with hide/show field rules triggered by a radio button "step selector." This can work with individual fields or Section fields (to hide/show groups at once).
// Radio field "Current_Step" with options: Step 1, Step 2, Step 3...

// On User Input of Current_Step:
if(input.Current_Step == "Step 1")
{
show Section_Personal_Info;
hide Section_Employment;
hide Section_Banking;
}
else if(input.Current_Step == "Step 2")
{
hide Section_Personal_Info;
show Section_Employment;
hide Section_Banking;
}
// ... repeat for each step
  • Problem: Requires hiding/showing every field or section individually—maintenance overhead
  • Problem: CSS styling is fragile and may break with Creator UI updates
  • Problem: No native progress indicator—must build custom UI in Notes fields
  • Problem: Validation doesn't prevent "next step" navigation if current step has errors
  • Problem: All fields still load in DOM regardless of visibility, impacting performance
  • Problem: Collapsible sections are all visible simultaneously—not a true wizard experience with enforced linear progression
Workaround 4: Zoho Forms Integration
Build the multi-step form in Zoho Forms (which has native support), then push data to Creator via webhooks or integrations.
  • Problem: Requires additional Zoho Forms subscription
  • Problem: For in-app forms, users must leave the Creator application entirely, complete the form in Zoho Forms, then return to Creator—a jarring, disconnected experience
  • Problem: Data synchronization is not instantaneous—there can be delays before records appear in Creator
  • Problem: Loses Creator-specific field types (lookups to existing data, formulas, subforms)
  • Problem: Integration complexity and potential sync failures
  • Problem: Cannot use Creator's built-in workflows on form submit—must rely on integrations
Workaround 5: Custom JavaScript Widget
Build a completely custom multi-step form interface using a JavaScript Widget that handles the UI, then submits data to Creator via API.
  • Problem: Requires JavaScript development expertise—completely inaccessible to citizen developers and new users who chose Creator specifically for its low-code promise
  • Problem: Must build and maintain custom form validation, navigation, progress indicators from scratch
  • Problem: Loses all native Creator field types and behaviors—must recreate lookups, dropdowns, validations in JavaScript
  • Problem: API authentication and connection management adds complexity
  • Problem: Widget UI doesn't automatically match Creator's styling or theme changes
  • Problem: Significant development time for what should be a basic platform feature
What Should Happen Instead
Proposed Solution 1: Page Break Field Type
Add a "Page Break" field type to the Form Builder (matching Zoho Forms functionality):
Form Builder → Field Types → Page Elements → Page Break

Drag the Page Break field between sections to create multi-page forms.
Each page displays with Next/Previous navigation buttons automatically.
Proposed Solution 2: Progress Indicator Configuration
Allow developers to configure a progress bar or step indicator:
Form Properties → Multi-Page Settings:
☑ Enable progress indicator
○ Progress bar style
○ Numbered steps style
○ Named steps style

Step Labels:
Page 1: "Personal Info"
Page 2: "Employment"
Page 3: "Payroll"
...
Proposed Solution 3: Page-Level Validation
Validate required fields on the current page before allowing navigation to the next page:
// Deluge: On Page Change (new event)
if(input.Current_Page == 1 && input.Email == null)
{
alert "Please enter your email address before continuing.";
cancel page change;
}
Proposed Solution 4: Conditional Page Navigation (Page Rules)
Allow pages to be skipped based on field values (matching Zoho Forms' Page Rules):
Page Rules:
IF Employment_Type == "Contractor" THEN skip "Benefits Selection" page
IF Country != "USA" THEN skip "US Tax Forms" page
Real-World Impact
This limitation affects any application requiring:
  • Employee onboarding — HR systems with 30-50+ fields across multiple categories
  • Customer applications — Loan applications, insurance quotes, account opening
  • Patient intake — Medical history, insurance, consent forms, symptoms
  • Vendor registration — Company info, compliance documents, banking details
  • Event registration — Attendee info, session selection, dietary requirements, payment
  • Grant applications — Project details, budget, team info, supporting documents
  • Any complex data collection — Where form abandonment due to length is a concern

User Experience Impact: Research consistently shows that multi-step forms have significantly higher completion rates than single long forms. This is due to the "Goal Gradient Effect"—users are psychologically more motivated to complete a task as they see progress toward the finish line. A progress bar creates momentum; an endless scroll creates cognitive overload and abandonment.

Database Architecture Impact:
The workarounds described above force developers to fragment a single logical entity (e.g., "Employee") into multiple physical tables (Personal_Info, Employment_Details, Banking_Info, IT_Equipment) just to achieve visual pagination.
  • Reporting nightmare: Every report requires complex joins across multiple forms
  • Integration complexity: External systems expect a single record, not fragments across tables
  • Data integrity risk: Orphaned records when users abandon mid-process
  • API overhead: Multiple API calls required to fetch what should be one record
The desired state is simple: one logical entity = one database table, with the UI handling pagination visually—not structurally.
The Business Case for Zoho
Why this benefits Zoho:
  • Product consistency: Aligns Creator with Forms and other Zoho products that already support multi-step data entry
  • Competitive positioning: Platforms like Salesforce, Microsoft Power Apps, and OutSystems offer native wizard/multi-step form capabilities
  • Reduced support burden: Eliminates community posts and support requests for workarounds for this basic functionality
  • Enterprise readiness: Complex enterprise applications require sophisticated form UX—this is table stakes for enterprise adoption
  • Developer productivity: Native wizard capabilities remove the overhead of building UI workarounds from scratch, cutting development cycles by hours. Instead of troubleshooting custom flow-control scripts, developers can focus on optimizing user experience and accelerating time-to-market for core business features.
Request to Zoho Team

Can this finally be addressed?

After over 17 years of community requests, the need is clear and well-documented. The current implementation forces developers to choose between:

1. Poor User Experience
Present users with overwhelming, scroll-heavy single-page forms that increase abandonment rates
2. Excessive Complexity
Spend days implementing fragile workarounds using multiple forms, CSS hacks, or external integrations

We shouldn't have to make this choice—especially when Zoho Forms already has this capability built-in.

Community Input Requested: What workaround have you used in the absence of native support? Please add your voice to this long-standing request.


    • Recent Topics

    • When Calls Ends, Creating Note with the call description by deluge code

      Hi, i need help with writing deluge code function, to scenario is like this - i want to create a workflow thats after 10 that the call ends the deluge function will create a new note in module calls that link the note in module calls to the his lead ticket
    • Default Memo from Custom Field (from Bill) when Paying with Check

      Hi, we are using "Pay via Check" option to pay for our Bills in Zoho Books. I would like the memo on the check to pull directly from one of the custom field values within the Bill. Is there any way I can do this? The memo that I need is already on the
    • Wouldn't it be great to have an option to schedule sending emails in Zoho mail? Schedule send feature request

      The subject says it all - but just to clarify: This is to request a new feature that would allow users to schedule the delivery of an email for a given date & time. In small companies it is quite common to work unsocial hours on customer emails. But some
    • Static vs Standard Subforms - New Feature; But how does it work?

      I've just noticed that we now have the option of static or standard subforms, but I can't find any posts on the new feature. So, how does the new subform type work?
    • 【Zoho CRM】翻訳機能のアップデート

      ユーザーの皆さま、こんにちは。コミュニティチームの藤澤です。 今回は「Zoho CRM アップデート情報」の中から、翻訳機能のアップデートをご紹介します。 翻訳機能が拡張され、Webタブ、レイアウト、セクション、ウィザード、ウィザード画面、セグメントも翻訳できるようになりました。 翻訳をエクスポートする際に、これらの要素に対応する用語もエクスポート先の言語で追加されます。 ※過去の関連記事はこちらから まず、翻訳の設定画面から「エクスポート」を選択してください。すると、TXT形式のファイルがローカル環境に出力されます。
    • Trying to make zoho invoice have a button

      Hello I am getting this error with the code below. Anyone know how to fix? Check and update the code in line 5 as there is a Exception : Variable 'invoice_id' is not defined // Define Organization ID (Replace with your actual Zoho Invoice organization
    • Duplicate Contacts - how to get merge or delete

      I have noticed that our list of contacts in Zoho Desk duplicates contacts periodically. I have yet to identify when or why. How do I merge or delete them? I see there is a "Deduplicate" but I am unable to find anything that explains this feature.
    • Another nightmare experience with a "Zoho Partner": Cloud Z Technologies

      I found "CloudZTech" on fiverr and I hired them to do a simple $300-$500 task. They did not deliver on time and I was forced to fire them. You guys must watch out for these fake ZOHO PARTNERS, 99% of them don't have the expertise necessary to help. I
    • Pickup and delivery

      Some of our products are pickup only and some delivery. Is there a way of doing this in commerce. Plus we give volume discount to all customers. We handle this in Books using pricelist and range pricing. Is there a way of doing this within commerce.
    • Unable to change the "credentials of login user" option when creating a connection

      I want to create a new Desk connection where the parameter to use 'credentials of login user' is set to YES. I'm able to create a new connection but am never given the option to change this parameter. Is this a restriction of my user profile, and if so,
    • How can you train the Zia Bot for Desk

      I added the Zia bot to my portal, but it's rarely able to answer questions, even when I have dedicated articles for the question.  How can I best train it? Should I change the title of my articles, add more information inthe body copy?
    • Direct Download Link

      I saw how to share off a document to the public, which is great, but I was also wondering if there is a way to get a direct download link for a zoho doc. I would like to be able to simply send people my documents without them having to find download on the zoho page (not hard, but just for convenience)
    • Form responses to quote process

      Hello, so I am new to Zoho One. I'm fairly confident what I want to do can be done I just need guidance on how to accomplish it. I have a Zoho Form. When a customer fills out the form I want to generate a quote (that I will email to them, I do NOT want
    • IPv6 MX Support in 2025

      There are multiple discussion on this community on IPv6 adjacent issues though the most pressing issue for IPv6 support is not solved yet the support team seems to not understand what is the issue and is steering the conversation to the wrong and misleading
    • Zoho Books Quote - Client cannot accept quote

      We are using the Zoho One plan and some of our clients have reported that they cannot accept the quote when we select their email at the bottom to send the quote to. When trying to accept, the quote prompts a message saying "You are not allowed to accept
    • Reckon Accounts Hosted to Zoho Finance

      Hi Everyone I want to transition from Reckon Accounts Hosted to Zoho Finance, as I have numerous other tasks in Zoho One, and it seems logical to make the move. (Reckon has a QuickBooks back end & is hosted on Assure now, think) I would really like to
    • Flex Your Creativity – A New component to Canvas in Zoho CRM

      Hello Everyone We’re excited to introduce Flex, a new component for Canvas in Zoho CRM! Flex is here to give you greater control over how your data is displayed in your layouts. This component enables responsive layouts that adapt across different screen
    • Vendor Assignment issue for staff in User Roales

      there is a limitation in software that we can't assing Vendors to our staff - we can only assign Customers on staff wise!! There is a limitation of this software that in case i want to assign limited vendors to my staff - it's not possible. Either i will
    • Zoho Desk Community Portal Not Displaying Custom Styling Correctly

      Hi Zoho Community, I’m struggling to get a custom community portal in Zoho Desk to display my branding and styling correctly, and I’d love some help troubleshooting this for a client’s support portal. Details: Setup: Zoho Desk (Professional plan, latest
    • Remove or hide default views

      I'm looking to only have the views pertinent to my organization. Is there a way to show only my custom views (or separate them to a different area or something)? If not, this should be a feature as switching from Zendesk we had this option...
    • Wie kann ich einen Nutzer löschen?

      Wir haben Zoho one. Es handelt sich um einen ehemaligen Mitarbeiter.
    • Function #46: Auto generate list of lapsed customers using Custom Button

      Hello everyone, and welcome back to our series! Customer retention is one of the key factors that impact the long-term success and sustainability of a business. High customer retention rates indicate satisfied customers, quality products or services,
    • Before Going To The Qc stage , site ready ness file upload mandtoty how to achive this in the blue print transition

      Before Going To The Qc stage , site ready ness file upload mandtoty how to achive this in the blue print transition Is it possible on click of the predelivery Transition show the alert message if site ready ness file upload empty also not move the stage
    • Announcing new features in Trident for Windows (v.1.28.5.0)

      Hello Community, Trident for Windows is here with exciting new features to help you stay productive and make collaboration simpler. Let’s dive into what’s new! Slash commands are now supported in the Cliq module. You can now use slash commands from the
    • Convert time to string and remove second

      Hello everyone, I have a question that I can't figure out on my own. How to convert time into string (singleline) and remove second. Like HH:mm. If I convert it as below, the result becomes null. Thank you very much. input.Time.tostring("HH:mm") result:
    • Has anyone imported items and included the storage bin?

      We have a large amount of Inventory Items. We would like to import these into Zoho Inventory but while we can import the majority of data, the storage bin refuses to map. Has anyone successfully imported the data and mapped the bin?
    • Terms & Conditions add a rule.

      Hi I'd like to format my T&C's to auto format a Deposit amount based on the Total. "Quotation is valid for 7 days from the date of issue. A 75% deposit ( R .00 )is required to confirm the booking. The remaining balance ( R .00)is due upon project completion.
    • Zoho Inventory Feature Roadmap Visible To All

      Hello, please consider making your feature roadmap visible to us users so that we know what to expect in future. This may appease current users who are seeking clarification on feature implementation dates, so that they can make an informed decision whether
    • send file to ftp or another external service

      i'v created a zoho creator application for take a picture and rename it by phone. Now i need to send Each renamed pictures to my ftp or to specific folder on google drive...then, delete it from creator. (every picture recived it will processed by another program and stored on my Erp) HOW CAN I DO ??
    • Feature Request - Improved booking layouts, specifically for individual booking links

      I would like to see more layout options and specifically to have the meeting description beside the calendar booking function, when sharing booking links to specific consultations/meetings. Below is a screenshot from Calendly. I love this layout and it
    • Set Conditional and Dependent Rules for Issues in Zoho Projects

      An Issue Layout is a customizable form to add and update information about a specific issue. The fields in the issue layout can be changed dynamically based on user requirement using the issue layout rules. Consider a scenario where an electrical fluctuation
    • Accounting on the Go Series-56: e-Way Bill Module in the Mobile App – A Handy Solution for Indian Businesses

      Hello everyone, Managing e-Way bills just got more convenient with the Zoho Books mobile app! For businesses operating under the GST regime, e-Way bills are essential for tracking the movement of goods. Previously, you had to log in to the web app to
    • Copying records from a Custom Module into Deals

      Hello, I recently created a custom module to handle a particular type of order/transaction in our business. Having got this up and running I've realised that it would be much better to use the Deals module with a different layout instead. We've entered
    • Creator App on Mobile - Workflow "On Create / Edit - On Load" not triggered ?

      Hi Everyone, I built an application to track assets, which is used both at the office (desktop) an in the field by technicians (mobile app). In the field, technicians open an existing form and add rows to a subform at some point. One field they have to
    • HOW TO VIEW INDIVIDUAL COST OF NEWLY PURCHASED GOODS AFTER ALLOCATING LANDED COSTS

      Hello, I have been able to allocate landed costs to the purchase cost of the new products. however, what i need to see now is the actual cost price (original cost plus landed cost), of only my newly purchased products to enable me set a selling price
    • Custom Function to get custom field of lookup type in Books

      Hi, Here's the situation. In Purchase Order, there is a custom field (lookup) to SO. The requirement is to update to the related SO if PO get updated Right now facing challenge to get the id of custom field (lookup) in PO. Please find below the sample
    • Custom From Address is now Organizational Email

      We're introducing a small yet meaningful change in Zoho Recruit, one that sets the foundation for bigger improvements coming your way. What’s changed? We’ve renamed the Custom From Address to Organizational Email. The new name was chosen to better reflect
    • What's New in Zoho Billing Q2 2025

      Hello everyone, We are excited to share the latest set of updates and enhancements made to Zoho Billing in Q2 2025, ranging from image custom fields to support for new languages. Keep reading to learn more. Upload Images From Your Desktop to Email Notifications
    • Map dependency on Multiselect picklist

      I need help in Zoho CRM. I have 2 multi-select picklists. For example, Picklist A has country names. Picklist B has state names. Now I want to show states on the basis of the selected country from Picklist A. Both are multi-select fields, so the standard
    • Tip of the Week #63 – Keep personal emails out of team view.

      Shared inboxes are great for teamwork—they let everyone stay on the same page, respond faster, and avoid duplicate replies. But not every message needs to be shared with the entire team. Think about those one-on-one chats with a manager, a quick internal
    • Next Page