Note
Optimizely Forms is only supported by MVC-based websites and HTML5-compliant browsers.
Optimizely Forms stores its fundamental configuration in the  _\_protected/EPiServer.Forms/Forms.config_ file.
Breaking change
_Forms.config_ was migrated to _appsettings.json_. From version 5.4 onward, Optimizely Forms uses _appsettings.json_ file to store its fundamental configuration. You can upgrade and use your former _Forms.config_ but Optimizely will stop supporting the file in the next major version.
To use the new configuration for Forms, add a Forms section your _appsettings.json_ like the following example.
As an alternative method, you can also config your Optimizely Forms from _Startup.cs_ file in `
ConfigureServices` function with following syntax:You need to add the lines above after your `
services.AddCmsHost()` for it to take effect if you still have your _Forms.config_ in your project. The final value will be the value in _appsettings.json_ however.
## Restrict access to data
The following configuration restricts who is able to view submitted form data. **Edit** is the default; an editor should at least have Edit access rights on the form content to view `SubmissionData`.
Suitable values for `minimumAccessRightLevelToReadFormData` are as follows:
For example, if you change the access rights to Publish, only a user who has `Publish`, `Administer` and `FullAccess` access rights on that form can see the `SubmissionData`.
## Send emails
Note
To send email after a site visitor submits a form, you must modify the _appSettings.json_ settings for your website as described in [Configuring your email server](🔗).
Send email in HTML format, otherwise, it uses plain text.
## File uploads
By default, the `FileUploadElement` does not let a visitor upload the following types of file extensions.
## Use controllers
Optimizely Forms is block-based and stays in a page. Without JavaScript, Forms post data from a visitor to its page. With JavaScript, Forms post data from a visitor to its `CoreController`. `EPiServer.Forms.Controllers.DataSubmitController` is the default `CoreController`, which is a normal ASP.NET MVC controller. If you want to use your own controller, you must map the route in **Global.asax** to your controller, and tell Forms to submit data to your controller by changing the following configuration.
## Default location for view templates
Specify the default location to search for `ElementBlocks`' view templates. A developer also can override this behavior by implementing `ICustomViewLocation` or inheriting from `CustomViewLocationBase`.
## Forms and JavaScript environments
Optimizely Forms detects JavaScript capability of browser to determine its behavior.
Using a HTML5 JavaScript-enabled browser, visitors have a better and richer user interface experience.
Working with non-JavaScript browser, Optimizely Forms has to use server-side redirection and disable some features such as interaction and validation.
In some situations, you can force Forms to work in non-JavaScript environment by setting this configuration to **true**.
## Forms and jQuery
Optimizely Forms requires jQuery 1.7.2+ to provide a better experience in view mode (interaction, steps navigation, validation, save/load data to localStorage, etc). If your website already has jQuery 1.7.2+, you can save some payload and network transmission for your visitors by telling Optimizely Forms to not inject its jQuery instance. Forms uses the site’s jQuery instance without problem.
## Disable the default stylesheet
Optimizely Forms has a default stylesheet (_EPiServerForms.less_), using BEM methodology to name CSS classes and decorate HTML element tags; it is a very fundamental, minimal _.less_ file, and easy to modify. If you do not want this, you can turn it off by using the following configuration.
## Configure the submit cookie timeout
Configuration for number of days that Forms keeps the state of relation _(in visitor's cookie)_ between Visitor-Forms-Submission. This affects the progressive submission cookie, and the visitor identification cookie.
## Render forms as a \<div> tag
By default, a form is rendered as a \<form> tag in view mode. From version 3.1, if you want to render form as a \<div> tag, set this configuration to **true**.
## Use Webhook receivers
From version 4.3, you can set up the kind of data format used before sending data to a webhook receiver by using:
The default value of this key is **true**, meaning you should use that json object data-type to communicate with webhook receivers. The key-value dictionary data format is used if you use the value **false**.
## Disable form cookies for GDPR
`DisableFormCookies` was introduced into Forms configuration to provide better GDPR compliance for our sites. Enable this option to prevent cookies from being added to users accessing to the site.
Note
Allow anonymous submissions are required for Forms submitted when `
DisableFormCookies` is enabled because a user without cookies is not identified and is treated as anonymous.
## Hide Partial Submissions from Admin/Edit View (GDPR Compliance)
`HidePartialSubmissions` was introduced into Forms configuration in version 5.5.0 to provide better GDPR compliance for our sites. Enable this option to hide partial submissions data from external UI views such as form submissions history, exported data, and also to disable all partial execution from actors. Also, enable this option to set the retention policy of partial data to a minimum period of one day.
Note
Enabling this option will disable all actors partial execution in multi-step forms except base SaveDataToStorageActor to ensure basic functionality
## Related blog posts
[How to render forms in a dialog](🔗)
[Create custom Episerver Forms container](🔗)