Want to let users enter their own responses on the multiple-choice question using a select field, checkbox, or radio list field? A very common scenarios are when you are running an online survey or collecting data from your unsubscribe form.
While you might have provide multiple options to select from, sometimes user’s choice doesn’t match your options. In that case, you can provide the “Other” option in your WordPress form to allow users express themselves freely.
Once users click on the Other option, they will be provided with an option to enter the information manually. It will look like this:
In this article, we will show you how to add an other option in WordPress form that gives your website visitors flexibility to accommodate their diverse responses. Using our Ninja Forms free core plugin and conditional logic functionality, you will learn how to show another field when user selects the Other option on your form.
As a result, users will be able to type their own answers. But not just that. We will also show you how you can limit users’ input to the text field and how to style the Single Line Text Field where your form visitors are manually typing the answer. Let’s begin!
Table of contents
- How to add an Other option so users can type a short answer
- How to style the “Other” option field in your WordPress form
- How to limit users’ input in the “Other” option field
1. How to add an Other option so users can type a short answer
In our practical example we will show you how to allow users to answer in their own words using the conditional logic functionality. We will also show you how the conditional fields work in your form if you want to automatically show or hide specific form fields based on the users’ previous answer.
Let’s say you are running a survey about “How did you hear about us” and you want to create form with the following questions:
In order to do this, you need the following:
Step 1: Create all necessary fields in your WordPress forms
- Radio list that we named How did you year about us?
- Single Line Text Field
- Radio list with socila media platform options
- Single Line Text Field
- Submit button
This is how it will look inside of your form builder:
Step 2: Set up conditional logic to show/hide the “Other” option (Please specify)
Once you install the Conditional Logic add-on, navigate to the Advanced Tab > Conditional Logic on your form builder.
Wen you click on the Conditional Logic tab, you have the option to Add New Condition. This is the place where you want to set up your conditional triggers. On the example below, we set up the conditions for the first question on the form “How did you hear about us?”.
When user selects the Other from your multi-choice question, we will show the “Other” option on the form where user can type the question. We also have to hide field for question Which platform since user did not selected the Social media as an option.
We also need to hide the “Other” option for Which Platform since user did not select the Social Media and the option Other medium for that specific question.
You will continue the same setup for other question Which platform using the conditional triggers show/hide. If you want to learn more about how to use dynamic fields to show or hide fields based on the user’s selection on the form, make sure to check our tutorial How to Create Conditional Fields in WordPress.
2. How to style the “Other” (Please specify) option field in your WordPress form
The first thing to remember is that Ninja Forms is designed to inherit the style of your WordPress theme to match your page aesthetically. So if you want to customize your form further, you need to make changes to your Theme’ style sheet.
Or if you are looking for an easier solution to customize the look of your form, you can use the Layout & Styles add-on from Ninja Forms! In our example below, we will customize the look of the following Other option field:
First, we hide the form label Please specify and use the Placeholder instead.
Next, we click on the Other field (Please specify) and open the Styles settings > Element Styles. Using the Layout & Styles, we choose the color of the background and the color of the text user will be typing to this field. We also change the width of the form field to 300px.
Lastly, we turn on the “Show Advanced CSS Properties and enter the following rules to Advanced CSS section:
border: 0;
outline: 0;
border-bottom: 1px solid #1890ff;
These are the settings in the Element Styles section for your Single Line Text field:
And this is the final look before typing into the field:
Simple, right? Now you’re equipped with the knowledge to customize the appearance of your “Other” field in your WordPress form!
3. How to limit users’ input in the “Other” option field
Encouraging your responders to share their thoughts in their own way is awesome for getting to learn more about them. But, every now and then, some users might not use this freedom in the best way. They might toss in random words or not-so-nice stuff.
Now that you learned how to add an other field in your WordPress form, it comes handy to know how to put a limit on the number of characters or words they can use. It speeds up the submission review process and makes it easier to filter through short responses.
With Ninja Forms Restrictions setting for the Single Line Text field, you can limit the number of characters or words users can input the the “Other” field.
You can also choose to display a customized message when user is typing the answer to the field. This text appers after the counter. Please note If you don’t see the Restrictions settings, make sure the Dev Mode is enabled.
In our example below, we set the limit to 30 characters but we decided not to display the customize text. On our example below, you can see the number of characters (15) typed in as the user writes the answer. You can also see the maximum characters displayed. (30) If the user would like to write more than 30 characters, it does not allow him to continue typing.
Did you know there are other restrictions or rules you can apply to your form fields? Check our article on Input Mask and learn how to define rules for your form fields for free using Ninja Forms builder!
Let users type their own answers with the “Other” option!
That’s it! You’ve just learned how to add an Other option in your WordPress forms. We believe you’ll find value in letting users input their responses for multiple-choice questions.
By leveraging the conditional logic feature, you can easily convert your forms to a smart solution and provide a personalized experience for your visitors.
If you want to explore this advanced conditional logic functionality further, we recommend you check these excellent guides that showcase the power of conditional logic in WordPress:
6 Uses of Conditional Logic in WordPress (Quick Guide)
How to Use Conditional Logic in WordPress Forms
How to Create Conditional Actions in WordPress
How to Create A Conditional Multi-Step WordPress Form
And if you are new to Ninja Forms, make sure to download our form plugin that is packed with a variety of free features you’ll love including unlimited submissions!
