Last week, we shared some of the features we have planned for the first quarter of 2018. At the top of the list was the custom placeholder text feature, which we’re pleased to announce was released today!

Placeholder text in textbox field.

Placeholder text (like “First” and “Last” in a Name field, or “Address Line 2” in an Address field) provides a clear prompt for the people filling out your forms. It serves as a secondary form of help text, and disappears when you start typing into the field.

Using the new Placeholder Text option in the field settings menu, you now have the ability to your own custom placeholder text to the following text types:

  • Textbox
  • Choice - Dropdown
  • Phone
  • Email
  • Number
  • Website
  • Currency
  • Date

Once you’ve entered your placeholder text and saved your changes, don’t forget to head on over to the Publish page, where you can change the color of your placeholder text!

Hide Field Labels

Along with the ability to add placeholder text, you can now also hide a field label with the click of a button:

Clicking the eye icon to the right of the field label will hide the label from view.

One important thing to keep in mind: a form field should ideally include either a label and/or help text alongside placeholder text. Providing as much text as possible helps guide the people filling out your form, and improves the overall usability of a form.

Have any question about adding placeholder text, or Cognito Forms in general? Feel free to get in touch with us, or just leave a comment below!


Nadia A.

Nadia A.

Nadia, the Technical Writer for Cognito Forms, develops documentation, support content, and how-to videos. No matter your experience – with her help, you'll be able to take full advantage of the product. In her spare time, Nadia enjoys listening to French house, drinking coffee, and talking about herself in third person.