Hidden fields (org-only) on intake forms
Hidden fields let an org stamp values on every intake submission without the customer ever seeing them. Source tagging, default routing values, lifecycle stage markers — all the metadata that should travel with a submission but doesn't belong in the customer-facing form.
How to add a hidden field:
1. **Edit your intake form** — Operations → Intake Forms → click into the form. Or click "Edit form" from the live preview.
2. **+ Add field** — pick a field type (most types support hidden mode; freeform and photo do not).
3. **Check "Hidden field (org only — never shown to submitters)"** — the option appears below the field's regular settings. Required, placeholder, and help-text become unavailable (they don't apply).
4. **Set the default value** — the value the platform will stamp on every submission for this field. For select fields, you pick from the field's option list. For yes/no, you pick yes or no. For dates, you pick a date. For text fields, you type whatever you want.
5. **Save**.
Common use cases:
- **Source tag** — a hidden `Source` field with default value "Website Intake" lands on the Contact's tags. Now you can filter "show me every customer who came in via the intake form."
- **Default assignment** — a hidden `Owner` field with default value "Sales Team" pre-routes every submission to a particular team.
- **Default service area** — a hidden `Service Region` field with default "Hampton Roads" for a regional business, so every Field Service job that comes through the form is already tagged.
- **Lifecycle stage** — a hidden `Stage` field with default "New Lead" so every contact lands in the same pipeline column.
What the customer experiences:
The form renders without the hidden field. They never see it, never know it exists, never can edit it. The field still has its targetField configured (e.g. `contact.tags`), so the value still routes to the right place on the right module when the submission commits.
In the submission review:
When you (the admin) review a submission, hidden fields are labeled with a purple "Hidden · org-only" pill next to the question, so you know at a glance which values were typed by the customer and which were auto-stamped by the platform. The stamped value still routes to its target field exactly like a typed answer.
Why this beats a free-text source field:
You could ask the customer to type "where did you hear about us?" and route their answer to tags. But customers type "internet" or "Facebook" or "Google search" — fragmented values that you can't easily filter. A hidden field stamps a single consistent string, so reports stay clean.