Public-to-Internal workflows allow you to combine public form access with internal-only processing in a single form.
This means you can:
Share the first part of a form publicly (for clients, patients, applicants, or external users)
Hide later sections so they become internal-only after submission
Use section submissions to control handover, notifications, and internal workflows
This is ideal for internal team processes where information is collected publicly, then reviewed, processed, or completed internally.
How Public Forms with Internal and Submittable Sections Work
It starts with a Public Form.
Once a section is submitted:
That section (and any before it) is locked and submitted
The sections that follow become internal
Internal users can continue working through the form based on section permissions
You can use multiple section submissions to support multi-step workflows.
How to Create the Public-to-Internal Workflow
1. Build your form
Start by creating your form in any of the following ways:
Design from Scratch: Build it manually with the form builder
Design with AI to generate your form structure
Browse Templates: Use a pre-designed template
2. Set the form to Public access
Edit in the Form Builder
Go to the Form Settings tab
Scroll down to the Access panel
Set the form to Public
This allows the first part of the form to be shared externally.
3. Create the Public section(s)
Design the first section or sections that should be visible to the public.
On the final public section:
Click the Section Settings icon
Enable Require Section Submission
Configure the following:
Notify Users or Groups – select who should be notified when this section is submitted
Submission Message – tell the person completing the form what will happen next (for example, that their submission has been received and will be reviewed internally)
This submission point marks the transition from public to internal.
4. Configure section permissions
After the public submission, configure permissions for internal sections using Section Permissions.
First, add or create groups you need to access this form template. Learn more about Managing and Creating Custom Groups here.
Then you can control whether users or groups can:
View sections
Edit sections
Submit sections
Unlock submitted sections
You can:
Leave permissions as the default, or
Fine-tune access based on your internal workflow
This gives you full control over how the form is managed internally.
5. Add additional internal sections (optional)
You can add:
More sections after the public submission
Multiple section submissions if your workflow requires staged approvals or handovers
Each section submission can trigger notifications and lock previous sections as needed.
6. Publish and share
Click Publish
Share the form using:
A public link
A QR code
External users will only see the public sections, while internal users can access and manage the form according to section permissions.
Common Use Cases
Mixed-Access Forms are perfect for:
Client intake forms with internal processing
Applications that require internal review
Public requests that turn into internal tasks
Multi-step approval workflows
Healthcare, education, and service-based processes
Examples of processes that benefit from mixed-access forms:
NDIS: Participant completes service agreement → team reviews, approves, and finalises internally
Healthcare: Patient submits intake → clinicians triage and allocate internally
Recruitment: Applicant applies → hiring team shortlists and reviews internally
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q. What is a form with public-to-internal workflow?
A form with public-to-internal workflow allows you to collect information publicly, then continue working on the same form internally using section submissions and permissions.
Q. Do public users see internal sections?
No. Public users can only see sections before the first section submission. All sections after that are internal-only.
Q. Can I have more than one section submission?
Yes. You can add multiple section submissions to support multi-step internal workflows.
Q. What happens when a section is submitted?
The submitted section (and any previous sections) are locked, notifications are sent, and the next sections become available based on permissions.
Q. Can internal users edit submitted sections?
Only if they have permission to unlock submitted sections. This is controlled in Section Permissions.
Q. Does the form have to be Public for this to work?
Yes. The form must be set to Public so external users can access the first section(s).
Tips
Plan your public and internal sections first: clearly separate what external users should complete from what your team will handle internally.
Use clear submission messages: let users know what will happen after they submit (for example, “Your submission has been received and will be reviewed by our team”).
Notify the right people: set notifications on section submissions so internal teams know exactly when action is required.
Use multiple section submissions for complex workflows: this is ideal for approvals, reviews, or staged processing.
Review section permissions carefully: ensure only the right users or groups can view, edit, submit, or unlock internal sections.
Test the form before sharing.