# Forms

A Specter form collects answers from people — merchants, applicants, anyone with the link — and
files each submission as a row on a board or page. It needs **no key**: it is public by design, so
it is the safe way to put a form on a website.

## How a form is made

- **From a board.** Open the board and ask Neo to *make a form for this board*. It asks one
  question per column a person can fill, in the board's order; starred columns are required;
  choice questions offer the column's own options. It goes live at once.
- **On the Forms page.** Build one by hand — sections, file questions, a signature at the end.

Columns a stranger can't fill are never asked: people, relations, files already pinned, formulas.

## Three ways to use it

| Way | For | Page |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **The hosted page** | Link to it or open it from a button | [Hosted page](/forms/hosted-page) |
| **Your own HTML** | Keep your site's form, post the answers to Specter | [Submit from your code](/forms/submit-from-your-code) |
| **Save and resume** | Long forms filled over days, with files | [Drafts, files and corrections](/forms/drafts-files-and-corrections) |

## Form or key?

A **form** is for people typing into a page. A **[board key](/boards/overview)** is for your server
sending records it already has — a lead vendor, a sync, a script. Never put a key in a web page.