Available for the following HR Classic plans: Platinum
Available for the following EmploymentOS v1 plans: Plus, Unlimited, Elite, Unlimited+Payroll
Available for the following users: Admins, and users with Forms permissions
Before publishing a custom form, you can use Preview mode to see exactly how the form will appear to employees, test all question types, and validate required fields — all without saving any data. This helps you catch errors and refine your form with confidence before it goes live.
This article explains how to:
Open a draft form in Preview mode
You can open a preview of any draft custom form directly from the form editor. The preview shows all sections and questions exactly as employees will see them, and updates in real time as you make changes — no page refresh needed.
- Log in to Employment Hero, and click Compliance, then Forms.
- Select the Templates tab.
- Select a template custom form to open it in the form editor.
- In the form editor tab bar, click the Preview tab. (The Preview tab is only available on draft forms — it does not appear on published forms.)
- A preview panel will appear showing how the form will look to employees, along with a banner confirming this is a preview and not a live form.
- Review all sections and questions as they will appear to employees. The following question types all display correctly in the preview: text, number, date, radio, checkbox, dropdown, file upload, and employee picker.
- If the form has no sections yet, the Preview tab will show an empty state message.
- Switch between the Questions tab and the Preview tab at any time — the preview reflects your latest changes in real time, with no refresh needed.
Helpful Hint
Rich text editor fields will display "Preview not available for this question type" in the preview panel. All other supported question types render exactly as employees will see them.
Test form validation in Preview mode
Use the Validate Preview button to test how your form handles required fields and format validation before publishing. No data is saved at any point — all test responses exist only within the preview tab.
- With the Preview tab open in the form editor, optionally enter test responses into the form fields to simulate how an employee would fill in the form.
- Review any validation errors that appear:
- Empty required fields will display an error showing the section name, question label, and error type.
- Email fields with invalid input will show "Please enter a valid email address."
- Number fields with non-numeric input will show "Please enter a valid number."
- If all fields pass validation, you will see a submit button, which is what an end user would see. In preview mode, this does not submit any information.
- Switch back to the Questions tab to make any adjustments, then return to Preview to re-test. Your changes will be reflected immediately.
Helpful Hint
No test responses are saved at any point — everything you enter in Preview mode stays in the preview tab only and is not submitted or stored anywhere.
Further information
Preview mode is available to Admins and users who have been granted Forms permissions. Users with Forms permissions can preview draft forms they have created. Regular employees without Forms permissions do not see the Preview tab. The Preview tab is not shown on published forms — only on drafts.
The Preview tab is only available on draft forms. If you are viewing a published form, the Preview tab will not appear. If you believe you should have access but cannot see the tab, contact your system administrator to confirm your Forms permissions are set up correctly.
No. Any responses or input you enter while testing in Preview mode are not saved. All test data exists only within the preview tab for the duration of your session and is not submitted or stored anywhere.
Rich text editor question types cannot be rendered in Preview mode. These fields will display the message "Preview not available for this question type" in place of the question. All other supported question types — text, number, date, radio, checkbox, dropdown, file upload, and employee picker — display correctly.