Intermediate5 min

How to Handle File Uploads with Form Submissions

Learn strategies for handling file uploads alongside form submissions using FormsList. While FormsList handles text-based submissions, this guide covers practical approaches for files.

Prerequisites

  • A FormsList account
  • A file storage service (optional)
1

Understand FormsList's approach

FormsList is optimized for text-based form submissions (name, email, message, etc.). For file uploads, the recommended pattern is to upload files to a storage service first, then include the file URL in your form submission.

2

Upload files to cloud storage

Use a service like Cloudinary, AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage, or Uploadcare for file hosting. These services provide simple upload widgets you can embed alongside your form.

<!-- Example: Cloudinary upload widget + FormsList form -->
<form action="https://formslist.com/f/YOUR_HASH" method="POST">
  <input name="name" type="text" required />
  <input name="email" type="email" required />
  
  <!-- File URL from upload widget -->
  <input name="resume_url" type="url" 
    placeholder="Upload your file, then paste URL here" />
  
  <button type="submit">Submit</button>
</form>
3

Use a URL field for simplicity

The simplest approach: add a URL field to your form where users paste a link to their file hosted on Google Drive, Dropbox, or similar. This works without any upload widget integration.

4

Use webhooks for advanced workflows

For automated file processing, set up a webhook integration. When a submission arrives with a file URL, your webhook endpoint can download the file, process it, and store it in your system.

5

Access file URLs in submissions

All submitted URLs appear in your FormsList dashboard alongside other form data. Export to CSV or JSON to batch-process file references.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ready to collect form submissions?

Set up your form backend in under a minute. No server required, no complex configuration — just a simple endpoint for your forms.