Plan Availability | All plan types |
Permissions | Solution Managers and Administrators can create and manage forms. Members can fill out an Internal Form only when they have permission to create records in the target table. Field and record permissions are respected. |
Related Reading |
What Are Internal Forms?
Internal Forms are forms designed for logged-in SmartSuite members. They are used inside SmartSuite and keep the context of the current member.
Before Internal Forms, forms had to be shared with a public link. This meant:
Every form needed to be publicly shared before people could use it.
Form submissions were not tied to a specific SmartSuite member.
Forms did not know who the current member was.
Permissions were not handled the same way as normal record creation inside SmartSuite.
Internal Forms solve this by making form submission work more like creating a record directly in a table.
Form Modes
Each form can work in two modes:
Mode | What It Means |
Internal | The form is used by logged-in SmartSuite members inside SmartSuite. It follows the member’s profile, field permissions, and record permissions. |
Shared | The form is shared through a public link and can be submitted outside SmartSuite. Shared forms continue to work without requiring the submitter to be a SmartSuite member. |
How Internal Mode Works
When a form is created, it is automatically available for internal use.
Internal mode does not depend on whether the form is publicly shared. A form can be used internally even when the public sharing option is turned off.
Where Members Can Use Internal Forms
There are two ways members can open and submit an Internal Form:
From a Button action
A button can open a form so members can create a record through a guided form experience.From a Form View
Members can open the form directly from the Form View inside SmartSuite.
In both cases, the form opens inside the SmartSuite table context and knows who the current member is.
What SmartSuite Checks When an Internal Form Opens
When a member opens an Internal Form, SmartSuite checks:
The member’s profile information.
The member’s field permissions in the target table.
The member’s record permissions in the target table.
Whether the member is allowed to create records in that table.
This makes submitting an Internal Form work like creating a record directly in the table.
Permissions for Internal Forms
Internal Forms respect both field permissions and record permissions.
Field Permissions
Field permissions control which fields a member can view or edit.
Permission Rule | What the Member Sees |
The member cannot view a field | The field is removed from the form. |
The member can view but cannot edit a field | The field appears as read-only. |
The member can view and edit a field | The member can fill in or update the field on the form. |
Record Permissions
Record permissions control whether a member can create records in the target table.
Permission Rule | What Happens |
The member can create records | The member can fill out and submit the form. |
The member cannot create records | The member cannot fill out or submit the form. |
Dynamic record permissions block record creation | The member is blocked from submitting the form. |
What Are Dynamic Record Permissions?
Dynamic record permissions are permission rules that change based on conditions, such as the member’s role, team, or record data.
For Internal Forms, these rules are checked before the member can submit the form.
Internal Form URLs
Internal Forms have their own URLs.
These URLs are separate from public shared form URLs.
Login Requirement
If someone opens an Internal Form URL and is not logged in, SmartSuite requires them to log in first.
After login, SmartSuite checks whether the member has permission to open and submit the form.
What Gets Captured When a Member Submits an Internal Form
When a member submits an Internal Form, SmartSuite captures details about the submission.
Captured Detail | Description |
Member who submitted the form | The logged-in SmartSuite member who completed the form. |
Submission source | Shows that the record was created through a form submission. |
Form title | The name of the form used for the submission. |
Submission date | The date the form was submitted. |
How Created By Works for Internal Forms
For Internal Forms, the submitting member is shown as the record creator.
For Shared Forms, SmartSuite Form remains the creator because the submitter may not be a logged-in SmartSuite member.
Form Type | Created By Behavior |
Internal Form | The current logged-in member is set as Created By. |
Shared Form | SmartSuite Form is kept as Created By. |
SmartSuite can also include extra source details:
Source Detail | Value |
Source Type | Form |
Source Title | The form’s title |
Internal Forms and Automations
Solution Managers can select Internal Forms when setting up the When a form is submitted automation trigger.
A form does not need to be publicly shared to appear as an option in the trigger setup.
The trigger can run when a form is submitted from either mode:
Internal Forms
Shared Forms
How to Use an Internal Form
Follow these steps to use a form internally.
Create or open a form
Create a new form or open an existing Form View.Confirm the target table
Make sure the form creates records in the correct table.Set field and record permissions
Confirm which members can view fields, edit fields, and create records.Choose how members will open the form
Members can open the form from a Button action or from the Form View.Test as a member
Open the form as a member with standard access to confirm that permissions work as expected.Connect automations if needed
Use the When a form is submitted trigger to start workflows after the form is submitted.
Practical Scenarios and Use Cases
Departmental Request Intake
Scenario: The Operations team needs employees to submit supply requests from inside SmartSuite.
Solution: Create an Internal Form linked to a request table. Employees can submit requests using their SmartSuite account, and SmartSuite records who submitted each request.
Permission-Based HR Requests
Scenario: The HR team needs managers to submit employee change requests, but some fields should be hidden from non-HR members.
Solution: Use an Internal Form with field permissions. Managers can complete the fields they are allowed to edit, while restricted HR-only fields are hidden or read-only.
Automated IT Ticket Creation
Scenario: The IT team wants employees to submit support tickets from a button in a workspace.
Solution: Add a Button action that opens an Internal Form. When the form is submitted, an automation can notify IT, assign the ticket, and track the submitting member.
Important Notes
Internal Forms are available as soon as a form is created.
Internal mode is separate from public sharing.
Members must be logged in to use an Internal Form URL.
Internal Forms respect field permissions and record permissions.
Members who cannot create records in the target table cannot submit the form.
Automations can run from both Internal Form and Shared Form submissions.
Shared Forms continue to use SmartSuite Form as the Created By value.
Key Terms
Term | Definition |
Internal Form | A form used by logged-in SmartSuite members inside SmartSuite. |
Shared Form | A form shared through a public link. |
Target Table | The table where submitted form data creates a new record. |
Field Permissions | Rules that control whether a member can view or edit specific fields. |
Record Permissions | Rules that control whether a member can create, view, edit, or delete records. |
Dynamic Record Permissions | Conditional rules that can change record access based on member, team, or record data. |
Created By | The record detail that shows who created the record. |