Not every respondent needs to see every page of your form. Skip logic lets you create branching paths through multi-page forms, routing respondents to different pages based on their answers. A customer who reports a positive experience gets routed to a referral page, while one who reports a problem skips straight to a support details page. Everyone sees only what is relevant to them.
How Skip Logic Differs from Show/Hide
Show/Hide fields controls visibility of individual fields within a single page. Skip logic operates at the page level, controlling which page the respondent navigates to after completing the current one. Use show/hide for fine-tuning what appears on a page. Use skip logic for creating entirely different journeys through your form.
Multi-Page Required
Skip logic only works with multi-page forms. If your form has a single page, convert it to multi-page first by clicking "Add Page" in the form builder toolbar.
Setting Up Page Branching
Step 1: Structure Your Pages
Before adding skip rules, plan your form's branching structure. Sketch out the different paths a respondent might take. A typical pattern looks like this:
Page 1: Screening Question
├── Answer A → Page 2: Path A Questions
├── Answer B → Page 3: Path B Questions
└── Answer C → Page 4: Path C Questions
Page 5: Thank You (all paths converge here)
In the form builder, create all pages first, then add the branching rules. Name each page descriptively (for example, "Employee Feedback" instead of "Page 3") so that skip rules are easy to understand at a glance.
Step 2: Add a Skip Rule
Navigate to the page where branching should occur. At the bottom of the page settings panel, you will find the "Skip Logic" section. Click "Add Skip Rule" to create a new branch.
Each skip rule has three components:
- If — select the field and condition to evaluate
- Then go to — choose the destination page
- Otherwise — define what happens when no skip rules match (defaults to "Next page")
Step 3: Configure Multiple Branches
You can add as many skip rules as you need on a single page. Rules are evaluated top to bottom — the first matching rule wins. If no rules match, the respondent advances to the "Otherwise" destination.
Page 1: "What brings you here today?"
Skip Rule 1: IF answer equals "Report a bug" → Go to Page 3 (Bug Report)
Skip Rule 2: IF answer equals "Request feature" → Go to Page 4 (Feature Request)
Skip Rule 3: IF answer equals "General question" → Go to Page 5 (General Inquiry)
Otherwise: → Go to Page 2 (Default Path)
Pro Tip
Drag skip rules to reorder their priority. Place the most common paths at the top for clarity, even though the order only matters when multiple rules could match the same answer.
Testing Your Branching Logic
Incorrect skip logic can strand respondents on the wrong page or create unreachable paths. BttrForm provides two tools to help you verify your setup.
Visual Flow Map
Click the "Flow" button in the form builder toolbar to open the visual flow map. This diagram shows every page as a node and every skip rule as a connecting arrow. You can immediately see:
- Orphaned pages — pages with no incoming connections (nobody can reach them)
- Dead ends — pages with no outgoing connections and no submit action
- Circular loops — paths that send respondents back to a page they have already visited
Watch for Loops
A circular loop can trap respondents indefinitely. The flow map highlights loops with a red indicator. Always resolve loops before publishing your form.
Preview with Path Testing
Use the Preview mode to walk through each branch manually. Fill in answers that should trigger each skip rule and confirm you land on the correct page. BttrForm's preview shows a breadcrumb trail of visited pages, making it easy to verify the full path.
Common Skip Logic Patterns
Qualification Screening
Use the first page to determine if the respondent qualifies. Route qualified respondents to the full survey and unqualified respondents to a polite disqualification page.
Page 1: "Are you 18 or older?"
IF "No" → Page 5 (Age Requirement Message)
IF "Yes" → Page 2 (Continue Survey)
Satisfaction Branching
Route happy customers to a testimonial request and unhappy customers to a detailed feedback collection page.
Page 1: "Rate your experience" (1-5 stars)
IF rating >= 4 → Page 2 (Testimonial Request)
IF rating <= 2 → Page 3 (Detailed Issue Report)
Otherwise → Page 4 (General Feedback)
Role-Based Surveys
Different departments answer different sections of the same form, then converge on a shared final page.
Page 1: "Select your department"
IF "Engineering" → Page 2 (Engineering Questions)
IF "Marketing" → Page 3 (Marketing Questions)
IF "Sales" → Page 4 (Sales Questions)
All paths → Page 5 (Shared Wrap-Up Questions)
Multi-Stage Applications
Guide applicants through stages, progressing only if they meet criteria at each stage.
Page 1: Basic Info
→ Page 2: Eligibility Check
IF eligible → Page 3: Detailed Application
IF ineligible → Page 6: Not Eligible Message
Page 3: Detailed Application
→ Page 4: Document Upload
→ Page 5: Confirmation
Combining Skip Logic with Show/Hide
Skip logic and show/hide fields are complementary. Use skip logic to control the high-level path (which pages to visit), and show/hide to fine-tune the questions within each page. For example:
- Skip logic: Route customers to a "Bug Report" page when they select "Report a bug"
- Show/hide: On the Bug Report page, show "Error Screenshot Upload" only if the respondent selects "Visual Bug" as the bug type
This layered approach keeps each page focused and relevant without creating an explosion of separate pages.
Combining with Calculations
You can reference calculated fields in skip rules. For example, compute a score from multiple questions and branch based on whether the total exceeds a threshold.
Troubleshooting
Respondent skips to the wrong page: Check rule order. The first matching rule wins. If a respondent's answer matches an earlier rule, subsequent rules are ignored.
Page is unreachable: Open the flow map and look for orphaned nodes. Add an incoming skip rule or reposition the page in the default sequence.
Back button skips visited pages: By default, the back button returns to the previous page in the respondent's actual path (not the form's page order). This is intentional and preserves the branching context.
Data from skipped pages: Fields on skipped pages are not included in the submission. If you need default values for skipped fields, set them in the field's default value setting.
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