We all know how great Dropbox is and the many, many different ways it can be used to simplify your life. As great as Dropbox is, there are ways it could be even better and JotForm has done just that.
JotForm has made it drop dead simple to create a form you can simply link to or embed elsewhere that allows people to submit files directly to your Dropbox account! We’ll take a look at how easy this is and why you’ll want to use it, so read on!
What is JotForm?
JotForm is a dead simple drag and drop web form builder. I mean really, JotForm is easy! You don’t even have to sign up to create your a form and if you have basic needs for forms, you can just stick with a free account. If you use forms more frequently (or your site visitors do), then their pricing plans will provide the extra options you need at very affordable prices.
JotForm
You’ll notice JotForm is one of our site advertisers if you take a peek at the right sidebar. With that in mind, I want to clarify that this is not a paid review or anything of the like. They are an advertiser on our site, and we appreciate it, but if their app(s) were crap, we would certainly say so.
Having said that, I really do like JotForm and will be recommending it to others when the opportunity arises. It’s simple, easy and works.
JotForm + Dropbox
The JotForm team recognized a demand and decided to do something about it. More specifically, they created an easier way for Dropbox users to allow a wider range of people to send files directly to their Dropbox account. People use Dropbox for all sorts of reasons — sharing files being a big one — so tons of people already use Dropbox, but it’s not quite easy enough for large numbers of people to send Dropbox users files. JotForm has changed that.
JotForm Dropbox Forms
Set It Up
So let’s jump right to it and get a form setup that will allow people to send files to your Dropbox account. Head over to http://www.jotform.com/dropbox/ and click the big orange button that says, “Create a Dropbox Form.” You’ll get an overlay popup telling you they need API access to your Dropbox account.
Create Dropbox Form
Don’t worry! JotForm isn’t gaining access to your account and your account security isn’t being compromised. The process uses OAuth so you’re safe and secure.
Once you’ve logged into Dropbox and allowed JotForm access to the API they will setup integration and create a sample form for you. The process only takes a few seconds and you’ll be ready to go. If you want to further customize your form, you’ll be able to sign up for an account later or you can do that first and then add Dropbox integration later.
Integration
When your form is ready they’ll provide you with a link you can share or some code to embed the form into your website or somewhere else. Also note that you can preview your sample form to decide whether or not you want to further customize it.
Form Code
The sample form is clean and simple, including the information most necessary; name, email address, description and file(s) to upload. Once submitted, the user will be directed to a basic “Thank You” page letting them know their submission has been received.
Sample Form
Note that files are uploaded with progress indicators for each one which allows for adding more files before sending.
The files will appear in a JotForm directory inside your Dropbox directory. A PDF is created which contains the information submitted with the form along with a list of the files. And don’t worry, each submission is contained in it’s own session directory rather than thrown into one big pile of unorganized files!
Submissions to Dropbox accounts are limited to 300 MB due to Dropbox’s API. If you need more for your submissions, JotForm allows up to 1 GB per submission.
Final Thoughts
JotForm’s Dropbox forms are awesome and so is JotForm’s regular forms. Like I said earlier, this will definitely be on my list of recommended apps. Although I’ve only covered the Dropbox form feature in this review, JotForm is well worth trying out if you’re looking for an easy and affordable web forms solution. They have a free plan so you really have nothing to lose.
Since JotForm is so great, we’ll be taking a more in-depth look at the full app in another review, so stay tuned! If you’ve already used the Dropbox form feature or plan on using it soon, let us know what you thought via comment below or Facebook.