Is it possible to create a form in Webflow where a user can enter their name and email address, and upon submitting the form, a PDF file will automatically begin downloading?

Published on
September 22, 2023

Yes, it is possible to create a form in Webflow where a user can enter their name and email address, and upon submitting the form, a PDF file will automatically begin downloading. Here's how you can achieve this:

  1. Upload your PDF file to a hosting service: Before you can have users download the PDF file, you'll need to upload it to a file hosting service or cloud storage platform. Services like Dropbox or Google Drive can be used for this purpose.

  2. Create a form: In the Webflow Designer, drag and drop a Form Block onto your page. You can style this form block according to your design preferences.

  3. Add form elements: Within the Form Block, add two form elements: one for the name input (text field) and the other for the email address input (email field). Label these input fields appropriately.

  4. Add a hidden field: Create a hidden field in the form by adding a text field and setting its visibility to hidden. This hidden field will hold the URL of the PDF file.

  5. Set up the form submission: In the Webflow Designer, select the form and go to the right-hand panel. Under the Settings tab, enable the "Enable form submission" option. Webflow will generate a default submission URL, but you can change it if desired.

  6. Configure form submission actions: After enabling form submission, navigate to the Actions tab. Add a new action by clicking the "+" icon and select "Set value". Choose the hidden field you created earlier and enter the URL of the PDF file in the "value" field. This will dynamically populate the hidden field with the URL when the form is submitted.

  7. Create a success message: Still in the Actions tab, add a new action by clicking the "+" icon and select "Redirect to URL". Enter the URL of a Thank You page or a custom confirmation page you want users to see after they submit the form.

  8. Style and publish: Style the form and other elements on the page as desired. Preview the site to ensure the form functions correctly. Finally, publish the site so it goes live.

Now, when a user submits the form, the hidden field will be populated with the PDF file URL. The Thank You page or custom confirmation page will load, and the user can then trigger the PDF download by clicking a button or link on this page.

Additional questions:

  1. How can I add a file upload field to a form in Webflow?
  2. Can I integrate a third-party email service provider with my Webflow form?
  3. How can I track form submissions in Webflow with Google Analytics?