Questions in smart files let you create something as simple as a questionnaire, while also allowing for things like client comments or sign offs on mood boards, proofing documents, and more. You can even use them to allow clients to ask their own questions, cutting down even further on back and forth communication!
Adding a question to an existing block
1. Click the small plus (+) button within a block, then select Question.
2. Once you’ve added your question, jump here to customize it further!
Adding a new block with questions
1. First, find the page where you want the new block with questions to go and click the large plus (+) button, or create a new page.
2. Select Question.
3. Next, choose your preferred question layout. Or, if you'd prefer, you can also just click into your new block to get started customizing it immediately.
HoneyBook Tip: You can try a few different layouts by selecting from the layout gallery while it’s still open; once you’ve clicked the block to start editing, though, you won’t be able to switch to another! (Don’t worry—you can always delete the block you added and try again with a new layout.)
4. Once you’ve added your questions, jump here to customize them further!
Reusing questions from an existing template
With the reusable blocks and pages feature, you can easily reuse blocks that you’ve already designed in new smart files.
There are two ways to pull existing questions into your new smart file: use reusable pages if you want to pull an entire page containing questions from a saved smart file template into your new file.
Or, use reusable blocks if you want to pull in just the content block that the questions are part of. We’ll go over those steps below!
To reuse questions using reusable blocks:
1. Click the large plus (+) button to add a new block.
2. Select Question.
3. Select Reuse a content block from a template, then select an existing smart file template to pull in its content.
All of your templates containing blocks with questions will appear in this list–you might need to do some scrolling to locate the one containing the questions you’d like to reuse.
HoneyBook Tip: When you select a template to pull in its questions, the entire content block that contains the questions will be added to your new smart file. You can always delete unnecessary elements from the block once you’ve added it!
Customizing your questions
1. Once you’ve added questions, click a newly-added question to open the question’s settings, where you can select the question type. You can choose from:
Basic question types, like short text, dropdown, or a date picker, which save responses in the smart file's client progress area.
Linked question types, which automatically save responses to a project’s details fields in addition to the smart file's client progress area.
When you use a linked question, your client's answer can be used as a smart field when filling out client and project details. These smart fields are typically used to expedite contract creation, help with billing schedules, and more.
📣 Note
Linked questions won't be automatically answered by client details provided outside the smart file. For example, a linked question asking for the client's address must be answered, regardless of whether the client supplied that elsewhere (assuming the linked question is required).
From here, you can also toggle whether the question is required on or off.
2. Enter the text of your question, placeholder text in the answer field, and if necessary, the answer options (as in drop-down menu questions, multiple choice questions, etc.)
HoneyBook Tip: Clicking an existing question displays that question’s settings, so you can change the question type, mark the question as required, and see whether it is a linked question.
Your questions will default to the font and color you set up in your smart file theme, but you can always highlight the text of individual questions to adjust the formatting.
3. You can always customize the design of any content block by clicking the block container (outside of the boxes that hold the elements), which will open your block settings. Then:
Select a background color
Adjust the background color opacity
Select a background image from your Library, or upload a new one
Customize the content width (S, M, L, or 100%)
Adjust the column spacing by using the scroll bar
Change the top & bottom padding (S, M, L, or Custom)
Remember that you can also:
Reuse blocks and pages between smart file templates
Add more content to the block by hovering over an element, and clicking the plus (+) button above or below it
Rearrange or delete an element by clicking the element itself to display the move or trash can icons
Copy & paste elements or blocks by clicking to highlight the area, then using the Command-C/Command-V (Mac) or Control-C/Control-V (PC) commands to copy and paste
Rearrange or delete entire blocks by clicking the block container (outside of the boxes that hold the elements) to display the move or trash can icons for the block
Add background colors, images, or further customize the formatting of the block by clicking the block container (outside of the boxes that hold the elements)
Still have questions? Feel free to send us a message by clicking the Question Mark icon on any HoneyBook page. Our team is always happy to help!