Forms overview - Serval Documentation

Why Serval forms

Capability	What it means
Built by describing them	Tell Catalyst what to collect. It writes the fields, validation, and submit workflow.
Live data inside the form	A form can run a workflow while it’s open: check stock, look up a manager, price a license.
Conditional by default	Fields appear, become required, or change options based on earlier answers.
Typed answers	Dates, durations, uploads, database records, and Serval users are real field types with real constraints.
One form, every surface	The same form renders in the catalog, in a ticket, and as a Slack modal.
Versioned like a workflow	Edits autosave to a draft. Publishing deploys a version. Every version is restorable.

When to use a form

Use a form when	Example
A request always needs the same facts	Laptop request: model, justification, needed-by date
Answers must be valid before work starts	Access request: a real system, a real role, a real expiry
Questions depend on earlier answers	Onboarding: contractor or employee changes what you collect
The requester picks from real data	A cost center, an application, a device from a database

Need only a parameter or two before running an automation? Workflow inputs may be enough. Reach for a form when the request has sections, logic, live data, and a lifecycle worth versioning.

Lifecycle

Build

Describe the form to Catalyst, or edit its code directly.

Preview and publish

The preview is the real form, rendered by the real engine.

Employees fill it in

From the catalog, a link, or because the Help Desk Agent offered it in their ticket.

Submit starts the workflow

Every submission and its run appears under Run history.

Create a form

Build, preview, and publish your first version.

Fields and layout

Every field type, its validation, and how to lay out sections.

Logic and workflows

Conditional fields, live data, and the submit handler.

Share and fill

Catalog, tickets, Slack, and who can open a form.

​Where forms live

​Why Serval forms

​When to use a form

​Lifecycle