# Anatomy of a form

Fields, parties, and annexes

Canonical URL: https://docs.paradoc.dev/concepts/forms/

Forms are the central artifact of Paradoc. They can be used to create anything from a simple purchase order to a complex multi-party agreement involving numerous nested fields, annexes, and logic.

In this section, we introduce the fundamental building blocks of a Form.

## Fields

Fields define what data a form collects. They are strongly typed, can represent different data types, and can be grouped into fieldsets. All fields have common base properties such as `label`, `description`, `required`, and `visible` that define their behavior in a form.

```ts
const form = p.form()
  .name("application")
  .fields({
    fullName: { type: "text", label: "Full Name", required: true },
    age: { type: "number", label: "Age" },
    startDate: { type: "date", label: "Start Date" },
  })
  .build()
```

### Primitives

Beyond basic types, Paradoc includes **primitives** for common real-world data—`address`, `money`, `phone`, `person`, `organization`, and others. Primitives carry semantic meaning: a `money` field includes currency and can be serialized appropriately for different locales.

```ts
fields: {
  propertyAddress: { type: "address", label: "Property Address" },
  monthlyRent: { type: "money", label: "Monthly Rent" },
  tenantPhone: { type: "phone", label: "Phone Number" },
}
```

See [Primitives](/schemas/primitives) for the complete list of field types.

***

## Parties

Parties are the roles that interact with a form. A lease might have `landlord` and `tenant` parties. An employment agreement might have `employer` and `employee`.

Parties define **roles**, not identities. At runtime, actual people or organizations are assigned to these roles.

```ts
const form = p.form()
  .name("lease")
  .parties({
    landlord: p.party().label("Landlord"),
    tenant: p.party().label("Tenant").max(4),
  })
  .build()
```

### Signatures

Signature requirements are defined per party. You can specify whether signatures are required, must be witnessed, or need notarization.

```ts
parties: {
  buyer: p.party().label("Buyer").signature({ required: true, witnesses: 1 }),
  seller: p.party().label("Seller").signature({ required: true }),
}
```

Signature requirements are part of the artifact definition. How signatures are captured and rendered depends on the runtime and layer.

***

## Annexes

Annexes are file attachments that accompany the form—things like photo IDs, proof of income, or supporting documents.

```ts
const form = p.form()
  .name("lease-application")
  .annexes({
    photoId: p.annex().title("Photo ID").required(true),
    proofOfIncome: p.annex().title("Proof of Income").required(true),
  })
  .build()
```

Annexes can have conditional visibility and requirements using [Logic](/concepts/logic).