URL input

URL input asks the visitor for a web address and validates the format before continuing. Use this block when the workflow needs a link — a portfolio, company website, public profile, document URL, or any reachable web resource.

Applies to: Builder Widget Results Contact fields

Best for

Portfolio links, company websites, social profiles, document URLs, and any answer that should be a clickable web address.

Stores

A normalized URL string in workflow answers. Optionally updates a custom contact field of type URL.

Routes

Continues along the step’s default path. URL input does not branch based on the answer.

Use Text input for free-form references

If the answer is not a web address — for example, a project name or a free-text reference — use Text input. URL input enforces URL syntax and rejects anything that is not a valid http:// or https:// address.

At a glance

Capability	Supported
URL format validation	Yes, every answer is parsed
Allowed protocols	http:// and https:// only
Automatic normalization	Yes, the stored URL is the parsed canonical form
Maximum length	Yes, up to 2,000 characters
Per-answer routing	No, all answers continue along the step’s default path
Contact field binding	Yes, custom URL fields

Example

A portfolio-review workflow asks:

Where can we see your work?

The visitor types example.com/portfolio — DialogMaker rejects the answer because no protocol is included. The visitor retypes https://example.com/portfolio and presses Continue. The answer is stored as https://example.com/portfolio in the workflow result.

When to use URL input

Use URL input when the answer must be a valid web address.

Good use cases:

• Capture a portfolio or work-sample URL as part of a hiring workflow.
• Collect a company website during lead qualification.
• Ask for a public profile (LinkedIn, GitHub, personal site).
• Capture a document URL the team needs to reference.

Use a different block when:

• The answer is a free-text reference, project name, or description: use Text input.
• The answer is an email, phone number, number, or date: use the matching specialized block.

Add a URL input block

1. Open a workflow and go to the builder.
2. In the block sidebar, open Questions.
3. Add URL to a step.
4. Write the question text visitors should see.
5. Optionally set a placeholder shown inside the empty field.
6. Choose where to save the answer.
7. Connect the next path.

Configure the question

The question text appears immediately before the visitor sees the input. Keep it specific and answerable.

Good:

Where can we see your work?

Avoid:

Tell us about your background.

URL input expects a single web address. Frame the question so the answer is unambiguous.

Configure the input

Placeholder

The placeholder is the helper text shown inside the empty input field. Use it to remind visitors that a full URL with protocol is required — https://example.com/path is a good template.

The placeholder disappears as soon as the visitor starts typing.

Save the answer

URL input answers are always saved in workflow answers. You can also bind the answer to a custom contact field of type URL.

Question	Suggested contact field
Where can we see your work?	Portfolio (custom URL field)
What’s your company website?	Website (custom URL field)
What’s your LinkedIn profile?	LinkedIn (custom URL field)

URL input cannot bind to standard contact fields (First name, Last name, Email, Phone, Display name) — only custom fields with a URL value type are compatible.

Common patterns

Hiring portfolio capture

Ask candidates for a portfolio or sample link. Bind to a custom URL field so the recruiter has a single click-through from the contact record.

Lead enrichment

Capture a company website to seed downstream enrichment via a Webhook block.

Public profile capture

Collect a public profile link (LinkedIn, GitHub, personal site) for a prospect or candidate.

Document reference

Ask the visitor for a link to a brief, RFP, or other document the team needs to reference during follow-up.

Answer output

When a visitor submits a URL input answer, DialogMaker stores the parsed canonical URL.

{
  "type": "url",
  "value": "https://example.com/portfolio"
}

Field	Meaning
type	Always url for this block.
value	The parsed URL. The scheme is preserved, a trailing slash may be added by the parser, and surrounding whitespace is trimmed.

Routing behavior

URL input always continues along the step’s default path. The block does not branch on the answer’s content.

To route based on the URL — for example, by domain — add a Condition block after the URL input and check the saved value.

Validation and limits

DialogMaker rejects invalid URL input answers when:

• The answer is not a URL answer.
• The answer is empty after trimming whitespace.
• The answer cannot be parsed as a URL.
• The protocol is not http:// or https://.
• The answer exceeds 2,000 characters.

Troubleshooting

Problem	What to check
The visitor’s URL is rejected even though it works in a browser	The URL must include http:// or https://. example.com is rejected; https://example.com is accepted.
Visitors keep submitting URLs without a protocol	Add a placeholder like https://example.com/path to set the expected format.
A trailing slash appears in the stored URL when the visitor did not type one	The URL parser canonicalizes addresses and may add a trailing slash. The change is cosmetic and does not affect linking.
The URL cannot be bound to the contact’s email or phone field	URL input only binds to custom contact fields of type URL. Use the matching input block for typed contact fields.

Related articles

• Question blocks overview
• Answer storage
• Text input
• Email input