# DHIS2 Custom Forms: When and Why to Use Them | Step-by-Step Tutorial | Metadata Series **URL:** \ **Category:** Resources - Ressources\ **Tags:** android, metadata, video-tutorial, metadata-series, beginners-guide\ **Created:** [14 September 2026 10:02 UTC](https://community.dhis2.org/t/dhis2-custom-forms-when-and-why-to-use-them-step-by-step-tutorial-metadata-series/76837 "2026-09-14T10:02:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mayamiko](https://dhis2.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/community.dhis2.org/mayamiko/32/45166_2.png) [@Mayamiko](https://community.dhis2.org/u/Mayamiko)\ **Post date:** [14 September 2026 10:02 UTC](https://community.dhis2.org/t/dhis2-custom-forms-when-and-why-to-use-them-step-by-step-tutorial-metadata-series/76837/1 "2026-09-14T10:02:39Z")
If Default Forms are automatically generated, and Section Forms let you organise and group your data elements, what happens when you need more control over how your data entry form looks or behaves? That’s where **Custom Forms** come in. Custom Forms give you greater flexibility to design your data entry form using an HTML editor. You can create your own layout and even display calculated fields within the form. But there’s a trade-off. Custom Forms require some programming or web development skills to build and maintain. They’re also **not compatible with the DHIS2 Android Capture app**. So Custom Forms aren’t necessarily the “better” option. They’re an option to consider when Default or Section Forms can’t meet your requirements. In this tutorial, I walk through **how to create a Custom Form in DHIS2**. [![](https://dhis2.b-cdn.net/uploads/default/original/3X/a/0/a0e146abc06caeeda77482c6e7423c4575c316e8.jpeg "How to Create a Custom Form in DHIS2 | Step-by-Step Tutorial") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JcWmP0oaeM) **Have you used Custom Forms before? What was the use case?**