How to automatically calculate the total amount in your order form?

"We are trying to create a google form where people can order food"- Google Docs Editors Community

This is a common question from people taking food orders on Google Forms. For example, if customers order cookies from your Google Form, they want to know what they owe before they submit. A Google Form cannot add up a total and a formula in your Sheet only works after they have sent the form. So you work out each amount by hand and message it back. With Neartail, the TOTAL function is already in your form. Your customers will see the total add up as they pick. Even better, your orders sync to Google Sheets, so you can see how many of each cookie to bake.

Let's start. Create your order form and follow the steps below.

How to use the TOTAL function to calculate the total amount?

  • On the page that opens, click "Enter your form name". Type your form's name, click Generate and wait about a minute.
  • Check the outline it suggests and click Proceed.
  • Once you create the form, you will land on the form's "Edit" tab. If it asks "Do you want to preview this form?", click No.
The tabs Edit, Preview, Share and Orders, with Edit marked
  • Your form comes with products, an Order Amount question that adds up by itself and an Order Quantity question. Click on each product and check its name and price, because a generated product can have no name and a price of 0.
  • Click on the Order Amount question, then click the ⚙️ icon
The Order Amount question selected in the editor, with its title and the gear at the bottom of its card marked
  • Field settings screen will be displayed. Select the "Answer" tab
The field settings panel of Order Amount with the Answer tab marked

TOTAL function

You can use the TOTAL function to calculate the total amount for the products ordered. The syntax for the TOTAL function is:
TOTAL(currency)
where
  • currency = currency identifier to find the price in the description for all question types/answer choices for multiple choice, checkbox and grid questions. It can be a symbol or text, but it has to exactly match the format used in the description/answer choices.
For example:
  • If the price format used in description is $50 each, $5.75 per kilo etc, the formula to calculate the total amount is TOTAL("$")
  • If the price format used in description is €50 each, €5.75 per kilo etc, the formula to calculate the total amount is TOTAL("€")
  • Your form already has TOTAL() in the Calculate option as shown below, so you do not have to write it
  • Close this screen
The Answer tab of the field settings of Order Amount with TOTAL() in the Calculate box, which is marked
To add a delivery fee or a discount to the total, click on Add price field in the toolbar on the right and choose Delivery Fee or Discount. Then click on Add price field again and choose Net Amount, which shows the amount to be paid. Without it, your customers pay only the Order Amount.
The Order Amount adds up as your customers pick their products, so they see what they owe before they submit.
The Cookie Order Form with 5 Earth, 4 Granola and 3 Oat Cookies ordered and an Order Amount of $21.55, which is marked

Summary

If customers order from your Google Form, it cannot show them a total, so you work it out by hand and message it back. With Neartail, the TOTAL function is already in your form and it adds up the total as they pick, so they see what they owe before they submit. Create your order form and complete the steps above. If you have any questions, write to support.

Last updated: