formCapt

formCapt is a lightweight library and protocol for capturing user interactions with web forms. Designed for analytics, usability testing, and accessibility research, it provides a structured event model that records when forms are focused, when fields are edited, validation outcomes, and submission attempts. The goal is to enable consistent, privacy-aware form data collection across projects.

Its features include automatic discovery of form fields, a pluggable adapter system for popular frameworks, real-time event emission, data redaction and masking for sensitive input, consent-driven activation, offline buffering, and straightforward export to JSON for analysis. The core is intentionally small and can be extended with framework-specific bindings as needed.

Architecture and usage: developers integrate the core library and optionally one or more adapters. When enabled, formCapt instruments form elements and emits events such as form_start, field_change, field_valid, field_error, form_submit, and submission_result to a central handler or analytics endpoint. Payloads are designed to minimize PII exposure and can be customized.

Privacy and compliance: formCapt emphasizes privacy by design, offering per-field masking, automatic redaction, and configurable data retention. It provides guidance for GDPR and related regulations and supports user opt-out and consent management mechanisms.

History and reception: formCapt emerged in the open-web tooling ecosystem as a practical solution for standardized form analytics. Adoption ranges by organization, with evaluations focusing on accuracy, performance impact, and privacy controls.