When site authors create a new item, the first step, the Enter Properties step, is a form that is also known as an Author Entry Form. The information gathered here ensures that content from different authors has a consistent structure and formatting. You can customize the properties to fit your needs with the exception of the Title and Description fields which are always required. Properties are defined in the content type's administrative page.
Properties are configured by website administrators and are completed by site authors. In other words, they are not completed by constituents. The Comment type, however, is an exception; its properties page serves as the Add Comments submission form that constituents complete when they submit comments.
Properties can be used internally only, or they can be configured to display on published Web pages. For a property to display on a live page, you must add its corresponding field to the single or list display templates for the content type.
Example
The Author Entry Form for a movie review's content type might contain a text field for a Review Summary, a multiple-choice menu for Movie Genre, and a third choice for MPAA Rating. A Press Release content type might have additional property fields and menus such as Byline, Release Date, Contact Email Address, Related Regions, or Related Subjects.
Note: If you are creating a public web form, see Creating Web Forms.