diff --git a/src/js/form-render.js b/src/js/form-render.js
index 77851ed3c..88b59b6ba 100644
--- a/src/js/form-render.js
+++ b/src/js/form-render.js
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ class FormRender {
       container: false, // string selector or Node element
       dataType: 'json',
       disableHTMLLabels: false,
-      formData: false,
+      formData: [],
       i18n: Object.assign({}, defaultI18n),
       messages: {
         formRendered: 'Form Rendered',
@@ -72,12 +72,12 @@ class FormRender {
     }
 
     // parse any passed formData
-    if (!this.options.formData) {
-      return false
+    if (this.options.formData) {
+      this.options.formData = this.parseFormData(this.options.formData)
+    } else {
+      this.options.formData = []
     }
 
-    this.options.formData = this.parseFormData(this.options.formData)
-
     // ability for controls to have their own configuration / options of the format control identifier (type, or type.subtype): {options}
     control.controlConfig = options.controlConfig || {}
 
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ class FormRender {
   /**
    * Clean up passed object configuration to prepare for use with the markup function
    * @param {Object} field - object of field configuration
-   * @param {number} instanceIndex - instance index
+   * @param {number} [instanceIndex] - instance index
    * @return {Object} sanitized field object
    */
   sanitizeField(field, instanceIndex) {
@@ -198,10 +198,9 @@ class FormRender {
     // Begin the core plugin
     const rendered = []
 
-    // generate field markup if we have fields
-    if (opts.formData) {
-      // instantiate the layout class & loop through the field configuration
-      const engine = new opts.layout(opts.layoutTemplates, false, opts.disableHTMLLabels)
+    // instantiate the layout class & loop through the field configuration
+    const engine = new opts.layout(opts.layoutTemplates, false, opts.disableHTMLLabels)
+    if (opts.formData.length) {
       for (let i = 0; i < opts.formData.length; i++) {
         const fieldData = opts.formData[i]
         const sanitizedField = this.sanitizeField(fieldData, instanceIndex)
@@ -212,33 +211,29 @@ class FormRender {
 
         rendered.push(field)
       }
+    } else {
+      opts.notify.warning(opts.messages.noFormData)
+    }
 
-      if (element) {
-        this.instanceContainers[instanceIndex] = element
-      }
+    if (element) {
+      this.instanceContainers[instanceIndex] = element
+    }
 
-      // if rendering, inject the fields into the specified wrapper container/element
-      if (opts.render && element) {
-        element.emptyContainer()
-        element.appendFormFields(rendered)
-
-        runCallbacks()
-        opts.notify.success(opts.messages.formRendered)
-      } else {
-        /**
-         * Retrieve the html markup for a passed array of DomElements
-         * @param {Array} fields - array of dom elements
-         * @return {string} fields html
-         */
-        const exportMarkup = fields => fields.map(elem => elem.innerHTML).join('')
-        formRender.markup = exportMarkup(rendered)
-      }
+    // if rendering, inject the fields into the specified wrapper container/element
+    if (opts.render && element) {
+      element.emptyContainer()
+      element.appendFormFields(rendered)
+
+      runCallbacks()
+      opts.notify.success(opts.messages.formRendered)
     } else {
-      const noData = utils.markup('div', opts.messages.noFormData, {
-        className: 'no-form-data',
-      })
-      rendered.push(noData)
-      opts.notify.error(opts.messages.noFormData)
+      /**
+       * Retrieve the html markup for a passed array of DomElements
+       * @param {Array} fields - array of dom elements
+       * @return {string} fields html
+       */
+      const exportMarkup = fields => fields.map(elem => elem.innerHTML).join('')
+      formRender.markup = exportMarkup(rendered)
     }
 
     if (opts.disableInjectedStyle === true) {
diff --git a/tests/form-render.test.js b/tests/form-render.test.js
index 4e32b7c9a..7c8133a85 100644
--- a/tests/form-render.test.js
+++ b/tests/form-render.test.js
@@ -6,21 +6,13 @@ const basicTextAreaDef = {
   'required': false,
   'label': 'Text Area',
   'className': 'form-control',
+  'description': 'A nice help bubble',
   'name': 'textarea-elem',
   'access': false,
   'subtype': 'textarea',
   'userData': ['AValue'],
 }
 
-describe('FormRender invalid setup', () => {
-  test('will fail on no formData', () => {
-    const errors = [], warnings = [], success = []
-    $('<div>').formRender({notify: errorHandler(errors,warnings,success)})
-    expect(errors[0]).toBe('No form data.')
-    expect(success).toHaveLength(0)
-  })
-})
-
 describe('Form Rendering', () => {
   test('can render json form document', () => {
     const container = $('<div>')
@@ -31,7 +23,7 @@ describe('Form Rendering', () => {
     const html = container.formRender('html')
 
     expect(success[0]).toBe('Form Rendered')
-    expect(html).toContain('<textarea class="form-control" name="textarea-elem" user-data="AValue" id="textarea-elem"></textarea>')
+    expect(html).toContain('<textarea class="form-control" name="textarea-elem" user-data="AValue" id="textarea-elem" title="A nice help bubble"></textarea>')
     expect(container.find('textarea[name=textarea-elem]').val()).toBe('AValue')
   })
 
@@ -81,4 +73,44 @@ describe('Form Rendering', () => {
     fb.clear()
     expect(fb.userData[0].userData).not.toEqual(['string to find'])
   })
+
+  test('will load empty form on no formData', () => {
+    const errors = [], warnings = [], success = []
+    $('<div>').formRender({notify: errorHandler(errors,warnings,success)})
+    expect(warnings[0]).toBe('No form data.')
+    expect(success).toHaveLength(1)
+  })
+
+  test('will load empty form on undefined formData', () => {
+    const errors = [], warnings = [], success = []
+    $('<div>').formRender({notify: errorHandler(errors,warnings,success), formData: undefined})
+    expect(warnings[0]).toBe('No form data.')
+    expect(success).toHaveLength(1)
+  })
+
+  test('Can set data then render after initialisation of empty form', () => {
+    const errors = [], warnings = [], success = []
+    const container = $('<div>')
+    container.formRender({notify: errorHandler(errors,warnings,success)})
+    container.formRender('setData', [basicTextAreaDef])
+    let textarea = container.find('#textarea-elem')
+    expect(textarea).toHaveLength(0)
+
+    container.formRender('render')
+
+    textarea = container.find('#textarea-elem')
+    expect(textarea).not.toHaveLength(0)
+  })
+
+  test('Can render after initialisation of empty form', () => {
+    const errors = [], warnings = [], success = []
+    const container = $('<div>')
+    container.formRender({notify: errorHandler(errors,warnings,success)})
+    let textarea = container.find('#textarea-elem')
+    expect(textarea).toHaveLength(0)
+
+    container.formRender('render', [basicTextAreaDef])
+    textarea = container.find('#textarea-elem')
+    expect(textarea).not.toHaveLength(0)
+  })
 })
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