Once you’ve built a web form, you need a way to access and manage the information you’ve collected. The Gravity Forms plugin for WordPress provides several flexible ways to do this, once you understand the software. Let’s dive in, starting with email notifications.
Managing web form entries involves accessing and organizing the information collected through online forms. The Gravity Forms plugin for WordPress provides flexible tools for this, including automatic email notifications, a centralized dashboard for viewing submissions, and options to export data to spreadsheets. Gravity Forms further enhances data management with conditional logic, allowing users to export specific entries based on predefined criteria.
How Do You Set Up Email Notifications for Web Form Submissions?
To set up email notifications for web form submissions, you can configure them within the Gravity Forms settings for each form. Gravity Forms automatically sends email notifications to you or your organization, or even to the submitter, with the form's information. You can title the notification, choose email recipients, control settings for the “from name,” and pick a “from email” (e.g., “no-reply@yourdomain”). A “reply to” email can also be pulled from the form submission. To begin, choose an existing form to edit, then navigate to “Settings” and click “Notifications.” Select “Edit” on the default notification to customize these options.
To begin, choose a form that you’ve already created to edit. Under the settings, click “Notifications.”
Usually a default notification already exists. Select “Edit.”
Now you can title the notification, choose email recipients, control settings for the “from name,” and pick a “from email.” We recommend that this “from email” address be something like “no-reply@yourdomain.” You can also add a “reply to” email, which gets pulled from the information entered in the form.
For a more detailed explanation of what all of these features mean, you can watch the webinar.
Where Can You View Submitted Web Form Entries?
In Dashboard, on the Forms tab, you will see all your different forms listed together. Under the title of each form, you will see “Edit,” “Settings,” and “Entries.” Click “Entries.”
All the submitted forms are collected here in one place so that you can easily access all the information you’ve gathered.
How Do You Export Web Form Entries and Data?
You can export collected web form information to a spreadsheet or other data collection sites via the “Import Export” section on the “Forms” tab in your Dashboard. To do this, click the Forms tab on Dashboard, then select “Import Export.” Under “Export Entries,” choose the form whose entries you wish to export. You can then select specific fields to export (e.g., only emails) and apply conditional logic to export entries only if certain criteria are met. For example, you could export names of people bringing food from a sign-up form if they checked a specific box.
This area lets you export the information you’ve collected to a spreadsheet or some other data collection site so that you can easily see it and use it. Under “Export Entries,” select the form whose entries you want to export. Now choose “Select Fields” to pick which specific fields you want exported. For example, you may only want the emails to add to your newsletter list. On the other hand, maybe you’re planning a potluck and want the names of all the dishes that your members are planning to bring on one spreadsheet. Either way, you can select the appropriate fields here.
In addition, you can use some conditional logic. At the bottom of this page, you will be able to set up your form so that certain entries are exported IF a certain thing happens.
For example, you may have a church meal sign-up form. You want to export all the names of the people who are planning to come to a spreadsheet. In addition, the church members may check a box and bring food if they would like, in which case they can list the dish they’re planning to bring on the form. You can then set up the settings so that IF the church members checked the “bring food” box, then the name of the food they’re planning to bring gets exported to a different spreadsheet. These conditional logic abilities are part of why Gravity Forms are so useful.
What Are the Next Steps for Learning About Web Forms?
For next steps in learning about web forms, you can explore additional resources. To get a more detailed and interactive explanation of how to manage entries from web forms, consider watching the webinar. If you're interested in learning how to build forms, read Part 1 of this blog post series. For insights into the different types of forms you can build, look out for Part 3 coming next week. Enjoy your form-building journey!
Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash
Frequently Asked Questions
- 1 How do I set up email notifications for new form submissions?
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You can configure email notifications within the Gravity Forms settings for each form. This allows you to specify recipients, "from" names, "from" email addresses (like "no-reply@yourdomain"), and even a "reply to" email pulled from the form submission.
- 2 Where can I view all the entries submitted through my web forms?
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All submitted form entries are collected and accessible in one place within your WordPress Dashboard. Navigate to the "Forms" tab, then select "Entries" under the title of the specific form you wish to review.
- 3 Is it possible to export form entries for use in other applications?
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Yes, the Gravity Forms plugin allows you to export collected information to a spreadsheet or other data collection sites. You can find this option under the "Import Export" section on the "Forms" tab in your Dashboard.
- 4 Can I select specific fields or apply conditions when exporting form data?
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Absolutely. When exporting, you can choose "Select Fields" to pick only the specific data you need (e.g., just emails). You can also use conditional logic to export entries only if certain criteria are met.
