Gravity Forms Plugin Setup for WordPress

Gravity Forms Plugin Setup for WordPress

Gravity Forms is a paid plugin for creating forms of any complexity: from simple contact forms to multi-step surveys with conditional logic, calculators, and CRM integration. The standard for serious WordPress projects.

Installation

The plugin is downloaded from gravityforms.com (requires active license). After installation:

Settings → Gravity Forms → License Key → activate

License is tied to domain — when moving a site, deactivate on old domain.

Creating a Form

Forms → New Form — add title, drag fields from right panel. Fields are divided into groups:

• Standard — Text, Textarea, Select, Checkbox, Radio, File Upload
• Advanced — Name (splits into first/last), Email, Phone, Address, Date, Time, Website
• Pricing — Product, Quantity, Total, Coupon (for order forms)
• Post — Post Title, Post Body, Post Image (create posts via form)

Conditional Logic

One of the main reasons to choose Gravity Forms — flexible conditional logic. Fields, sections, "Next" buttons can show/hide depending on other field values:

Field "Issue Type": [Question / Complaint / Suggestion]
  └── If "Complaint" → show field "Order Number"
  └── If "Suggestion" → show field "Your Idea"

Similarly — conditional logic at notification level: email to sales manager is sent only if category selected is "Purchase".

Notifications

Each form has multiple notifications with different recipients:

Notifications → Add New
→ Send To: Field value (e.g., Email form field)
→ From Name: {Site Name}
→ Subject: New request: {form_title}
→ Message: {all_fields} — inserts all fields automatically
→ Conditional Logic: send only if Select field = "Purchase"

Merge tags {field_id:1} substitute specific field values into email subject, body, Reply-To.

Confirmations

After form submission — thank you page, redirect, or text message. Can set multiple confirmations with conditions:

Confirmation 1 (Default): show text "Thank you, we'll reply within an hour"
Confirmation 2 (VIP): if Email = *@bigclient.com → redirect to /vip-thank-you/

PHP API

// Get submission data by entry ID
$entry = GFAPI::get_entry( $entry_id );
echo $entry['1']; // value of field with ID=1
echo $entry['created_by']; // WordPress user ID

// Get all form entries
$entries = GFAPI::get_entries( $form_id, [
    'status' => 'active',
    'date_range' => [ '2025-01-01', '2025-12-31' ],
] );

// Add entry programmatically
$entry = [
    'form_id' => 3,
    '1'       => 'John Smith',
    '2'       => '[email protected]',
    '5'       => 'Delivery question',
];
GFAPI::add_entry( $entry );

Hooks for Submissions

// Action after successful form submission (form ID=3)
add_action( 'gform_after_submission_3', function( $entry, $form ) {
    // Send data to CRM
    $name  = rgar( $entry, '1' );
    $email = rgar( $entry, '2' );
    send_to_crm( compact( 'name', 'email' ) );
}, 10, 2 );

// Custom validation
add_filter( 'gform_validation_3', function( $validation_result ) {
    $form  = $validation_result['form'];
    $phone = rgpost( 'input_4' );
    if ( ! preg_match( '/^\+7\d{10}$/', $phone ) ) {
        $validation_result['is_valid'] = false;
        foreach ( $form['fields'] as &$field ) {
            if ( 4 === $field->id ) {
                $field->failed_validation  = true;
                $field->validation_message = 'Format: +7XXXXXXXXXX';
            }
        }
        $validation_result['form'] = $form;
    }
    return $validation_result;
} );

Popular Add-ons

• Gravity Forms Stripe Add-On — accept payments directly in form
• Gravity Forms Zapier Add-On — integrate with thousands of services
• GravityView — display form entries on frontend (tables, cards)
• Gravity Forms + Custom Post Types — create CPT entries on form submission

Timeline

Setting up one form with notifications — several hours. Complex multi-step forms with conditional logic, calculators, CRM integration — 1–2 business days.