WPForms lets you save the form submissions as entries in the WordPress backend. This feature is only in the paid version of WPForms. However, even if you have the paid version of WPForms even then there isn’t any direct way to show the WPForms entries in frontend of your website.
So, how can you display WPForms entries in the post or page of your website?
The solution is to use the WPForms Views addon. It lets you show form submissions on the page, post, or sidebar of your website. It is very easy to use and features a drag and drop builder.
Plugins Required:
Required plugins for showing the WPForms entries in frontend
Steps to Confirm Entries are Saved in Backend
- Install and activate WPForms Basic.
- If you haven’t created a form yet then create a form via WPForms -> Add New.
- Add the form to the frontend of your site and do a form submission. If you are using a Gutenberg editor then you can use the WPForms or it can also be shown with a shortcode. For styling the form you can use Styler for WPForms plugin.
- Make sure that the entry is saved in the backend. Entries can be checked under WPForms -> Entries.
Steps to Create a View
This tutorial only covers the free version of WPForms views addon which is available for download in the WordPress plugin repository. There are premium addons for WPForms Views as well which further extends its functionality. We will cover those addons in a separate tutorial article.
Settings options in WPForms views
- Install and activate WPForms Views addon.
- Navigate to WPForms Views -> Add New.
- Set a name for your view.
- Now select the form for which you want to show the entries in the frontend.
- Next, you have to select the type of view for entries. It can be either Table or List. The table view will present all the entries in a table format with rows and columns. The list view can be used to present entries in a custom layout.
- Add the fields for the entries you want to show in the frontend.
- Copy the shortcode and then publish the view.
- Paste this shortcode anywhere( page, post, or sidebar ) to show the view.
Detailed Guide for Table and List view of Entries
WPForms Views contains ‘‘Before Submission List’, ‘Submission List’ and ‘After Submission List’ sections under which you can add data which will be shown in the frontend.
Before Submission List
This is the data that is shown before the entries. You can divide the section into multiple columns by clicking on the grid icon. This column can have Pagination, Pagination Info, HTML, and Search fields.
Before submission section in wpforms view
- Pagination: It shows the page count for the entries. It automatically calculates the number of pages in which the entries are divided. You can set a label for pagination and add a custom CSS class by clicking on the Settings ( Gear ) icon of the pagination field.
- Pagination Info: This field shows the information about the total number of pages and the current page which is active. Its label can also be changed as well as a custom class can be added from settings.
- HTML: Here you can use custom HTML code to add headings, text, images, videos, etc. Its label and custom CSS can also be set from settings.
- Search: It lets the user do a search for entries from the frontend. The search field can be presented in a vertical or horizontal layout. You can specify / Limit the search to only specific fields of the form. Custom CSS class can also be added for search fields to make design changes to it.
Submission List for Table View
Submission List for Table View
For table view all the fields you add under this section will become headings of columns with their data shown beneath as cells. So, if you have 5 entries and you add the name and email field in this section then the data for those fields of entries will show under the respective headings.
Submission List for List View
Submission list section for list view
If you have selected list view then this section will have the option to set the columns and you can add fields in each column. You can add multiple rows with different numbers of columns. This gives you complete control over the layout of your frontend entries.
After Submission List
After Submission List in Views for WPForms
This contains the data which is shown after the Submission List view. It contains the same set of fields ( Pagination, Pagination Info, HTML, and Search ).
Details for View Settings
The free version of WPForm Views contains the following settings.
View Settings Tab
Settings Tab for View
- Entries Per Page: This setting limits the number of entries displayed per page. It is used by the pagination field to calculate the number of pages.
- Display Only Logged in User Entries: If this setting is enabled then only the entries of the logged-in user will be shown. It won’t show the entries of other users.
- Hide View Data until the search is performed: If this setting is enabled then no entries will be shown to users until a search is performed.
- Display only Starred Entries: If you have starred any entries from WPForms entries backend then you can enable this option to limit the entries on the frontend.
- Display only Viewed entries: This setting lets you limit the frontend entries to only the ones which have opened from WPForms entries backend.
Sort & Filter Settings Tab
Settings tab for sort and filter
Sort and Filter settings let you change the order as well as limit the entries displayed on the frontend.
- Sort: When you click on the ‘Add’ button next to sort then you will get the option to select the field according to which sorting of entries should happen as well as change the order to Descending or Ascending. You can sort according to multiple fields.
- Filter: Similar to the Sort option you can filter the entries according to field values. When you click on the ‘Add’ button next to the Filter option you get to choose the field, condition, and its value.
Steps to Show WPForms Entries in Frontend
Showing WPForms Entries in Frontend
- Once you have published a view then you can copy its shortcode from the right sidebar.
- Open the post or page where you want to show the view. Paste the shortcode in the shortcode block ( Gutenberg Editor ) or text block of any theme builder you are using.
- Publish the page and you can see the view in Frontend.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this work with WPForms Lite?
No, it doesn’t work with WPForms lite. It requires that you have at least a WPForms Basic license. The reason it doesn’t work with the lite version is that the lite version doesn’t store entries in the database.
How many Views can I create for one form?
You can create as many separate views for your form as you like. There aren’t any restrictions on the number of views for each form.
Can I use the same view on multiple pages?
Yes, you can add the same view to multiple pages or posts.
Why can’t I filter by a numerical field?
Are the Entries field of the Entries table exposed in the Developer Edition? I’d like to be able to retrieve some of the entries field of the Entries table.