Need a contact form that sends emails to dynamic recipients?
Do you need to route messages to different departments? Wish you could conditionally set dynamic recipients based on choices in your form? Formidable Forms does all this and more!

Every contact form plugin that I've ever used sends emails. Nearly all allow you to define CC or BCC recipients as well as your TO address. Formidable Forms does more! Built-in features allow you to dynamically control where messages are routed depending on each individual form entry.

This control of dynamic recipients makes Formidable Forms special.

Today I'll examine three main aspects of this feature, and their real world applications.

1. Send different messages to each recipient using conditional logic.
2. Route the same email to a list of dynamic recipients, using the Separate values approach.
3. Send the same email to all recipients using email addresses that were entered in another form with the Dynamic field approach.

Send a different message to each recipient with Conditional Logic

Suppose you have three departments in your company, and a form on your website for people to leave an inquiry. You want to send each department a notification about the inquiry only if it is applicable to them.

Additionally, each message can be individually customized, so each department only receives the details applicable to them, and some information can be excluded for privacy reasons if required.

1. In your form, add a field for users to choose the Department they wish to contact. For this example, I'm going to add the options Human resources, Billing and Housekeeping in a Dropdown.
2. Next, in your form go to Settings → Form Actions. Then click the Email Notification icon to add new notifications - one for each department.
   
3. Enter the recipient email address in the To box. Then enter your message in the Message box. Repeat this for each department, customizing each message if you wish.
4. In each of your email actions, click "Use Conditional Logic". Define the conditional logic so that each email action is only triggered when the matching selection is made by a user in the form. In this example, the email is triggered only when the 'Department' selection is equal to 'Human Resources'. Repeat this for each of your email actions.
   
5. Now, each department will get an email notification only when the submitted inquiry is relevant to their department. Also, when configured, the email content can be unique for each department.

Use Separate Values to route email messages

To send the same email to everyone, but have the recipients change based on a field in your form, you should use Separate Values.

Let's take the same scenario with a company that has three departments. You want to send human resources an email only if it is applicable to them; the same is true for your billing and housekeeping departments. Since the email message will be identical no matter the chosen department, this is simpler to setup. You only need to setup one email action with dynamic recipients.

1. As described in the first example, add a drop down or radio field to your form. Check the option to "Use separate values" in the field options.
2. Add the department for the displayed value and the email address for the saved value. When your users fill out the form, they will select the department related to their inquiry.
   
3. In your Form actions, add a new notification and click on the To box. Then click on your dropdown or radio button field in the 'Customization' sidebar to add this field to the To box. Next, add show="value" to the field ID in your To box. Now, selecting "Human Resources" in the department dropdown, routes the email only to hr@example.com.
   

Use Dynamic Fields to set email recipients

Use this method to send the same email notification to all recipients, and have the recipient change based on a field in your form.

A big advantage of this method is that email addresses are hidden. Even when inspecting the code in the page, there is no way to see them. Email addresses dynamically populate using entries from another form.

Again we'll base this example on the same company with three departments. For this method we require two forms - the Contact Form as usual, and also a Data Form which will hold the list of departments and corresponding email addresses.

1. 1. Create a new form titled "Departments" - this is the Data Form. Add two fields: A Single Line Text field for the Department Name, and an Email Address field.
   2. Add an entry for each option you want your users to select from. For example, 'Human Resources' in the text field and 'hr@example.com' in the email field
   3. Next, go to your inquiry form and add a 'Dynamic Field'. In the "Import Options From" box select "Entries from a form field", choose your Data Form, and select your "Department Name" field. You can choose to display as Dropdown, Radio buttons, or Checkboxes.
   4. In your Form Actions, add a new email notification. Select the To box, then click on the "Department Emails" field in the Customization sidebar to add this field to the list of email recipients. Now selecting human resources as the department routes the email notification to the HR inbox.

So what are you waiting for? Streamline your workflow today with custom e-mail routing!

Did you know that Formidable Forms also has amazing Conditional Redirect features? Combine the two and make your contact forms work harder!

Trial Formidable Forms risk-free with our 14 day money back guarantee!

The post How to send emails to dynamic recipients from a WordPress contact form appeared first on Formidable Forms.

Are simple contact forms your first thought when Formidable Forms is mentioned?
Probably not! Advanced calculations and conditional logic are among the features that usually get our users excited. But Formidable Forms also has unique features that make even simple contact forms work harder for your business!

Every now and then, it’s nice to get back to basics. Formidable Forms doesn't have to be complex. In fact, creating a simple contact form with Formidable Forms takes only a few minutes!

Simple, reliable, future proof contact forms for your website

Even though this tutorial will focus on a simple setup - this can be expanded in the future. Since all form entries are captured in your WordPress database by default, you have the option to use them in the future, in Views, Graphs & Statistics.

Step 1 - Build your simple contact forms

There are loads of tutorials and knowledge base articles on how to build simple contact forms. I don't want to repeat it all here, but if you need a refresher, check out our form building tutorial. You can even use one of the built-in form templates to help build your form quicker.

Step 2 - Create a contact us page

In your WordPress dashboard, click on Pages -> Add New. Create a new page and title it "Contact Us".

Step 3 - Click the Formidable button for shortcode builder

Edit your new contact page. Click the Formidable button above the content editing box - this is next to the Add Media button. The shortcode builder lets you quickly and easily add Forms, Graphs, Views, a Search Form, a Single Entry, or a List of Entries.

Step 4 - Insert your form

Use the options in the Formidable Forms shortcode builder to select your form, configure your shortcode and click the "Insert into Post" button to add the form to your page. The shortcode builder does all the work for you, so you don't need to remember the shortcode - or any code at all - just select the options you need.

Step 5 - Save and view

Now, just save your page, and click to preview it. As simple as that, your form has been added to your page!

Step 6 - Edits made easy!

When a form is published on a page, you will notice a new Formidable link in the black WordPress admin bar. Hover over this to see a dropdown of all the forms included on that specific page. These are shortcuts to directly edit each form. With one simple click on one of these links, you can be taken directly to the form builder page, and make changes or updates to your form.

Conclusion

In less than ten minutes, with zero coding knowledge and minimal computer skills, you can build a beautiful contact form that generates interest from your online presence. Simple contact forms have never been so simple. But wait - there's more!

Advanced features that work with simple forms!

Even the simplest contact form can do MORE! Formidable Forms has some features that make it stand out from the crowd. As your online presence grows, you can add the following features:

• Create a list of previous submissions in a View - allowing admin to easily check that each message has been responded to.
• Use a "Department" dropdown in your contact form and graph how many inquires go to each department.
• Integrate with Mailchimp, adding users to your mailing list automatically.
• Setup an auto-responder which sends out custom offers and promotions to users at set times each week or month.
• Integrate instant price estimators with field calculations.
• Take payments or deposits on bookings with Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net (and more) payment options.
• Conditional redirect on submission to take users to products/information relevant to their query.

Formidable Forms may be perfect for simple contact forms - but it has the power to grow with your business too!

If you're not already a user, why not check out the free Lite version of Formidable Forms today? Even better - take advantage of our 14 day money back guarantee to try out Formidable Forms completely risk-free!

The post How to create simple contact forms in WordPress appeared first on Formidable Forms.

Want to make an online survey form to gather feedback? Effortlessly generate reports and eye-catching graphs to illustrate your survey results with Formidable as your WordPress survey plugin.

Let's start with the obvious. There are HUNDREDS of online survey tools available.

So what makes Formidable stand out from the crowd? There are more reasons than I could mention in a single blog post, but let's start with the highlights.

Self-hosted survey forms seamlessly build your brand

Chances are good that you've taken a survey online that was built with a survey maker like Survey Monkey or Polldaddy. But do you remember which company the survey was for? Was it branded by Survey Monkey or the company running the survey?

Keep your visitors on your site when you use a WordPress survey plugin. Control the all the branding, set your form colors, and include the form on any page of your WordPress site. Then maintain full control over the collected data since it's stored in your database. Survey results can't be held captive by a monthly fee. Plus, create all the surveys you want without usage restrictions or high monthly fees.

Read more: 8 reasons to use Formidable for your WordPress Poll Plugin

Easily build a complex online survey form

Many online surveys use a Scale field. This gives the user a choice of radio buttons, usually on a scale of 1 - 10. Assigning a value of "Strongly disagree" to 1 and "Strongly agree" to 10 can help you discover what your users think about your product or service.

Scale fields aren't the only option though. Checkbox fields, radio buttons and drop downs can all have numeric separate values applied. Used in conjunction with default values, Hidden Fields and field calculations, complex math can be performed right within your form. The output of your calculations can be used in the reports or graphs.

A long survey can be split into a multi-page form with a rootline or progress bar. This approach is user-friendly and increases conversion rates of long online survey forms. Plus, your surveys can branch by skipping the pages that don't apply to your user.

Generate reports from your survey results

Once your online survey form is complete, you need an easy way to view the results of the submitted data. That's where the You must include a valid field id or key in your stats shortcode. shortcode shines!

Display the total, number of submissions, average score, maximum or minimum score and much more for any given field. Follow the guide to filter statistics by date or by the value of another entry.

The shortcode options allow for almost unlimited reports, with a solution to meet every requirement.

Build beautiful graphs

All the data in the world won't do you any good if you can't understand what the numbers are saying. Numeric reports are always useful, but you may instantly recognize an emerging trend shown in a graph that would otherwise have been missed.

Beautiful, eye-catching graphs and charts show form data in seconds. Transform your dull numerical results into vibrant graphs that show data trends at a glance. Formidable Forms offers a wide range of graphing options to choose from.

• column graphs
• horizontal bar graphs
• area graphs
• scatter graphs
• pie charts

• line graphs
• histograms
• tables
• stepped area graphs
• geographic heat maps

The full range of graphing options is too extensive to cover in this blog post, but you can read more about building graphs in the documentation.

Read more: 10 tips for creating a customer survey form

Have you built an online survey that you're particularly proud of? Share it in the comments and provide inspiration to those just getting started.

The post Build an online survey form with a WordPress survey plugin appeared first on Formidable Forms.

Need a WordPress poll plugin with formidable features? Create amazing WP polls in minutes, and generate reports and graphs that integrate with your forms and Views.

Online polls aren't new. There are hundreds of solutions to help you build an online poll. But what if you need your poll to do a bit more than average?

Formidable isn't your average WordPress poll plugin. And it isn't just an online form builder with some poll features added as an afterthought. Instead, Formidable is a comprehensive form and data management system that excels at collecting user responses.

The powerful features of Formidable can turbocharge your online polls. Improve user-experience, do more with your data, and even integrate with social media!

5 top reasons to use Formidable as a WordPress poll plugin

Today I want to highlight some innovative features that make Formidable the perfect choice for running an online poll.

1. Let users manage their poll responses. If your users are logged in, add a hidden user id field. This allows you to show a user their own votes in a View and allow them to edit their answers.
2. SMS Text Polls. The Twilio add-on lets users vote via SMS text! Read how to set up SMS text voting or find ideas on how to use SMS polls to engage your audience.
3. Reports & graphs. Display poll results in real-time. The built-in graph features show up-to-date information every time the page loads. Now you can keep track of how votes are progressing with zero lag.

   Read more: Build an online survey form with a WordPress survey plugin

4. Integrate with 3rd-party apps. Share poll data with other online services and even social media. The Zapier add-on makes integration easy, with connections to over 750 different apps and services!
5. Crazy simple setup. Long-time Formidable user or complete newbie, it doesn't matter. Formidable is easy to use and is backed by an amazing support team. You'll be amazed by how quickly and easily you build your online polls.

Want even more from a WordPress poll plugin?

As if that wasn't enough, Formidable has 3 more amazing features that you won't get in any stand-alone poll plugin.

6. Tailor poll questions to your audience with smart conditional logic. Want different questions for different age groups? Ask the age at the start of your poll, and then use conditional logic to determine which questions appear.
7. MailChimp integration allows you to add poll responders to your mailing list automatically.
8. Unlike many online poll solutions, Formidable can be visually styled to match your existing website and branding. Make your poll look planned and professional, instead of just an afterthought.

Have you built an amazing online poll using Formidable? We'd love to see what you created! Submit your site to the community showcase.

Create your WP polls with the most powerful WordPress form builder anywhere and get all the benefits that come with it.

The post 8 reasons to use Formidable for your WordPress Poll Plugin appeared first on Formidable Forms.

From lifelong programmers to those starting their first website, we want Formidable to be the perfect tool for everyone. Which form builder license is the best fit for you?

What are the differences between Formidable license types?

Did you know that the core Pro features are the same for ALL paid license types?

We are often asked if a specific feature is included with one of the smaller licenses. The answer is YES! The biggest difference is the number of allowed sites and the add-ons that are included with the form builder license package.

Which form builder license is best for you?

Are you setting up your own site and need a smart contact form with conditional logic and multiple file uploads? The Personal license is probably all you need. Or maybe you only need a basic contact form? Install Formidable Forms for free and start with the contact form we built for you.

Maybe you need your contact form to add leads to your MailChimp email list? It may be more cost effective to purchase a license that includes extra add-ons.

All licenses are upgradable, so if your needs change and you end up with more sites than your license allows, simply move up to the next level.

Are you setting up multiple sites for a small company? Use the Professional license on 3 sites and the Small Business license on 15.

Will you be using your WordPress forms to collect payments on your own site? The Enterprise license includes an unlimited number of websites, and your Formidable forms can accept payments through Stripe, Authorize.net, or WooCommerce.

Every license comes with 1 year of support and updates. After that year is up, renew to get continued access to support and plugin updates. The exception is the Enterprise license, which includes lifetime updates in addition to the standard 1 year of support!

Has your form builder license expired? Click here for details on how to renew.

Do I have to renew each year?

While we do recommend renewal, it is not always essential. Renewing gives you access to the latest Formidable releases, so you get all the latest and greatest features, security patches, and bug fixes. You also have access to our world-class support should you need assistance with any advanced features.

If you choose not to renew, Formidable will continue to function with all Pro features intact. Your forms will work just the same as before.

We offer renewal discounts that vary from 20-50% off for each license type. Renewal covers another full year of support and access to new add-ons and updates allowed by your license level.

In addition, the Enterprise renewal covers Elite support. Get immediate help from our team within 2 business hours. Your forms are collecting money and we know your problems are urgent. We've got you covered.

Which Formidable add-ons are included?

Add-ons are included with some license types. In addition, the Enterprise license also includes advanced form and style templates.

Note: This list will get outdated. Check our form creator pricing to see which add-ons are currently included with each license type.

Did you know that some Formidable add-ons work with the Lite version?

Do you need a basic contact form on your site that sends visitors to PayPal? Many add-ons work with both the paid and free versions in case you don't need all the power of Pro.

Add-ons that do not require a Pro installation include PayPal Standard, MailChimp, Form Action Automation, Polylang, Bootstrap Modal, WP Multilingual, Signature, Formidable API, User Tracking, Bootstrap Styling, Twilio, Highrise and AWeber.

What unique features does Formidable Forms offer?

Did you know that Formidable Forms is the only WordPress form builder plugin that includes Views? Display, search, and filter data submitted via a Formidable form. Create powerful sites containing real estate listings, job boards, event calendars, business or member directories and searchable databases.

Also unique to Formidable are cascading lookup fields. Create a dependent drop down list in a snap. This is perfect for country/state/city or year/make/model fields. The available options are filtered by the value selected in a prior field.

Cascading lookup fields can also fill other values in your form. This takes the place of complex calculations for price estimates, quotes, and payment forms. Instead of impossibly complex calculations, filter down to a price or final value. As the user selects options in Lookup fields, a value is automatically added into a text field.

Create relationships between forms with Dynamic fields. This sets up a one-to-many relationship, just like a database. This way, you don't need to duplicate information in multiple forms. Link it up and use those linked values in Views.

See more powerful form builder and web app plugin features that set Formidable apart.

How much can I save on my WordPress form builder license?

Do you need advanced forms on your website? Will you be using your forms long-term and not just for one year? This price comparison includes the cost over the average lifespan of a website between redesigns. In my experience this is usually about 4 years.

Save even more! The comparison above includes the cost with renewal each year. The Formidable Enterprise license includes lifetime updates, so if you do not need access to Elite support or new addons, you may never need to renew. This means a one-time payment of $399 gives you amazing WordPress forms forever!

Get started today with the Formidable Forms license that is just for you.

The post Which form builder license is best for me? appeared first on Formidable Forms.

Looking for a WordPress registration plugin with branded custom login and user registration forms? Replace the default WordPress registration forms today.

Disappointed with the default WordPress registration forms?

Does your site require users to register? Then you know what a let-down the default WordPress registration forms can be. You spent a lot of time branding your site with every tiny detail. But your aesthetic is ruined by the blandness of the WordPress login and registration forms.

The User Registration add-on for Formidable Forms is a WordPress registration plugin with impressive features.

Registration forms, login forms, password reset forms, and profile building forms are quick and easy to build. Then add them on any page of your site to completely customize every page to match your site colors and brand identity.

Customize login forms for increased conversion rates

Move away from the default WordPress registration and login forms for huge advantages. We covered these in another recent post about how to customize the WordPress login page. The most noteworthy benefit is the conversion rates.

Your "Thank You" page after registration makes a MASSIVE difference to conversion rates. Use a key feature every WordPress registration plugin should have (but many lack): custom re-direct URL after submission.

Send users directly to your perfectly crafted Thank You page and strike while the iron is hot. Introductory offers, time limited specials, or an "exclusive deal that will be gone tomorrow", are all effective methods to turn that new user into a new customer. Capitalize on the moment when a purchase is most likely.

The Formidable WordPress registration plugin is among our top 3 add-ons

It's no wonder, because of the powerful features it provides:

• Create custom registration forms using Formidable Forms.
• Allow users to register and edit their profile from the front-end of your site.
• Allow administrators, or other specified roles, to register users from the front-end of your site.
• Retrieve user meta and auto-populate forms with a logged-in user's information with user registration custom fields.
• Publish a login form anywhere on your site.
• Publish a reset password form anywhere on your site.
• Allow visitors to create a subsite on a multi-site network, from the front-end of your site.

Easily build WordPress user profiles

Combine the power of Formidable forms and the User Registration add-on, for a minimal, high-converting registration form. Plus, allow users to build a more detailed profile over time.

A registration form should have very few fields to maximize conversions. Formidable allows this initial registration form to link to a longer, more detailed profile form for users to complete at their convenience.

Don't want to built the form yourself? No problem. We've built a profile edit form template for you.

Users are busy and the security-conscious aren't keen on giving out all their details straight away. Other solutions that require all this information in a single step can suffer from poor conversion rates.

Why should I register users?

So how does it benefit you to create user accounts on your WordPress site? Once a user is registered, your options for powerful web applications open up exponentially. Reliably collect, combine, edit, and append data. Keep the submitted information private and let users edit it. The options are limitless: personal journals, job boards, classified ads, and anything else based on user-submitted content.

Get started with the WordPress form builder that opens doors to powerful applications and data-driven sites. Then add even more power and flexibility with the Formidable WordPress registration plugin.

The post How can a WordPress registration plugin help me? appeared first on Formidable Forms.

Do you wish there was a way to make content management easier? Simple content creation and editing for your WordPress clients could save you hours every day!

Do you design amazing websites for your clients?

You already know a great website is updated regularly. But are your clients comfortable updating the content on their own sites?

In a world filled to bursting with smart devices and new tech, it's easy to underestimate how daunting content management can seem.

Formidable Forms makes content management so simple even your Grandma could do it. Your website pages and posts can all be managed from the front-end. That's right - users can edit their content and add new content without ever seeing the WordPress dashboard!

Why make content management easy?

I've a long background in web design, so this is a subject that is close to my heart. The core issue with content management is time.

When you manage a single website, time isn't usually an issue. But when you have hundreds of clients, and you are solely responsible for content updates on all their websites, this takes up a significant portion of your working week! This is an issue I experienced personally when I first started out as a web designer.

Before WordPress, my clients needed a copy of Dreamweaver and a basic understanding of HTML if they wanted to update their own website. Most clients had neither the software, nor the expertise. This meant me undertaking lots of time consuming edits, often breaking away from my current project to get them done.

When I discovered WordPress, I immediately recognized a huge benefit. My clients could log in and make their own edits and cut hours off my workload every week. Unfortunately, this didn't pan out straight away. My clients didn't think WordPress was as user-friendly as I did!

Then, page builder plugins like Cornerstone and Visual Composer came along. These made content management even easier again! But even with this additional level of user-friendliness, many of my clients were not convinced. I tried writing tutorials, and recording screengrab video guides to show the whole process step-by-step. But uptake was still glacial.

The bottom line was simple: many of my clients don't like the WordPress dashboard. Anything involving the back-end of the website is overwhelming and scary.

The solution: Content creation with simple WordPress forms

My very first project using Formidable involved creating WordPress posts from form entries. Once I'd discovered the power of that system, I knew this could be the solution I'd been looking for.

Entire posts and pages were generated from a simple form. Photos were uploaded and even galleries. I setup layouts and formatting so that everything looked professionally designed. All my clients had to do was submit a form!

I tried it out and was pleasantly surprised. My clients liked this system and actually used it!

Initially, I used this system so users could add simple blog posts. Then using custom post types, I discovered that portfolio items, testimonials, team profiles and much more could be added in the same way.

Editing content created via WordPress forms

If your content is created via forms, it is a "must-have" to allow users to easily edit this content. Thankfully Formidable has amazing front-end editing features!

A list of all created content can be displayed in a simple View. An edit link next to each item allows the user to go to that entry with a single click and update it.

This View can also be filtered by user. So if you have multiple content creators on your site, each will only be able to edit their own entries.

What about content that was created before Formidable was setup? Create form entries from existing posts to make them editable via your form!

Front-end content management for the win

Discovering this feature was a game changer, and one of the reasons I initially fell in love with Formidable. My clients now have a content management system they don't find overwhelming and changed my working day for the better. It made a massive difference in how I manage my workflow and freed up valuable time.

It also had a direct impact on customer satisfaction. Frustrated complaints about the complexity of the WordPress back-end were gone. My clients finally felt confident adding to and editing their own website content.

Do you have clients who struggle adding new content and making edits? Make content management easy with the best WordPress form builder plugin anywhere.

The post How can I make content management easy for my web clients? appeared first on Formidable Forms.

Fast websites give users a better experience and convert more visitors. Now Formidable offers client-side image resizing - a way to dramatically speed up your WordPress form image uploads!

The importance of fast image uploading

I recently discovered first-hand the difference that fast file uploading can make. The project was a mobile-optimized pay per post classified ads website. My client wanted to allow each new listing to have up to ten images attached.

During the initial testing we realized that the average size of each smartphone photo is between 4mb and 6mb. When a new listing was submitted, up to 60mb of data had to be uploaded. On a mobile internet connection this often took over three minutes and server timeouts became an issue!

A three minute delay on any online form is unacceptable. It would mean lost users and lost sales. We started looking for ways to resize images in the browser before upload. Using client-side image resizing we managed to get that three minutes down below 20 seconds.

You don't need full resolution images online

Modern camera technology is amazing, with even smartphones producing professional quality images. High resolution images are sharper and more vivid than ever before. Modern iPhones have 12 megapixel cameras that produce stunning images. I recently saw an Asus phone with a 23 megapixel camera!

Will a reduced resolution look bad on your website?

Simply put - No! Full resolution images are only needed for print applications, not for on-screen use. Even modern screens cannot display every pixel. Ultra HD 4k screen resolution is only equal to 8.3 megapixels. Most websites today are optimized for "Full HD" 1080p screens - the equivalent of a 2 megapixel image.

With these resolutions in mind, think about how much screen space your images will be using. Most images will not be full page width, so you can drastically reduce the image size, with zero negative impact on your website.

What is client-side image resizing?

Because of the emphasis placed on page load times, it's easy to dismiss upload times for online forms. But any long delay, regardless of its reason, is bad for user experience. The new feature of the Formidable upload field resizes the image dimensions right in your user's browser. This happens before the upload process to the server even begins.

Since v3.01, the Formidable upload field now has a setting to specify the maximum width or height for uploaded images. The system then resizes the images in the browser. Hey presto - an image that was 5mb is now a fraction of the size.

Speed isn't the only advantage of client-side image resizing. It also reduces the server storage space your website requires. For sites that rely on user submitted posts and content and get hundreds of uploads every day, this could mean a big reduction in hosting costs.

Faster uploads on your existing WordPress forms

It's easy to switch this feature on for existing forms. Simply open your form builder page and click on the upload field to open the field settings panel. Next, check the new "Resize files before upload" box, define your maximum image width or height, and save your form.

That's it! Check and see how quickly your upload fields submit.

** Pro Tip ** Web pages are designed to scroll vertically, meaning the height of the image is usually less important than the width. For this reason its often best to define the maximum width of images when resizing.

What about existing uploaded images?

This new feature only resizes new uploads, so previously uploaded images remain unchanged. That doesn't mean you should ignore old images though.

Optimize your existing images to save space on your server and help your pages to load faster.

There are many plugins and services available for this. Personally I use the service from Kraken.io for my websites but you should investigate which best suits your unique needs.

Read more: How to let users submit photos on your WordPress site

How do I get started with client-side image resizing in my WordPress forms?

The File Upload field is a Pro feature. Formidable Pro has many more amazing features that will transform your online WordPress forms.

If you're not using Formidable Pro yet, take a look at all the Pro features including field calculations and conditional logic. Check out the form creator plans to pick the perfect package for your needs.

The post Client-side image resizing for faster form submission appeared first on Formidable Forms.

Need to sell something online, but not sure how to build a WordPress order form?

Online sales are a huge part of many modern businesses. E-commerce systems have grown in popularity, and also have a constantly improving set of features. But what if you sell just a few highly customizable products or services? Traditional E-commerce solutions may be too rigid for your needs.

Flexible, easy to use, and packed with advanced features

There are hundreds of different applications for online sales. Because of this, a single tutorial showing how to build the perfect WordPress order form would be tough to write. Instead, this will be a general guide highlighting some of the most useful features for an order form offered by Formidable.

Built-in price calculation features

Formidable offers two different methods to calculate a total price. While each has its own unique benefits, these methods are completely different.

The first method uses field calculations and math. Separate values allow you to assign a cost to each option in your purchase form. These values can be used in calculations to display a total.

Read more: Create An Instant Online Quote Form

The second method avoids calculations (math) completely in favor of cascading lookup fields. This method is fantastic for forms where the math is complex. In real world situations, it can be hard to get math that covers every eventuality.

Read more: Ditch the Calculations: Build a WordPress Quote Request Form Using Lookup Fields

Bulk discounts, shipping costs, and service charges may be charged at rates that often seem random. When these rates have no direct relation to any of the figures in your form, math calculations are tough. Cascading lookup fields allow you to return a value independent of any math, for ultimate flexibility.

Virtually unlimited fields and options

If you need extra info with your order, E-commerce systems usually only have a single box for "Notes" at checkout. Formidable can do so much more!

Use dropdown fields or checkboxes to restrict users to preset options. Text and paragraph fields can be used for additional inputs and number fields and URL fields for specific input types.

Date fields can be used for reservation forms. Toggle fields allow users to easily select optional extras. Repeaters allow easy and quick entry of details for multiple products, or multiple travelers in a group.

The file upload field allows your users to upload documents or artwork for their custom order. Formidable allows you to setup custom input masks for fields that require specific formatting.

Conditional logic

Use conditional logic to display more options. Selections in the form make new fields or sections visible! For example, do you have a minimum order quantity before you offer custom branding or packaging? You can hide these additional options with conditional logic until the order quantity field exceeds the threshold.

Optional customization of products is another area that conditional logic is useful. In these cases, you can hide the customization part of your form when it first loads. If your user selects the "Customize" option, additional fields will become visible. This simplifies your form and improves user experience.

Choice of payment gateways

Did you know that offering a choice of payment gateways can improve sales? Research has revealed that 50% of regular online shoppers would cancel their purchases if their preferred payment method was not available! In addition, according to a recent survey, 40% said they would feel more comfortable purchasing from an online merchant who offers multiple payment gateways.

Formidable has add-ons for PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net and additional 3rd party add-ons for other payment gateways. There are options to setup payments as charitable donations with some gateways. Some even support recurring payments and subscriptions.

The ultimate WordPress order form?

There is no "Perfect" WordPress order form. The order form that is perfect for your current project will not suit every future application. Because of this, a flexible form builder plugin is essential.

If you need a WordPress order form that is amazingly flexible, Formidable is hard to beat. The flexibility of Formidable combined with its advanced features, allows you create forms perfectly tailored to each project.

Checkout the submissions to our community showcase that highlight just how much can be done with a WordPress order form powered by Formidable!

The post How to make a WordPress order form appeared first on Formidable Forms.

The internet is buzzing with panic about GDPR compliance at the moment, and rightly so, the deadline is nearly here. But is GDPR compliance really that hard? We've got the info you need to make your Formidable forms GDPR compliant!

GDPR compliance is all about protecting privacy

This is something that we at Formidable support 100%. But protecting privacy in an information-driven world has its complications!

Before you continue reading, start with part 1: how to make GDPR Compliant WordPress forms. You'll learn more about how to get "explicit consent" from users submitting your forms and the basics of the "Right to Access" and "Right to be Forgotten". Today I want to delve deeper into those last two points, and give a step by step guide to meeting those specific requirements.

Please note that GDPR does not apply to forms that do not collect or store personal data. If you're running an anonymous form like a poll or quiz that does not collect personal data, your forms are not affected. 

What do these GDPR requirements mean?

Right to Access. You must provide a way for users to request access to, and view the data you have collected from them.

Right to be forgotten. You must also give users a way to withdraw consent and delete personal data collected from them.

GDPR may be European law, but its reach extends worldwide. GDPR compliance isn't limited to companies within the EU, but also to any company collecting data from users inside Europe. If you are a California-based company, but have users from France filling out your forms - GDPR affects you!

6 steps to improve GDPR compliance

Formidable's front-end editing is allows you to setup ways for logged-in users to easily edit or delete their data. This covers the "Right to Access" and "Right to be Forgotten".

1. Allow front end editing

On the settings page for your form, scroll down to 'Permissions'. Check the Allow front-end editing of entries box. Determine which user role can edit their own submissions and which user role can edit responses submitted by other users.

2. Build a data management View

This View will be used to display all data submitted via your form. It gives your users a simple overview of their data and allows them to manage it.

You should create an "All Entries" View and select the correct form to display data from. In the content box, insert fields that allow a user to recognize different submissions at a glance. Fields like a title, date or address should be used so each submission is immediately identifiable from the list.

3. Filter your View by the current user

Your View needs to be filtered by the current user, so that each user only sees their own entries.

**Pro Tip** If you haven't already got a UserID field in your form, go to the form builder page for the form that is connected to your View and add one now.

Scroll down to the Advanced Settings for your View. In the 'Sort & Filter' section click the '+Add' button next to "Filter Entries". Set up the filter so it says 'User ID is equal to current_user'.

4. Allow editing of submitted data

First you will need to make a note of the page ID where your form is published. Your permalinks structure may show the numeric page ID in the browser bar. If not, edit that page, and the ID will be visible in your browser address bar.

Once you have that page ID, add an edit link to the View's Content box - Replace 'y' with the Page ID where your form is published:

[editlink label="Edit" page_id=y]

5. Allow users to delete their data

Formidable also allows users to delete their own entries. Simply add the deletelink shortcode into your View Content box like this:

[deletelink label="Delete"]

This shortcode automatically retrieves the appropriate entry ID from the View or form where it is inserted.

6. Publish your View on an "Account" page.

Once your View is complete, create an "Account" or "Data Management" page on your website. Insert your View shortcode on this page, and link to this page from your privacy policy. You can even add this page to your main navigation if you like. Since the page only loads data for the current user, there is no risk of private data being visible to logged-out or unregistered visitors.

Your users can visit this page and see a list of all their previous submissions. They can click the "Edit" link to update any entry they choose or the "Delete" link to remove that data permanently.

Bonus steps

Don't save IP addresses - Did you now that many forms which do not appear to collect personal information still are not GDPR compliant? This is because many forms save IP data by default and Formidable is no exception. IP address saving can be disabled easily though. Simply go to your Formidable -> Global Settings page and scroll to the bottom. Check the box for "Do not store IPs with form submissions." - and you're done!

Don't save entries - If you have a contact form that emails the data or a form that sends the data to another site, there may be no reason to store entries on your server. In this case you can disable storing of entries completely. Just check the box on the settings page for your form.

Auto delete entries - Did you know you can auto-delete entries after 30 days with the Form Action Automation and API add-ons? This step may help GDPR compliance in cases where users submitting forms are not logged-in. If users cannot manage their own entries, auto deletion of data can help you comply with GDPR.

The GDPR deadline is almost here so don't delay. Make your WordPress site and data collection 100% compliant today!

Not using Formidable Forms yet? Make the switch to the WordPress forms builder with the GDPR compliance solution you need.

The post 6 steps to GDPR compliance: right to access and be forgotten appeared first on Formidable Forms.

Do you need to make a quiz with an online quiz builder? No matter the size of your project, from a single quiz to the next BuzzFeed, Formidable Forms is the WordPress quiz maker for you.

Why do you need a quiz maker?

Building an online quiz isn't just about letting your friends discover which Disney princess they are. Online quizzes are used to calculate IQ's, test aptitudes, help diagnose illnesses, and even match applicants to jobs. The scope is almost universal, so you need a quiz maker that is flexible enough to handle any project!

What features do you need from a WordPress quiz plugin?

Because there are so many possible applications, this is a question you must answer for yourself. Take a look at just a few of the most notewothy Formidable features used for building quizzes and surveys:

Calculate the quiz score

Calculations are essential to almost all quizzes and surveys. Formidable's separate values allow you to assign a value to the options in your form. In addition, field calculations can then be used to add up those values and display a total. Display this total directly, or use it as a trigger to show custom messages based on the score.

Separate values can be applied to dropdown fields, radio buttons and checkboxes. Number fields can also be used in your form. Use the values submitted in your number fields in the final score calculation.

Display a custom quiz results page

Formidable has a range of clever shortcodes that allow you to display the data submitted via your quiz. Views expand the possibilities further. In a View, use conditional statements to customize the content shown based on the quiz score. Those who score below 20 can see different content than those with scores between 20 and 40. Show different message for each group of scores. The limits and content are 100% customizable!

Graph quiz results or show statistics

Individual quiz results are only half of the story. You can also show field totals and statistics from all fields or just those that are especially relevant.

Do you want to show average values across all form submissions? Or perhaps a running total of the number of people who have completed the quiz?

Another option is to graph the data from your form in an eye-catching way. Graphs are a visually appealing way to display your data, and are simple to use. The built-in graphing tools have a variety of options for displaying your data.

Email the results

Displaying a score on-screen is just the beginning. Want to email a copy of the score to the site admin and your user? Emailing the score isn't just vanity - it's an opportunity! Use this opportunity to begin building a relationship and promoting your services. Since you have the user's data, these email messages can be tailored to their specific interests.

To completely customize your the email, remove the [default-message] shortcode. Now add your custom message using conditional statements to customize the content depending on the user's quiz score. Read more information about custom email messages in our knowledge base. Emails can be crafted to match your branding, and beautifully customized!

Bonus quiz maker features

Formidable Forms can be extended even further! We have add-ons to integrate your WordPress quizzes with Mailchimp, Zapier, Aweber, Highrise and more!

We have integrations for payment gateways like PayPal, Stripe and Authorize.net. Your forms can even send SMS text messages with the Twilio add-on!

Ready to make a quiz?

No matter how big or small your quiz - Formidable can help you build it!

If you're not already a Formidable user, why not take advantage of our 14 day money back guarantee today and see for yourself, 100% risk-free? Get started with the quiz and form maker plugin that does it all.

The post How to make a quiz from WordPress forms appeared first on Formidable Forms.

Did you know that your WordPress forms can include multiple options for online payment processing? Let your users choose which they prefer or even choose to send a check instead of paying online.

Why should I offer multiple gateways for online payment processing?

Get all the advantages of offering multiple payment options with popular payment gateways like Stripe, Paypal, and Authorize.net.

Research has revealed that 50% of regular online shoppers cancel a purchase if their preferred payment method is not available. In addition, according to a recent survey, 40% said they would feel more comfortable purchasing from an online merchant who offers multiple payment gateways. With your competition only a search and a click away, it is vital to make your online payment forms as user-friendly as possible.

Even in this increasingly online world, many modern websites lack alternative payment methods. Since the checkout and payment process can make or break a customer’s user experience, it is critical to offer the best and most popular options for online payment processing. This has many benefits including:

• Increased customer convenience
• Increased sales volume
• Redundancy if one payment provider has issues
• Helps your website look more professional
• Improves your brand global reach
• Maximizes customer retention

With so many benefits, now is the perfect time to re-examine your payment forms. Adding one additional payment method could have a huge positive impact on sales figures.

How can I add optional online payment processing to my WordPress forms?

Step 1 - Choose payment gateways

Your choice of payment gateway depends on your unique needs. For anyone just starting out, I would recommend a combination of the WordPress Stripe plugin and the WordPress Paypal plugin for Formidable Forms. These payment gateways are easy to setup, and give a great customer experience. They're also very popular, so your website users probably already know and trust these payment methods. Please note that your site will require an SSL certificate to process Stripe payment forms, or return users directly from PayPal forms.

Step 2 - Calculate the total price

For many payment forms, the total amount varies depending on the options chosen. Calculate the total price with either field calculations or cascading lookup fields to define the payment amount. 

Step 3 - Setup the payment form action

Click on the form actions tab on the form settings page. At the top of this screen you will see the "Add New Action" section, with icons for each available action. Click to add a Paypal form action, and again to add a Stripe form action. Configure these form actions to use the amount specified in the Total field in your form.

Step 4 - Use conditional logic

To ensure that the correct payment form action (and only that action) is triggered, use conditional logic. Add a radio button field to your form with "Pay via PayPal" and "Pay via Credit Card" as the two options. If you would like to allow a check by mail, include this in your choices as well. Then, add conditional logic to each of your payment form actions based on this field. Each form action's logic should be set to "Do this action if any of the following match" - and then "Radio button is equal to" with the appropriate choice selected for each action.

Step 5 - Say thank you!

Manners are important and being nice is the first step to getting repeat customers. Say "thank you" in a simple email or on the confirmation page after every online purchase. A thank you email can be triggered automatically after successful payment. You can also trigger other actions after successful payment: Add to MailChimp, send a Twilio SMS message or even publish a post.

Online payment processing with options FTW

Online shopping means a vast range of options. Don't restrict your users' options when it comes to payment!

Adding online payment processing to your form is simple. Extra payment options for existing forms is even simpler. Why not take 5 minutes out of your day and see how your forms could benefit? Download the WordPress Stripe plugin and the WordPress PayPal plugin to turn your WordPress forms into payment forms.

The post How to add optional online payment processing to WordPress forms appeared first on Formidable Forms.

Did you know that with some simple tweaks you can replace radio buttons with images in your WordPress forms? This tutorial will show you how to make your online forms look amazing!

You've worked hard on your website and your style and branding are just how you want them. Your forms should have the same visual appeal as the rest of your site. The tools built into Formidable allow a huge range of contact form styling options with zero fuss. But sometimes a little extra fuss can be really worthwhile.

Do you want a sleek and stylish form were users click on icons or images instead of radio buttons? In this tutorial, I'll show you how easy it is to modify the standard radio buttons with custom images. We have instructions for adding images to checkboxes and radio buttons in our docs, but some users have taken it one step further.

This article was inspired by one of our genius users who took that guide and added his own extras to produce a visually stunning form. Roman Cremonese built a multi-page form on agentmatch.realty with customized radio buttons on page two. We'll quickly cover the basics or this method, but the main focus is the extra bits that really make this form eye-catching.

Replace radio buttons with images

Step 1 - Use separate values in a radio button

First, create a form and insert a radio button field in your form, and add the number of options that you would like. In the field settings for this radio field, check the box to use separate values. This will allow you to add a text value as well as your image.

Step 2 - Include the images with a radio button

In the 'Option Label' column, insert the code that contains the image URL for each option. You may need to resize your images so they fit your form perfectly. The code in your option labels should look something like this: <img src="your-image-url.png">

Step 3 - Set a text value to be saved

Since the option label is used to display the image, we should also add text in the 'Saved Value' column. This helps a user identify the options at a glance, and gives a text value that can be sent in email notifications.

Step 4 - Publish your WordPress form

Save the form and insert the form shortcode on a page of your WordPress website. Now the form shows a list of images. When an image is selected, the form saves the text value for that image.

Make your radio button images beautiful!

The steps above are fairly straight-forward and echo the documentation for this feature. But your radio button images can be even more eye-catching! Let's add some extra CSS to make it pretty.

First, the actual "button" part of the radio button can be hidden by adding a little custom CSS. Swap X for the ID of your radio button field and add this under Formidable -> Styles -> Custom CSS:

#frm_field_X_container input {
 display: none;
}

Once the button is hidden, you need a way to show your users which image was selected. You can target the unchecked images using this CSS class. Again, swap X for the ID of your radio button field: #frm_field_X_container img

Selected images can be targeted in your CSS using this class:
#frm_field_X_container input:checked + img 

This allows you to add borders, filters, padding etc to the radio button image that is selected.

Add radio button image effects on hover and click

Here's the clever bit that caught my eye. If you click the link to the form Roman built you will see each image changes when the option is selected.

There isn't a simple way to have images "swap" when highlighted for radio buttons, so I was intrigued. I took a look to see how this was achieved and discovered a method that is well thought out and very simple to implement!

At first glance, it looks like the images are being swapped out, but it is actually the same image. A simple CSS filter is removed when the button is chosen, making it appear as if the image changed.

Each image has the pale semi-circle in the background denoting that it had been selected. A brightness filter hides this semi-circle for un-selected images.  This brightness filter is removed when the option is selected - all using this CSS:

#frm_field_X_container img {
 -webkit-transition: all 100ms ease-in;
 -moz-transition: all 100ms ease-in;
 transition: all 100ms ease-in;
 -webkit-filter: brightness(1.4) grayscale(0) opacity(1);
 -moz-filter: brightness(1.4) grayscale(0) opacity(1);
 filter: brightness(1.4) grayscale(0) opacity(1);
}

#frm_field_X_container img:hover,
#frm_field_X_container input:checked + img {
 -webkit-filter: none;
 -moz-filter: none;
 filter: none;
}

That's it - a simple way to use images for beautiful radio buttons!

We love to see examples of how you have replaced radio buttons with images on your website. If you are already using Formidable Forms for WordPress forms, submit your creation to our community showcase and provide inspiration to others building their forms.

Not using Formidable Forms yet? Learn more about the features that make Formidable Forms the best online form builder plugin.

The post How to replace radio buttons with images in WordPress forms appeared first on Formidable Forms.

Do you want to embed a Google map to list business locations, showcase online directories, or display club members? Learn how to map multiple locations and display form submissions as pins on a Google map.

How to map multiple locations and display form submissions as pins in an embedded Google map is a subject that comes up in our helpdesk regularly. The use of interactive maps is an essential part of realtor sites, classified ads sites and many other applications. These embedded Google maps can help make some really cool websites, and they are easy to setup.

Choose a WordPress map plugin

The first time I embedded a Google map to list form submissions, I was building the Suspended Coffees website. Today I'm going to show you how to build a similar directory type system. The basic principles can be applied to many different types of businesses and organizations.

In this tutorial I'll use a WordPress map plugin called Codespacing Progress Maps. I don't often recommend paid 3rd party plugins, but it's one I use personally and really like.

I'm also using a free plugin for custom post types called Custom Post Type UI. I'd recommend installing both of these plugins before following this tutorial.

6 steps to embed a Google map with pins from form submissions

Step 1 - Setup a custom post type for your Map Pins

The Progress Maps plugin pulls data from posts to display them on a map. Because your main post types are used by different features of your theme, it's often best to create a completely new custom post type. I'm using the Custom Post Type UI plugin to add a post type called "Map Pins". If you have some coding skills you can add a post type without an extra plugin. But this is the easy way!

Step 2 - Create your form with address data

Create a new form to add pins to the Google map. Include all the form fields needed to build a beautiful business listing. I'm including an image upload field, fields for phone numbers, business hours, and links to social media accounts.

I'm also including a paragraph text field so the business owner can describe their location. Most importantly, I'm including address fields which will be used to place a map pin. Finally, I'm adding invisible reCaptcha to protect my form.

** PRO TIP ** Use separate fields for Country, State, City, Town etc instead of the pre-built address field. This gives you better filtering options if you add a form to search listings in the future. Use text calculations to combine these into a single field for Progress Maps to use.

Step 3 - Set your form to create posts with custom fields

In your form actions, add an action to create a new post. In the Post Type dropdown, select the Map Pins post type you created earlier. These user submitted WordPress posts will showcase each new location submitted in the form.

Select the field for the post title and set the post status field to "Create Draft". Set the other options as best suits your form. Personally I prefer to build a View to display form data. This allows for custom layouts and styling to better match the rest of the site.

I'm also setting 2 custom fields in my form. These pass the address data to the map plugin, and set the featured image for the post:

• codespacing_progress_map_address is mapped to a hidden field in my form where text calculations are used to combine the individual address fields into one.
• _thumbnail_id is mapped to my file upload field and sets the featured image for this post.

Step 4 - Setup post moderation

Even with Formidable's built in HoneyPot spam protection and reCaptcha enabled, content moderation is recommended. Your form action sets the post status to draft, so now we need a method to approve the draft submissions.

The simplest method is to setup an email notification to request moderation. This email should inform site admin when a new map pin has been submitted. Administrators can check the submission and either publish the post or trash it as appropriate.

Step 5 - Embed a Google map and set the source

In the Progress Map plugin, create a new Google map and use the shortcode provided to add the map to a page.

Next set the options for the map. In the settings for Progress Maps, select the "Map Pins" post type as the data source.

On the "Default Map Settings" page, add your Google Maps API key. A link to signup is included in the settings if you don't already have an account. Google has recently changed their polices and I had to signup for a billing account to get a new API key. But the free allowance means that 99% of sites will never incur any fees.

There are lots of other options for styling and layout, so take some time to explore these. Set a style that best suits your unique website.

Step 6 - Submit pins to map multiple locations

Now it's time submit a test location to see if your hard work has paid off. Remember that your form submissions will not add a pin to your Google map immediately. First the site admin will receive an email and the post will need to be approved.

• When you receive moderation request emails, go to the edit post page and scroll until you see the map near the bottom.
• Click the "Search" button next to the submitted address to retrieve the correct map location data.
• Once the address is found, click "Get Pinpoint", and latitude and longitude coordinates will appear in the fields below the map.
• Go back up and click the "Publish" button to make this new map pin publicly visible.

Bonus step - Allow users to update their map pin

Contact details change, business hours change, businesses even occasionally move locations. So it is essential to include a way for users to update their own data. Data management is also an essential component of GDPR compliance.

Front-end editing makes it easy for users to manage their own data, and map multiple locations.
Read more: make content management easy for your clients

If you're not using Formidable Pro yet, take a look at all the Pro features and check out the form maker plans to pick the perfect package for your needs. Build something beautiful today!

The post How to embed a Google map with WordPress form submissions appeared first on Formidable Forms.

Want an easy way to show business hours on your WordPress site? Learn how to display a message automatically when you are open, and show your opening hours when closed.

In a world where your online audience is international, displaying your business hours is essential. Customer satisfaction rates improve when users from overseas are aware of your timezone and opening hours.

With Formidable, it's easy to show business hours on your WordPress site. Use a form to enter your business hours, and display them with Views. This is the same method we use to display our support hours in the Formidable help desk.

** Shortcut ** Want this functionality without the effort? We have a pre-built business hours form template you can use!

Build a form to enter your business hours

This tutorial covers the four basic steps to build this system. The form is very simple with one repeater section with three fields inside it. I'll include a dropdown field to choose the day, and time fields for the opening and closing times.

Opening hours may need to be updated in the future, so I'm allowing front-end editing of entries. I'm also limiting submissions to one per logged-in user. Since this form will only ever have a single entry, this makes updating the opening hours quick and easy.

Publish this form on a password-protected page or use it in an admin area of your site. Make sure to submit this form with details for every day that you are open.

Create a View to display your opening hours

This View is quick and straight forward to build. It should be set as a single entry view, with your "Business Hours" form as the data source.

This View uses of the foreach shortcode, which displays one line for each row in a repeater. To simplify the shortcodes below, we'll use keys for the 4 form fields. The repeater ID is "R". The choose a day field ID is "day". The opening time field ID is "open" and the closing time field ID is "close".

Your View content should look something like this:

[foreach R]
[day]: [open format='g:i A'] - [close format='g:i A']
[/foreach]

Do not embed this View directly into a page. Instead insert it into "No Entries message" box for the second View. The filtering on this second View will display opening hours only when you are closed, and a custom message when you are open.

Create a View with "Open Now" and "Closed Now" messages

The second View should also be set as a single entry View. This time, add three View filters.

The three filters ensure that the main content of the View is only visible during opening hours. The View content can include any custom message you wish. For this example the message will show today's opening hours using this in the View content box:

We're Open
Today: [open format='g:i A'] - [close format='g:i A']

I'd recommend customizing the "We're Open" and "We're Closed" messages to suit your unique audience.

Next, add the filters and a "No Entries message". Outside of opening hours, the "No Entries message" is shown, so insert the first View here to display a full list of your business hours for the week.

Show business hours on your WordPress site

Once complete, insert the shortcode for your second View at the top of your customer facing pages. It's as simple as that! Now when a page loads, the appropriate message is shown depending on the current time.

** Pro Tip ** Great communication is key to any successful business. Consider including your phone number and store address in the "We're Open" message. Also, you could add your email address and social media accounts to the "We're Closed" message, so it's always easy to get in touch.

While your users are contacting you, why not add them to your mailing list? Read how to connect your Formidable contact forms with MailChimp to turbocharge your online presence!

If you're not a Pro user yet, upgrade today and take advantage of the powerful features available. Checkout the form maker license packages to see which package suits you best!

The post How to show business hours on your WordPress site appeared first on Formidable Forms.

Create a smart employment application form in WordPress to help get more applicants and better applications.

Hiring staff is never easy and finding the right person for the job can be a stressful process. Ideally you need a lot of information about applicants, but a long form may be off-putting, or even seem intrusive. If your form is too long, some applicants may not complete it. That one person who could have been the perfect addition to your team may never even apply.

If you've ever tried to create an employment application form, you know the challenges already. There are so many questions you need to ask, but not every question fits every applicant. This is where smart forms with conditional logic really help. Make even the most complex form simpler and more user friendly!

Getting your employment application form right is essential. The perfect form will collect all the information you need but tailor the visible questions to the applicant to make the form appear shorter. There are two main ways you can improve user experience for long forms.

Make forms smarter

Conditional logic is one of the most used features of Formidable forms. It can display extra questions only when relevant, or hide questions that do not apply to the applicant's selection.

For example, you may ask about an applicant's education. You may want information about each level of education. Starting this section with a dropdown for "Education level" while options like "High School", "College Graduate", "Doctorate" etc allows you to base other form fields from the applicant's education level.

Add three sections below this education dropdown: one for information related to high school education, one for college, and one for doctorate. Each section includes questions for that specific education level. Next, set conditional logic on each section so that only the appropriate sections will be visible, depending on the dropdown choice. Someone who has a high school education will not see the questions related to college and doctorate education.

In multi-page forms, entire pages can be skipped. Apply conditional logic directly to you page breaks to use this feature. This can be useful if your questions are grouped into large sections, with one section per page. For example a page for "Spouses details" could be skipped if the applicant has previously selected "Single" as their marital status.

Show progress through the employment application form

One of my personal pet peeves is forms that seem to go on forever. It seems to be a trend with customer survey forms I've completed recently. I start filling it out with the expectation of maybe three or four pages of questions, but it just keeps on going! Progress bars make multi-part forms much more user friendly.

Even with conditional logic hiding some questions and pages, your employment application form may still be quite long. If it is, let your users see that there is light at the end of the tunnel with a progress indicator.

You can optionally adjust the page titles, hide the page numbers, or hide the pagination lines to customize your progress bar. We recommend checking the box titled Show page titles with steps and label your pages. This helps users know which page they are on when looking at the progress bar.

Have you maximized your employment application form?

With some forward planning and use of smart logic, your employment application form can be much more user-friendly. Get more applications, and more relevant information from each applicant!

Once you have an employment application form, learn how to go far beyond in our video course to create a job board.

We love to see examples of your employment application forms. If you are already using Formidable Forms for WordPress forms, submit your creation to our community showcase and provide inspiration to others building their forms.

Not using Formidable Forms yet? Learn more about the features that make Formidable Forms the best online form builder plugin.

The post How to make an employment application form in WordPress appeared first on Formidable Forms.

Why is an email contact form better than an HTML email link? Learn which to use on your WordPress site.

Before contact forms were easy to build, HTML mailto links were common online. A quick click opened your email software, and a message could be sent directly. At first glance this may seem like a simple alternative to contact forms. So why should you remove the mailto links on your website and replace them with Formidable forms instead?

Most web designers like myself think of HTML mailto links as an old-school thing. They were popular years ago, back when WordPress was in its infancy and Dreamweaver was the go-to tool of web design.

But mailto links aren't used much on modern sites. Why not?

The internet changes fast, and what was standard 5 years ago is often considered obsolete today. But mailto links didn't just get replaced by something better. There is a big reason they fell out of favor!

Why you should replace HTML mailto links

Do you get annoying marketing phone calls? I often get calls about SEO services, and getting my site on page one of Google (they're ALL scams by the way). Sometimes I get calls telling me there is an issue with my computer and asking to fix it with remote access.

It's safe to say that 99% of unsolicited calls are scams of some description, at least in my part of the world. These calls are annoying - but because phone calls cost money, they're not overwhelming. The cost of calls is the reason you don't need to keep your phone number secret.

Email however is virtually free, and it's practically a Utopian concept for spammers and scammers. All that they need is your email address - and that isn't hard to get. Specially designed software trawls through the internet constantly looking for email addresses and adding them to lists. The easiest place to find email addresses? You guessed it - HTML mailto links!

HTML email links display your contact email address in plain text. It's un-encrypted and visible for the whole world to see. It's super-easy for spammers to copy your email address to their mailing lists.

Email contact forms are different

A contact form allows your visitors to get in touch, without ever divulging your email address. This prevents spambots from seeing your email address and adding it to mailing lists.

This simple change from email links to contact forms can make your inbox a much friendlier place. It's easy to do, and looks great on your website too.

How to replace an HTML email link with an email contact form

Switching to email contact forms is easy. The first step is to remove any mailto links from your site immediately. Double check your header, footer, widgets and page content to make sure they're all gone.

• Next, go to the Plugins page in your WordPress dashboard. Click the "Add New" button and search for "Formidable".
• Install and activate Formidable Forms on your website.
• Navigate to the "Formidable" menu, select "Forms", and click on "Add New".
• Click to load the template for the "Contact Us" form.
• The default contact form template includes fields for first and last names, email address, subject, and a message box. These can be customized if you prefer.
• The default email will send to the admin email configured in your WordPress settings. This address and the email message can be customized.
• Save your changes and return to the "Forms" page that displays all your current forms. Copy the Please select a valid form shortcode from the right side of the page, and paste that shortcode into your contact us page where you want the form to appear.

That's it! In 7 simple steps and less than 10 minutes, you have a professional contact form on your WordPress website!

What next?

Email contact forms can be as simple or as feature-rich as you want. Check out our beautiful contact form design in WordPress (with examples) for inspiration.

Not using Formidable Forms yet? Learn more about the features that make Formidable Forms the best online form builder plugin.

The post Why you should replace HTML email links with email contact forms appeared first on Formidable Forms.

Instantly make use of user-submitted content with front-end posting in WordPress. Build directories, photo galleries, user profile pages, or a site driven by user-submitted articles and blog posts.

It was while searching for a solution to front-end posting in WordPress that I first discovered Formidable. My project needed to turn form submissions into an online directory of participating businesses. It didn't take much research to realize how perfect Formidable was for this task.

Since that initial project, I've used front-end posting on numerous websites. I've also found it a great content management tool for clients who find the WordPress dashboard overwhelming. Letting them add new posts via a front-end form is often more user-friendly.

Two ways to leverage front-end posting in WordPress!

That's right. This feature is so good we built two different ways to take advantage of it. Each method has its own advantages, but between the two, almost anything is possible. Create pages and posts from forms, or use Views to display submitted data in custom layouts. Using Views is perfect for photo galleries, classified ads, or property sales websites.

Use form entries to create posts or pages

Creating posts or even new pages directly from a form opens up a world of new options for your WordPress website. Guest authors can post on your site without extra permissions or access to the WordPress back-end. User submitted content goes from being an occasional bonus, to the driving force of your online presence.

As you would expect, all form submissions can be moderated and edited before appearing live on your site. This allows you to power your site with user-submitted content.

If you are building a directory website, you can even charge per listing. Pay-per-post functionality can also be used for classified adverts websites.

Even better, you can allow users to edit their own submissions. For business directory or classified adverts sites this is especially useful and greatly reduces admin workload.

Build a View to display form submissions

What if you want to display the form submissions in a different format? Posts are great, but displaying them in different ways can be tricky.

Views allow you to display ;9form entries in a completely custom way. You can display entries in rows, columns, or in a grid. With some custom CSS you can use accordions or masonry layouts. Create anything from minimalist photo galleries to detailed technical specification sheets, all using the power of Formidable Views.

You can also display an overview listing of all entries, with links to more details for each individual item. This lets you highlight the important details on the list page, and display the full listing on the detail page. Perfect for realtor websites or business directories. Make your form entries searchable with a fully customized search form.

Easily customize the look and layout of your View, and even apply custom CSS to elements within your View.

Combine both methods

Want the best of both worlds? When front-end posting in WordPress with Formidable, you aren't limited to a single method!

One way to combine both methods is to build a View which displays an overview of form submissions. Then build a custom search form that allows you to find the entry you want. In your View, link listings to the pages or posts that were created via your form. This gives you the flexibility and customization options of Views, along with the SEO benefits of posts combined in a seamless integration.

Not using Formidable Forms for your WordPress forms? Learn more about the features of the best online form builder plugin or try out our free WordPress form builder.

The post How to setup front-end posting in WordPress appeared first on Formidable Forms.

The guest list can be the most stressful part of any big event. But what if you could automate it? This tutorial guides you through setting up an online RSVP form and even shows how to display a guest list.

If you are planning a corporate event, training session, club outing, or even a wedding, you know how much work goes into the guest list.

Since the number of guests influences the choice of venue, transportation, activities and even the catering, it needs to be be locked down as early as possible. An online RSVP form helps you do just that.

Where to use an online RSVP form?

In this modern world, an online RSVP form can be used for any occasion from the most formal of corporate events, to an intimate family celebration. Use RSVP forms for party invitations, club events, company training days and even weddings!

For the most basic RSVP process, a single form will do the trick. All you need is a form field for the guest name, and a radio field for them to let you know if they will attend your event.

The most flexible process involves three simple forms: a user registration form, a login form, and the RSVP form.

7 steps to an automated online RSVP form for WordPress

RSVP forms are simple. It's building the list of invitees that is almost always the hardest part of the process. Here are seven simple steps to build an online RSVP form suitable for any occasion.

1 - Make a list of invitees

Your list should include a first name, last name, email address, and a password for each invitee. Select a unique password for each. You could create passwords that your guests would each know but would be hard to guess. Or your passwords can be completely random if you prefer. My personal preference is to compile this list in Excel or a similar spreadsheet program. This allows easy saving as a CSV file.

2 - Build a WordPress RSVP form for your event

The RSVP form can be as simple as a single radio button, with the options "I'll be there" or "Sorry, I'm washing my hair". In many cases it is useful to include extra fields.

When your event includes a meal, ask about dietary requirements. If accommodation is provided, ask if there are any special requests. Include as many fields as you need for your unique event, and publish the RSVP form on a page.

3 - Enable front-end editing for your RSVP form

Do you want to minimize phone calls, emails, and text messages from guests letting you know their RSPV status has changed? Turn on front-end editing on the form settings page. In the same section, limit the form to logged-in users.

Also, limit submissions to one per logged-in user. When the guest views the form, they will see any previous submission, and be able to edit it easily.

4 - Add a WordPress login form

To simplify user experience, the WordPress user registration plugin lets you insert a login form with an option to redirect.

This will send your guests directly to the RSVP form after logging in. Publish this login form on a page. It could even be on the same page as the RSVP form.

If both forms are on the same page, you can just replace the login message in the Formidable Global settings with the login form shortcode.

5 - Build a WordPress user registration form

The next step is to build a user registration form. This will be used to pre-register everyone on your list as users on your website. The WordPress User Registration plugin makes this easy. Because you're importing WordPress user accounts, the registration form only needs a first name, last name, email address, and maybe a password field. Map the fields in the form to the correct options in your user registration action. Or set the password to autogenerate in the user registration settings.
Make sure your user registration form action has "Import" selected in the list of action triggers.

6 - Craft the invitation email

Now it's time to build your invitation email. Include this email action on your registration form. Build a custom email message, and include the field IDs of the email, name and possibly the password to display each guest's login details. If security is a concern you may prefer not to send the password via email. Instead send link to a secure method of retrieving it, or instructions to set a new password.

Make sure to give guests a link to the RSVP form, as well as a link to the login page if they are on different pages. You should make the login info as clear and simple as possible. Make sure your email form action has "Import" selected on the dropdown of action triggers.

7 - Register your invitees on your site

Next, import your guest list to create user accounts. During the import process, your invitation emails will be sent out. Each guest will receive a personalized message with their own login info.

Now they should be able to click a link in your email message, login, and submit the RSVP form all in one simple workflow.

Display your guest list

You can build a View that displays all entries in the RSVP form, to show who will attend and who can't make it. If you prefer, this list can be filtered so that only confirmed attendees are shown.

Not everyone will RSVP immediately and some need a little nudge to get them over the line. Use the Form Action Automation plugin to send automated reminders closer to the event date.

Don't forget, if you are in Europe or have users from the EU, you need to consider GDPR. Follow our guide to GDPR compliance, and check that ALL of your forms meet the new standards.

Getting started

Not yet using Formidable Forms for WordPress forms? Learn more about the features that make Formidable Forms the best online form builder plugin.

The post How to build an online RSVP form in WordPress appeared first on Formidable Forms.

Do you need a WordPress file upload form? Make sure to get vital options to limit file size, file type, allow multiple files, protect files, and client-side image resizing.

Before WordPress, HTML forms with an upload field were not easy. I remember the first time I tried to add a file upload form to a plain HTML/CSS website. It took 4 hours of frustration to modify a badly documented script and the result was very basic. The uploaded images were saved to the server without even a copy sent via email!

Thankfully, things have changed a lot since then. WordPress revolutionized websites, and form builder plugins changed the face of online forms.

Today, creating a WordPress file upload form takes only a few moments. Plus, they do a lot more than just upload files. You can easily attach files to notification emails and display uploads in Posts, Pages or Views and integrate with other services through Zapier.

Here are some of the main features to look for to get the WordPress file upload forms.

Limit uploaded file sizes

Have you ever been out and about with slow/patchy mobile internet, and a HUGE email starts coming in? So annoying! Especially if the message you really need is further down the queue and won't hit your inbox until this one is complete. Thankfully, sensible limits on file sizes uploaded from your forms will help eliminate this issue. This not only makes the emails arrive faster, but saves space in your email inbox.

Restrict file types

Most file upload forms look for specific types of files. Job application forms may ask for a resume in .pdf or .docx format, music upload forms want .wav or .mp4 files, and photo upload forms need .gif, .jpeg or .png files. Save time and back and forth by selecting the allowed file types.

Resize images before uploading

This is one of my favorite new features of the upload field. In recent years, smartphone cameras have improved in quality to the point where they produce professional images. And since so much internet usage comes from mobile devices, mobile images are often uploaded directly to forms. The problem with high quality images is the file sizes can be LARGE, often in the region of 10x the size needed for online use. This large size can cause very slow uploads.

Resizing the image in the browser BEFORE the upload begins is the answer! Just set the max-width or max-height in the field settings, and your file upload form does the rest.

Send uploaded files via email

Depending on your form, it may be handy to include a copy of uploaded files with the email notification. This is especially useful for files like resumes which will not be displayed on the website, but need to be reviewed along with the rest of the employment application.

Use uploaded files in Views, posts and pages

Once files have been uploaded to your WordPress site, they can be used on your website. Include files in photo galleries, custom Views (such as real estate listings), or even directly in user-submitted posts and pages.

Protect file uploads

When files uploaded in your WordPress forms aren't for the general public, protect them. Sensitive files need to be kept safe and definitely not indexed by Google. When you protect file uploads, they can only be accessed from a link on the site where they are uploaded. If there is no link, the file can't be accessed. But they will still be listed for administrators in the WordPress media library when desired.

Ready to make an amazing WordPress file upload form?

No matter how big or small your file upload form needs to be, Formidable can help you build it.

If you're not already a Formidable user, why not take advantage of our 14 day money back guarantee today and see for yourself, 100% risk-free? Get started with the form maker plugin that does it all.

The post 6 options to look for in a WordPress File Upload Form appeared first on Formidable Forms.