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Ever wanted to send someone a form link with a dropdown menu already selected? Maybe you’re running a marketing campaign and would to track which one person brought in the submission? Or perhaps you just want to save your users a click or two, sending them a link to your contact form? Well, you’re in luck, in this web development tutorial we’re going to walk through how to pre-populate Gravity Forms dropdowns!
Gravity Forms has a super handy feature called Dynamic Population that lets you pre-select dropdown options using just URL parameters — no coding required! Let’s walk through how to set this up.
What You’ll Need to Pre-Populate Gravity Forms Dropdowns
- A WordPress site (obviously!)
- Gravity Forms plugin installed and activated
- A form with a dropdown field
The Step-by-Step Guide
1. Edit Your Form
First things first, head over to your WordPress admin area, navigate to Forms, and edit the form you want to work with.
2. Find Your Dropdown Field
Locate the dropdown field you want to pre-populate. Click on it to open its settings panel on the right.
3. Enable Dynamic Population
Here’s where the magic happens:
- Click on the Advanced tab in the field settings.
- Look for the checkbox labeled Allow field to be populated dynamically.
- Check that box to enable it.
- In the Parameter Name field that appears, enter a simple name (like ‘option’ or ‘selection’ or something related to what the dropdown is for).
4. Save Your Form
Don’t forget to hit the Save form button to save your changes.
5. Create Your Special URL
Now comes the fun part — creating URLs that will pre-select options for your visitors. The format is simple:
https://yourwebsite.com/your-form-page/?parameter_name=option_valueFor example, for my Shropshire web development website, I am using the following link for people who need to contact me for help with my MBT A-Z Listings WordPress Plugin.
https://www.madebytoast.com/contact-me/?contacttype=I%20need%20help%20with%20a%20plugin&plugin=AZ%20ListingsI have two parameters in the URL: contacttype and plugin, with their associated dropdown values:
- I need a a new website
- AZ Listings
Your URL would look like:
https://yourwebsite.com/contact-form/?product=Widget
Important Tip: The option_value must exactly match one of the values in your dropdown menu. It’s case-sensitive and spaces matter!
Real-World Example
Let’s say you run a pet adoption agency with a form where people can select what type of pet they’re interested in. Your dropdown has options for Dogs, Cats, and Rabbits.
- You set the parameter name as pet_type
- You create three different links:
- For dog lovers:
https://yourrescue.com/adopt-form/?pet_type=Dogs - For cat people:
https://yourrescue.com/adopt-form/?pet_type=Cats - For rabbit enthusiasts:
https://yourrescue.com/adopt-form/?pet_type=Rabbits
- For dog lovers:
Now you can use these links in targeted emails, social media posts, or even QR codes placed near specific animal areas in your shelter!
Troubleshooting Tips
Not working as expected? Here are a few things to check:
- Make sure the parameter value exactly matches an option value in your dropdown.
- Check that you’ve saved your form after enabling dynamic population.
- Try clearing your browser cache if you’ve made changes that aren’t showing up.
- If you have multiple forms on one page, make sure you’re targeting the right form.
Going Further
You can use this same technique for other field types too! Text fields, radio buttons, checkboxes — they all support dynamic population. As with my form, above – you can even pre-populate multiple fields at once by adding more parameters to your URL:
https://yourwebsite.com/your-form/?param1=value1¶m2=value2Conclusion on How to Pre-Populate Gravity Forms Dropdowns
Pretty simple, right? This native Gravity Forms feature is super useful and doesn’t require any coding knowledge. Just a few clicks in your form settings, and you’re ready to create customized form experiences for your visitors!
Happy form building! 🎉
