Beyond Simple Contact Forms: Collecting Data with Gravity Forms
Beyond Simple Contact Forms: Collecting Data with Gravity Forms
WordPress is a great web publishing system, but when it comes to collecting user data through a web-based form you’ll need to turn to a plugin to extend the core WP system. If you just need a simple contact form there are many good options to choose from, including CForms, Contact Form 7 and the Dagon Design Contact Form.
Frequently, though, you need more functionality than a simple contact form plugin provides. You might have more sophisticated data validation requirements, or maybe you want to allow users to upload files, or you might need to schedule your form to only accept submissions during a limited timeframe. While most competent web developers can easily create scripts to meet these requirements, let’s face it — it’s tedious work. Fortunately WordPress developers have a new power tool at their disposal: Gravity Forms.
Gravity Forms makes the creation of complex data collection forms easy. Not only that, it also manages the submitted data for you.
In this video I demonstrate the Gravity Forms plugin by creating a moderately complex job application form. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is.
If you just need a simple contact form, then Gravity Forms probably isn’t for you. It’s a premium plugin — that means you’ll have to pay for it. If, on the other hand, you have even slightly more advanced needs, then Gravity Forms will pay for itself in the time you save by not having to build custom data collection forms.
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Featured Training Video
Upgrading WordPress
The WordPress system is upgraded fairly regularly. That’s a good thing, for a number of reasons. In addition to providing new features, upgrades address critical security issues and patch annoying bugs.
However, the only way to benefit from WordPress upgrades is to actually install them. Many hosting services even offer a simple one-click upgrade. If that’s the case, then there’s almost no reason why you should delay in upgrading when a new release is available.
Manual upgrades are also fairly easy (remember, WordPress is the blogging system that takes only five minutes to install). This video demonstrates the manual upgrade process and discusses some of the precautions you’ll want to take before you perform an upgrade.
If you’re following along at home, you’ll probably want to install the plugin below and backup your data before you begin:
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