14. Form Data Structure

Forms are stored in the wp_formforge_forms table. The fields, settings, and conditional_logic columns contain JSON-encoded strings that are automatically decoded when read through the PHP API.

Database Schema

CREATE TABLE wp_formforge_forms (
    id bigint(20) unsigned NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
    title varchar(255) NOT NULL DEFAULT '',
    fields longtext DEFAULT '',
    settings text DEFAULT '',
    conditional_logic text DEFAULT '',
    status varchar(20) NOT NULL DEFAULT 'publish',
    created_at datetime NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
    updated_at datetime NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
    PRIMARY KEY (id)
) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4;

Field Properties Reference

Settings Properties Reference

Built-in admin notifications and auto-replies are rendered through Forge_Email_Template (includes/class-forge-email.php). The renderer outputs email-client-safe HTML: table layout, inline CSS, a 600px container, Outlook-safe fallback markup, mobile stacking for field/value rows, and a Form Forge blue palette. Custom extensions that send their own wp_mail() messages should use the same renderer instead of hand-rolled HTML.

Notification Field Display

Admin notifications pass submission data through FORMFORGE_Value_Formatter::submission_display_fields(), which skips internal keys and appends readable payment summary rows.

Admin Preview AJAX

The builder live preview uses the admin-only AJAX action formforge_preview_form.

The form editor save flow surfaces wp_send_json_error() responses in the admin UI via .formforge-toast--error. This is used for license/limit failures such as the Free-plan form cap, so custom admin integrations should return a message key when blocking a save.

The endpoint requires manage_options, returns rendered HTML only, does not save the form, does not track analytics views, and does not submit data or fire integrations.

Retrieving and Modifying Forms in PHP

// Get a form (fields, settings, conditional_logic are auto-decoded)
$form = FORMFORGE_Form_Builder::instance()->get( 1 );
echo $form->title;
echo $form->fields[0]['label'];
echo $form->settings['submit_text'];

// Create a form programmatically
$new_id = FORMFORGE_Form_Builder::instance()->create( [
    'title'  => 'Quick Survey',
    'fields' => [
        [ 'id' => 'field_1', 'type' => 'rating', 'label' => 'How would you rate us?', 'required' => true, 'max_stars' => 5 ],
        [ 'id' => 'field_2', 'type' => 'textarea', 'label' => 'Comments', 'required' => false, 'rows' => 4 ],
    ],
    'settings' => [
        'submit_text'     => 'Send Feedback',
        'success_message' => 'Thanks for your feedback!',
    ],
] );

// Update a form (partial update)
FORMFORGE_Form_Builder::instance()->update( $new_id, [
    'title' => 'Quick Survey v2',
] );

// Delete a form
FORMFORGE_Form_Builder::instance()->delete( $new_id );

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