---
title: Values Are Wrong or Empty
description: "**Symptom:** the schedule runs and creates child entries, but the values in them aren't what you expected. --- ## First: Which Input Mode Is the Feed In? **Forms → (your form) → Settings → Recurring Submissions → Input mode: Snapshot…"
url: "https://brightleafdigital.io/docs/values-are-wrong-or-empty/"
updated: "2026-10-18"
category: Recurring Form Submissions for Gravity Forms / Troubleshooting Recurring Form Submissions For Gravity Forms
---

# Values Are Wrong or Empty

**Symptom:** the schedule runs and creates child entries, but the values in them aren't what you expected.

---

## First: Which Input Mode Is the Feed In?

**Forms → (your form) → Settings → Recurring Submissions → Input mode: Snapshot (unchecked = Dynamic)**

This one setting explains most value problems.

| Mode | Values come from |
| --- | --- |
| **Snapshot** (checked) | What was saved when the series **started** |
| **Dynamic** (unchecked) | The parent entry as saved **right now**, plus fresh Populate Anything lookups |

---

## Symptom Table

| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Values never change, even after editing the parent | Feed is in **Snapshot** mode | Switch to Dynamic for new series |
| Values change when you didn't want them to | Feed is in **Dynamic** mode | Switch to Snapshot for new series |
| A lookup field is always empty | The source identifier isn't saved on the parent | Save the identifier in a field on the form |
| A lookup was right and is now blank | The lookup legitimately returns nothing today | An empty result replaces the old value — by design |
| Dates are stale | The field isn't selected under **Update Date Field(s)** | Select it |
| A count field shows `0` on children | Intentional — it stops children starting their own schedules | Roadmap item |
| A calculation is wrong | Calculations are produced by Gravity Forms | Check the calculation and its inputs |
| A unique ID repeats | It shouldn't — each child generates a new one | Send diagnostics to support |

---

## Empty Lookups Are Deliberate

In Dynamic mode, an empty Populate Anything result **replaces** the previous value rather than falling back to it.

That's a feature: it lets a blank-result notification or validation react to the blank instead of silently reusing stale data.

Choose the behaviour you want:

| Goal | Configuration |
| --- | --- |
| Report the blank but still submit | Leave the field optional; notify on the blank |
| Stop the submission | Make the field required — the attempt fails with the field ID listed |
| Skip the occurrence entirely | Add a per-occurrence conditional check on that field |

---

## Diagnosing a Lookup

Attempt context reports, without ever recording values:

- the Populate Anything **field IDs** involved,
- whether the **dependency was present**,
- how many **results** came back.

| Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| Dependency missing | The value the lookup keys on isn't on the parent entry |
| 0 results | The lookup ran and matched nothing |
| Results present but the field is empty | Check the dependency chain — fields evaluate in dependency order |

A Dynamic form that depends on Populate Anything reports a **specific issue** when the dependency is unavailable. Forms without Populate Anything simply continue.

---

## Fields the Plugin Handles Specially

| Field type | Behaviour on children |
| --- | --- |
| Selected **date fields** | Updated to the current date at execution, in the schedule's timezone |
| **Calculation** fields | Recalculated by Gravity Forms |
| **Unique ID** fields | A new value per child |
| The **count** field for a parent-field end condition | Set to `0` |
| Everything else | Snapshot or Dynamic, per the feed |

---

## Testing a Change

Don't wait for tomorrow's run:

1. Save the feed change.
2. Open the parent entry.
3. Click **Run Next Submission Now**.
4. Compare the child entry with the parent, field by field.
5. In Dynamic mode, edit the parent, run again, and confirm the change carried through.

Each manual run consumes a slot, so do this on a test entry if the count matters.

---

## Changing the Input Mode for a Running Series

The input mode is a **feed** setting, and applying a saved schedule to existing series copies **schedule** settings — it deliberately leaves payload choices alone.

To change the mode for a series that already exists: let it complete or cancel it, then start a fresh series with the corrected feed.