What This Plugin Does #
Recurring Form Submissions for Gravity Forms (RS4GF) automates repeat entries on a schedule. Instead of cloning forms or retyping data, the plugin programmatically re‑submits a selected entry on a cadence you define. Each recurrence creates a new Gravity Forms entry and then runs the same downstream actions you’d expect from a normal submission—feeds, add‑ons, webhooks, and notifications.
Ideal for: invoicing, retainers, payroll, periodic service requests, and any workflow where the “same” submission needs to recur reliably.
Core Value #
- Hands‑off automation: Set the schedule once; the system generates new entries on time.
- Full pipeline compatibility: Each run is a real GF submission, so existing feeds (e.g., Stripe/PayPal, Webhooks, Zapier) continue to work as expected.
- Data integrity: Parent/child relationships are tracked via entry notes and metadata for easy auditing.
- Operational observability: Status overviews, entry notes, and optional email alerts keep you ahead of failures.
How It Works (At a Glance) #
- Create a feed for a form (per‑form configuration). Use standard GF conditional logic to control when it should execute.
- Choose a source entry and a recurrence mode:
- Snapshot: Reuse the original entry’s values for each future run (GF calculation fields will still recalc).
- Rebuild from current state: Re‑evaluate the entry at run time (GF calculations and GPPA hydration will run fresh). Default.
- Date field override (optional): Set date fields to “date at time of resubmission” for things like invoice dates.
- Define the schedule: Every N days, weeks, months, or years. Pick an end condition:
- Total runs (sourced from a form field or entered in the feed), or
- End date.
- Results & logging: Each occurrence creates a new entry, links back to its parent, and adds entry notes for status changes. Optional notifications can be configured for success, failure, or series completion.
Manual start options: From any existing entry, you can kick off the series either as if the entry were created now (all runs in the future), or from the original submission date (only the still‑future occurrences will run; no backfills).
Key Concepts #
- Recurring Series: The set of scheduled runs tied to one source entry.
- Parent/Child Entries: The source entry is the parent; each recurrence produces a child entry with bi‑directional links in entry notes/meta.
- Snapshot vs Rebuild: Controls whether the plugin uses the original values or re‑evaluates the entry at each run (calculations recalc in both modes; GPPA hydrates only in Rebuild mode).
- End Conditions: Series stop after a target run count or an end date.
- Failure Handling: If a submission fails validation, it is not created and feeds do not run. Failures are logged and can trigger alerts.
Requirements & Compatibility #
- WordPress (current, actively supported versions)
- Gravity Forms (installed and licensed)
- PHP 8.0+
- Works with standard GF add‑ons. Payment feeds run on each successful recurrence like any normal submission.
Observability & Alerts #
- Overview page: See active series, next run times, and failure states. (Also available via shortcode for front‑end display.)
- Entry notes: Automatic notes on start, each successful run, failures (with reasons when available), cancellations, and completion.
- Daily failure digest: The plugin scans for failed series daily, surfaces an admin notice with links to affected entries, and emails the site admin (or a custom address). A filter lets you modify the email (e.g., link to a GravityView page).
