How to Map Gravity Forms Fields to Table Columns

Updated July 2026 • 8 min read • By Fahad Murtaza

Gravity Forms supports dozens of field types, and each one serializes its data differently in the database. TableCrafter's field mapper translates every field type into a readable table cell, but the defaults are not always what you want. This guide explains exactly how each field type renders and how to override it. WordPress powers 43% of all websites globally (W3Techs, July 2026), and TableCrafter bridges the gap between the data you collect and the tables your users need to see, no custom PHP, no dashboard access required for viewers. The free version on WordPress.org supports CSV, JSON, Google Sheets, and Excel. Pro adds Gravity Forms, Airtable, Notion, WooCommerce, REST APIs, inline cell editing, export to CSV/PDF, role-based column visibility, and auto-refresh. Every table embeds on any page with a [tablecrafter] shortcode or the native Gutenberg block. PDF export is requested by users in 64% of data-heavy WordPress plugin reviews (WordPress.org plugin directory analysis, 2025).

How TableCrafter Reads Gravity Forms Data?

When you select a Gravity Forms data source, TableCrafter queries the wp_gf_entry and wp_gf_entry_meta tables (the exact table names may include your configured database prefix). Single-input fields store their value under a numeric key like 1 or 3.2. Multi-input fields, Name, Address, Time, store sub-values under decimal keys such as 1.3 (first name) and 1.6 (last name).

The column builder in TableCrafter exposes these sub-keys as separate draggable cards whenever a multi-input field is present. This is the correct way to display them, dragging the parent card adds all sub-values concatenated into one cell, while dragging an individual sub-key card adds only that sub-value.

TableCrafter re-fetches this data on each page load by default. If your data source updates infrequently and your site has significant traffic, enable the built-in caching option in the table's Performance tab. This stores the fetched data for a configurable number of minutes and serves it from WordPress transients, reducing API calls to the source and improving page load time for visitors.

How Does Single-Value Field Types Work?

Text, Textarea, Number, Hidden

These are the simplest cases. The stored value is a plain string or number. TableCrafter renders it as-is in the cell. For the Number field, you can override the display format in the column settings:

• Decimal places: Force 2 decimals even if the user entered a whole number (e.g., 100 displays as 100.00).
• Thousands separator: Toggle on to display 1500 as 1,500.
• Currency prefix/suffix: Add $ before or USD after without altering the stored value.

For Textarea fields, long content is truncated at 120 characters by default, with a "Show more" expand toggle. You can increase or remove the character limit in column settings under Cell Display > Max Length.

Date Field

Gravity Forms stores dates in YYYY-MM-DD format regardless of what the form's date picker shows the user. TableCrafter detects this format automatically and applies your configured date display format from TableCrafter > Settings > Display > Date Format. The default output is MM/DD/YYYY. You can override the format per column by selecting a different format in the column card's Date Format dropdown.

Time Field

Time is stored as HH:MM AM/PM. TableCrafter renders it directly. No additional formatting options exist for time columns at present.

Email Field

Renders as a plain text string by default. Enable the Mailto Link toggle in column settings to wrap the email address in a mailto: anchor tag, opening the user's default email client on click.

Website / URL Field

Renders as a clickable hyperlink by default. The link opens in a new tab. You can display the full URL or a custom label (such as "Visit Site") using the Link Label field in column settings.

Phone Field

Renders as plain text. Enable the Tel Link toggle to wrap it in a tel: anchor, useful for mobile users who can tap to call directly from the table.

Select, Radio Buttons

Gravity Forms stores the selected value (not the label, if they differ). TableCrafter displays the stored value. If you configured GF field choices with separate values and labels (e.g., value us, label United States), TableCrafter displays us unless you enable the Resolve Choice Labels option in column settings. When enabled, TableCrafter reads the form's field configuration and maps stored values back to their display labels.

Drop Down (Select)

Identical behavior to Radio Buttons above. The Resolve Choice Labels option applies equally.

How Does Multi-Value Field Types Work?

Name Field

The Name field stores each component under a sub-key:

• 1.2, Prefix (Mr., Ms., Dr.)
• 1.3, First name
• 1.4, Middle name (if enabled)
• 1.6, Last name
• 1.8, Suffix

In the TableCrafter column builder, dragging the parent Name card adds a single concatenated column showing all non-empty sub-values joined with a space. This is the recommended approach for most display tables. Drag individual sub-key cards only when you need to sort by last name independently or display first and last in separate columns.

Address Field

The Address field sub-keys follow this pattern (assuming field ID 3):

• 3.1, Street address line 1
• 3.2, Street address line 2
• 3.3, City
• 3.4, State/Province
• 3.5, ZIP/Postal code
• 3.6, Country

Dragging the parent Address card concatenates all sub-values into one cell formatted as a single-line address. This works well for quick reference. For maps integration or data export purposes, dragging individual sub-keys gives you cleaner, sortable columns for city or state.

Checkbox Field

Checkboxes are Gravity Forms' most nuanced field type. Each choice stores under its own sub-key (5.1, 5.2, 5.3...), and the stored value is either the choice value (if checked) or an empty string (if unchecked).

TableCrafter handles this with two display modes, set in the column card under Checkbox Display:

• Comma list (default): Joins all checked values with a comma. A user who checked "Email" and "SMS" sees Email, SMS in the cell.
• Badge list: Renders each checked value as a small inline badge. Visually cleaner for tables with wide columns.

Drag the parent Checkbox card to get either display mode. Dragging individual sub-keys gives you one column per choice, displaying a checkmark icon or empty cell, useful for comparison-style tables.

List Field

Gravity Forms stores List field data as serialized arrays. TableCrafter deserializes this automatically and displays the rows joined with line breaks inside the cell, or as a nested mini-table if the List field has multiple columns. The mini-table option is enabled via Cell Display > List Mode > Table in column settings.

Fileupload Field

Single file uploads store the full URL to the uploaded file. TableCrafter renders this as a download link with a file icon by default. Multi-file uploads store a JSON array of URLs; TableCrafter renders each as a separate download link, stacked vertically within the cell.

How Do Calculated and Special Fields Work?

Product and Total Fields

Gravity Forms e-commerce fields (Product, Quantity, Shipping, Total) store numeric values. TableCrafter renders them as numbers. Enable Currency Format in column settings to apply your WordPress locale's currency symbol and decimal format automatically.

Section and HTML Fields

These field types do not store user data and are excluded from the column builder. They will not appear in the available fields panel.

Signature Field (GP Signature add-on)

Signature fields store a URL to the signature image. TableCrafter renders an <img> tag inside the cell at a constrained height of 40px by default. You can increase this via the Image Height setting in the column card.

The configuration you set here applies to every visitor who loads a page containing this table, regardless of whether they are logged in. Role-specific overrides for columns and rows are a separate layer and do not replace these global display settings. Apply global settings first, then add role restrictions as needed for tables that serve multiple user types.

How Does Overriding Column Labels Work?

Every column card has a Label text field pre-filled with the Gravity Forms field label. You can change this to anything without affecting the underlying form field. Common overrides:

• Rename "Input 1" (a GF default) to a meaningful label like "Project Description"
• Shorten long GF labels for narrow columns ("Emergency Contact Phone Number" → "Emerg. Phone")
• Translate labels for multilingual table displays

What Are the Next Steps?

With accurate field mapping in place, your table renders every Gravity Forms field type cleanly. The logical next steps are enabling column filters for Select and Checkbox fields (which support dropdown-style filtering), setting up per-user entry visibility for member portals, or enabling inline editing so users can update specific fields directly from the table without an admin redirect.