How to Capture Latitude and Longitude in Gravity Forms

Addresses are useful for people, but many location-aware workflows ultimately need latitude and longitude. Coordinates let you place a marker precisely, save a job site that does not have a conventional street address, pass a location to another system, or perform map and proximity operations later.

Gravity Location can capture coordinates directly inside Gravity Forms. The visitor can enter them manually, select a place through address autocomplete, move a marker on a map, or use the browser’s current-location feature. Connected geolocation fields remain synchronized, even when you position them in different parts or pages of the form.

Gravity Forms address, map, and coordinates fields synchronized to the same location
Connected Address, Map, and Coordinates fields stay synchronized as the location changes.

Four Ways to Collect Coordinates

The best input method depends on what your visitors know and how precise the location must be.

You can offer one method or combine several. For example, a customer can begin with an address and then move the marker to the correct entrance, loading bay, trailhead, or service point.

How the Fields Work Together

A location workflow is coordinated through the Geocoder Field. The Geocoder Field is hidden on the frontend by default and stores the shared location state used by connected fields.

Link the Address, Map, Coordinates, and Locator Button fields to the same Geocoder Field. When one connected field changes the location, the others receive the updated location data. The fields do not need to sit beside each other: they can appear in different sections or on different pages of a multi-page Gravity Form and still remain connected.

This field-based structure lets you design the form around the visitor’s workflow instead of forcing the address, map, and coordinates into one fixed interface.

Step 1: Add the Hidden Geocoder Field

Open the form in the Gravity Forms editor and add a Geocoder Field. You usually do not need to display anything for this field on the frontend. Its role is to geocode locations and synchronize the fields connected to it.

If the form should begin at a known location, configure default latitude and longitude in the Geocoder Field settings. Default coordinates can trigger geocoding when the form loads, while the separate marker defaults can position a map marker without changing the other connected values.

Gravity Geolocation Geocoder Field settings in the Gravity Forms editor
The Geocoder Field coordinates the shared location and marker behavior.

See the Geocoder Field documentation for the complete settings.

Step 2: Add the Coordinates Field

Add a Coordinates Field and select the Geocoder Field you created. The field provides separate latitude and longitude inputs whose labels and placeholders can be customized.

Decide whether the visitor should edit the coordinates directly:

The dedicated Coordinates Field is especially useful for properties, field-service locations, land and environmental records, outdoor destinations, incident reports, and sites without reliable street addresses.

Gravity Geolocation Coordinates Field settings with Geocoder and latitude-longitude options
Connect the Coordinates Field to the Geocoder and customize its latitude and longitude inputs.

See the Coordinates Field documentation for its settings.

Step 3: Choose the Visitor’s Location Input

Capture Coordinates from an Address

Add an Address Field, connect it to the same Geocoder Field, and enable Google Places autocomplete. When the visitor selects an address, the location is geocoded and the connected Coordinates Field updates automatically.

Gravity Geolocation Address Field settings with Geocoder and address autocomplete options
Link the Address Field to the Geocoder and enable address autocomplete.

This is the most familiar workflow for deliveries, contact forms, appointments, property records, and other address-based submissions.

Let the Visitor Select a Point on a Map

Add a Map Field and connect it to the Geocoder Field. Depending on your map settings, the visitor can select a location by clicking the map or moving its marker. The updated marker position synchronizes back to the Coordinates Field.

Gravity Geolocation Map Field settings with connected Geocoder and map display options
The Map Field can share the Geocoder location while giving visitors a visual way to refine the point.

A map is valuable when the street address identifies a general area but the precise point matters. Examples include a building entrance, construction location, parking area, pickup point, or utility asset.

Detect the Visitor’s Current Location

Add a Locator Button Field connected to the same Geocoder Field, or configure automatic location detection when that behavior is appropriate. The visitor’s browser will request permission before sharing the device location.

Gravity Geolocation Locator Button Field settings with Geocoder, IP fallback, and messages
Configure which Geocoder receives the detected location and how fallback behavior and messages work.

Current-location accuracy depends on the device, browser, connection, permissions, and available positioning data. Allow the visitor to review or adjust the result rather than assuming every device reports the exact point.

Accept Coordinates Directly

When users already have coordinates, the Coordinates Field can be the primary input. Entering latitude and longitude can update the connected map and retrieve related address information through reverse geocoding.

Step 4: Make Coordinates Available to Other Workflows

The Coordinates Field saves the submitted values with the Gravity Forms entry. When another Gravity Forms field needs a single latitude or longitude value, configure Dynamic Location Data on a compatible field and select the connected Geocoder Field as its source.

Dynamic Location Data settings for populating a Gravity Forms field from a Geocoder Field
Dynamic Location Data can place a Geocoder’s latitude or longitude into another compatible Gravity Forms field.

Separate latitude and longitude values can then participate in:

Keep a clear distinction between display text and numeric data. A formatted address is ideal for people, while latitude and longitude should remain clean coordinate values for systems that need to process them.

See the Dynamic Geolocation Field documentation for supported field types and location outputs.

Step 5: Test Accuracy and Synchronization

Preview the completed form and test every location-input method you enabled. Confirm that:

Test on desktop and mobile devices. Mobile location detection may be more precise than desktop detection, while manually moving a marker may require extra attention on a small touchscreen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Gravity Forms get coordinates from an address?

Yes. Connect an Address Field and Coordinates Field to the same Geocoder Field. When the address is selected and geocoded, the latitude and longitude update automatically.

Can users select coordinates on a map?

Yes. A connected Map Field can allow visitors to select or refine a location using the marker. The Coordinates Field stays synchronized with the selected point.

Can I keep latitude and longitude hidden?

Yes. Visitors can interact with an address, map, or Locator Button while coordinates are captured behind the scenes. Dynamic Location Data can also populate compatible hidden or standard Gravity Forms fields when another workflow needs separate values.

Do all geolocation fields have to appear together?

No. Connected geolocation fields can appear anywhere in the form, including on different pages of a multi-page form, while continuing to share the same location state.

Which package includes coordinate collection?

The Address, Geocoder, Coordinates, Map, Locator Button, Reset Location, and Dynamic Location Data features are available in Gravity Location, Gravity Geolocation Toolkit, and All Access.

Add Coordinates to Your Gravity Forms

Gravity Location gives visitors several natural ways to identify a place while keeping the address, map, and coordinate data synchronized behind the form.

How to Build a Searchable Directory with Gravity Forms—Without Custom Post Types

Gravity Forms is excellent at collecting structured information, but the entries normally remain in the WordPress dashboard. A directory project needs the next layer: frontend search, filters, result layouts, maps, and pages where visitors can view individual records.

Gravity Search adds that layer directly to Gravity Forms. It queries the entries already stored in a Target Form, so you do not need to copy every submission into a custom post type or maintain a second directory database.

This approach works for business directories, member listings, property searches, resource libraries, customer portals, employee databases, store locators, and many other entry-driven applications.

Gravity Search showing frontend filters, entry results, and synchronized map markers
Gravity Search can combine visitor-facing filters, flexible entry layouts, synchronized map markers, sorting, and pagination in one frontend directory.

How a Gravity Search Directory Works

A directory uses two primary parts:

The Search can include visitor-facing filter fields, but they are optional. You can build a conventional searchable directory, or display a predefined set of entries immediately with no visible search form.

One Target Form can power multiple Searches. For example, the same business-submission form could supply:

Why Work Directly with Gravity Forms Entries?

Many directory systems require submitted form data to be converted or synchronized into a different content type. That can be appropriate for some projects, but it introduces another data model and another update path.

A Gravity Search directory keeps Gravity Forms as the underlying entry system:

Gravity Search focuses on frontend search and display. If visitors must edit entries from the frontend, or if the directory needs membership and access-control rules, use a compatible solution for those separate responsibilities.

Step 1: Prepare the Target Form

Start with the Gravity Form that collects the directory records. It may already contain entries, or you can build it specifically for the new directory.

Include the information visitors will need to search or evaluate, such as:

Use clear field labels and structured choices wherever possible. A dropdown containing consistent categories is easier to filter than several variations typed into a free-form text field.

If the directory will be public, decide which entries qualify for display. An approval or status field can support an administrator-defined filter that excludes pending, private, or incomplete records.

Step 2: Create a Search

Create a new Search and connect it to the Target Form. Search Settings define the data source, default filters, results layout, map, sorting, pagination, and individual entry display.

If the directory needs visitor controls, use the standard Gravity Forms builder to add the optional search fields. These fields filter the Target Form; they do not create new directory entries.

See Gravity Search Overview and Creating Your First Gravity Forms Search for the complete setup sequence.

Step 3: Add the Filters Visitors Actually Need

A useful directory does not need a filter for every stored field. Start with the decisions visitors make when narrowing the results.

Common filters include:

Map each Search field to the appropriate Target Form field and choose the intended comparison behavior. Keep the first version focused; additional filters can be added after observing how visitors use the directory.

Step 4: Choose the Results Layout

Gravity Search can display entries as cards, lists, grids, tables, or custom output. Choose the layout based on how visitors compare the records.

Structured output lets you select fields without writing a complete template. Custom output can use supported merge tags and markup when a project requires more control.

Add sorting, results-per-page controls, pagination, or Load More behavior as appropriate. The goal is not to expose every setting; it is to help visitors identify the right entry quickly.

See the Search Results documentation.

Step 5: Add Maps and Proximity Search When Relevant

If Target Form entries contain geocoded locations, the directory can display matching records on an interactive map. Visitors can search from an address or current location, apply a radius, and sort results by distance.

Result maps can include markers, clustering, information windows, and synchronized list or card results. This is ideal for:

A Target Form can contain multiple indexed locations per entry. Search Settings determine which location sources participate in a particular directory.

Existing entries may need their saved locations imported or geocoded before they appear in proximity results. See Understanding Location Data & Proximity Search.

Step 6: Create Individual Entry Details Pages

Search results usually show a concise summary. A dedicated details page can display the complete record, including selected fields, images, uploaded documents, contact information, maps, and custom content.

Configure one WordPress page as the destination for entry details, then choose structured output or a custom template in Search Settings.

Details pages are useful when:

Only display fields appropriate for the intended audience. Gravity Forms entries may contain private administrative or personal information that should never appear publicly.

Step 7: Embed and Test the Directory

Add the configured Search to a WordPress page using the supported Gravity Forms block or shortcode. Search components can appear together or be placed separately when the page layout needs independent form, results, or map regions.

Before launching, test:

Directory Ideas You Can Build

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I display existing Gravity Forms entries on the frontend?

Yes. Gravity Search connects to an existing Target Form and displays its qualifying entries as cards, lists, grids, tables, maps, or dedicated details pages.

Do I have to convert entries into custom post types?

No. Gravity Search works directly with Gravity Forms entries, although you can continue using other Gravity Forms and WordPress workflows when your project needs them.

Does every directory need a visible search form?

No. Search fields are optional. A Search can display all qualifying entries or an administrator-defined subset without visitor-facing controls.

Can I build multiple directories from one Gravity Form?

Yes. Several Searches can connect to the same Target Form and use different defaults, filters, layouts, maps, and details behavior.

Can users edit their entries from the frontend?

Gravity Search provides frontend search and display. Frontend editing requires WordPress dashboard access or a separate compatible editing solution.

Which package includes Gravity Search?

Gravity Search is available as a focused standalone package. All Access combines Gravity Search with the complete Gravity Geolocation Toolkit.

Turn Your Gravity Forms Entries into a Directory

Gravity Search lets you keep Gravity Forms at the center of your data-collection workflow while adding the frontend experience visitors need to search, filter, map, and explore the entries.

Explore Gravity Search, view the live demos, or compare Gravity Search and All Access.

How to Add Google Address Autocomplete to Gravity Forms

Address autocomplete makes a Gravity Form faster to complete and gives you more useful location data than an unrestricted text box. As a visitor begins typing, Google-powered suggestions help them choose a recognized address. Gravity Geolocation can then geocode the selection, capture its coordinates and address components, and synchronize it with other location fields in the form.

This guide explains how to add autocomplete, connect it to the rest of your form, restrict suggestions when needed, and avoid confusing autocomplete with full address validation.

Gravity Forms address autocomplete with synchronized map and coordinates fields
The Address Field provides Google-powered suggestions while connected location fields stay synchronized.

What Address Autocomplete Adds to Gravity Forms

A normal address input saves exactly what the visitor typed. Autocomplete adds an assisted selection workflow:

  1. The visitor starts entering a street, city, business, or other supported place.
  2. Google Places returns matching suggestions.
  3. The visitor selects the intended result.
  4. Gravity Geolocation geocodes the selection and synchronizes its location data.

Depending on the form, the selected place can provide a formatted address, individual address components, latitude and longitude, a place ID, and a position for a connected Map Field.

Autocomplete can reduce typing and ambiguity, but it is still an input aid. If you need to verify and standardize an address before submission, add the separate Address Validation workflow described later in this guide.

What You Need

Gravity Location is the focused package for collecting addresses, coordinates, map-selected locations, and users’ current positions. The same Address and Geocoder fields are also included where required by Gravity Directions and the broader packages.

Step 1: Add a Geocoder Field

Open the Gravity Forms editor and add a Geocoder Field. The Geocoder acts as the location-data source that connects the Address Field with other geolocation fields.

The Geocoder Field is hidden from visitors by default. It stores and synchronizes the underlying location data without adding another visible field to the frontend. Give it a clear administrative label when the form contains more than one location, such as Customer Location, Pickup Location, or Property Location.

Forms can contain multiple independent geolocation groups. For example, an origin Geocoder can connect to one Address Field while a destination Geocoder connects to another.

Step 2: Add and Connect the Address Field

Add the Gravity Geolocation Address Field and select the Geocoder Field it should use. This connection allows the address, coordinates, and any linked Map Field to stay synchronized.

Gravity Geolocation uses the normal address inputs rather than placing an unrelated autocomplete box beside them. Visitors complete a familiar form while the plugin handles the geocoding workflow behind the scenes.

See the Address Field documentation and Geocoder Field documentation for the complete option list.

Step 3: Enable Address Autocomplete

In the Address Field settings, activate Address Autocomplete. Preview the form and begin typing an address to confirm that suggestions appear.

You can also configure the type of suggestions shown. Depending on the workflow, you may want complete addresses, establishments, regions, or cities rather than every available place type.

Examples include:

Step 4: Decide Whether Selection Is Required

Autocomplete can show suggestions while still allowing a visitor to keep manually typed text, or it can require the visitor to select a suggestion.

Requiring a selection is useful when the workflow depends on coordinates or structured place data. If someone types an address without choosing a suggestion, the text may look complete while the form has no confirmed place from which to derive the expected location values.

When selection is enforced, use a clear message such as:

Please select an address from the suggestions.

Do not describe this as address validation. It confirms that the visitor chose an autocomplete result; it does not perform the same analysis as the Google Address Validation API.

Step 5: Restrict the Suggestions

Autocomplete results can be restricted when a worldwide suggestion list would be unhelpful.

Country restrictions

Limit suggestions to the countries your organization serves. This reduces irrelevant results when cities or street names exist in several countries.

Proximity

Bias or constrain suggestions around configured coordinates and a radius. This is useful for a local business that mainly expects addresses near a store, office, or service region.

Area bounds

Limit results to a defined rectangular geographic area.

Visitor location

Use the detected page location when suggestions should be relevant to the visitor’s current area. Browser-based location access requires the visitor’s permission.

Restrictions should improve relevance without hiding legitimate customer addresses. Test locations near the edge of the service area as well as common central locations.

Step 6: Add a Locator Icon or Map

The Address Field can include an inline locator control that lets visitors populate the location from their current position. You can also add the standalone Locator Button when the design requires a separate control.

For visual confirmation, connect a Map Field to the same Geocoder. The marker moves when an autocomplete result is selected, and dragging the marker can update the connected address and coordinates.

This combination is useful when:

The Map Field used here is a form input. It is different from the Single Entry Map and Mashup Map used to display saved Gravity Forms entries after submission.

Step 7: Use the Location Data Elsewhere

Dynamic Location Data can populate compatible standard Gravity Forms fields with selected address components and geographic values. Depending on the workflow, you might copy:

Those values can then participate in conditional logic, calculations, notifications, confirmations, merge tags, feeds, exports, and compatible third-party integrations.

Autocomplete or Address Validation?

Use autocomplete when the main goal is faster entry and geocoding. Use Gravity Address Validation when the workflow needs to review, standardize, or verify the completed address before submission.

Many forms benefit from both:

  1. Autocomplete helps the visitor select the intended location.
  2. Address Validation evaluates the completed address.
  3. The visitor reviews any recommended correction.

Read Address Autocomplete vs Address Validation for a detailed comparison.

Common Uses for Gravity Forms Address Autocomplete

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add autocomplete to the Gravity Forms Address Field?

Yes. Gravity Geolocation adds autocomplete to the Address Field and connects it to a Geocoder Field for coordinates and synchronized location data.

Can I restrict suggestions to one country?

Yes. Configure country restrictions in the Address Field settings. Multiple supported countries can also be selected when the form serves more than one country.

Can users select their current location?

Yes. Enable the inline locator control or use a standalone Locator Button. Browser location detection requires visitor permission, and an IP-location provider can be configured for applicable fallback workflows.

Does autocomplete verify that an address is deliverable?

No. Autocomplete assists selection and provides structured place data, but it is not a replacement for the dedicated Address Validation workflow.

Which package should I choose?

Choose Gravity Location when your project mainly needs address autocomplete and location collection. Choose Gravity Geolocation Toolkit when you also need Address Validation, Nearest Locations, Drawing Tools, Gravity Maps, and the complete form-focused geolocation feature set. All Access adds Gravity Search.

Add Location-Aware Fields to Gravity Forms

Gravity Location gives Gravity Forms dedicated Address, Geocoder, Map, Coordinates, Locator, Reset Location, and Dynamic Location Data fields in one focused package.

Explore Gravity Location, try the live demos, or compare packages.

How to Calculate Delivery Fees by Distance in Gravity Forms

A flat delivery charge is simple, but it rarely reflects the real cost of traveling to different destinations. If your business charges according to mileage, service radius, or travel time, you can calculate the fee directly inside Gravity Forms instead of reviewing every submission manually.

Gravity Directions provides the location and travel fields needed to calculate the route. Dynamic Location Data includes dedicated calculation outputs for the distance in meters and the duration in seconds. It can populate either value into a standard Gravity Forms field for use in product calculations, conditional logic, notifications, confirmations, and connected workflows.

Gravity Forms distance calculator displaying origin, destination, route distance, travel time, and a calculated delivery price
The Distance & Duration Field calculates route distance and estimated travel time between form locations.

What the Delivery Calculator Does

A typical distance or duration-based delivery form follows this sequence:

  1. The form supplies the route origin, either from a location entered by the visitor or from an origin configured by the administrator.
  2. The visitor enters or selects the destination using an Address, Map, Coordinates, or another compatible location field.
  3. The Distance & Duration Field calculates the route distance and estimated travel time.
  4. Dynamic Location Data populates a Number Field with the distance in meters or the duration in seconds.
  5. A Gravity Forms calculation applies your pricing formula.
  6. The form displays the fee and saves the addresses, distance, duration, and price with the entry.

The calculation logic remains in Gravity Forms. Gravity Directions supplies the travel value used by that calculation.

What You Need

Before building the form, decide whether the fee should use route distance, estimated duration, or straight-line distance. Route distance is useful for mileage-based pricing, while duration can better represent technician time, congestion, and other time-sensitive services. Straight-line distance can be useful for a simple service-radius rule, but it does not account for roads, bridges, or route conditions.

Step 1: Add the Route Locations

Add the location fields required by your route. The origin and destination can both be entered by the visitor. For example, a quote form could present two Address Fields so the visitor can enter a pickup location and a drop-off location.

A common delivery form instead uses a fixed business origin and asks the visitor for only the destination. In that setup, the origin does not need a visible Address Field. Add a Geocoder Field for the origin and configure its default coordinates to the business location. The administrator-defined geocoder supplies the route origin behind the scenes, so the visitor sees only the field or fields needed to choose the destination.

The destination can come from an Address Field, Map Field, Coordinates Field, or another compatible location source. When using an Address Field, connect it to its Geocoder Field and enable autocomplete so the visitor can select a recognized location rather than entering an ambiguous free-form value. The geocoders provide the coordinates used by the travel calculation.

If customers sometimes request pickup instead of delivery, add a delivery-method choice and use Gravity Forms conditional logic to show the destination and delivery price only when delivery is selected.

Step 2: Configure Distance & Duration

Add the Distance & Duration Field and select the origin and destination fields it should use. Configure the calculation mode, unit, travel settings, and trigger behavior for your workflow.

The field can display the resulting distance and estimated duration to the customer. It also makes dedicated calculation values available to Dynamic Location Data: distance in meters and duration in seconds. These outputs let the result participate in standard Gravity Forms calculations independently of the units or formatted labels displayed to the visitor.

Test several nearby and distant addresses at this stage. Confirm that the route is calculated in the expected direction, the displayed unit is correct, and changing an address refreshes the result.

For the complete field settings, see the Distance & Duration Field documentation.

Step 3: Put the Distance in Meters or Duration in Seconds in a Number Field

Add a compatible Gravity Forms Number Field and configure Dynamic Location Data to populate it from the Distance & Duration Field. Select the dedicated distance in meters or duration in seconds option that matches your pricing model.

This separation is important. A customer-friendly result may say something like “12.4 miles” or “28 minutes,” while the calculation field receives a consistent base value in meters or seconds. Your Gravity Forms formula can then convert that value into miles, kilometers, minutes, or hours as needed.

You can keep the Number Field visible when customers should see the value used for pricing, or hide it when the travel value is only an internal calculation input. Give the field an administrative label such as Delivery Distance or Estimated Travel Time so its purpose remains clear in entries and exports.

See Dynamic Geolocation Field documentation for the available source and output options.

Step 4: Build the Delivery-Fee Formula

Once the distance in meters or duration in seconds is available, use Gravity Forms’ normal calculation tools to convert the value when necessary and create the price.

A simple formula might be:

Delivery fee = base fee + ((distance in meters ÷ 1609.344) × price per mile)

For example, a business could charge a base fee of $5 plus $1.50 per mile. A route value of 16,093.44 meters equals 10 miles and would produce:

$5 + ((16,093.44 ÷ 1609.344) × $1.50) = $20

A time-based service could instead use:

Service fee = base fee + ((duration in seconds ÷ 60) × price per minute)

You can place the formula in a calculated Product Field or another suitable calculation field, depending on whether the value should become part of a Gravity Forms order total.

More advanced pricing can use multiple rules:

Use conditional logic and additional calculated fields to express these rules clearly. Keep the base-unit travel value separate from the final price so both remain available in the saved entry.

Step 5: Handle Addresses Outside the Delivery Area

A calculator should not merely produce a very large fee for every possible destination. Decide what happens when the route exceeds your service limit.

Depending on the workflow, you can:

If your service rules depend on geographic boundaries rather than mileage alone, Gravity Geolocation’s Drawing Tools and Shape Fields can also collect or represent zones and service areas. Distance and zone membership answer different questions, and some businesses will use both.

Step 6: Test the Complete Workflow

Test more than one convenient address. Include:

Check the displayed fee, the saved entry, notifications, confirmations, payment total, and any CRM or webhook data receiving the result. Also confirm that changing an address refreshes the distance in meters, the duration in seconds, and the final price.

Distance and Duration-Based Pricing Ideas

The same structure works for more than food delivery. It can support:

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Gravity Forms calculate a price from driving distance?

Yes. Gravity Directions can calculate the travel distance, and Dynamic Location Data can populate its dedicated distance-in-meters output into a compatible Gravity Forms field. Gravity Forms can convert that value into the required unit and use it in its normal pricing and calculation fields.

Can I charge by travel time instead of mileage?

Yes. Populate the dedicated duration-in-seconds output into a compatible field, convert it to minutes or hours in the formula when needed, and use it as the calculation input. This is useful when technician or service time matters more than mileage alone.

Does this require custom code?

A standard distance-times-rate calculator can be configured through Gravity Forms and Gravity Directions without custom code. Very specialized tiering, external rate tables, or business rules may require additional Gravity Forms logic or custom development.

Can the customer see the route?

Yes. If the workflow needs route visualization, connect the appropriate field to a Map Field. For complete route maps and turn-by-turn output, use the Directions Field and Directions Panel included with Gravity Directions.

Which package includes these fields?

Distance & Duration, Directions, Directions Panel, and their required dynamic travel outputs are available in Gravity Directions, Gravity Geolocation Toolkit, and All Access.

Build Your Gravity Forms Delivery Calculator

Gravity Directions combines address input, distance and duration calculations, route maps, and turn-by-turn directions in a focused package for travel-related forms.

Explore Gravity Directions, try the distance and price-calculation demo, or compare all packages.

How to Display Gravity Forms Entries on Google Maps

Once a Gravity Form has collected locations, the next question is often how to display those submissions on a map. You might need one marker on an entry profile, hundreds of submissions on a shared map, or a searchable map that updates as visitors apply filters.

Gravity Geolocation provides three distinct approaches:

  1. Single Entry Map for one saved entry.
  2. Mashup Map for multiple saved entries.
  3. Gravity Search maps for searchable, filtered, or predefined result sets.

Choosing the right map begins with deciding whether you are collecting a location, displaying saved locations, or building an interactive search experience.

First: The Map Field Is for Location Input

The Map Field placed inside a Gravity Form helps a visitor select or adjust a location before submitting the form. It can synchronize with an Address Field, Coordinates Field, and Geocoder Field.

That is different from displaying previously submitted entries. If you want to show saved locations after submission, use Single Entry Map, Mashup Map, or Gravity Search.

Option 1: Display One Entry with Single Entry Map

Single Entry Map displays the saved location from one specific Gravity Forms entry wherever you place the shortcode. Provide the entry ID directly, or let the shortcode resolve it from a dynamic single-entry URL. It can display selected entry information in the marker’s info window and beneath the map.

Typical uses include:

Use Single Entry Map whenever you need to display one known entry’s location—on a standalone page, confirmation, template, directory details page, or another dynamic frontend layout.

Single Entry Map displaying one Gravity Forms entry location and selected entry details
Single Entry Map displays one saved entry location together with the entry information you choose to expose.

Option 2: Display Multiple Entries with Mashup Map

Mashup Map combines locations from multiple entries belonging to a Gravity Form and displays them as markers on one interactive map.

The shortcode can control which form supplies the entries, which entries are included or excluded, which Geocoder Fields provide locations, map dimensions and type, marker icons, and the maximum number of entries to display.

A basic map can be embedded with:

[gfgeo_mashup_map form_id="1"]

Replace 1 with the Gravity Form containing the entries you want to map.

Mashup Map is suitable for:

Marker clustering can group dense locations so the map remains readable as the number of entries increases. Information windows can provide selected context when a visitor opens a marker.

Mashup Map displaying multiple Gravity Forms entries with marker clustering and an information window
Mashup Map combines saved locations from multiple Gravity Forms entries on one interactive map.

See the Mashup Map shortcode documentation for the available attributes and examples.

Option 3: Build Searchable and Filtered Maps with Gravity Search

Mashup Map answers, “Where are these entries?” Gravity Search answers the broader question, “Which entries match what this visitor needs, and where are they?”

A Gravity Search map can display entries selected by:

The map can appear alongside cards, lists, grids, or tables. Markers and results update together, and visitors can open dedicated details pages for individual entries.

Visible search fields are optional. You can also configure a Search that displays a predefined set of entries as a map without asking the visitor to submit a search.

Use Gravity Search for store locators, business directories, property finders, member searches, service-provider maps, customer portals, and other experiences where the displayed entries depend on filters or visitor intent.

Gravity Search showing frontend filters, synchronized entry results, and map markers
Gravity Search connects visitor filters and entry results with an interactive map.

Explore Gravity Search or read the Gravity Search overview.

Single Entry Map vs Mashup Map vs Gravity Search

Need Best choice
Show the location for one entry Single Entry Map
Show multiple entries from one form on a map Mashup Map
Let visitors search or filter mapped entries Gravity Search
Show a predefined filtered map with no visible search form Gravity Search
Display a simple map of submissions without results or filtering Mashup Map
Show cards or a table synchronized with markers Gravity Search

Prepare the Gravity Forms Location Data

Every marker needs valid coordinates. For new entries, collect and geocode locations with Gravity Geolocation fields. The Geocoder Field can synchronize the address, coordinates, and form-input Map Field before the entry is saved.

If the form already contains older entries, those entries may need their locations imported or geocoded before they can participate in maps and proximity searches. Review the source addresses and API configuration before processing a large set of existing records, because geocoding external addresses can consume provider quota and incur charges.

Plan What a Marker Should Reveal

A map is most useful when a visitor understands what each marker represents. Select only the information needed for the public use case, such as:

Do not expose private Gravity Forms entry data simply because it exists in the entry. Maps intended for customer or member data should be reviewed particularly carefully.

Use Marker Clustering for Dense Maps

When many markers occupy the same area, individual icons overlap and make the map difficult to use. Marker clustering combines nearby markers at broader zoom levels and separates them as the visitor zooms in.

Clustering improves map readability, but it does not replace filtering when the underlying dataset is large or visitors need to find a specific kind of entry. That is the point at which a Gravity Search experience may be more useful than a single all-entry map.

Test the Map on Real Pages and Devices

Before publishing:

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Gravity Forms entries be displayed on Google Maps?

Yes. Gravity Geolocation can display one entry with Single Entry Map or multiple submissions with Mashup Map. Gravity Search adds searchable, filtered, and synchronized result maps.

Do I need to convert entries into WordPress posts?

No. These features can work directly with Gravity Forms entries and their stored location data.

Can I display several locations stored in one entry?

The available behavior depends on the selected map and configured location sources. Gravity Search is designed to work with one or more indexed entry locations and can treat qualifying locations as distinct results and markers.

Can visitors filter the map?

Use Gravity Search when visitors need text, category, field, date, user, metadata, radius, or other supported filters. Mashup Map is intended for a more direct multi-entry display.

Which packages include entry-display maps?

Single Entry Map and Mashup Map are included in Gravity Geolocation Toolkit and All Access. Gravity Search includes its own result-map system. All Access combines both approaches.

Choose the Right Gravity Forms Map

Use Gravity Maps when you need to display one saved entry or combine submissions on a Mashup Map. Add Gravity Search when visitors need to search, filter, sort, or explore those entries through synchronized results and maps.

Explore Gravity Geolocation map features, learn about Gravity Search, or compare packages.

Gravity Forms Geolocation Use Cases: Location-Based Tools

Gravity Geolocation can help you:

  • Collect and validate accurate locations.
  • Calculate distance, travel time, and routes.
  • Find nearby locations or draw service areas.
  • Display saved entries on maps and searchable directories.

Adding location awareness to Gravity Forms is useful when the location affects what happens next—not merely when you want to store an address. A form can validate the delivery destination, calculate a fee, show a route, find the nearest provider, or turn saved submissions into an interactive directory.

These examples show how Gravity Geolocation and Gravity Search can support practical business and community workflows without requiring a custom location platform.

Gravity Forms workflows for address validation, directions, nearby locations, and searchable directories
Four practical Gravity Geolocation and Gravity Search workflows.

1. Collect accurate addresses and coordinates

Use Gravity Geolocation fields to collect a structured address, coordinates, a location selected on a map, or the visitor’s current position. A Geocoder Field can synchronize connected location fields so the entry stores the components your workflow needs.

Useful for: bookings, service requests, property submissions, event venues, job applications, and customer records.

Explore the Gravity Forms geolocation fields or follow the geolocation-enabled form tutorial.

2. Validate and standardize submitted addresses

When a deliverable or verified address matters, the Address Validation Field can ask the user to confirm a Google-validated result or correct the address before submission. This can reduce spelling variations, incomplete addresses, and locations that cannot be used later.

Useful for: deliveries, registrations, shipping requests, property records, and any workflow where staff otherwise need to correct addresses manually.

See the Address Validation solution.

3. Calculate delivery fees, mileage, or service eligibility

The Distance & Duration Field calculates road distance and travel time or direct straight-line distance between two saved locations. Populate a numeric result into a supported Gravity Forms field when it should participate in normal calculations or conditional logic.

Useful for: delivery pricing, mileage reimbursement, service-radius checks, appointment planning, and travel estimates.

Read Calculate Distance and Travel Time in Gravity Forms.

4. Show routes and step-by-step directions

The Directions Field builds a complete route from an origin to a destination, with optional waypoints. It can draw the route on a Map Field and send its turn-by-turn instructions to a Directions Panel.

Useful for: transportation bookings, delivery routes, event travel, field-service requests, and multi-stop journeys.

Explore the Distance and Directions solution.

5. Find the nearest locations

Nearest Locations fields can compare the visitor’s selected location with locations stored in a list field, taxonomy, user data, or other supported sources. Results can be ordered by distance or travel time and displayed in a field or panel.

Useful for: assigning the nearest branch, recommending providers, finding nearby facilities, routing requests, and showing pickup locations.

See the Nearest Locations solution.

6. Collect service areas and geographic shapes

Drawing Tools let users create circles, rectangles, polygons, polylines, and markers on a map. The Drawing Shape Field can store and expose individual shape properties for calculations and integrations.

Useful for: delivery zones, service territories, construction areas, real-estate boundaries, coverage maps, and geographic measurements.

Explore the Drawing Tools and Shape Fields solution.

7. Display submissions on a map

The Gravity Forms Mashup Map displays valid saved entry locations as markers on one Google map. You can limit the included entries and Geocoder Fields, customize information windows and marker icons, and group nearby markers into clusters.

Useful for: property maps, community resources, project locations, event venues, service requests, and internal operations dashboards.

Follow the Mashup Map guide.

8. Build searchable directories and portals

Gravity Search turns existing Gravity Forms entries into frontend lists, grids, tables, maps, directories, and portals. Visitor search controls, location search, maps, and entry details pages are all optional, so the interface can stay as simple as the project requires.

Useful for: business directories, member directories, store locators, customer portals, property listings, and internal record searches.

Visit the Gravity Search overview and explore the Business Directory, Member Directory, Store Locator, and Customer Portal examples.

Choosing the right package

Choose based on the workflow you need rather than the number of features listed. A form that only collects accurate locations may need the core package, while a directory that both collects and searches locations benefits from All Access.

Start with the user’s next decision

The most effective location forms answer a specific question: Is this address valid? How far away is it? Which provider is closest? What route should the visitor take? Which saved entries match this search?

Start with that decision, then add only the fields and displays required to support it. Explore the documentation, review the solution pages, or compare current plans.