Search Setup Settings

Introduction

The Search Setup tab contains the core settings that connect a Search to its Target Form, configure
individual entry URLs, define the available location data, and control the optional frontend search form layout.

Configure these settings before working with search defaults, predefined filters, optional search fields, results,
maps, or individual entry displays.

The Search Setup Tab

The Search Setup tab is the starting point for configuring a Search. It allows you to:

• Connect the Search to a Target Form.
• Select the page used to display individual entries.
• Configure the URLs generated for entry details links.
• Select the location data available to the Search.
• Configure the optional frontend search form layout.

These settings usually need to be configured only once during the initial setup of a Search.

Target Form

The Target Form is the regular Gravity Form that collects and stores the entries queried by the
Search.

Every Search must be connected to a Target Form. The selected form determines which fields, entry metadata,
creators, and location sources are available throughout Search Settings.

A Target Form can store one or more geocoded location sources for each entry. These sources can be used for
proximity searches, distance calculations, results, and maps.

If you created the Search directly from a regular Gravity Form, its Target Form is selected automatically.
Otherwise, select the appropriate Target Form during the initial Search setup.

Unlock Target Form

The Target Form selector is locked after a Target Form has been assigned. This helps prevent accidental changes that
could invalidate mapped fields, predefined filters, and other settings that depend on the selected form.

To connect the Search to a different form, enable Unlock Target Form. Confirm the warning, then
select the new Target Form.

The unlock is temporary. After you select a different Target Form, the Search saves and reloads automatically.

Important: Changing the Target Form can reset dependent settings such as mapped fields, filter
mappings, and predefined filters. Review the complete Search configuration after making this change.

Details Routing

The Details Routing section controls where individual Target Form entries are displayed and how
their details URLs are generated.

These URLs are used when visitors follow details links from Search Results, map info windows, or custom templates
containing details-link merge tags.

Details Routing controls the destination and URL format. Configure the content displayed at that destination
separately under the Details Display tab.

Details Page

Select the published WordPress page that should display individual Target Form entries.

A Details Page is required before Gravity Search can generate standard details links or render entry content through
the normal details-page workflow.

The selected page acts as the entry-rendering destination even when its page path is replaced by a Search slug in
Pretty URL mode.

For Structured Fields or Custom HTML output, place the following shortcode on the
selected Details Page where the individual entry content should appear:

[gfgeo_search_entry]

The shortcode is not required when the Output Mode under Details Display is set to Page Content.

URL Mode

URL Mode determines the format used for individual entry URLs.

• Pretty: Generates readable URL paths containing the Search slug and an optional entry slug.
• Simple: Uses the selected Details Page with the Search ID and Entry ID supplied as query
  arguments.

Pretty mode is recommended when you want readable, descriptive URLs. Simple mode provides a direct query-string
format and can be used as an alternative when pretty permalink routing is not desired.

A Simple URL follows this general pattern:

https://example.com/details-page/?sid=45&eid=123

The order of the sid and eid arguments may vary without changing the URL’s behavior.

URL Structure

URL Structure is available when URL Mode is set to Pretty. It determines whether
the Search slug replaces the Details Page path or is appended to it.

Search Slug Replaces Details Page Path

The Details Page is still used to render the entry, but its page path does not appear in the public URL.

For example, if the Search URL Slug is member, the URL might be:

https://example.com/member/john-doe-123/

Append Search Slug to Details Page Path

The Search slug is added after the selected Details Page path.

For example, if the Details Page is members and the Search URL Slug is member, the URL might be:

https://example.com/members/member/john-doe-123/

Search URL Slug

The Search URL Slug identifies the Search in Pretty entry URLs.

Enter a short, unique value that describes the Search, such as:

• members
• store-locations
• properties

If this setting is left empty, Gravity Search uses the numeric Search ID.

Use a descriptive Search URL Slug when the Search ID alone does not provide enough context for visitors, search
engines, or branded links.

The Search URL Slug applies only to Pretty URL mode.

Entry Slug Template

The Entry Slug Template creates a readable URL segment from the current Target Form entry.

Enter supported merge tags and optional text. Gravity Search resolves the values, converts the result into a
URL-safe slug, and automatically appends the Entry ID.

For example:

{Name:1}

If the field contains John Doe and the Entry ID is 123, the resulting entry segment is:

john-doe-123

The Entry ID is always appended automatically and should not be added to the template manually.

If the Entry Slug Template is empty, or its merge tags do not produce a usable value, the URL falls back to the
Entry ID:

123

The Entry Slug Template applies only to Pretty URL mode.

Example URL

The Example URL preview shows the expected URL format using the current Details Routing settings.

The preview updates automatically as you change the Details Page, URL Mode, URL Structure, Search URL Slug, or Entry
Slug Template.

Review the preview before saving to confirm that the URL follows the intended structure.

Configuring Entry URLs

Use the following setup recipe to configure individual entry URLs:

1. Select a published Details Page.
2. Choose Pretty or Simple under URL Mode.
3. If using Pretty mode, choose whether the Search slug should replace or follow the Details Page path.
4. Enter a unique Search URL Slug, or leave it empty to use the Search ID.
5. Optionally enter an Entry Slug Template using a descriptive Target Form field.
6. Review the Example URL.
7. Save the Search Settings.
8. Configure the individual entry output under Details Display.
9. Enable details links under Search Results or Map Info Window settings as needed.

URL Examples

The following examples use:

• Details Page: members
• Search ID: 45
• Search URL Slug: member
• Entry Slug Template value: John Doe
• Entry ID: 123

Location Data Scope

Location Data Scope determines which geocoded location sources from Target Form entries are
available to the Search.

The selected Location Source Fields can be used for proximity searches, distance calculations, results, and maps.

A Target Form can store multiple location sources for each entry, such as a home address, work address, warehouse
location, or retail location.

Location sources can originate from Geocoder fields, Address fields, or other geocoded fields configured on the
Target Form.

To learn how location data is geocoded and indexed, see Understanding Location Data & Proximity
Search.

If the Target Form already contains entries, you may need to import their locations before they become available to
proximity searches and maps. See Importing Existing Entry
Locations.

Single Location Source

Select a single Location Source Field when the Search should consider only one type of location, such as a retail
store or office location.

Multiple Location Sources

Select multiple Location Source Fields when the Search should consider more than one stored location during
proximity searches and distance calculations.

Example

A Target Form stores three geocoded locations for each entry:

• Home Location
• Work Location
• Gym Location

One Search may use only Work Locations, while another Search connected to the same Target Form uses all three
location sources. Each Search can therefore provide a different location-based experience while querying the same
underlying entries.

Hide Entries Without Location

Enable Hide Entries Without Location to exclude entries that do not contain valid location data in
any selected Location Source Field.

This is useful for location-based directories in which every displayed result must have valid geocoded location
data.

Form Layout

The Form Layout section contains the Gravity Forms presentation settings retained for a Search.

These settings allow you to configure:

• Validation placement.
• The required-field indicator.
• A custom CSS class for the optional frontend search form.

These settings apply to the optional frontend search form. They do not change the Target Form or the way its entries
are collected.

Next Steps

After connecting the Search to its Target Form and configuring Search Setup, continue with the following guides:

• Search Defaults & Filters
• Search Form Settings
• Search Results Settings
• Map Settings
• Details Display Settings
• Location Search & Radius Search