Fluent Forms Submission Hook

If you need to do something after a Fluent Forms submission – send data to an external API, update a custom database table, or trigger an automation – the fluentform/submission_inserted hook is what you are looking for.

What Is the fluentform/submission_inserted Hook?

This is an action hook that runs after a form submission is saved to the database. It gives you access to:

• $submissionId – The ID of the submitted entry
• $formData – All submitted field data
• $form – The form object (contains form ID, settings, etc.)

It is the most commonly used hook for extending Fluent Forms

Basic Usage

Here is the standard way to use the hook:

add_action('fluentform/submission_inserted', 'your_custom_function', 20, 3);

function your_custom_function($submissionId, $formData, $form) {
    // Your code here
}

The priority 20 ensures your function runs after the submission is fully saved

Important: Do not use echo or print_r inside this function. It will break the AJAX response and cause the form to keep loading forever

Example 1: Target a Specific Form

Most of the time, you only want to run code for a specific form:

add_action('fluentform/submission_inserted', 'process_specific_form', 20, 3);

function process_specific_form($submissionId, $formData, $form) {
    // Only run for form ID 5
    if ($form->id != 5) {
        return;
    }

    // Do something with the submission
    error_log('Form 5 submitted. Entry ID: ' . $submissionId);
}

Check the form ID first and exit early if it is not the one you need

Example 2: Send Data to an External API

If you need to send submission data to a third-party service:

add_action('fluentform/submission_inserted', 'send_to_external_api', 20, 3);

function send_to_external_api($submissionId, $formData, $form) {
    if ($form->id != 5) {
        return;
    }

    // Get specific field values
    $name = isset($formData['name']) ? $formData['name'] : '';
    $email = isset($formData['email']) ? $formData['email'] : '';

    // Prepare the data
    $api_data = array(
        'name'  => $name,
        'email' => $email,
        'source' => 'Fluent Forms'
    );

    // Send to external API
    $response = wp_remote_post('https://your-api-endpoint.com/leads', array(
        'headers' => array(
            'Content-Type' => 'application/json'
        ),
        'body' => json_encode($api_data),
        'timeout' => 30
    ));

    if (is_wp_error($response)) {
        error_log('API call failed: ' . $response->get_error_message());
    }
}

Example 3: Insert Data into a Custom Database Table

This example shows how to insert form data into your own custom database table

add_action('fluentform/submission_inserted', 'insert_into_custom_table', 20, 3);

function insert_into_custom_table($submissionId, $formData, $form) {
    if ($form->id != 3) {
        return;
    }

    global $wpdb;

    // Extract field values
    $name = isset($formData['name']) ? sanitize_text_field($formData['name']) : '';
    $email = isset($formData['email']) ? sanitize_email($formData['email']) : '';
    $phone = isset($formData['phone']) ? sanitize_text_field($formData['phone']) : '';

    // Insert into custom table
    $wpdb->insert(
        'your_custom_table_name',
        array(
            'name'  => $name,
            'email' => $email,
            'phone' => $phone,
            'date'  => current_time('mysql')
        ),
        array('%s', '%s', '%s', '%s')
    );

    // Log the submission ID for debugging
    error_log('Inserted into custom table. Entry ID: ' . $submissionId);
}

When inserting into custom tables, always sanitize the data and use %s or %d placeholders for security

Example 4: Trigger Custom Events and Automations

If you need to trigger other plugins or custom events, use do_action inside the hook

add_action('fluentform/submission_inserted', 'trigger_custom_automation', 20, 3);

function trigger_custom_automation($submissionId, $formData, $form) {
    // List of form IDs that should trigger the automation
    $target_forms = array('3', '4', '9', '10');

    if (!in_array($form->id, $target_forms)) {
        return;
    }

    // Trigger a custom action for other plugins to catch
    do_action('my_custom_form_submission', $submissionId, $formData, $form);

    // Or trigger specific events based on form type
    if ($form->id == 3) {
        do_action('my_free_subscription_event', $submissionId, $formData);
    } elseif ($form->id == 4) {
        do_action('my_premium_subscription_event', $submissionId, $formData);
    }
}

This approach is useful for integrating with plugins like GamiPress or custom notification systems

Example 5: Modify Webhook Data Before It Is Sent

For webhook integrations, you can filter the data being sent to the external endpoint. The filter fluentform/webhook_request_data is used for this

add_filter('fluentform/webhook_request_data', 'modify_webhook_data', 10, 5);

function modify_webhook_data($selectedData, $settings, $data, $form, $entry) {
    if ($form->id != 5) {
        return $selectedData;
    }

    // Combine multiple fields into one
    $dropdown1 = isset($data['service_required']) ? $data['service_required'] : '';
    $dropdown2 = isset($data['branch']) ? $data['branch'] : '';
    $name = isset($data['name']) ? $data['name'] : '';

    $combined = $name . ' - ' . $dropdown1 . ', ' . $dropdown2;

    // Add the combined field to the webhook data
    $selectedData['combined_info'] = $combined;

    // Remove individual fields if needed
    unset($selectedData['service_required']);
    unset($selectedData['branch']);

    return $selectedData;
}

Note: Fluent Forms does not support nested JSON data by default. This filter allows you to restructure the data before it is sent to the webhook endpoint

Example 6: Update User Meta or Custom Fields

add_action('fluentform/submission_inserted', 'update_user_meta_on_submission', 20, 3);

function update_user_meta_on_submission($submissionId, $formData, $form) {
    if ($form->id != 5) {
        return;
    }

    // Get current logged-in user
    $user_id = get_current_user_id();

    if (!$user_id) {
        return;
    }

    // Update user meta with form data
    if (isset($formData['phone'])) {
        update_user_meta($user_id, 'user_phone', sanitize_text_field($formData['phone']));
    }

    if (isset($formData['address'])) {
        update_user_meta($user_id, 'user_address', sanitize_textarea_field($formData['address']));
    }

    error_log('User meta updated for user: ' . $user_id);
}

The Action Hook Field (Pro Feature)

Fluent Forms Pro includes an Action Hook field that lets you inject custom code at specific positions within your form

To use it:

1. Add the Action Hook field from the Advanced Fields section
2. Enter a unique hook name
3. Add your custom function with add_action('HOOK_NAME', ...)

This is useful when you need to display dynamic content inside the form itself

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Quick Reference

Final Tips

• Always test your code on a staging site first
• Use error_log() for debugging – never echo
• Sanitize all user input (sanitize_text_field, sanitize_email, etc.)
• Check $form->id before running expensive operations
• Keep your functions focused – do one thing well

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