Gravity Forms Data Table: Turn Form Submissions into a Searchable Database

Updated June 2026 • 5 min read

Gravity Forms is excellent at collecting data. But once submissions start piling up, the built-in Gravity Forms entry list is a dead end for anyone other than an admin. TableCrafter solves this by converting any Gravity Forms entries into a fully searchable, sortable, filterable frontend table — no coding required, no database exports, no third-party spreadsheets.

Why the Gravity Forms Entry List Falls Short

The default Gravity Forms entries screen lives inside WordPress admin. That means only site admins can see it — and even for admins, it offers limited filtering, no column customization, no export-to-Excel, and no way to share a live view with a client, driver, or department manager.

If you have collected even a few hundred submissions, the friction compounds quickly. A load tracking company needs dispatchers to search entries by driver. A gym needs members to look up their own class registrations. A project manager needs to filter open tasks by assignee. None of this is possible with the built-in Gravity Forms UI.

The answer is a proper Gravity Forms data table on the frontend — one that pulls live from your entries and renders something that actually looks and works like a data grid.

What TableCrafter Does (The Short Version)

TableCrafter is a WordPress plugin that reads directly from Gravity Forms entries and renders them as an interactive table anywhere you drop a shortcode. It does not copy data to a separate table or run periodic syncs — every page load queries Gravity Forms directly, so the data is always current.

You configure which fields become columns, set up filters and sort defaults, and paste a single shortcode into any post, page, or block:

[tablecrafter id="1"]

The id refers to a table configuration you create in the TableCrafter admin builder — not the Gravity Forms form ID. One form can have multiple table configs (for example, an all-entries view for admins and a filtered view for a client portal).

Setting Up Your First Gravity Forms Data Table

After installing and activating TableCrafter from wordpress.org/plugins/gravity-tables/, the setup takes about three minutes:

1. Go to TableCrafter → Tables → Add New in your WordPress admin.
2. Select the Gravity Forms form you want to display from the dropdown. TableCrafter reads your form schema and lists every field.
3. Use the column builder to drag the fields you want into your table. You can rename column headers, set a default sort column, and choose whether a column is sortable or hidden on mobile.
4. Configure filtering: enable search, choose which fields get dropdown filters, and set the number of rows per page.
5. Save the table configuration. TableCrafter assigns it an ID — say, 1.
6. Paste [tablecrafter id="1"] into any page, post, or Elementor HTML widget.

That is a complete, working data table. Visitors see it immediately; entries submitted after the fact appear on the next page load.

Column Mapping: Pick Exactly What Appears

Most Gravity Forms entries contain far more data than any one audience needs to see. The column mapping step is where you select only the relevant fields. A few things worth knowing:

• Multi-part fields (Name, Address) can be mapped as a single combined column or split into separate columns (First Name, Last Name).
• File upload fields render as download links or inline thumbnails automatically.
• Calculated fields and hidden fields are available as columns even if they were not visible to the submitter.
• Entry metadata — submission date, entry ID, and the submitting user — can be added as columns without being formal form fields.

You can create multiple table configs for the same form and give each a different column set. A client portal might show five columns. An internal management view might show fifteen, with full edit access on each row.

Filtering, Searching, and Sorting

All filtering features are available in the Free version.

Global search runs a full-text query across all visible columns. Type "Smith" in the search box and the table instantly narrows to entries where "Smith" appears anywhere in the configured columns.

Column filters let you add dropdown filters above specific columns. For text fields this becomes a text filter input; for choice fields (dropdowns, radio buttons, checkboxes in the form), TableCrafter automatically builds a dropdown from the distinct values in the dataset. This is especially useful for status fields — a "Job Status" column with values like Open, In Progress, and Closed becomes a one-click filter.

Date range filters work on date fields and on the entry submission date, so you can scope a load tracker to the current week without writing any query logic.

Sorting is column-header clickable on any column you marked as sortable. TableCrafter handles the sort server-side so large datasets do not bog down the browser.

Status Badges and Conditional Formatting

Raw text in a table cell is readable, but a colored badge is scannable. TableCrafter includes a status badge system Free that maps field values to colors:

• Map "Delivered" to green, "Pending" to yellow, "Cancelled" to red.
• Badge rules are configured per column, per table — so the same "Status" field can have different color mappings in an admin table versus a client-facing view.
• Any choice field (radio, dropdown, checkbox) or free-text field can use badges.

This alone transforms a raw entry list into a live status board that dispatchers, managers, or clients can read at a glance.

Data Bars for Numeric Columns

For numeric fields — weight, revenue, distance, quantity, scores — TableCrafter Pro adds Pro data bars: inline horizontal bars rendered inside the table cell, sized proportionally to the column's max value. You get the feel of a sparkline chart without leaving the table.

A load tracker showing weight per shipment, an inventory table showing stock levels, or a project tracker showing budget utilization all become immediately more useful when each row carries a visual weight alongside the number.

Exporting to CSV and Excel

The Free version includes a CSV export button that appears above the table for users with permission. The export respects active filters — so an admin filtering the table to "last 30 days" exports only those rows, not the entire entry set.

You control who sees the export button via the table's permission settings. Show it to all users, logged-in users only, or a specific WordPress role.

Inline Editing: Updating Entries Without Leaving the Table

This is where TableCrafter Pro earns its keep. Pro Inline editing lets authorized users click any cell and edit it directly in the table — the change saves back to the Gravity Forms entry immediately. No separate edit form, no redirect.

Combine this with Pro column role visibility — where certain columns are editable only by admins, read-only for drivers, and hidden entirely from clients — and you have a role-aware data management interface built on top of your existing Gravity Forms setup.

For a load tracker, this means a dispatcher can update a delivery status from Pending to Delivered by clicking the cell, without touching the Gravity Forms entry editor. For a CRM, a sales rep can update a deal stage in-place.

Real Use Cases

Load Tracker

A trucking company collects load data via Gravity Forms (origin, destination, driver, weight, status). TableCrafter renders it as a dispatch board with status badge colors, a driver dropdown filter, and date range filter for daily or weekly views. Dispatchers edit status cells inline. Drivers see a filtered view of only their own loads.

Employee Directory

An HR form captures employee name, department, location, and start date. TableCrafter renders a searchable directory with a department dropdown filter and department-based column visibility so certain fields are hidden from non-HR roles.

Order or Inventory Management

An order intake form collects product, quantity, and status. The resulting table shows data bars on the quantity column, status badges on order state, and bulk fill to mark multiple orders as shipped in one click Pro.

Project Tracker

A project intake form captures project name, owner, deadline, and priority. The table filters by owner and priority, sorts by deadline, and uses email alerts Pro to notify stakeholders when a status changes to "Blocked."

CRM View

A lead capture form feeds a searchable contacts table filtered by deal stage, with inline editing to update stage and notes without entering the Gravity Forms entry editor.

Free vs. Pro: What You Get at Each Tier

Auto-Refresh and Diff Badge

For tables that change frequently — a live order queue, an incoming lead list — TableCrafter's Free auto-refresh polls for new entries on a configurable interval. When new rows arrive, a diff badge appears above the table showing how many new entries have come in since the last view, so users can choose when to reload the view rather than having the table jump on them mid-read.

Installation in Under Three Minutes

TableCrafter installs like any other WordPress plugin:

1. Go to Plugins → Add New in WordPress admin.
2. Search for gravity-tables.
3. Click Install Now, then Activate.
4. Navigate to TableCrafter → Tables → Add New and follow the three-step builder.

Requirements: WordPress 6.0 or later, Gravity Forms 2.5 or later, PHP 7.4 or later. No REST API setup, no API keys, no configuration files.

[tablecrafter id="1"]


[tablecrafter id="1" rows="25" search="false"]