Hidden Fields: Passing Data Without User Input

What Are Hidden Fields in Auto Form Builder?

A hidden field is not a separate field type in the sidebar. It is a setting you enable on an existing field — such as a Text Input, Email, Dropdown, or Number field.

When you check Hidden Field in the field settings:

• The field is not visible to visitors on the live form.
• You configure a Hidden Value that is sent with every submission.
• The value is stored in your submissions inbox and included in notification emails via placeholders like {submission_data}.
• On the front end, the field renders as a standard HTML <input type="hidden"> carrying that value.

Hidden fields are for data you control, not data visitors enter. They are ideal for metadata, routing tags, and context that should stay consistent for a given form embed or landing page.

Hidden Fields vs Other “Hidden” Features

Auto Form Builder uses several visibility concepts. They sound similar but behave differently:

Hidden Field setting (isHidden)

Always invisible. Always submits the configured Hidden Value. Use for lead source, campaign IDs, or department codes you set in the builder.

Conditional logic (show/hide)

Fields appear or disappear based on visitor answers in real time. When hidden by conditional logic, required validation is skipped. Use when visibility depends on what the visitor selects — not for fixed metadata.

HTML Block

Display-only content such as headings and instructions. HTML Blocks are not submitted and never appear in submission records. Use for section labels, not for passing data.

System hidden inputs

The plugin automatically includes internal hidden inputs (such as the form ID) needed for processing. You do not configure these — they are handled by the plugin behind the scenes.

Which Field Types Support Hidden Fields?

The Hidden Field checkbox appears in the settings panel for most input field types, including:

• Text Input and Text Area
• Email and Phone
• Number, Date, and Time
• Dropdown, Radio Buttons, and Checkbox
• Name and Address
• File Upload

On Text Input fields, hidden mode is mutually exclusive with Password Field mode — you cannot use both on the same field. Enabling hidden sets the input type to hidden; enabling password mode disables hidden.

When you disable hidden mode, the Hidden Value is cleared automatically so a stale value is not left in the field configuration.

How to Add a Hidden Field

Step 1: Add a field to your form

Drag a field type that supports hidden mode into your form — a Text Input is the most common choice for metadata tags like lead source or campaign ID.

Step 2: Give it a clear internal label

Set the field label to something your team will recognize in submissions — for example, “Lead Source” or “Campaign ID.” Visitors will not see this label on the front end, but it appears in the submissions inbox and notification emails.

Step 3: Enable Hidden Field

In the field settings, check Hidden Field. The description confirms: the field will not be visible to users but will be included in form submissions.

Step 4: Set the Hidden Value

Enter the value that should be submitted every time — for example, pricing-page, google-ads-spring, or sales-team. This maps to the field’s default value and is sent with each submission.

Step 5: Save and test

Preview the form and confirm the hidden field does not appear visually. Submit a test entry, then open the submission in Auto Form Builder → Submissions to verify the hidden value was recorded.

Practical Use Cases

Lead source tracking

Embed the same form on multiple pages, or create a copy of the form per landing page, each with a different Hidden Value — homepage, pricing, blog-sidebar. Your team instantly knows where each lead originated.

Campaign and UTM-style tagging

Set a hidden campaign identifier such as utm_campaign=spring-sale or a short internal code like SP26. Pair with conditional notification rules to route submissions from specific campaigns to the right inbox.

Department or team routing metadata

Add a hidden department code (support, sales, billing) on forms linked from different site sections. Filter or search submissions by this value in the admin inbox.

Pre-set service or product context

When each service has its own landing page, duplicate the form and set a hidden service slug (web-design, print, installation) instead of asking visitors to choose again.

Affiliate or partner IDs

Pass a static partner identifier on co-branded pages so commissions and referrals can be tracked in submission records without exposing an extra field to visitors.

Where Hidden Field Data Appears

Hidden field values behave like any other submitted field:

• Submissions inbox — View, filter, star, and export entries with the hidden value included in the submission data.
• Admin notification emails — Included when you use {submission_data} in the notification message, or in the default notification layout.
• User confirmation emails — Hidden values are part of the submission; they typically appear only if your confirmation template includes submission details.
• Import/export — Hidden values export with the rest of the submission JSON.

Enable Use submitter's email as Reply-To on your notification settings so your team can reply directly to the visitor while still receiving the full submission context including hidden metadata.

Combining Hidden Fields with Conditional Logic

Hidden fields can also use conditional logic like any other field. For example, you could show a visible follow-up question only when a hidden department code matches a certain value — though in most cases it is simpler to keep hidden fields unconditional and use visible fields with conditional logic for visitor-driven branching.

Remember the distinction: a field hidden by conditional logic depends on visitor input and may not be submitted if conditions are not met. A field marked as a Hidden Field always submits its configured value regardless of other answers.

Best Practices

• Use descriptive field labels. “Lead Source” is clearer in submissions than a cryptic field name like field_abc123.
• Keep values short and consistent. Use lowercase slugs or codes (pricing-page) rather than long sentences — easier to filter and search.
• One hidden field per metadata point. Separate lead source, campaign, and department into individual hidden fields instead of cramming everything into one value.
• Duplicate forms for different static contexts. Auto Form Builder sets Hidden Values in the builder — they are static per form. For different landing pages with different tags, use separate form copies or embed different forms.
• Do not use hidden fields for secrets. Hidden input values are visible in the page HTML source. Never store API keys, passwords, or sensitive tokens in hidden fields.
• Test after changes. Submit a test entry whenever you update a Hidden Value to confirm it appears correctly in the inbox.

Limitations to Know

• Static values only. Hidden Values are configured in the form builder. Auto Form Builder does not include a built-in option to auto-populate hidden fields from URL query parameters (such as ?utm_source=google). For dynamic URL-based tracking, use separate forms with different Hidden Values, or handle pre-fill through your theme or custom integration.
• Not for visitor-entered data. If visitors need to provide the information, use a visible field instead.
• Not a replacement for analytics. Hidden fields tag individual submissions. For aggregate traffic analysis, continue using your analytics platform alongside form metadata.
• HTML Blocks cannot pass data. Use a hidden input field, not an HTML Block, when you need a value stored in submissions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Get Started with Auto Form Builder

Hidden fields are included in the free plugin — add metadata to any form in seconds without custom code or extra plugins.

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Plugin last updated: Last update 21 August