TutorialShow Previous Gravity Forms Submissions Using Advanced Merge Tags

Sometimes a new form submission needs more context.

For example, a returning customer submits another request using the same email address. Instead of checking the Gravity Forms Entries screen manually, you may want the confirmation message to show how many previous submissions used that email and the total value connected to those matching entries.

In this tutorial, we’ll build that workflow using GravityWP Advanced Merge Tags.

The demo uses a simple Customer Request Form. A visitor enters their email address, chooses a request type, and adds a request value. After submission, the confirmation message shows:

• the number of previous submissions found for that email address
• the total submitted value from matching entries

This tutorial is based on a tested Gravity Forms setup. We confirmed that gwp_count_matched_entries counted previous submissions by matching the email field, and gwp_sum_matched_entries_values calculated the total value from matching entries.

What You’ll Build in This Tutorial

You’ll create a Gravity Forms previous submissions summary based on an email lookup.

Here is the basic flow:

1. A visitor submits the form using an email address.
2. Advanced Merge Tags checks previous entries with the same email.
3. The confirmation message shows how many previous submissions were found.
4. The confirmation message also shows the total submitted value from matching entries.

In our demo, the form was called Customer Request Form.

The key field is Email. Advanced Merge Tags uses the submitted email address as the matching value, then checks form entries that use the same email.

In this demo, the Form ID is 5. Your own Form ID will be different, so update the merge tags before using them on your site.

Before You Start

You’ll need:

• Gravity Forms installed and active
• GravityWP Advanced Merge Tags installed and active
• access to edit the form settings
• a form with an Email field
• a Number field if you want to calculate totals
• a few test entries using the same email address

This tutorial uses the confirmation message because it is the simplest place to test the result. Once it works, you can also place the same merge tags in an admin notification or store the output in administrative fields.

Step 1: Create the Customer Request Form

Create a new form in Gravity Forms.

For this demo, we used a form called Customer Request Form with these visible fields:

The Email field is used for matching. If the same email address appears in earlier entries, Advanced Merge Tags can count those matching entries.

The Request Value field is used for the total. Since it is a number field, Advanced Merge Tags can add the values from matching entries.

In our demo:

• Email = Field ID 1
• Request Type = Field ID 3
• Request Value = Field ID 4
• Form ID = 5

You can find your form ID in the Forms list or in the browser URL while editing the form.

Step 2: Set Field Access in Advanced Merge Tags

Next, allow Advanced Merge Tags to access only the fields needed for this lookup.

Go to:

Form Settings → Advanced Merge Tags

Set Entry access to:

Specify per field

In our demo, we allowed access to these fields:

We used Everyone because the form is submitted on the front end, and the visitor may not be logged in.

Only allow access to fields that are needed for the lookup or calculation. Do not expose private notes, payment details, personal data, or internal admin-only fields unless your workflow truly requires it.

Step 3: Add the Previous Submission Count Merge Tag

Now we’ll create the merge tag that counts previous submissions.

Use this merge tag:

{Email:1:gwp_count_matched_entries form_id="5" match_id="1"}

Here is what each part means:

In plain English, the merge tag says:

Take the email address submitted in this entry. Search Form 5 for entries where Field 1 has the same email address. Return the number of previous matching entries.

In our test, we submitted several entries using:

returning@example.com

The count increased like this:

This confirmed that the count worked for a returning-user workflow.

Step 4: Add the Total Submitted Value Merge Tag

Next, add a merge tag that calculates the total submitted value from matching entries.

Use this merge tag:

{Email:1:gwp_sum_matched_entries_values form_id="5" match_id="1" return_id="4" raw="true"}

Here is what each part means:

In plain English, the merge tag says:

Take the submitted email address. Find matching entries in Form 5. For those matching entries, add the values from Field 4.

In our demo, the confirmation message showed a total matching submitted value of 2700 after multiple submissions used the same email address.

Your result will depend on the values submitted in your own form.

Step 5: Add the Merge Tags to the Confirmation Message

Now add the merge tags to your confirmation message.

Go to:

Form Settings → Confirmations → Default Confirmation

Set the confirmation type to Text.

Then paste this message:

Thanks for your request.
Here is the submission history we found for {Email:1}:
Previous submissions before this request:
{Email:1:gwp_count_matched_entries form_id="5" match_id="1"}
Total matching submitted value:
{Email:1:gwp_sum_matched_entries_values form_id="5" match_id="1" return_id="4" raw="true"}

Update the IDs to match your own form.

In our demo:

After submitting the form, the confirmation displays:

• the email address used in the submission
• the number of previous matching submissions
• the total matching submitted value

Step 6: Test the Form with the Same Email Address

To test the setup, submit the form several times using the same email address.

For example:

Use the same email each time. The lookup depends on matching the submitted email value against entries that already use that same email.

If the setup is working, the count should increase as the same email is submitted again.

If you test with different emails, the count will not increase because the entries do not match.

These are different values:

test1@example.com
test2@example.com
test3@example.com

Use one repeated email instead:

returning@example.com

Step 7: Check the Confirmation Result

After submitting the form, review the confirmation message.

In our demo, the confirmation showed:

• previous submissions found for the submitted email
• total matching submitted value

One tested confirmation result showed:

Previous submissions before this request:
7
Total matching submitted value:
2700

That means Advanced Merge Tags found earlier entries with the same email address and calculated the matching value total from the Request Value field.

Optional: Store the Results in Administrative Fields

The confirmation method is the easiest way to show the result.

But you can also store the resolved count or total inside the entry using administrative fields.

This is useful when site admins want to see the previous submission summary in the Entries screen.

For this optional method, create Administrative Single Line Text fields such as:

Then place the same merge tags in the fields’ default value settings.

You also need to enable this global Advanced Merge Tags setting:

Forms → Settings → Advanced Merge Tags → Replace field merge tags in Administrative Text fields

In our demo, the previous submission count worked in an administrative text field after this setting was enabled.

If you only need to show the result after submission, you can skip this optional section and use the confirmation method only.

Troubleshooting: What If the Output Does Not Work?

If the confirmation shows a blank result or the raw merge tag text, check these common issues.

Check the Form ID

The form_id must match the form you want to search.

In our demo, the Customer Request Form had Form ID 5:

form_id="5"

Your form may use a different ID.

Check the Email Field ID

The field ID inside {Email:1} and match_id="1" must match the Email field used for lookup.

In our demo, Email was Field ID 1.

If your Email field has a different ID, update both parts.

Check the Request Value Field ID

For the total submitted value, return_id must point to the numeric field you want to sum.

In our demo, Request Value was Field ID 4:

return_id="4"

Check the Advanced Merge Tags Access Settings

Go to:

Form Settings → Advanced Merge Tags

Use Specify per field, then allow access only to the fields needed for the lookup and calculation.

In our demo, those fields were:

• Email
• Request Type
• Request Value

Test in the Confirmation First

For the easiest test, place the merge tags inside the confirmation message first.

Once the confirmation output works, you can move the same logic into an admin notification or administrative text field if needed.

Use a Repeated Email for Testing

The match only works when the same value is used again.

Use this:

returning@example.com

Do not use different test emails for each submission.

Privacy Notes Before Showing Previous Submission Data

Be careful when showing previous submission data to a front-end user.

In this demo, we only showed a count and a total value based on the submitted email address. We did not show private notes, full entry details, payment information, or personal data from other fields.

Before using this on a live site, ask:

• Is this data safe to show to the person submitting the form?
• Could someone type another person’s email and see information they should not see?
• Should this summary be shown only to admins?
• Should the result be stored in an admin-only field instead of shown in the confirmation?

For sensitive workflows, use the admin notification or administrative field approach instead of showing previous submission data in a public confirmation message.

Final Confirmation Message Used in This Demo

Here is the final confirmation message from the working demo:

Thanks for your request.
Here is the submission history we found for {Email:1}:
Previous submissions before this request:
{Email:1:gwp_count_matched_entries form_id="5" match_id="1"}
Total matching submitted value:
{Email:1:gwp_sum_matched_entries_values form_id="5" match_id="1" return_id="4" raw="true"}

Replace the IDs with your own form and field IDs.

Use this as the starting point, then test it with repeated submissions using the same email address.

Final Recommendation

Advanced Merge Tags can help you show useful Gravity Forms submission history without manually checking previous entries.

In this tutorial, we used a returning email address to:

• count previous Gravity Forms submissions
• calculate the total submitted value from matching entries
• show the result in a confirmation message
• optionally store the result in an administrative text field

For most use cases, start with the confirmation method. It is easier to test, easier to explain, and gives immediate context after the form is submitted.

For more advanced entry lookup workflows, review the official Advanced Merge Tags documentation and test each modifier in the exact context where you plan to use it.

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