Submissions
Every form in FormForge has a dedicated submission inbox accessible from the Umbraco backoffice. Submissions are stored server-side and can be searched, filtered, exported, and analyzed without leaving the CMS.
Inbox
The submission inbox is the primary interface for viewing and managing form responses. Navigate to FormForge → Forms in the backoffice, select a form, and open the Submissions tab.
Pagination
Submissions are paginated with a default page size of 50 entries. Results are sorted by submission date, newest first. Use the pagination controls at the bottom of the list to navigate between pages.
Submission Detail
Click any submission to open the detail view. Each record shows:
- Field values— every field on the form that received a value, displayed as label/value pairs.
- IP address— the IP address of the client that submitted the form.
- User agent— the browser or client that was used to submit.
- Submission date— when the submission was received (displayed in UTC).
- Status— the current status of the submission (see Statuses below).
- Uploaded files— any files attached via File Upload fields, available for download directly from the detail view.
Statuses
Every submission carries a status that tracks its lifecycle. Statuses help editors triage incoming responses and keep the inbox organized.
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| New | Freshly submitted and unread. All incoming submissions start with this status. |
| Read | The submission has been viewed by an editor in the backoffice. Opening a submission detail view automatically transitions it from New to Read. |
| Spam | Flagged as spam, either manually by an editor or automatically by a security check (e.g., honeypot or time-to-submit failure). Spam submissions are hidden from the default inbox view. |
| Archived | Manually archived by an editor. Archived submissions are preserved but removed from the active inbox view. |
Updating Status
Status can be changed individually from the submission detail view, or in bulk using the bulk operations toolbar.
Search & Filter
The inbox provides a search bar that lets editors locate specific submissions quickly. Two search modes are supported:
Field Value Search
Enter any text to search across all submitted field values. The search performs a case-insensitive substring match against every value in the submission record. This is useful for finding submissions by name, email address, or any other field content.
IP Address Search
Enter a full IP address to find all submissions originating from that address. IP searches use exact match rather than substring matching for precision.
SAR (Subject Access Request) Search
For GDPR compliance, FormForge provides a dedicated SAR search that scans submissions across all forms for a given data subject. This is available via the Privacy section in the backoffice and requires the Sensitive data user group to access.
SAR search is designed to help you respond to data subject access requests under GDPR Article 15. It searches across all forms and returns every submission matching the search term, regardless of form or status. See Privacy & GDPR for full details.
File Downloads
When a form includes File Upload fields, submitted files are stored on the server and linked to the submission record.
Storage
Uploaded files are stored with randomized filenames to prevent path-guessing attacks. The original filename is preserved and restored when the file is downloaded.
Downloading Files
Files can be downloaded from the submission detail view — click the file attachment link to download directly from the backoffice. The file is served with its original name and extension.
When a submission is deleted (individually or via bulk delete), all associated files are also removed from the server. This is irreversible.
Bulk Operations
The inbox toolbar supports bulk actions on multiple submissions at once. Select submissions using the checkboxes, then choose an action from the toolbar.
Bulk Delete
Permanently deletes all selected submissions along with their associated uploaded files. Either all selected submissions are deleted or none are (in case of an error). The operation is recorded in the Umbraco audit trail.
Bulk Status Update
Changes the status of all selected submissions to a chosen target status (New, Read, Spam, or Archived). Like bulk delete, this operation is all-or-nothing and logged in the audit trail.
CSV Export
Export all submissions for a form as a CSV file for use in spreadsheets, reporting tools, or external systems.
How to Export
Open the Submissions tab for any form and click the Export CSV button in the toolbar. The export includes all submissions regardless of the current search filter or page.
CSV Format
The exported file contains the following columns:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Id | The unique submission identifier. |
| Submitted | UTC timestamp of submission. |
| Status | The submission status (New, Read, Spam, or Archived). |
| IP Address | Client IP address. |
| Field columns | One column per form field, using the field name as the column header. Values are properly escaped for CSV compatibility. |
The file is downloaded as export.csv with UTF-8 encoding.
Analytics
FormForge includes a built-in analytics dashboard for each form, giving editors a quick overview of submission activity without needing external tools.
Overview Dashboard
The overview section displays four summary counters at a glance:
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Total | Total number of submissions for the form across all time. |
| Today | Submissions received today. |
| Last 7 Days | Submissions received in the past 7 calendar days. |
| Last 30 Days | Submissions received in the past 30 calendar days. |
Time-Series Chart
A submission-count-per-day chart visualizes activity over a configurable date range. The chart behavior differs based on the selected range:
- Ranges of 90 days or fewer— the chart fills in missing days with zero counts, producing a continuous daily timeline. This gives an accurate picture of quiet vs. active periods.
- Ranges over 90 days — the chart uses sparse mode, displaying only days that had at least one submission. This keeps the chart readable over long time spans.
Status Breakdown
Below the chart, a status breakdown shows the count of submissions in each status category (New, Read, Spam, Archived) along with a total across all statuses. This helps editors quickly gauge how many submissions need attention.