We are very pleased to announce that Gravity Forms v1.4 is now available. This is a big release that adds plenty of new features and enhanced functionality to the Gravity Forms plugin. How could we improve on the best forms plugin available for WordPress? Read on!

Some of the highlights for this release include greatly expanded Post Creation capabilities via the addition of template options on both the Post Body and Post Title. This lets you insert form field values for non-post fields into your Post Body or Post Title and dynamically create these fields using variables. With this added feature you can choose to hide the Post Title and Post Body fields by setting their visibility to Admin Only and then use the template capabilities to dynamically create them using form field variables.

We have also added two highly requested features, a native Gravity Forms Widget and AJAX capabilities. Now you can easily insert forms into your sidebar or any widgetized area using the Forms widget. Want the form to submit without refreshing the page, or within a modal window? Use AJAX.

With the introduction of the Multi-Site capabilities with WordPress 3.0 we have added the ability to dynamically create forms when a new site is activated. This is done by adding a line of code to your wp-config.php file that tells WordPress to create forms via a Gravity Forms export file. This, along with the ability to do the same from a theme, allows you to automate the creation of forms when a new site is created or a theme is activated.

These are just a few of the great new features in this release. Here is a complete look at what is new in Gravity Forms v1.4:

• Post Content Template

  Need to insert an image into the Post Body? Want control over the Post Body content that is created by a form? Now you can. The Post Content Template gives you complete control over the Post Body that is created by a form. It allows you to easily insert form field values (including images) into the Post Body that is created. This allows you to easily implement custom fields and post images without editing your theme files directly. This option is available as a field option on the Post Title and Post Body fields.

• Post Title Template

  Like the Post Content Template capabilities, the Post Title Template allows you to use form field variables to generate the Post Title for the Post Title field.

• Value/Label Control

  We have enhanced the checkbox, drop down and multiple choice radio button fields to allow you to have complete control over both the Value and the Label of selection fields. Now you can present one option while storing a shortened value, you have complete control over the options. This is an option on the drop down, checkbox and multiple choice fields.

• AJAX

  Now you have the option to have a form submit via AJAX. This allows you to embed a form and have form submissions function without requiring a page reload, data is submitted and instantly handled via AJAX. This option is available when inserting a form via shortcode or function call.

• Widget

  A lot of users were wondering why we never included a widget with Gravity Forms, well now we have! Using the Gravity Forms Widget you can easily display a form in any sidebar location. Keep in mind the styling of the form itself may require customizations depending on how your theme styles sidebar widgets.

• Really Simple Captcha Support

  Want an alternative to the reCAPTCHA field? Gravity Forms now supports the Really Simple Captcha plugin. Simply install and activate the Really Simple Captcha plugin and 2 new Captcha options will appear on the Captcha field. The 2 new options are a standard Captcha field and a Match Captcha field. Really Simple Captcha can be downloaded here.

• Post Custom Field File Upload

  We have added the File Upload an an available Field Type on the Post Custom Field. This allows you to populate a custom field using the full path to a file uploaded via a File Upload field. This can be used for downloads, images, etc. This option is available as a new Field Type on the Custom Field.

• Post Tag Enhancements

  The Post Tag field has been updated to allow you to implement drop down, checkboxes and multiple choice radio buttons as options for users selecting Tags. You pre-define the available Tags they can select from. This is a Field Type option on the Post Tag field.

• Check For Updates

  We have added a new “Updates” page to the Gravity Forms admin notification. This lets you quickly and easily check for plugin updates. If an update is available you will be able to download and install the update right from this page.

• Address Field Enhancement

  Along with adding the ability to hide the State/Province/Region field we have also added the ability to create your own! Using an API hook you can now create and customize the State/Province/Region field with your own values. Check the changelog file for details on how to use the API hook.

• Automatically Create Forms In Multi-Site

  We have added the ability to automatically create forms in WordPress 3.0 Network (Multi-Site) mode. When a new site is created, Gravity Forms can automatically import forms into that new site using the standard Gravity Forms XML export file. You can pre-define the export file to import in your wp-config.php file by referencing either the full absolute path to the file, or via an http:// call to an XML file located where you want. You would add the following code to your wp-config.php file: define(“GF_IMPORT_FILE”, “http://www.domain.com/path/to/gf_import.xml”);

• Automatically Create Forms From A Theme

  Along with the ability to create forms automatically in WordPress 3.0 Network mode, themes can now include a form export file and tell Gravity Forms to create a form(s) when the theme is activated. You can pre-define the export file to import in your themes function.php file by adding define(“GF_THEME_IMPORT_FILE”, “gf_import.xml”);

• Single Line Text Enhancements

  We have added two new features to the Single Line Text input field. A Maxlength and a Password option input option have been added to allow you to set the input type as a Password field.

• Spam Honeypot

  A new option is available under the Advanced tab of the Form Settings to enable a Spam Honeypot. This will enable a hidden field that exists to try and fool spam bots into entering data in the field. Any data entered in the field will trigger the entry not to be stored and help curb spam from automated bots. We have additional spam related features planned for future releases, including Akismet integration. So keep watching!

You can upgrade to the latest version of Gravity Forms using Automatic Upgrade or by downloading the latest version of the plugin from the Downloads page.

Please Note: Automatic Upgrade will only work if you have entered your Support License Key in the Settings page of Gravity Forms in your WordPress Administration Panel.

Don’t own Gravity Forms yet? What are you waiting for?! Purchase a copy today!