Filling form fields from the link

The link to your web form can contain default values for form input fields, or values set by a script. This help page describes how you use this feature.

You can provide a default or initial value for the fields in an electronic form. Think of it as having a pre-filled link to the form that prepares it with good initial values. Most types of input fields can be pre-filled from the link to the form. The major requirement is that you assign a cell name to each of these cells in the spreadsheet.

All named cells can be set from the surrounding environment, e.g. a script that fetches values from a database. Hidden or locked fields can be used to ensure that the user doesn’t change any sensitive values.

Passing field values in the link or “URL” is technically called a query string. Please note the special technical requirements for query strings and the characters they may contain.

Here are a few examples of links with a query string to set a form field:

  • Text field: /form.htm?lang=sv
  • Check box: /form.htm?example=TRUE
  • Radio button: /form.htm?example=Female
  • Ratings: /form.htm?example=4
  • Slider: /form.htm?example=42
  • Calendar: /form.htm?built_date=20376 (date as Excel serial number) or /form.htm?built_date=10/14/1955 (regional date format)

Known issues

The form field autosave process normally saves the latest known value for all input fields. The autosaved values from the previous form will override any default values in the link. If you want the values in the link to override the autosaved values, you have to disable Browser Storage on the Workbook tab.

When you share a form with one or more people using Real-time Sync, the contents of the form are preserved during and between sessions. If you provide a value for a form field in the shared link, it will be ignored.