Fluent Forms is one of the most intuitive and powerful WordPress form plugins, from simple contact forms to complex questionnaires.
In this text, we will show you how to create a basic contact form, define fields, and set up automatic email messages, one to thank the user and the other as a notification to the site owner.
Step 1: Installing and activating the Fluent Forms plugin
- In the WordPress admin interface, go to Plugins > Add New.
- Type “Fluent Forms” in the search engine, find the plugin, and click Install Now.
3. After installation, click Activate.
Step 2: Creating a contact form
After activation, Fluent Forms will appear in the left menu. Click on “ Add new form ”.
Here, we have the option to create a form from scratch (New Blank Form) as well as the option to choose a template (Choose a template).
Select the “ Simple Contact Form ” template, which will load a ready-made contact form for you.
Step 3: Adding and defining fields
The template usually already contains fields such as First Name, Last Name, Email, and Your Message.
If you want to customize or add fields:
- On the right side, there is a list of available fields (for example, text, email, number, phone number, etc.).
- Drag and drop fields into the form or click on existing ones to edit them.
Defining the “Name” field
Click on the Name field in the form. The settings will open on the right. Here’s what you can define:
- Field Label: E.g., “Your Name” – this is the text that the user sees above the field.
- Field name (Name): Automatically generated (eg, “Name”), serves as an identifier in the background.
- Placeholder: Text that appears inside a field before input, e.g., “Enter your name”.
- Mandatory field: Turn on the Required option if the user must fill in this field.
- Validation: You can set rules, such as text only, minimum or maximum number of characters, email addresses only, and so on.
- Conditional logic: E.g., show this field only if the user selects a specific option in another field.
After adjusting, click Save.
Preview of the finished form
In the upper right corner of the form editor, you have options for preview (Preview & Design), saving (Save form), as well as a short code used to place the form on the page.
Step 4: Embedding the form on the page
Using a shortcode
- Copy the shortcode that appears (e.g. fluentform id=”9″ ).
- Go to Pages > Add new or edit an existing page.
- Add a block with the name Shortcode to the page and type the code you copied earlier into it.
Using the Fluent Forms block
Among the blocks, find the “Fluent Forms” block and place it on the page (if you are using Gutenberg).
From the drop-down menu, select the form you want to set up. If this is the only form you have created, you will only have one option.
Publish the page – the form should be visible on the published page.
Step 5: Setting up e-mail notification
Fluent Forms allows you to send two types of emails: thank the user and notify the owner.
User, thank you email
- In the form editor, go to Settings>Notifications Settings.
- Click Add Notification and name it, for example, “Thank you to the user”.
- Set the following:
- Send To: Select “Email from Form Field” and select the “Email” field from the form (e.g. {inputs.email}).
- Subject: E.g. “Thank you for your message!”
- Message: Enter text, e.g., “Dear, thank you for contacting us. We will get back to you soon!” You can use variables like {inputs.name} for personalization.
- From Email: Enter your email address (e.g., “info@yourdomain.com”).
Click Save.
This message is sent to the user after submitting the form.
Email notification to the owner
Go back to Settings>Notifications Settings and name it “Notification to Owner”.
Set:
Send To: Enter your email address (e.g., “owner@yourdomain.com”).
Subject: E.g. “New message from contact form”.
Message: E.g., “Someone sent a message: Name: {inputs.name}\n
Email: {inputs.email}\nMessage: {inputs.message}”.
From Email: Can be the same address as above or the user’s email from the form {inputs.email}.
Click Save.
This message will be sent to you every time someone fills out the form.
As you can see here, we are using the codes that are already included in the form. If you have multiple active forms, these codes will also differ.
Step 6: Testing
- Open the form page on your website.
- Fill out the form and send it.
- Check if you received an email notification and if the user received a thank-you note.
Error messages
Fluent Forms allows you to customize error messages in two main ways-through the form editing interface and through the form settings.
If you want messages in another language, you must manually customize them for each field or use a translation plugin (e.g., Loco Translate) for global messages.
If the user fills out the form incorrectly or it is invalid for some reason, it will be written to them when submitting the form.
We can change these messages by going to Global settings > General > Validation messages.
Form filling analytics
Fluent Forms contains analytics on form completion in both visual and written form.
The written form also contains information about whether you have already reviewed who filled out the form for you or not.
Frequently asked questions
Conclusion
Fluent Forms form builder makes creating contact forms quick and easy, thanks to its drag-and-drop interface and flexible settings.
By defining different fields, you can control everything from appearance to functionality.
Automatic emails ensure communication with users and send you, as the owner, a message when someone fills out a form.
With all that said, Fluent Forms is a free WordPress form, and it’s also one of the fastest. It will fit well into any web design.
Try them and see their power for yourself!
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