A client needed a way to automatically process and upload form submission attachments to Amazon S3 while enriching spreadsheet data with submission details. Manual file management and data entry were creating bottlenecks in their application processing workflow.

Solution

84EM developed a custom Gravity Forms add-on that automates the entire file upload and data enrichment workflow. The plugin automatically detects spreadsheet uploads and prepends form submission data before securely uploading to Amazon S3.

This solution eliminated manual data entry and file management tasks. The system works seamlessly with Gravity Forms’ existing workflow without requiring changes to form configuration.

Technical Implementation

• Automatic spreadsheet detection that identifies CSV, Excel, and OpenDocument files during form submission.
• Smart data enrichment that prepends submission details (applicant information, entry metadata) to uploaded spreadsheets.
• Per-form feed configuration allowing different S3 paths and processing rules for each form.
• Selective field mapping to control which form fields get merged into spreadsheet data.
• Amazon S3 integration with configurable buckets, paths with merge tags, and secure credential management.
• Built-in AWS connection testing to validate credentials before processing submissions.
• Comprehensive WP-CLI commands for testing spreadsheet processing and S3 uploads without form submissions.
• Public template URLs that allow users to download pre-configured spreadsheet templates.
• Gravity Forms logging integration for detailed debugging and monitoring.

Results

The client now processes application forms with zero manual file handling. Each uploaded spreadsheet automatically includes complete applicant information formatted for immediate use.

The system processes submissions in real time during form submission, with automatic error handling and retry logic. Staff can access enriched application data directly from S3 without having to cross-reference form entries.

The plugin includes comprehensive testing tools that allow developers to validate spreadsheet processing and S3 uploads without submitting forms. This enabled confident deployment with production-ready reliability.