Form Field Requirements for Writing to a Form via API | Community
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A
Anonymous
November 16, 2017
Question

Form Field Requirements for Writing to a Form via API

  • November 16, 2017
  • 1 reply
  • 1810 views

When a form is written to via API rather than by a human, does it matter which fields are actually on the form? Forgive my lack of technical precision here but part of this process is mysterious to me. I'm talking about a situation in which I provide the Form embed code to someone so that they can fish out the Form ID, Munchkin ID, etc. and then they "write to" the form so that a "Fill Out Form" event shows up in the activity log - but the person hasn't actually filled out that form - the information has been collected via some other means outside of Marketo and then provided to the form via API.

It's my impression that in this scenario, it doesn't matter what fields are on the form or whether they are required or not. Is that true?

@Sanford Whiteman​ - I'm sure you know the answer to this.

Thanks in advance!

Denise

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1 reply

SanfordWhiteman
SanfordWhiteman
Level 10
November 16, 2017

Let's be clear that if they aren't using the Forms (JS) API, but merely posting form-encoded data to the forms HTTP endpoint, they aren't really posting via API. They're skipping the API and going straight to the ep. Not that it doesn't work, it just is a level deeper than the Forms API.

Anyway, just as a form might have zero fields in Form Editor but can still accept data for any fields added in the browser (i.e. if you add fields using the Forms API addHiddenFields method), yes, the endpoint can indeed accept data for any fields (using SOAP names) in the form data.

A
Anonymous
November 16, 2017

Thank you, Sandy!

Just to be clear on my end, I have no idea which method is actually being used. I just have to supply the form. And I think you are saying that either way - it doesn't matter what fields are on the form. To give a silly example. If the Form were called "ABC Form" and had only these 3 fields:

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

The entity posting to the form and populates Email Address and a field called "Favorite Monkey" with Howler Monkey (let's assume Favorite Monkey is empty prior to the form fill).

And if I created a Smart List with:

Trigger:

Filled Out Form->Form is: ABC Form

Filter:

Favorite Monkey is Howler Monkey

The list would show members?

Best,

Denise

P.S. Please do not construe this as a preference for howler monkeys.

SanfordWhiteman
SanfordWhiteman
Level 10
November 17, 2017

Correct. It doesn't matter which fields are shown in Form Editor. Any fields in your instance can be posted (I was giving the addHiddenFields method as proof that it doesn't matter, since that method adds new fields dynamically on the client side and the server has no idea until it receives the post.)

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