Using Merge Tag Modifiers with Lookup Fields
Dynamic Lookup fields connect form entries to WordPress content, such as users, posts, pages, or other form entries. Each field has a Display Value setting that decides what it shows by default, such as Display Name for users or Title for posts.
To show something other than the Display Value, use merge tag modifiers. A modifier shows another detail of the selected item, such as a user’s email address or a post’s permalink.
To use a modifier, append it to the field ID with a colon: {Field Label:field_id:modifier}. Merge tag modifiers work anywhere GravityView and Gravity Forms merge tags are supported, including notifications, confirmations, and View fields.
Example
Merge Tag | Output |
{Assigned User:2} | John Doe (the configured display value) |
{Assigned User:2:user_email} | john@example.com |
{Related Article:3:permalink} | https://example.com/getting-started/ |
{Parent Order:4:field:5} | Order #12345 |
Available modifiers #
The modifiers available depend on your Dynamic Lookup field’s data source.
Modifiers need the field’s Storage Format, under Additional settings, set to ID (Default). With Text, the entry saves the choice’s text, and a modifier returns that text instead.
WordPress users
Modifier | Description | Example Output |
display_name | User’s display name | John Doe |
user_login | Username | johndoe |
user_email | Email address | john@example.com |
first_name | First name | John |
last_name | Last name | Doe |
nickname | Nickname | JD |
user_url | Website URL | https://example.com |
user_registered | Registration date | 2024-01-15 10:30:00 |
ID | User ID | 42 |
meta:{key} | Custom user meta value | (varies) |
For a custom user meta value, use {Assigned User:2:meta:phone_number}.
Posts, pages, and custom post types
Modifier | Description | Example Output |
title | Post title | Getting Started Guide |
permalink | Full URL | https://example.com/getting-started/ |
slug | URL slug | getting-started |
date | Publish date | 2026-03-20 |
modified | Last modified date | 2026-06-15 |
author | Author display name | Jane Smith |
excerpt | Post excerpt | This guide covers… |
featured_image | Featured image URL | https://example.com/image.jpg |
ID | Post ID | 156 |
meta:{key} | Custom field value | (varies) |
taxonomy:{name} | Taxonomy terms (comma-separated) | Tutorials, Beginner |
For a custom field, use {Related Product:3:meta:_price}.
For a post’s categories, use {Related Article:3:taxonomy:category}.
Gravity Forms entries
Modifier | Description | Example Output |
id | Entry ID | 1024 |
date_created | Submission date | 2026-07-01 14:22:33 |
created_by | Creator’s display name | John Doe |
field:{id} | The linked entry’s value in field {id}, as Gravity Forms shows it. For a choice field, that’s the choice’s text. | (varies) |
meta:{key} | An entry meta value. With a field ID as the key, the value that field stored. | (varies) |
{Parent Order:4:field:5} shows the value of field 5 from the linked entry.
For a field with several inputs, such as a Name, Address, or Checkboxes field, field:{id} shows the whole field. To show one part, add the input ID: {Parent Order:4:field:2.3} shows the city (input 2.3) of an Address field in the linked entry.
For a choice field whose choices have separate values, field:{id} shows the choice’s text, and meta:{id} shows the value it stored. With a Budget code field whose choice Biology has the value BIO, {Department:2:field:2} shows Biology and {Department:2:meta:2} shows BIO. Renaming the choice changes the text but not the value, so compare the value in a condition, such as in [gvlogic]. A modifier added after field:{id}, such as {Department:2:field:2:value}, shows nothing.
Using the ID in a link or a condition #
To use the stored ID, such as in a link to the linked entry, add :id. It works for every source: {Department:2:id} shows the entry ID, and {Assigned User:2:id} shows the user ID. With Storage Format set to ID (Default), the Gravity Forms :value modifier returns the same ID.
For example, this link opens the linked department on its Single Entry page in a View at https://example.com/view/departments/:
<a href="https://example.com/view/departments/entry/{Department:2:id}/">{Department:2}</a>When the linked entry, user, or post has been deleted, the merge tag and every modifier show the stored ID. An entry in the trash still shows its name.
GravityView integration #
When Dynamic Lookup fields are displayed in GravityView, their values show the field's Display Value setting, with no extra configuration. A View also sorts a Lookup column and searches it by the name it shows, even when the field stores IDs.
To show other details of the linked item in a View, use a merge tag modifier in a Custom Content field.
