Debugging Calculations in GravityM​ath

Things don’t always work as they should! GravityMath includes built-in debugging to help you identify calculation issues. When a calculation doesn’t work, the shortcode output is typically invisible. Debugging reveals what went wrong and why.

Three Ways to Enable Debugging #

1. Add debug="true"    to the Shortcode

Add the debug="true"    parameter directly to your [gravitymath]    shortcode:

[gravitymath scope="entry" debug="true"] {Number:1} + {Number:2} [/gravitymath]

[gravitymath scope="entry" debug="true"] {Number:1} + {Number:2} [/gravitymath]

This is the most common method and is useful when troubleshooting a specific shortcode. The screenshot below shows debug="true"   added to a shortcode inside a GravityView Custom Content field:

2. Add ?gravitymath_debug=true    to the Page URL

Append ?gravitymath_debug=true   to any page URL to enable debugging for all GravityMath shortcodes on the page — without editing any shortcode attributes.

For example:

https://example.com/my-page/?gravitymath_debug=true

https://example.com/my-page/?gravitymath_debug=true

This is helpful when you want to quickly debug a page without modifying shortcodes, or when the shortcodes are embedded inside GravityView Custom Content fields where editing is less convenient.

Note: The older ?gv_math_debug=true    parameter also works for backwards compatibility.

3. Enable via PHP Constants

If both WP_DEBUG    and GRAVITYMATH_DEBUG    are set to true    in your wp-config.php   , debugging will be enabled automatically for all GravityMath shortcodes:

define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'GRAVITYMATH_DEBUG', true );

define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'GRAVITYMATH_DEBUG', true );

When using PHP constants, the debug output visibility follows the WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY    setting.

Note: The older GV_MATH_DEBUG    constant also works for backwards compatibility.

What Debugging Shows #

When debugging is active, you will see:

1. Numbered links (e.g., ^[0], ^[1]) displayed next to each calculation result in the View
2. A detailed error report at the bottom of the page listing each error with an “(Additional info)” link for more details

The screenshot below shows a star data table where each row’s “Number of Days” column has a numbered debug link. Below the table, the report lists errors — in this case, the merge tags were not replaced because scope="entry"    was missing from the shortcode, so the formula {Distance in Light Years:12} * 365.25    could not be evaluated:

Common Error Messages #

• “Unrecognized token” — The formula contains text that could not be parsed as a number or math operation. This usually means merge tags were not replaced — check that the correct scope    is set.
• “scope requires an ID to process the formula” — The shortcode has a scope    attribute but is missing the required id    attribute.
• “Invalid field” — The field ID referenced in your formula doesn’t exist in the form. The debug link will point to the form editor.
• “Calculation error” — The formula has a syntax error or produced an invalid result. The report will show the processed formula and error trace.
• “Empty formula” — No formula was found. Check that your shortcode has content between the opening and closing tags, or that the formula    attribute is set.

Developer Reference #

gravityview/math/debug    Filter

Use this filter to programmatically enable or disable debugging:

// Always enable debug for administrators
add_filter( 'gravityview/math/debug', '__return_true' );

// Always disable debug
add_filter( 'gravityview/math/debug', '__return_false' );

// Always enable debug for administrators
add_filter( 'gravityview/math/debug', '__return_true' );

// Always disable debug
add_filter( 'gravityview/math/debug', '__return_false' );

See the full filter documentation for details.

notices    Shortcode Attribute

The notices="true"    attribute shows inline warning/error notices to end users without the full debug report:

[gravitymath scope="form" id="1" notices="true"] {Number:1:sum} [/gravitymath]

[gravitymath scope="form" id="1" notices="true"] {Number:1:sum} [/gravitymath]