---
title: "Understanding the “No Entries Behavior” setting in GravityView"
date: 2026-04-23
author: "GravityKit"
link: "https://www.gravitykit.com/docs/gravityview/getting-started-gravityview/no-entries-view-setting/"
---

Control exactly what happens when your View has no entries to display with four distinct behavior options.

## Overview

The No Entries Behavior setting determines what visitors see when a View contains no entries. This occurs when:

- The connected form has no entries at all
- View filters (configured in the View editor) exclude all existing entries
- All entries are unapproved (when approval is required)
- User-specific View filters exclude all entries
- Date-based View filters exclude all entries

> **Note:** This is different from the "No Search Results" message, which appears when a visitor performs a front-end search that returns no results. The No Entries Behavior applies when the View itself has no entries to display, regardless of search.

## Behavior options

GravityView offers four different behaviors when no entries are available:

### Option 1: Show a Message (Default)

![Settings for displaying messages for no entries or search results in GravityView](https://www.gravitykit.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/file-nIJcD0NHs4.png)**What happens**: Displays a customizable text message where the View would normally appear.

**Default message**: "No entries match your request."

**Configuration options**:

- **No Entries Message**: Customize the message text
- Supports HTML and shortcodes (except in DataTables layout)
- Can include links, formatting, or dynamic content (except in DataTables layout)

**Note:** In the DataTables layout, HTML is sanitized and displays as plain text. Use simple text messages without HTML formatting when using DataTables.

**Best for**:

- Providing helpful context about why no entries appear
- Including instructions for visitors
- Linking to submission forms or other pages
- Explaining filter or search requirements

**Example messages**:

- "No events scheduled for this month. Check back soon!"
- "No entries have been submitted yet. Be the first to submit an entry." (DataTables-safe)
- "You haven't submitted any entries yet. Create your first entry here." (HTML for other layouts)
- "No data available." (Simple text for DataTables)

### Option 2: Display a Form

![No Entries Behavior set to Display a Form; Grant application form selected; "No Search Results" text input field](https://www.gravitykit.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/file-9enY1aQbvm.png)**What happens**: Shows a Gravity Forms form in place of the empty View.

**Configuration options**:

- **No Entries Form**: Select which form to display
- **Form Title**: Show or hide the form title
- **Form Description**: Show or hide the form description

**Best for**:

- New directories needing initial content
- Encouraging submissions when the form is empty
- Views with restrictive filters that exclude current entries
- User dashboards for first-time visitors

**How it works**:

- Instead of empty results, the selected form appears
- Visitors can submit entries directly
- After submission, if the entry matches View criteria, it displays immediately
- The form remains available for additional submissions

**Use cases**:

- Business directory: "Be the first to list your business!"
- Job board: "No jobs in this category. Post one now!"
- Event calendar: "No upcoming events. Submit yours!"

### Option 3: Redirect to URL

![No Entries Behavior set to "Redirect to URL" with URL field required and "No Search Results" text input field](https://www.gravitykit.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/file-ZJMTk708pP.png)**What happens**: Automatically redirects visitors to a specified URL when no entries exist.

**Configuration options**:

- **No Entries Redirect URL**: The destination URL
- Supports merge tags for dynamic redirects
- Can include URL parameters

**Best for**:

- Sending users to dedicated submission pages
- Redirecting to related content
- Creating custom "no entries" landing pages
- Handling filtered Views that currently show nothing

**Dynamic redirect examples**:

- `https://site.com/submit-form/`
- `https://site.com/search/?query={search_query}`
- `https://site.com/category/{field:category}/submit/`

**Use cases**:

- Redirect from empty forms to submission pages
- Send logged-out users to registration when no entries exist
- Direct to category-specific submission forms
- Route to help documentation when View filters exclude everything

### Option 4: Hide the View

![Image from Article: Understanding the "No Entries Behavior" setting in GravityView](https://www.gravitykit.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/file-q5U8j8SFM3.png)**What happens**: The entire View is completely hidden using CSS when no entries exist. There is no message, form, or indication that a View exists.

When hiding the View, the empty View is still rendered in HTML, but hidden using CSS.

**Configuration options**: None.

**Best for**:

- Clean page layouts when content isn't available
- Conditional content display
- Member-only sections that hide when empty
- Avoiding confusion when filters exclude everything

**What visitors see**:

- Nothing; the View is hidden with CSS
- Page continues as if View wasn't embedded
- Other page content remains visible
- No indication that a View exists on the page

**Use cases**:

- User dashboards that only show when data exists
- Filtered Views that disappear when no matches
- Seasonal content that hides when not relevant
- Progressive disclosure interfaces

## Choosing the right behavior

### Decision matrix

| Scenario | Recommended Option | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Brand new form (no entries) | Display a Form | Encourages initial content creation |
| View filters exclude all entries | Show a Message | Explains the filtering situation |
| User-specific empty View | Display a Form | Prompts users to create their first entry |
| Date filter shows no current entries | Redirect to URL | Takes users to relevant submission page |
| Optional content section | Hide the View | Maintains clean layout when not needed |
| Temporary maintenance | Show a Message | Informs visitors about the situation |

## Implementation examples

### Example 1: Job board

- **No Entries Behavior**: Display a Form
- **Form**: "Post a Job"
- **Form Title**: ✓ Enabled
- **Form Description**: ✓ Enabled

Result: Empty job categories show the job posting form.

### Example 2: Member directory

- **No Entries Behavior**: Show a Message
- **Message (Table/List layouts)**: `No members found matching your criteria. Become a member`
- **Message (DataTables layout)**: `No members found. Visit example.com/join to become a member.`

Result: Helpful message with action links (HTML works in Table/List, plain text for DataTables).

### Example 3: Event calendar

- **No Entries Behavior**: Redirect to URL
- **URL**: `https://example.com/submit-event/`
- **Result**: Empty date ranges redirect to event submission with date pre-filled.

## Key distinction: No Entries vs. No Search Results

**No Entries Behavior**:

- Applies when the form has no entries OR View filters exclude all entries
- Configured in View Settings > Multiple Entries tab
- Controls what happens when the View itself is empty
- Works before any visitor interaction

**No Search Results**:

- Applies when a visitor performs a front-end search that returns nothing
- Configured separately with "No Search Results Text" setting
- Only appears after a search is performed
- Different message for a different scenario
- HTML is also sanitized in DataTables layout (displays as plain text)

---

## Advanced: Layout-specific rendering

### How "Display a Form" renders in each layout

The form display behavior and HTML structure varies significantly between layouts:

#### DataTables layout

- **Container**: `div.gv-datatables-form-container`
- **Behavior**: View and search widgets are completely hidden
- **Rendering**: Form displays standalone without View interface
- **Search visibility**: Hidden when form is displayed

```

    

```

```
div class="gv-datatables-form-container">
    
div>
```

#### Table layout

- **Container**: `.gv-container-no-results table.gv-table-view tbody td.gv-no-results.gv-no-results-form`
- **Behavior**: Form renders inside table structure
- **Search visibility**: Search widgets remain visible

```

    
        
            
                
            
        
    

```

```
div class="gv-container-no-results">
    table class="gv-table-view">
        tbody>
            td class="gv-no-results gv-no-results-form">
                
            td>
        tbody>
    table>
div>
```

#### List layout

- **Container**: `div.gv-container-no-results div.gv-no-results.gv-no-results-form .gv-list-view-title`
- **Behavior**: Form renders within list view structure
- **Search visibility**: Search widgets remain visible

```

    
        
            
        
    

```

```
div class="gv-container-no-results">
    div class="gv-no-results gv-no-results-form">
        div class="gv-list-view-title">
            
        div>
    div>
div>
```

#### DIY layout

- **Container**: `div.gv-container-no-results div.gv-no-results`
- **Behavior**: Simple container structure
- **Search visibility**: Search widgets remain visible

```

    
        
    

```

```
div class="gv-container-no-results">
    div class="gv-no-results">
        
    div>
div>
```

### CSS targeting for custom styling

Based on the layout-specific containers, you can target forms with CSS:

```
/* DataTables specific */

/* Table layout specific */

/* List layout specific */

/* DIY layout specific */

/* All layouts except DataTables */

```

```
/* DataTables specific */

/* Table layout specific */

/* List layout specific */

/* DIY layout specific */

/* All layouts except DataTables */

```

### Developer considerations

**DataTables uniqueness**:

- Only layout that hides the entire View interface
- Provides cleanest form-only experience
- Requires separate styling from other layouts
- Search functionality completely disabled

**Other layouts**:

- Maintain View structure even when empty
- Allow searching even when showing form
- Form inherits View's styling context
- Better for maintaining consistent UI