---
title: "Understanding the “No Entries Behavior” setting in GravityView"
date: 2026-04-23
updated: 2026-10-26
author: "GravityKit"
link: "https://www.gravitykit.com/docs/gravityview/view-setup/no-entries-view-setting/"
category: "GravityView > View Setup"
---

The **No Entries Behavior** setting decides what a View shows when it has no entries for the person looking at it. It’s on the **Multiple Entries** tab of the View’s **Settings** box.

![The Multiple Entries tab of the View's Settings box, with the No Entries Behavior setting outlined and set to Show a Message](https://www.gravitykit.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/gravityview-no-entries-behavior-setting.png)

## When a View has no entries

A View has no entries for a reader when:

- the form has no entries yet
- the View’s filters leave out all of them, for example a filter that shows each signed-in user only the entries they created
- the View shows only approved entries and none are approved

When a search finds nothing, the View shows its **“No Search Results” Text** instead, whichever option you pick here.

## Choosing what the View shows

### Show a Message

The default option shows the text from **No Entries Message** where the View’s entries would be, or “No entries match your request.” when the field is empty.

In the Table, List, and DIY layouts, the message accepts simple HTML, such as a link to a page where visitors can add an entry.

### Display a Form

The View shows a Gravity Forms form in place of its entries, which suits a new directory where the first visitor can add an entry. Pick the form in **No Entries Form**, and turn **Form Title** and **Form Description** on or off.

![No Entries Behavior set to Display a Form, with the No Entries Form, Form Title, and Form Description settings below it](https://www.gravitykit.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/gravityview-no-entries-display-a-form.png)
*In the Table, List, and DIY layouts, the View’s widgets, such as a Search Bar, stay above the form. In the DataTables layout, the form replaces the whole View, widgets included*

### Redirect to URL

The View sends the visitor to the address in **No Entries Redirect URL**, such as a page that explains how to join.

![No Entries Behavior set to Redirect to URL, with https://example.com/join/ in the No Entries Redirect URL setting](https://www.gravitykit.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/gravityview-no-entries-redirect-to-url.png)
*The address can carry values from the request. The*[`{get}` merge tag](https://www.gravitykit.com/docs/gravityview/merge-tags/the-get-merge-tag/) passes on a value from the page’s own address, and the [`{user}` merge tags](https://www.gravitykit.com/docs/gravityview/merge-tags/the-createdby-merge-tag/) add details of the signed-in user. For example, `https://example.com/join/?from={get:from}` keeps the `from` value of the page the visitor opened.

### Hide the View

The View and its widgets are hidden with CSS, and the rest of the page shows as if the View weren’t there. This option has no settings of its own.

Hiding changes only what the page looks like. The View’s widget areas stay in the page’s HTML, hidden by the `gv-hidden` class. Whatever you put in a widget, such as the text of a Custom Content widget, reaches the browser of each visitor and shows in the page source. The entries the View leaves out are not in the page.

To keep a widget’s content from visitors who aren’t signed in, wrap it in the [`[gvlogic]` shortcode](https://www.gravitykit.com/docs/gravityview/shortcodes/gvlogic-shortcode/). The content then stays out of the page unless someone is signed in:

```
[gvlogic if="{user:ID}" isnot=""]
Volunteer rota contact: (555) 014-2290
[/gvlogic]
```

`{user:ID}` is empty for a visitor, so only signed-in users get the content inside.

---

## Styling a View with no entries

With no entries, the View’s container gets the `gv-container-no-results` class in each layout, so your CSS can style the empty state. With **Display a Form**, the element that holds the form has its own class:

| Layout | Element that holds the form |
|---|---|
| Table | `td.gv-no-results-form` |
| List | `div.gv-no-results-form` |
| DIY | `div.gv-no-results-form` |
| DataTables | `div.gv-datatables-form-container` |

[Adding custom CSS to your Views](https://www.gravitykit.com/docs/gravityview/customizing-your-views/adding-custom-css-to-your-website/) explains where to add the rules.