How to create directories from form entries

Decide what one directory record must contain, such as a name, description, email address, phone number, website, category, location, logo and approval status. Only collect information that you intend to display.

Decide whether new submissions should appear immediately or wait for moderation. Keep private fields such as internal notes, passwords and full contact details out of the public layout.

Create a Gravity Form with one field for each directory value. Use suitable field types, required fields and validation for email addresses, URLs and uploads. Add spam protection if the form is public.

Gravity Forms stores submissions in the WordPress admin, where you can open and review individual entries, but that admin list is not a public directory.

For a manual setup, create a custom post type such as Business Listing with the fields and taxonomies your directory needs. Then use Gravity Forms Advanced Post Creation to map each submission to that post type, including the title, content, custom fields, featured image, categories and initial status.

You must create the custom post type and its custom fields separately. The Advanced Post Creation add-on can publish to an existing custom post type, but it does not register post types, fields or taxonomies for you. Set new records to Pending or Draft if an administrator must approve them.

If the directory is very simple, Gravity Forms Post Fields can create standard posts directly. Do not combine Post Fields with Advanced Post Creation on the same form, because the two methods work differently.

Use your theme’s custom post type archive, a block-based query loop, or a separate listing tool to display the published records. Add the fields visitors need, along with category or location filters, search, sorting and pagination.

This route is suitable when each submission should become a normal WordPress post with its own URL, metadata and archive. It takes more setup than displaying entries directly, and changes to the form or custom field names can break the mapping or leave older records inconsistent.

Submit a test record as a visitor and confirm that the entry is saved, the mapped post or directory record has the right values, uploads are stored correctly and unapproved records stay hidden. Then approve the record and check its archive item and individual page.

Check privacy carefully. A directory can expose email addresses, uploaded files or hidden form fields if you place them in the public template. Also test duplicate submissions, invalid URLs, empty optional fields and mobile layouts before opening the form to everyone.

For the quicker setup, install GravityView alongside Gravity Forms and create a View connected to the form. Choose a directory or list layout, drag the relevant fields into the entry and single-entry areas, then add search, sorting, filtering, pagination and an approval workflow as needed.

Publish the View on a directory page and keep sensitive fields out of the View. GravityView reads the existing Gravity Forms entries directly, so you do not need to copy every submission into a custom post type or write a custom query. It is the practical choice for business listings, member directories, job boards and similar entry-based directories.

GravityView is worth recommending when the aim is to turn Gravity Forms submissions into a configurable public directory without code. If you already have a custom post type archive and only need a few listings, the manual route is still fine.