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URL Prefilling for RSVP Forms

URL prefilling allows you to automatically populate form fields when users visit your RSVP pages by including data in the URL parameters

T
Written by Tom
Updated over 7 months ago

URL prefilling allows you to automatically populate form fields when users visit your RSVP pages by including data in the URL parameters. This is particularly
useful for email marketing campaigns where you want to reduce friction and improve user experience.

Built-in RSVP Field Prefilling

Name and Email Fields

The name and email fields in your RSVP forms can be automatically populated using these URL parameters:

  • rsvp_name - Prefills the name field

  • rsvp_email - Prefills the email field

Examples

Basic Usage:

https://addcal.co/e/your-event?rsvp_name=John%20Doe&[email protected]

Mailchimp Integration:

https://addcal.co/e/your-event?rsvp_name=*|FNAME|* *|LNAME|*&rsvp_email=*|EMAIL|*

Other Email Marketing Platforms:

  • Klaviyo: ?rsvp_name={{ person.first_name }} {{ person.last_name }}&rsvp_email={{ person.email }}

  • ConvertKit: ?rsvp_name={{ subscriber.first_name }} {{ subscriber.last_name }}&rsvp_email={{ subscriber.email_address }}

  • ActiveCampaign: ?rsvp_name=%FIRSTNAME% %LASTNAME%&rsvp_email=%EMAIL%

Custom Query String Fields

For more advanced use cases, you can create custom fields that automatically populate from URL parameters.

Query String Fields

Field Type: query_string

  • Visible to users on the form

  • Auto-fills from a specified URL parameter

  • Users can see and modify the prefilled value

Field Type: query_string_hidden

  • Hidden from users (not visible on the form)

  • Auto-fills from a specified URL parameter

  • Useful for tracking data like UTM parameters, referral codes, etc.

Configuration

When creating a query string field:

  1. Field Type: Select “Query String” or “Query String (Hidden)”

  2. Label: What users see (for visible fields only)

  3. Query Parameter Name: The URL parameter to extract data from

Examples

UTM Source Tracking:

  • Field Type: Query String (Hidden)

  • Query Parameter Name: utm_source

  • URL: ?utm_source=newsletter

  • Result: Field captures “newsletter” without showing it to the user

Referral Code:

  • Field Type: Query String

  • Label: “Referral Code”

  • Query Parameter Name: ref

  • URL: ?ref=FRIEND2024

  • Result: Shows “Referral Code” field prefilled with “FRIEND2024”

Campaign Tracking:

  • Field Type: Query String (Hidden)

  • Query Parameter Name: campaign_id

  • URL: ?campaign_id=summer2024

  • Result: Captures campaign data for internal tracking

Best Practices

URL Encoding

Always URL encode your parameters:

  • Spaces become %20

  • Special characters are encoded appropriately

  • Most email marketing platforms handle this automatically

Email Marketing Integration

  1. Test your links before sending to your full list

  2. Use fallback values in your email templates

  3. Consider mobile users - shorter URLs work better

  4. Track effectiveness using hidden query string fields

Technical Details

Processing Order

  1. Built-in parameters (rsvp_name, rsvp_email) are processed first

  2. Custom query string fields are processed next

  3. Only empty fields are prefilled - existing data is never overwritten

Form Compatibility

  • Works with all custom RSVP forms

  • Compatible with default and custom appearances

  • Functions alongside all other form field types

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