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Troubleshooting Guide

​Information to provide when requesting Support

Providing the following information when posting a support request helps us understand your issue/question better and allows us serve you faster.

  • What version of ExpressionEngine are you using? (specify version number as opposed to "the latest")
  • What version of Freeform Classic are you using? (specify version number as opposed to "the latest")
  • If you get an error displayed in the control panel or in your templates, please provide the full message of this error.

​General Checklist

  • In your templates, have you set up your parameters correctly?
  • In your templates, are you sure there aren’t any malformed form fields or parameters with curly/fancy/typographic quotes instead of straight quotes?
  • Have you checked for unclosed tags or conditionals in your code?
  • Have you tried isolating the affected template code in a separate template, with no use of javascript or other EE/third-party tags?
  • Have you tried simplifying the template code to its bare minimum for testing?

​Troubleshooting Time-Saving Tips

  • Turn on the Output Profiler and Template Debugging in EE. This can be turned on from CP => Admin => System Administration => Output and Debugging. These two debugging tools should always be enabled for Super Admins. The Output Profiler can be useful to see if terms are used correctly in database queries, and Template Debugging can be used to verify if values are parsed correctly in tag parameters, or if template parsing errors are encountered.
  • Start small, end big: Start with very simple template code alone in a test template, then build your code line by line until the error occurs.
  • Start big, end small: With your full non-functional template code, remove pieces of code until the error disappears.
  • One piece at a time: With your full non-functional template code, remove one part of your code. If the problem persists, place that code back and remove another part until the error disappears.

​Email Doesn't Send

  • Have you checked that your email address is correct? Check it again.
  • Have you checked the spam folder of your email account?
  • Can you send email using the Communication Tool in the CP? (CP => Tools => Communicate)
  • Have you set up your parameters correctly? For example, the admin_notify="" and admin_notification_template="" parameters?
  • Are you sending to and from the same email address or email address domain? For example, sending FROM bob@acmewidgets.com TO bob@acmewidgets.com, OR FROM bob@acmewidgets.com TO larry@acmewidgets.com. Sometimes the email server has very aggressive spam protection and knows that the email is not actually coming from that email address, and blocks the email altogether.
  • Do you have a valid email address in the Address field in Outgoing Email settings? Freeform doesn't exactly use this email address, but it checks for it in the case of using a default email notification (when a custom one is not provided). Be sure this field contains an email address none-the-less.
  • Are you sure you're using the parameters for Freeform Classic 4.x and not 3.x (when using Freeform Classic 4.x)?
  • Are you sure you're using the parameters for Freeform 3.x and not Freeform Classic 4.x+ (when using Freeform 3.x)?
  • Are you sure there aren’t malformed form fields or parameters with curly/fancy/typographic quotes instead of straight quotes?
  • Can you receive email when using EE's native contact or tell-a-friend form? See official EE documentation for details on using these simple forms.
  • Have you checked your server logs for any errors?
  • Are you getting redirected correctly after form submission?
  • Is the submitted data saving as Freeform entries, or does the form not save the submitted data as well?

​Data Isn't Saving

  • Are you getting redirected correctly after form submission, based on your return="" parameter?
    • NO:
      • Have you checked your .htaccess file and tested with a simplified, or no .htaccess file? (You need index.php in the URL/EE if no .htaccess file is present)
      • Are you using {exp:freeform:form} and not the <form> tag explicitly? (Freeform creates these for you)
      • Are you submitting your data through AJAX? If so, does your browser console display any warning or error?
    • YES:
      • Are you sure there aren’t malformed form fields or parameters with curly/fancy/typographic quotes instead of straight quotes?
      • Do the form field names correspond to actual Freeform custom fields set up in the Control Panel?
  • Have you checked that your site URL and the URL in the address bar match?

​Freeform isn't redirecting to the template specified in my return="" template

  • Have you checked your .htaccess file and tested with a simplified, or no .htaccess file? (You need index.php in the URL/EE if no .htaccess file is present)
  • Have you tried a relative (eg "form/submit/thank_you") and absolute path (eg. "http://mysite.com/form/submit/thank_you") in the return="" parameter?
  • Have you checked that your site URL and the URL in the address bar match?

​Freeform code doesn't display properly, or looks broken

  • Are you sure there aren’t malformed form fields or parameters with curly/fancy/typographic quotes instead of straight quotes?
  • Have you checked for unclosed tags or conditionals in your code?
  • Have you tried the Freeform template code alone, in a separate template, with no use of javascript or other EE/third-party tags?
  • Are you using {exp:freeform:form} and not the <form> tag explicitly? (Freeform Classic creates these for you)
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