Description
Who Is the Gravity Forms Basecamp Add-On Built For?
A request form that dumps entries into an inbox is only half a workflow. Someone still has to read each submission, open Basecamp, retype the details into a to-do, pick the right list, set a due date, and tag the person responsible. Multiply that by a few dozen requests a week and the copying becomes its own job. The Gravity Forms Basecamp Add-On removes that step by sending each qualifying submission straight into a Basecamp project as a to-do, a message board post, or a card table card.
It suits agencies that collect client requests, bug reports, or change orders through a WordPress site and manage the resulting work in Basecamp. A web studio, for example, can publish a support request form and have every submission appear as a to-do in the client’s project, assigned to the right developer and already carrying the details the client typed in.
Internal teams are the second obvious audience. HR, facilities, marketing, and IT departments often run intake forms for equipment requests, content briefs, event bookings, or onboarding tasks. If the receiving team works in Basecamp, the form can place a card in the correct column of a card table so the request enters the pipeline without anyone moving it by hand.
Site owners who run paid forms also fit. Because Basecamp processing can be delayed until payment is received, a paid consultation booking or a paid project application only creates work once the money has actually arrived. And teams already using Gravity Flow can tie Basecamp actions to a specific workflow step instead of firing on submission.
What Does the Gravity Forms Basecamp Add-On Do?
The add-on works through feeds, the standard Gravity Forms mechanism for sending entry data to an outside service. You create a feed on a form, choose a Basecamp account and project, pick the action, and map fields. When someone submits the form and the entry meets your conditions, the add-on creates the Basecamp item.
Three destinations, one feed type
Each feed performs exactly one action, and you decide which when you build it.
A to-do feed targets a Basecamp to-do list inside the selected project. You map the title, description, start date, and due date, and you can assign one or more Basecamp users. There is an option to notify those assignees as soon as the to-do is created, which matters when a request is time-sensitive and nobody is watching the project.
A message feed publishes to the project’s message board. You supply a subject and a message body, either as static text, submitted values, or any other Gravity Forms merge tags. Messages are posted live, not saved as drafts, so the feed suits announcements, intake summaries, and status updates that the whole project team should see immediately.
A card feed places a new card in a chosen column of a card table. You configure the title, content, due date, and assignees. This is the natural fit for kanban-style processes such as sales leads, content pitches, or support triage.
Merge tags do the mapping
Field mapping relies on Gravity Forms merge tags, so anything a visitor enters can be dropped into a title, description, subject, or card body. You can mix static text with tags. A to-do title might read “Website change request” followed by the submitter’s name and the page they mention, while the description pulls in the full message and contact details. Because merge tags cover all entry data, you are not limited to a fixed list of mappable fields.
Connection and authentication
The add-on connects to Basecamp over OAuth 2.0. You register an integration in Basecamp’s Launchpad, copy the redirect URI the add-on displays, and then authorize your account from the Basecamp settings screen under Forms. Expiring access tokens are refreshed automatically, which means the connection does not quietly fail weeks after setup because a token lapsed.
Key Capabilities
- Create Basecamp to-dos from Gravity Forms submissions, with title, description, start date, and due date mapped from the entry
- Publish submissions as live message board posts with custom subjects and bodies
- Add cards to any chosen column of a Basecamp card table, including title, content, due date, and assignees
- Assign Basecamp users to to-dos and cards, and optionally notify to-do assignees on creation
- Select the Basecamp account and project that each feed should target
- Use Gravity Forms merge tags for every mapped value
- Apply conditional logic so only qualifying entries are sent
- Delay processing until payment has been received
- Build multiple feeds per form for different projects, actions, or conditions
- Run selected feeds at a particular Gravity Flow workflow step
- Authenticate with OAuth 2.0 and refresh expiring tokens automatically
Conditional logic and multiple feeds
Conditional logic is what turns a single form into a routing system. Suppose a contact form has a “Department” dropdown. One feed sends entries marked Design to a card table column in the design project, another sends Development entries as to-dos in the engineering project, and a third posts a message only when the urgency field is set to High. Each feed is evaluated independently, so one submission can trigger several Basecamp actions if that is what your process needs.
Payment and workflow timing
Delayed processing keeps unpaid or abandoned checkouts out of Basecamp. The Gravity Flow option goes further by letting a feed wait for a defined step, such as a manager approval. Only approved requests become to-dos, and the team sees a clean queue.
Extending it under the GPL
The add-on is GPL-licensed, so site owners and developers are free to study the code, adapt it to unusual requirements, and extend it for their own projects. If your process needs an extra mapped value or a custom condition around a feed, you have the legal freedom to build it in.
Getting Results
Setup follows a short sequence. Register the integration in Basecamp’s Launchpad, paste in the redirect URI supplied by the add-on, and authorize the connection from the Forms settings. Then open a form, add a Basecamp feed, choose to-do, message, or card, select the project, and configure the settings for that action. Save, submit a test entry, and check the result in Basecamp.
The practical payoff is consistency. Every request arrives in the same place, with the same structure, assigned to the same person, regardless of who was online when it came in. Titles follow a pattern you defined. Due dates come from the form rather than from someone’s memory. Assignees are notified at creation. Teams spend their time on the work itself instead of on transferring it.
A good habit is to start with one feed on one form, confirm the mapping looks right in Basecamp, and then add conditions and additional feeds. Keeping feed names descriptive, such as the project plus the action, makes forms with several feeds much easier to maintain. Anyone running the Gravity Forms Basecamp Add-On WordPress plugin across multiple client sites will find that a documented feed pattern can be reproduced quickly from site to site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can one form create items in more than one Basecamp project?
Yes. Each feed targets a single project, but a form can have as many feeds as you need. Add one feed per destination and use conditional logic to decide which entries go where. A single submission can also match several feeds and create several Basecamp items at once.
Are messages saved as drafts or posted right away?
Messages are published to the project’s message board as soon as the feed runs. They are not held as drafts. Because of this, it is worth checking your subject and body mapping with a test entry before you point a message feed at a busy project.
How does the add-on handle paid forms?
You can delay Basecamp processing until payment has been received. This prevents a to-do, card, or message from being created for a transaction that never completes. It works well for paid bookings, applications, and any intake where work should begin only after payment.
What happens when the Basecamp access token expires?
The add-on refreshes expiring access tokens automatically. You authorize once through OAuth 2.0 and do not need to reconnect on a schedule. If you ever want to change which Basecamp account is linked, you can do so from the Basecamp settings in the Forms area.
Can I use it with Gravity Flow approval steps?
Yes. Selected feeds can be processed at a specific Gravity Flow workflow step instead of at submission. A request can pass through review or approval first, and only then appear in Basecamp as a to-do, message, or card. This keeps rejected or pending requests out of your project boards.
