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  • Formsort documentation
  • โฉQuickstart
    • ๐ŸŸขGet started with Formsort
    • ๐ŸŽCore concepts
    • โ„น๏ธQuestion and content reference
    • ๐Ÿ“•Key terms
    • ๐Ÿž๏ธCreate your first flow
    • ๐Ÿ“–Add content and collect answers
      • ๐ŸคณCapture demographic data
      • โ„น๏ธAdd informational content
      • ๐Ÿ” Review your variable schema
    • ๐ŸŽจCreate a theme
      • Set brand guidelines
    • ๐ŸคนPersonalize your flow
      • ๐ŸŒŸTemplate your variables
      • ๐Ÿง Add conditional logic
      • ๐Ÿ’ซUsing conditional logic with Calculated and API variables
      • ๐Ÿ”šEnd the flow
    • ๐Ÿ”€Set up integrations
    • ๐Ÿš€Go live
      • Auditing your flow for content, functionality, and design
    • ๐Ÿ’ผCommon use cases
      • ๐Ÿ’”Disqualify responders
      • ๐Ÿ—“๏ธAdd a scheduling option
      • ๐Ÿ“„Allow responders to read and accept your company policies
  • ๐Ÿ—๏ธBuilding flows
    • Flows and variants
      • Flow starts
    • Adding content
      • Groups
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        • Settings
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        • General Settings
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        • Email address
        • File upload
        • Grid choice
        • Iframe
        • Image upload
        • Number
        • Payment
        • Phone number
        • Postal code
        • Question group
        • Region
        • Select
          • Providing choices via API or calculation
        • Signature
        • SSN
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      • Content
        • General Settings
        • Statement
        • Image
        • Video
        • Next button
        • Divider
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      • Using markdown
      • Using variable templating
        • Template formatting functions
      • Copy-pasting form content
      • Content library
    • Conditions and logic
      • Logical operator reference
      • Advanced logic
    • Variables (answers)
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      • Calculated variables
      • API lookups
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    • Schemas
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      • Validating flow schemas
    • Redirects
    • Styling and themes
      • CSS Reference
      • Overriding theme styling
      • Custom CSS overrides
      • Content area
      • Animations and transitions
      • Form Layout
      • Typography
        • Adobe Fonts
        • Hosting custom fonts
      • Color variables
      • Dimension variables
      • Question containers
      • Assets
      • Form Buttons
        • Select buttons
      • Inputs and dropdowns
      • Checkmarks
      • Tables
      • Sliders
      • Divider lines
      • Progress bar
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    • Variant settings
      • Form behavior for returning responders
      • Group ranking API
    • Publishing and versions
      • Preview window
      • Deploying
      • History
  • ๐Ÿ’พHandling data
    • Philosophy and data retention policy
    • Viewing form answers
    • Responder UUIDs
    • Environments
      • Loading different environments
    • Passing data in
      • URL parameters
      • POST body
      • Embed query parameters
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    • Form answers and events
      • Analytics events
      • Signed requests
      • Event payload shape
      • Submission frequencies
      • Runtime error reporting
      • Admin API
      • Flow content data format
    • Integration reference
      • Amplitude
        • Amplitude cross domain tracking
      • BigQuery
      • FullStory
      • Google Analytics
        • Updating from Universal Analytics to GA4
      • Google Cloud Storage
      • Google Sheets
      • Google Tag Manager (GTM)
        • JavaScript triggered by flow events
      • Hubspot
      • Jornaya
      • Optimizely
      • PostgreSQL
      • Redshift
      • Rudderstack
      • S3
      • Salesforce
      • Segment
        • Segment Setup
        • Segment cross domain tracking
      • Stripe
      • TrustedForm
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        • Zapier
  • ๐Ÿ“บGoing live
    • Custom domains
    • Built-in analytics
    • Embedding
      • Web-Embed API
        • React-embed
      • Adding authentication
      • Embedding forms in iOS and Android
      • Setting up a dev environment
    • Split testing
    • Preflight checklist
  • ๐ŸขTeams
    • Accounts
      • Roles and permissions
    • Events subscriptions
    • Workspace domain detection
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Last updated 5 months ago

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When a responder returns to a flow that they already started but have not finished, you have control over where they will be placed within the flow. This applies to flows that are accessed directly by their URL, and those that are on another site.

By default, Formsort stores a user's submission data for ~3 weeks. After this window has elapsed, Formsort will purge stored answers that are associated with the user's responder UUID, and the user will start from the beginning when they return to complete their form.

This data is used to restore a user's previous session, if the returning responder behavior (below) is configured to restore previous session when a user returns.

For more information, see our .

To configure the Returning responder behavior, navigate to the Settings tab inside any variant.

Start each session as a new responder

When this flag is enabled, every time a responder returns to a flow they are treated as a new responder. As such:

  • No previous answers are loaded, and Formsort will not keep a record of answers progress;

  • User is not pinned to a variant they may have previously seen;

Altogether, this means a user can restart a session by refreshing their browser, or by navigating to the form in a fresh browser or tab.

When "start each session as a new responder" is disabled, returning responders will retain their responder UUID in their browser cookies upon subsequent visits, and their previous session will be loaded. This is default Formsort behavior. A user is considered a "returning responder" when they revisit a flow using the same browser they initially started their flow from.

Start at furthest point

This setting is enabled by default. Returning responders are placed at the furthest point in the flow that they had previously reached, with their existing answers present. This ensures that if the browser is reloaded, the flow will be at the same part of the flow, with the same answers.

Start at beginning, discard answers

Start at beginning, keep answers

With start at beginning, keep answers set, when responders return, their answers will be loaded into the flow and they will be keyed with their existing responder UUID, but they will be at the beginning of the form.

This is useful if you would like responders to review submissions to their previous answers when returning.

A new is generated at each visit (including on refresh);

Any Formsort-related cookies will be cleared from the user's browser on browser refresh, including any answers passed in as a cookie via .

You can still force-set a particular responder UUID by passing the UUID in as a URL parameter, but this will not load any previous session related to the responder UUID, which is the usual behavior. See for more information.

See for a closer look at how we create IDs for your users.

With start at beginning, discard answers enabled, every time a responder returns to a flow, they will start with an empty set of answers. This new session will still be keyed using their existing .

For a description of the rest of the settings in Behavior, check out the top section.

  1. ๐Ÿ—๏ธBuilding flows
  2. Variant settings

Form behavior for returning responders

What happens when visitors return to a flow they already started on?

PreviousVariant settingsNextGroup ranking API
  • Start each session as a new responder
  • Start at furthest point
  • Start at beginning, discard answers
  • Start at beginning, keep answers
responder UUID
Setting the responder UUID manually
Reponder UUIDs
responder UUID
Variant settings
embedded
data retention policy
External Variable