Submission Content

Formie stores a submission once, then returns that content in different shapes depending on what you are doing with it.

That is why the same field can look different in a template, an export, a summary screen, an email, or an integration payload. A simple text field might come back as a plain string in one place, while an address, name, or repeater field may need a structured array in another.

When a value does not look the way you expect, the first question to ask is not "is this field wrong?" but "am I reading it in the right format for this job?"

Reading Submission Values

The Submission element gives you helper methods for the most common formats.

Get the Normal Field Value

Use getFieldValue() when you want the field's normal value without forcing a particular format.

$submission = \verbb\formie\elements\Submission::find()
    ->id(123)
    ->one();

$firstName = $submission->getFieldValue('firstName');
$billingAddress = $submission->getFieldValue('billingAddress');

// Shorthand syntax is also available for direct field access.
$firstName = $submission->firstName;

{% set firstName = submission.getFieldValue('firstName') %}
{% set billingAddress = submission.getFieldValue('billingAddress') %}

{# Shorthand syntax is also available for direct field access. #}
{% set firstName = submission.firstName %}

For simple fields, this is often enough. For more complex fields such as Address, Name, Group, Repeater, or Table, you will usually want one of the more explicit methods below.

Get a String Value

Use getFieldValueAsString() when you need plain text. This is useful for logs, simple output, spam tools, or anywhere you need a field collapsed into a readable string.

$fullName = $submission->getFieldValueAsString('fullName');
$message = $submission->getFieldValueAsString('message');

{{ submission.getFieldValueAsString('fullName') }}
{{ submission.getFieldValueAsString('message') }}

Formie also provides a submission-wide string projection when you need all non-cosmetic values in one pass.

$values = $submission->getValuesAsString();

{% set values = submission.getValuesAsString() %}

Get Natural Data

Use getFieldValueAsData() when a field has meaningful structure that you want to preserve. This is common for Address, Name, and more complex custom or nested fields.

$name = $submission->getFieldValueAsData('fullName');
$address = $submission->getFieldValueAsData('billingAddress');

{% set name = submission.getFieldValueAsData('fullName') %}
{% set address = submission.getFieldValueAsData('billingAddress') %}

{{ address.address1 }}
{{ address.city }}
{{ address.zip }}

You can do the same for the whole submission.

$values = $submission->getValuesAsData();

{% set values = submission.getValuesAsData() %}

This is usually the safest format when you are building your own payloads or working with field data that is more than a single text value.

Get Export Values

Use getFieldValueForExport() or getValuesForExport() when the result is going into a CSV, spreadsheet, or report.

$paymentTotal = $submission->getFieldValueForExport('payment');
$exportValues = $submission->getValuesForExport();

{% set paymentTotal = submission.getFieldValueForExport('payment') %}
{% set exportValues = submission.getValuesForExport() %}

Export output can flatten complex fields into multiple columns. For example, an Address field may become several export columns instead of one nested array.

Get Summary Values

Use getFieldValueForSummary() or getValuesForSummary() when you are building a review screen, confirmation step, or summary output.

$summaryValue = $submission->getFieldValueForSummary('billingAddress');
$summaryItems = $submission->getValuesForSummary();


foreach ($summaryItems as $item) {
    $field = $item['field'];
    $html = $item['html'];
    $text = $item['text'];
}

{% set summaryValue = submission.getFieldValueForSummary('billingAddress') %}
{% set summaryItems = submission.getValuesForSummary() %}

{% for item in summaryItems %}
    <h3>{{ item.field.name }}</h3>

    {% if item.html %}
        {{ item.html }}
    {% else %}
        {{ item.text }}
    {% endif %}
{% endfor %}

Summary values are designed for display, not for integrations or exports.

Work with Nested Field Paths

You can access nested values with dot notation. This is useful for Group fields, Address sub-values, and repeater rows.

$street = $submission->getFieldValue('billingAddress.address1');
$city = $submission->getFieldValue('billingAddress.locality');
$firstRepeaterEmail = $submission->getFieldValue('attendees.0.email');

{{ submission.getFieldValue('billingAddress.address1') }}
{{ submission.getFieldValue('billingAddress.locality') }}
{{ submission.getFieldValue('attendees.0.email') }}

This is often the simplest way to pull out one specific nested value without working with the whole structured array.

Date/Time fields also support canonical nested paths such as eventDate.date, eventDate.time, and, for date ranges, booking.startDate or booking.end. Date values stringify to canonical ISO-style text. Use getFieldValueAsString() for the field's configured date and time display formats.

Use Context-Specific Helpers

Formie also includes helpers for values that are being prepared for a specific system or job:

• getFieldValueForReference()
• getFieldValueForReferenceBlock()
• getFieldValueForIntegration()
• getFieldValueForCondition()

These are most useful in custom module or plugin code, where you already have the email notification or integration objects available.

$referenceValue = $submission->getFieldValueForReference('billingAddress');
$referenceBlockValue = $submission->getFieldValueForReferenceBlock('billingAddress', $notification);
$conditionValue = $submission->getFieldValueForCondition('subscribe');
$integrationValue = $submission->getFieldValueForIntegration('billingAddress', $integrationField, $integration, 'address');

{% set referenceValue = submission.getFieldValueForReference('billingAddress') %}
{% set referenceBlockValue = submission.getFieldValueForReferenceBlock('billingAddress', notification) %}
{% set conditionValue = submission.getFieldValueForCondition('subscribe') %}
{% set integrationValue = submission.getFieldValueForIntegration('billingAddress', integrationField, integration, 'address') %}

Use reference when you need the singular, string-like field value. Use reference block when you need the richer block value used by notification field rendering.

getFieldValue() returns the field’s PHP value. Use the helpers above when you need display text, JSON-safe data, exports or integration values.