In this tutorial, you will learn how to use a lightweight WordPress plugin to send an SMS notification whenever a Gravity Flow workflow step is completed.
The plugin connects Gravity Forms and Gravity Flow to the IPPanel SMS service. It retrieves the recipient’s phone number from a selected Gravity Forms field and sends a predefined message after each eligible workflow step.
Plugin Features
The plugin provides the following features:
- Automatically sends an SMS after a Gravity Flow step is completed
- Works with a selected Gravity Forms form
- Lets you choose the phone number field
- Supports a custom SMS message
- Lets you exclude selected workflow steps
- Connects directly to the IPPanel SMS service
- Records SMS events in the WordPress debug log
Requirements
Before using the plugin, make sure the following components are installed and available:
- WordPress
- Gravity Forms
- Gravity Flow
- An active IPPanel account
- Your IPPanel username and password
- An active SMS sender number
Installing the Plugin
First, download the plugin ZIP file.
Log in to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to:
Plugins → Add New Plugin → Upload Plugin
Select the downloaded ZIP file and click Install Now.
After installation is complete, click Activate Plugin.
When the plugin is activated, its required database table will automatically be created in your WordPress database.
Plugin Settings
After activating the plugin, navigate to:
Settings → SMS Settings
The plugin settings page contains the following fields.
Username
Enter the username associated with your IPPanel account.
Password
Enter your IPPanel account password.
Sender Number
Enter the SMS sender number or service line registered in your IPPanel account.
The sender number must be active and authorized to send SMS messages.
Ignored Step IDs
Enter the IDs of the Gravity Flow steps for which an SMS should not be sent.
Separate multiple step IDs with commas.
Example:
2,5,8
With this configuration, no SMS notification will be sent after steps 2, 5, and 8.
Leave this field empty when an SMS should be sent after every workflow step.
Message
Enter the message that should be sent after a workflow step is completed.
Example:
Your request has successfully moved to the next workflow step.
The same message will be used for every workflow step that is not included in the ignored step list.
Form ID
Enter the ID of the Gravity Forms form connected to your workflow.
The plugin only processes events related to this form. Workflow events from other forms will be ignored.
You can find the form ID in the Gravity Forms form list or in the URL of the form editing page.
Phone Field ID
Enter the ID of the Gravity Forms field that contains the recipient’s phone number.
To locate the field ID:
- Open the form in the Gravity Forms editor.
- Select the phone number field.
- Find the field ID in the field settings or field details.
- Enter the numeric ID in the plugin settings.
For example, when the phone number is stored in field number 6, enter:
6
After completing the settings, click Save Settings.
How the Plugin Works
The plugin listens for the Gravity Flow step completion event.
Whenever a workflow step is completed, the plugin performs the following operations:
- Checks the form ID.
- Confirms that the event belongs to the configured form.
- Compares the current step ID with the ignored step list.
- Retrieves the Gravity Forms entry.
- Reads the phone number from the configured field.
- Sends the configured message through IPPanel.
No SMS will be sent when the form ID does not match the configured form or when the current workflow step is included in the ignored step list.
Example Configuration
Assume your workflow uses the following configuration:
- Form ID: 12
- Phone field ID: 7
- Ignored workflow steps: 3 and 6
- Sender number: 3000XXXX
- Message: Your request has moved to the next step.
The plugin settings should be entered as follows:
Form ID: 12
Phone Field ID: 7
Ignored Steps: 3,6
Message: Your request has moved to the next step.
After saving these settings, the plugin will send an SMS after every completed step of form 12, except for steps 3 and 6.
The SMS will be sent to the phone number stored in field 7.
Viewing SMS Logs
The plugin records workflow and SMS events in the WordPress debug log.
To enable WordPress debugging, add the following constants to your wp-config.php file:
define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);
WordPress usually stores the log file at:
/wp-content/debug.log
The log may include information about Gravity Flow events, form IDs, workflow step IDs, detected phone numbers, SMS requests, and responses received from the SMS provider.
Conclusion
Gravity Flow SMS Notifications provides a simple way to send SMS updates during Gravity Flow workflows.
It can be used for workflows such as application processing, document reviews, approval processes, support requests, order processing, and administrative automation.
To get started, install the plugin, enter your IPPanel credentials, select the Gravity Forms form and phone number field, and save the settings.