Overview

Overview


Overview

Prefill fields in Zoho Forms allow you to dynamically populate form fields with data fetched from an external data source, making form-filling faster and more accurate. When a respondent enters a value in this field and clicks the search icon, the form looks up the value in the external data source. Based on the response, relevant form fields are automatically prefilled, creating a personalized and streamlined experience.

The Prefill fields supported in Zoho Forms are:
  1. Prefill-Webhook
  2. Prefill-Zoho Sheet




Benefits:
  1. Saves time and effort for respondents by pre-filling form fields.
  2. Improves data accuracy by reducing manual data entry errors.
  3. Creates a personalized experience for respondents.

How does prefilling work?

  1. Respondent opens the form, enters data into the Prefill field and clicks the search icon.

  2. On searching, the form sends a request to the external data source along with the value entered in the Prefill field to fetch the data.

  3. The external data source processes the request and returns data to be prefilled.

  4. The form receives the response from the external data source and the data will be prefilled in the form fields based on the prefill configuration.

  5. The respondent views the prefilled form and can complete the remaining fields or make any necessary adjustments to the prefilled information.


Choosing the right Prefill field

Zoho Forms supports the following prefill fields based on the external data source from where the data is fetched:

Prefill-Webhook

Prefill-Webhook fetches data from an external API or web service. When a respondent enters a value in the field and clicks the search icon, the form sends a request to the configured webhook URL. The external service processes the request and returns the data to prefill the mapped form fields.

Best suited for: Organizations that have an existing API endpoint, or need to fetch data from third-party systems such as a CRM tool or custom backend service.

Prefill-Zoho Sheet

Prefill-Zoho Sheet fetches data directly from a Zoho Sheet spreadsheet. When a respondent enters a value in the field and clicks the search icon, the form looks up the value in the configured Search Column of the selected worksheet. If a matching row is found, the data from that row is used to prefill the mapped form fields.

Best suited for: Teams that already manage data in Zoho Sheet and want a simple, no-code setup without configuring API endpoints or authentication.


Check the table below for detailed comparison to determine which prefill option best fits your use case:




Prefill-Webhook

Prefill-Zoho Sheet

Data source

External API or web service

Zoho Sheet spreadsheet

Best suited for

Systems that have API endpoints

Teams already using Zoho Sheet to manage data

Setup requires

Webhook URL, authorization, URL parameters or request body

Zoho Sheet account access; select spreadsheet, worksheet and search column

Technical complexity

Higher — requires a configured API endpoint

Lower — no API or coding knowledge needed

Search mechanism

Form sends a request to the configured URL on search

Form queries the configured worksheet's Search Column on search



Adding a Prefill Field

To add a Prefill field to your form:
  1. Navigate to the Builder tab.
  2. In the fields panel, go to Prefill section.
  3. Drag and drop the desired prefill field, Prefill-Webhook or Prefill-Zoho Sheet, onto your form.
  4. A configuration popup will appear to guide you through the setup.
For detailed configuration steps, refer to the respective help articles: Prefill-Webhook and Prefill-Zoho Sheet.

Notes
Note: 
  1. You can add only one Prefill field to a form.
  2. If your form already has a Zoho CRM field, you cannot add a Prefill field, and vice versa.   
  3. Prefill fields cannot be duplicated.    

Response Formats for the Field Types

Check out the Response formats corresponding to the form fields.

Field TypeExampleResponse Format
Single Line, Multi Line, Address, Name, Dropdown, RadioRichard
Number, Rating, Slider100
Currency, Decimal100.5
Emailrichard@zylker.com
Websitewww.zylker.com
Phone2436673893
Date2024-08-23yyyy-MM-dd
Time14:30HH:mm
Date-Time2024-12-30T10:05:59.564600+08:00yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm:ss.SSSXXX
Checkbox, Multiple Choice, Image Choices[100.50, 101.50]JSON Array
Decision BoxTRUE
Subform
[
  {
    <SUBFORM_ROW_1>
  },
  {
    <SUBFORM_ROW_2>
  }
]
JSON Array

Pricing

Each time a search is performed, one wallet credit will be deducted. This means that even if the same respondent performs multiple searches, each individual search will consume one wallet credit. Essentially, every new search action triggers a deduction, regardless of how many times the same respondent repeats the process.
The total number of search operations available to you varies depending on the subscription plan you choose as follows:

   Plan   Limit
Trial
100
   Basic10000  
   Standard25000  
   Professional75000  
   Premium150000  
   Zoho One150000  

Notes
Note: 
  1. This is the total limit for your organization's account, including all users and forms.
  2. You can view your usage details under Account Usage.
  3. Once the limit is reached, the access to the form will be blocked.
  4. The Prefill fields are not available in the Free plan.
  5. The limit will be reset automatically every month based on your billing cycle.