Caching, optimization plugins and conflicts

Many WordPress websites use plugins that cache pages, combine or delay scripts and styles, or serve pages in several languages. Funnelforms 5 is prepared for this. This article shows what the form already brings along and what to think of when a form does not appear on a page as expected. It applies to Funnelforms Free and Pro; parts that only Pro has are marked.

Requirements

• The form is published and embedded.

Where to find it

The settings live in your caching or optimization plugin, not in Funnelforms.

Features at a glance

• Pages with a form can be cached. The form sits in the page's HTML as a container with its data.
• The HTML contains no security keys that expire. The form fetches the key for sending in the browser when visitors start.
• The form's script (runtime.js) carries hints (data-no-optimize, data-cfasync, data-no-defer) that can keep optimization plugins from delaying or rewriting it.
• The form loads the style sheet runtime.css. For popups and for forms with certain fields and features a second one is added: runtime-more.css.
• Multilingual pages with WPML or Polylang show the form in the page's language (Pro only).
• A form's own page (address /funnelforms/…) loads your website's head and footer, so consent tools run there too.

Step by step

After changing the form

1. Publish the form in the builder.
2. Clear the cache of your caching plugin or your CDN for the pages with the form.
3. Open the page in a private browser window and check that the new version appears.

If the form does not appear or looks unstyled

1. Open the page in a private browser window where you are not logged in.
2. In your optimization plugin, briefly switch off delaying, combining or minifying JavaScript and CSS.
3. Clear the cache and reload the page.
4. If the form now appears correctly, add the form's files to the plugin's exclusions and switch the options back on. The files are in the Funnelforms plugin folder under assets/runtime/: runtime.js, runtime.css and runtime-more.css.

How it works

Why can a cached page show an old version?

The page's HTML contains the published version of the form as data. If a plugin caches this page, the old version stays in it until the cache is cleared. Funnelforms does not clear other plugins' caches when you publish.

What happens if a form closes while the page is cached? (Pro only)

Time window, entry limit, password and login requirement exist only in Funnelforms Pro. The plugin checks them on the server on every request. If a cached page still shows the form although it is closed, visitors are told on sending that it is closed.

How safe is a cached form?

The page contains no key that expires over time, so it can stay in the cache for a long time. The form only requests the key when visitors start. The key is valid for this form, for at most six hours and for one sending only. On top of that, the plugin checks a hidden field, the time taken to fill in the form and the number of entries per visitor.

What do the hints on the script do?

The form's script loads at the end of the page and carries the attributes data-no-optimize="1", data-cfasync="false" and data-no-defer="1". These are signals to optimization plugins. Whether a plugin follows them depends on the plugin and its settings.

When does the form load runtime-more.css?

The second style sheet holds the styling for parts not every form has: popups and the corner button, the fields Appointment, Address, File upload, Signature, Repeat group and Rating, a Dropdown with a search box or several answers, and also, for example, quiz, time limit, language switch, saving progress, downloads and videos. Forms without these parts load only runtime.css. If an optimization plugin removes styles that look unused, this second style sheet may be the one that is missing.

How does the form behave on multilingual pages? (Pro only)

If the form has the page's language, it shows it. If not, WPML with String Translation or Polylang can translate the texts. The form's texts appear there under the context "Funnelforms". Texts that are not translated stay in the form's default language. Funnelforms Free has no connection to WPML and Polylang, and a form with several languages does not appear on the page there.

Best practices

• Clear the cache of the pages concerned after every publish.
• Always test changes to your website's optimization by looking at a page with a form, ideally one with a popup or an appointment field.

Troubleshooting

Tips

• Funnelforms 5.0 has no settings of its own for individual caching or optimization plugins. The hints in this article apply in general.
• If you need help, the support form in Funnelforms Pro attaches diagnostic data that lists your active plugins. In Funnelforms Free you find similar details under Tools → Site Health → Info.

FAQ

Do I have to exclude pages with a form from the cache? No. The form is built to be cached with the page.

Why don't I see my change? You probably have not published it yet, or the page is still cached.

Does the form work with WPML and Polylang? In Funnelforms Pro, yes: the form follows the page's language if it has it. Otherwise WPML String Translation or Polylang translate the texts.

Which files does "the form's files" mean? runtime.js, runtime.css and runtime-more.css in the Funnelforms plugin folder under assets/runtime/.

Related articles

• Embedding a form
• Popup and corner button