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Submission Pre-Parser

Simple Spam Detection

One simple use for this module is to add a spam protection layer to your forms. It works by creating fields in your form that are hidden with CSS which you know will always be empty IF it was submitted by a real person. Since the vast majority of spam is generated by automated scripts, blithely insert values into all form fields based on their form field names and labels, they often fill in these hidden fields as well. So, any time a submission contains values you.

Here's how to detect for this.

  1. In your form add a hidden field like so:
    Tip: give your input fields as human-friendly, convincing sounding names as possible. Many spam scripts look at their name attributes to guess at the sort of content should go there.
  2. Next, in the Submission Pre-parser module, add a rule with the following PHP: This will then make Form Tools ignore those submission. This setting gives NO indication to the person submitting the form that the submission didn't go through. It will look and behaved normally. This is both good and bad: good, because spammers checking their automated scripts will assume it worked; bad, because if you accidently set this value incorrectly, you may be preventing valid submissions from getting through. So be careful - double-check your logic!