Unique Check prevents submissions even when they're deleted

How to setup unique check based on data entered for e.g. i want stop duplicate entries when first and last name already exists in the saved data set.

Hi Ashutosh,

Thanks for reaching out to Jotform Support. Unfortunately, it is not possible to use the Name element for disabling multiple entries. As a workaround, you can prevent the same person from filling out your form multiple times based on a Unique Field in just a few simple steps. Let me show you how:

1. In Form Builder, in the orange navigation bar at the top of the page, click on Settings.
2. Next, click on Show More Options.
3. Now, scroll down to the Unique Field section and select the field you want to use.

Check out the screencast below to see how it'll work:

You can use the Unique Field feature with the Email, Short Text Entry, Dropdown, and Number field elements.

Reach out again if there’s anything else we can help you with.

Hello Christine,

I have already tried and it did not work and that is why I created the helpdesk ticket.

Steps to replicate the issue.

1. Created a form
2. Made test entries used email id first time -- closed the form
3. realized if forgot duplicate check so enabled it using the unique field like explained in the video you shared
4. Deleted all the existing records from the table - table is now empty
5. Launched the entry form again this time with unique check enabled.
6. entered the exact same data in the form as in step 2 -- form fires the unique check and shows an error. -- however the table is empty so why does the form think it is duplicate entry.

This lead me to believe that caching is the cause of the issue and that is when I raised this ticket.

So the steps you are suggesting is already tried and it does not work. Hope my steps help replicate the issue at your end.

Hi Ashutosh,

If the submissions haven’t been purged from your trashed entries, the form can still detect them and prevent duplicate submissions. You can allow users to submit again by permanently deleting those submissions. You can easily delete your trashed submissions in Jotform Tables. Let me show you how:

1. In Jotform Tables, click on the Three Dots icon next to your form title in the tabs.
2. In the Dropdown menu, click on Trashed Entries to open the Trash menu.
3. Then, in the Trash menu on the right, click on the Checkboxes to select the submissions you want to purge. To select all, click on the Select All button.
4. Now, click on Delete Forever, and in the Confirmation window, click on the Delete button to confirm.

To avoid permanently losing submission data, it’s recommended to Download Form Submissions as Excel, CSV, or PDF.

Give it a try and let us know if you need any help.

Thank you Jotform support. Clearing the trash permanently resolved the issue.

Curious why validation is checking against trash enteries?

thank you

Hi Ashutosh Parekh,

Your request has been answered and the thread is closed.

If you have another question or need more help, feel free to reply here and we’ll assist you right away.