The Form Handler feature in Marketing Cloud Next (Growth & Advanced Edition) allows you to capture data from external forms and send it directly to Salesforce—without modifying the external form structure.

🔹 What You’ll Achieve

• Capture data from external websites (or CloudPages)

• Map it to Salesforce objects (Lead, Contact, etc.)

• Trigger automation via Flow

• Add spam protection

• Redirect users after submission

🔹 Step 1: Configure CORS Allowlist

To allow external form submissions, you must whitelist the domain.

📌 Steps:

1. Go to Setup

2. Search for CORS

3. Click New

4. Enter:

   • Origin URL Pattern

✅ Example:

https://*.example.com

⚠️ Important Rules:

• Must include http or https

• No trailing slash

• Wildcard * allowed only before subdomain

💡 Example (CloudPages):

https://mcxkknz3m0zj3jqsxn4hm3dp3q-4.pub.sfmc-content.com

🔹 Step 2: Create Form Handler

📌 Navigation:

Add → Content → Form Handler

Steps:

1. Click Add Content

2. Select Form Handler

3. Enter Name (e.g., LeadFormHandler)

4. Click Save

🔹 Step 3: Map External Fields

This is the most critical step.

📌 Add Data Source:

1. Click Add Data Source

2. Select:

   • Object: Lead / Contact / Account / Prospect

📌 Field Mapping

For each field:

• Select Salesforce field

• Enter External Field Name

👉 This must match the HTML form name attribute exactly.

✅ Example HTML:

<input type="text" name="lastName">

✅ Mapping:

External Field Name = lastName

⚠️ Important Rules

• Case-sensitive (lastName ≠ LastName)

• No spaces allowed

• Required fields must be mapped

• Checkbox values:

  • true / false

📅 Date & Time Format

Type

Format

Date

YYYY-MM-DD

Time

hh:mm:ss

DateTime

YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ss.sssZ

✅ Example:

2025-07-31T15:00:00.000+0530

💡 Tip: Use hidden fields to generate datetime on the frontend.

🔹 Step 4: Add Spam Protection (Honeypot)

🐝 What is Honeypot?

A hidden field that bots fill but users don’t.

📌 Steps:

1. Add Honeypot Field

2. Set External Field Name:
   
   comments
   
   

📌 Add to HTML:

<div class="honeypot">

 <input type="text" name="comments">

</div>

💡 Logic:

• If field has value → treat as spam

🔹 Step 5: Configure Redirect URLs

After submission, users should be redirected.

📌 Example:

• Success URL:

https://www.salesforce.com/

• Error URL:

https://www.google.com/

⚠️ Important:

• Form Handler is NOT published directly

• Flow activation publishes it

🔹 Step 6: Create Flow (Automation)

📌 Steps:

1. In Form Handler → Click New Flow

2. Open Flow Builder

🔄 Default Setup:

• Record creation element already added

🔧 Enhance Flow:

You can add:

• Consent creation

• Email sending

• Journey entry

• Field updates

📌 Final Step:

• Click Activate

👉 This automatically publishes the Form Handler

🔹 Step 7: Publish & Integrate Form

📌 Get Required Code:

1. Copy Tracking Script

2. Copy Form Attributes

📌 Add to External Page

1. Paste script before closing body tag:

</body>

2. Add attributes inside <form>:

<form data-uma-forms="true" method="post">

🔹 Step 8: Sample Working HTML Form

<form id="FORM_ID" data-uma-forms="true" method="post">

 <input type="text" name="lastName" required>

 <input type="text" name="firstName" required>

 <input type="email" name="emailAddress" required>

 <!-- Honeypot -->

 <div style="display:none;">

   <input type="text" name="comments">

 </div>

 <!-- Hidden Fields -->

 <input type="hidden" name="CreatedDate">

 <input type="hidden" name="LastModifiedDate">

 <input type="hidden" name="Status" value="New">

 <button type="submit">Submit</button>

</form>

<script>

document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function() {

 const now = new Date().toISOString();

 document.querySelector("input[name='CreatedDate']").value = now;

 document.querySelector("input[name='LastModifiedDate']").value = now;

});

</script>

🔹 Step 9: Test the Setup

📌 Steps:

1. Open your external page (CloudPage or website)

2. Fill out form

3. Submit

✅ Expected Result:

• Redirect to success page

• Record created in Salesforce (Lead)

🔹 Common Mistakes to Avoid

Issue

Cause

No record created

Field names mismatch

Flow not triggered

Not activated

CORS error

Domain not whitelisted

Date error

Incorrect format

Spam submissions

No honeypot

🔹 Final Architecture

External Form → Form Handler → Flow → Salesforce Record → (Optional Journey)