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Why Flamingo Creates Duplicate Entries and How to Fix It

18 threads Sep 7, 2025 Plugin → Flamingo

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If you're using the Flamingo plugin to store Contact Form 7 submissions, you may have encountered a common and frustrating issue: duplicate entries appearing in your database and inbox. This problem can manifest as identical records with slightly different timestamps, multiple emails for a single submission, or two links for the same entry in the Flamingo admin panel. This guide will explain why this happens and walk you through the most effective troubleshooting steps.

Why Do Duplicates Occur?

Based on community reports, duplicate entries in Flamingo are rarely a bug in the plugin itself. Instead, they are almost always caused by conflicts elsewhere in your WordPress setup. The most common culprits are:

  • Plugin or Theme Conflicts: Another plugin or your theme might be interfering with the form submission process, causing it to fire multiple times.
  • Form Configuration: Certain multi-step form plugins or form copy behaviors can inadvertently create multiple submission events.
  • Caching: Aggressive page or browser caching can sometimes resubmit form data.

How to Troubleshoot and Resolve Duplicates

Follow these steps to identify and eliminate the source of your duplicate entries.

Step 1: The Conflict Test

The most reliable way to find the cause is to perform a conflict test. This process temporarily rules out other software as the source of the problem.

  1. Switch to a Default Theme: Temporarily activate a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-One. If the duplicates stop, you know the issue is with your regular theme.
  2. Deactivate Other Plugins: Deactivate all plugins except for Contact Form 7 and Flamingo. Check if the form still creates duplicates. If it doesn't, reactivate your other plugins one-by-one, testing the form after each one, until the duplicates return. The last plugin you activated is likely the cause of the conflict.

Step 2: Check Your Form Setup

If the conflict test doesn't reveal the issue, examine how your forms are built.

  • Multi-Step Forms: Some third-party multi-step form plugins for Contact Form 7 can cause each step to be recorded as a separate entry in Flamingo. If you only want the final submission saved, you may need to add do_not_store: true to the additional forms in your multi-step process, leaving it out of the final form. You should consult the documentation for your specific multi-step form plugin for guidance.
  • Copied Forms: Be aware that copying a form within Contact Form 7 can sometimes lead to unexpected channel behavior in Flamingo, though this typically doesn't cause true duplicates.

Step 3: Understand the Flamingo Interface

It's important to distinguish between a true duplicate record and the normal way Flamingo displays information. As seen in the support threads, what looks like two entries for one submission is often just one record categorized in two ways.

  • History Column Links: Seeing two links (e.g., "Contact Form 7 (1)" and "Your Form Name (1)") in the History column is normal. The first link refers to the plugin-wide channel, and the second refers to the specific form. Both links lead to the same single submission.
  • Channel Column: The Channel column will often display the source as "Contact Form 7 / Your Form Name," which is the standard way to group messages.

When to Seek Further Help

If you have performed a full conflict test and verified your form setup but are still experiencing genuine duplicates (identical entries with different timestamps), the best course of action is to create a new thread on a support forum like the WordPress.org plugin repository. When you do, be prepared to share:

  • The URL of the page with the form.
  • A list of all plugins and your theme active on the site.
  • Any details about the specific multi-step or form copy plugins you are using.

This information is crucial for others to help you diagnose this complex issue effectively.

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