Gravity Forms
+ Watch-to-Continue (Required Video)

Training sign-offs, policy acknowledgements and onboarding forms often say "watch this video first". In a normal form nothing makes sure that happens: the visitor can scroll past the video and press Submit. The Gravity Forms Watch-to-Continue add-on adds a Required Video field that keeps the Next button (on a multi-page form) or the Submit button locked until the visitor has watched the video, or listened to the recording, to the percentage you choose.

It works with YouTube, Vimeo and self-hosted MP4, WebM, MP3 and OGG files from your Media Library, with no account or API key. Only time that was really played counts: jumping ahead never does, you can block skipping ahead altogether and you can limit the playback speed. A meter and a clear status line ("You have watched 62% — keep watching to continue") tell the visitor where they are.

The rule is checked twice. The browser reports the parts that were played to your server, which signs the progress, refuses claims that are faster than the video can play, and checks the signed progress again when the form is sent, so a form cannot be submitted around the rule. Every entry keeps the proof of watching: watched percentage, seconds played, completed yes / no, completion time and the played ranges. Use it in notifications with merge tags such as {Video:3:percent}, show or hide fields with conditional logic on "completed", and add watched % as an entry list column. Save and Continue resumes at the saved position. For Gravity Forms 2.9 and newer.

The field shows the player (YouTube IFrame Player API, Vimeo Player.js or the browser's own video and audio player) with a Play button, a progress meter and a status line. While the video plays, the add-on records the time ranges that were really played; a jump is never added, and when skipping ahead is blocked the player is set back to the furthest point already watched. Every few seconds, and when the target is reached, the browser sends the played ranges to your own site. Your server merges them into a progress record signed with a key derived from your WordPress salts (HMAC-SHA256), and refuses any claim of more watched time than the clock allows since the viewing started at the highest allowed speed. Only when the server confirms the required percentage does the Next or Submit button unlock. When the form is sent, Gravity Forms validation checks the signed progress again (signature, form, field, percentage and that the same viewing was not used before) and stores the proof as the field value, with entry meta for watched % and completed. The add-on itself makes no outside HTTP request beyond the licence and update checks. YouTube and Vimeo players load from the provider, in the visitor's browser, only when such a video is on the page; self-hosted files load nothing from outside.