---
title: How to use prefilled upload links in Vloggi
description: "## Prefilled links let you hand someone from another form, survey, CRM or website into a Vloggi video project without asking them to enter the same information twice. The originating system adds values such as a respondent ID or contributor…"
url: "https://vloggi.com/docs/how-to-use-prefilled-upload-links-in-vloggi/"
updated: "2026-08-12"
---

# How to use prefilled upload links in Vloggi

## Prefilled links let you hand someone from another form, survey, CRM or website
into a Vloggi video project without asking them to enter the same information
twice.

The originating system adds values such as a respondent ID or contributor name
to the Vloggi upload URL. Vloggi keeps those values with the submission and can
return the reference and any additional hand-off metadata in a completion
webhook.

This is useful when video is one step in a longer journey—for example, when a
respondent completes part of a survey, records a video in Vloggi, and then needs
to be matched back to the original response.

## Before you start

You need:

- a Vloggi project with its upload form configured;
- access to **Integrations** in Vloggi Studio; and
- permission to edit the redirect or link in the system sending people to
  Vloggi.

Configure a submission webhook as well if the originating system needs an
automatic confirmation after the video is submitted.

## Create a prefilled link template

1. Sign in to Vloggi Studio and open **Integrations**.
2. In **Prefilled links**, select the Vloggi project that will receive the
   videos.
3. Add the respondent or submission reference used by your other system. This
   is optional, but it is the best field to use when you need to match the
   completed Vloggi submission to an existing record.
4. Add the contributor name if your other system already knows it.
5. Add any extra hand-off metadata you need, such as a panel, study, campaign
   or cohort reference.
6. Select **Copy prefilled link**.

Vloggi creates the link from the selected project's live upload URL and safely
URL-encodes the template values.

## What each field does

| Field | URL parameter | What happens in Vloggi |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Respondent / submission reference | `externalReference` | Stored as an opaque reference and returned in the completion webhook. It is not shown as a contributor question. |
| Contributor name | `name` | Prefills the required contributor full-name field. The contributor can review or correct it before confirming consent. |
| Additional metadata | Your chosen parameter name | Stored as hand-off metadata and returned in the completion webhook. It does not automatically create a contributor-data field. |

Every completed upload also receives a new Vloggi `submissionId`. The webhook
returns that ID together with `externalReference`, allowing the two systems to
be matched reliably.

## Add your other system's merge fields

The values between double braces in the Vloggi link are examples. Replace them
with the merge-field syntax used by your form, survey or workflow system.

For example, a template may look like this before URL encoding:

```
https://upload.example/projects/ABC-123
  ?externalReference={{respondent_id}}
  &name={{respondent_name}}
  &study={{study_id}}
```

Your system should replace the placeholders for each person before redirecting
them. A resulting link might contain:

```
?externalReference=RESP-80419&name=Alex%20Smith&study=VIEWERS-2026
```

Use your system's URL-encoding function when constructing links yourself. The
link generator in Vloggi Studio already encodes its template correctly.

## What if you do not have a respondent ID?

The external reference is optional. You have three choices:

1. Leave it blank. Vloggi will still generate its own unique `submissionId`.
2. Have the originating system generate an opaque random reference before it
   redirects the contributor.
3. Use a non-sensitive record or workflow ID that already exists in your
   system.

The contributor name is still required on the Vloggi consent form. If it is not
included in the link, the contributor simply enters it in Vloggi.

Do not use a name as the only matching key. Names are not guaranteed to be
unique and contributors can correct a prefilled name.

## Do I need to create a contributor-data question for the respondent ID?

No. Use `externalReference` when the value exists to match records between
systems. It is stored separately from the answers that contributors enter and
is returned in the webhook.

Create a visible contributor-data question only when you genuinely want the
contributor to see, confirm or answer that question. Additional URL metadata is
also hand-off data; it does not create visible questions automatically.

## What the contributor experiences

The contributor opens the normal branded Vloggi upload form. Their name is
already filled in when it was supplied in the link. They record or upload their
video, review the required legal information and confirm consent as usual.

If they switch from desktop to phone using the Vloggi QR-code option, the
external reference, name and hand-off metadata are carried into the phone
session.

## Privacy and security

URLs can appear in browser history, analytics, proxy logs and referrer data.
Only put opaque references and non-sensitive routing data in a prefilled URL.

Do not include passwords, access tokens, health information, confidential
answers or other sensitive personal data. Keep the detailed information in the
originating system and use an opaque ID to match it later.

Current field limits are:

- contributor name: 75 characters;
- external reference: 255 characters;
- additional parameter names: start with a letter and contain only letters,
  numbers, `_` or `-`;
- up to 20 additional metadata fields in the Studio link builder; and
- additional values: up to 1,000 characters each, within an 8 KB total metadata
  limit.

## Test the hand-off

Before sending the link to contributors:

1. Replace the placeholders with test values.
2. Open the resulting link in a private browser window.
3. Confirm that the contributor name is prefilled.
4. Complete a short test submission.
5. If a webhook is connected, confirm that its payload contains the test
   `externalReference`, `handoffMetadata` and Vloggi `submissionId`.

## Troubleshooting

**The placeholder appears literally in Vloggi**
The originating system did not replace its merge field. Check that system's
merge-field syntax and redirect configuration.

**The contributor name is blank**
Confirm the URL uses the reserved `name` parameter and that its value is
URL-encoded.

**Additional metadata is missing**
Parameter names must begin with a letter and use only letters, numbers, `_` or
`-`. Reserved navigation parameters such as `step`, `question` and `rotate`
cannot be used as metadata names.

**The respondent ID is not visible in Contributor Data**
That is expected. `externalReference` is integration hand-off data rather than
a contributor answer. Read it from the completion webhook.

## Next step

Configure a signed submission webhook to notify your other system when Vloggi
accepts the completed submission: [How to configure and use submission webhooks in Vloggi](https://vloggi.com/docs/how-to-configure-and-use-submission-webhooks-in-vloggi/).