CF7 menu with pipes – Mail TO: hs syntax error

I have followed the instructions from https://cfdbplugin.com/?page_id=804 CF7 Menus with Pipes, to enable users to see a friendly name, but have the mail go to the person’s actual email address.

In Shortcodes, Actions & Filters I added the function form_with_pipes_handler, copied exactly from the above page, with no changes. It is activated.

I then added the smaller code function, updating the $formName and $fieldName, and function name as instructed. This too is activated.

function email_form_handler($formData) // Use a different function name for each form
{
    $formName = 'Hike_Sign_Up_Form'; // change this to your form's name
    $fieldName = 'hike_lead'; // change this to your field's name
    $newFieldName = $fieldName.'_email';
    return form_with_pipes_handler($formName, $fieldName, $newFieldName, $formData);
}
add_filter('cfdb_form_data', 'email_form_handler'); // ensure 2nd param matches above function name

When a user signs up, they successfully select the hike_lead’s friendly name, and in the db, the $newFieldName is created with the actual email address in it. So far so good.

When I updated the contact for, -> Email tab -> TO: field, the [hike_lead] field is grayed out. I tried entering it as ([hike_lead]) per the instructions, but the TO field remains gray with syntax errors. In searching the support forums, I saw that someone else had a similar issue and they were told to check their php code. Unfortunately the final resolution wasn’t posted, and I am not sure what php code to look for.

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!