How to Create an FAQs Page - P6 - Using MB Views

If you are looking at how to create an FAQs page without using any page builder, we will share an easy and straightforward tip using MB Views that you can follow to build that page. Let’s dive in to explore the process of creating the FAQs page in detail.

Table of Contents hide

1. Video Version
2. Before Getting Started
3. Create a New Page
4. Create Custom Fields
5. Display the FAQs on the Page
6. Last Words

This is the page I’d like to create today:

An FAQs page using MB Views

Video Version

Watch this video on YouTube

Before Getting Started

The FAQs page contains questions and answers that are saved in the custom fields created with Meta Box. The questions and answers will be classified and separated into tabs. In each tab, each pair of questions and answers also will be grouped together.

We need the Meta Box core plugin to have a framework to create custom fields. You can download it directly from wordpress.org.

Besides, we’ll use some Meta Box extensions for more advanced features as follows:

MB Views: to create and style the template for the page without touching the theme files;
Meta Box Builder: to have a UI on the back end to create custom fields;
Meta Box Group: to organize the fields for questions and answers into a group since they are in pairs.

You can install them individually or use Meta Box AIO.

Create a New Page

Go to Pages > Add New to have a new FAQs page.

A new FAQs page

Create Custom Fields

As I mentioned, the questions and answers will be classified in different tabs and also grouped in pairs. So, I’ll create the fields with the following structure.

The questions and answers will be classified in different tabs and also grouped in pairs

The cover group for tabs is cloneable, so you can add as many tabs as you want for multiple kinds of questions.

The cover group for tabs is cloneable

You can also set the title for the group based on the content of the Tab Name field for easier identification.

Set the title for the group based on the content of the Tab Name field

Inside each tab, means the group, I create a field to name the tab. This name will be displayed on the left sidebar of the page.

Also, I added a subgroup that contains two subfields. Thanks to this subgroup, the questions and answers are grouped in a pair. The subgroup also is cloneable so you can add more pairs of questions and answers.

Add a subgroup that contains two subfields

There are 2 text fields inside the subgroup. They are for the questions and answers.

Create 2 text fields inside the subgroup

This subgroup is set to be cloneable as well. It helps to add multiple pairs of questions and answers.

Set the subgroup to be cloneable

After configuring all the fields, move to the Settings tab. Choose Location as Post Type and select Page.

Select Page in the Settings tab

To apply these fields to the page you want, go to the Advanced Location Rules section below and choose the name of the page.

Choose the name of the page

Now, go to the page editor, you will see the custom fields displayed.

The custom fields displayed on the page editor

Display the FAQs on the Page

Get and Display Q&As from Custom Fields

Go to Views in Meta Box and create a new one.

Go to Views in Meta Box and create a new one

To get the data saved in the custom fields, just click on the Insert Field button and choose the name of the created fields from the list.

Choose the name of the created fields from the list to get the data saved in the custom fields

Since the created fields are all the subfields in a group named Tabs. You must click on it to open it up. Whenever you click on it, a loop will be added to the template since the group is cloneable.

A loop will be added to the template when I click to Tabs

We’ll insert fields inside this loop. First, insert the Tab Name field into the loop.

Insert the Tab Name field into the loop

The page I’ll create today has two sections. One on the left are the names of the tabs. And, the one on the right are the questions and answers. It is separated from the left one, so I will add another loop by clicking on the Tabs field.

Add another loop by clicking on the Tabs field

The group containing the questions and answers is also cloneable, so there will be another loop inside.

Add another loop inside group

Now, just insert the Question field and Answer field into the loop.

Insert the Question field and Answer field into the loop

You can see the structure clearer like this.

The structure of the FAQs page

You should add some div tags and classes to use CSS for styling later.

Add some div tags and classes to use CSS for styling later

Now, set the template type as Singular, and choose the page as its location.

Set the template type as Singular and choose the page as its location

Go to the page on the front end, all the tab names, questions, and answers are displayed already.

All the tab names, questions, and answers are displayed already on the frontend

That’s done for getting the questions and answers from custom fields and displaying them on the page.

Style the Page

Back to the template in the Views, go to the CSS tab, and add some code.

Go to the CSS tab and add some code to style the page

Then the look of the page will change.

The look of the page will change

For now, when you click on the name of each tab, nothing happens. All the pairs of questions and answers still display on the page. There is no classification. You should add JS to make the tabs work.

Add JavaScript for Tabs

Also back to the template, go to the JavaScript tab to add code.

Go to the JavaScript tab to add code

jQuery(document).ready(function()
{
    function activeTab(obj)
    {
        jQuery('.tab-category ul li').removeClass('active');
        jQuery(obj).addClass('active');
        var id = jQuery(obj).find('a').attr('href');
        jQuery('.ul-cate').hide();
        jQuery(id).show();
    }
    jQuery('.tab-category li').click(function(){
        activeTab(this);
        return false;
    });
    activeTab(jQuery('.tab-category li:first-child'));
});

These lines of code are to trigger when users click on any tab name. When I add div tags and classes for each element on the page, I set the class for the tab names as 'tab-category'. So, we’ll trigger the action based on that class.

Set the class for the tab names as 'tab-category'

I also set classes for the section displaying questions and answers and use it in this code.

Set classes for the section displaying questions and answers

If you use this code, please change these classes to your own.

Then, we need to add a line of code to the theme’s file to declare the JavaScript library:

<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/3.7.0/jquery.min.js"></script>

Add a line of code to the theme’s file to declare the JavaScript library

All of the code I’m using in this practice is uploaded on our Github channel, you can refer to them.

Now, go to the FAQs page on the frontend, you will see the tabs run as we want.

The FAQs page on the frontend

Last Words

There is another way to add questions and answers that is using a custom post type for them. With that way, you also can classify questions using taxonomy, then using MB Views to display them. Both of that way or this one will work. Just choose one that makes sense to you.

If you want to suggest any tutorials, feel free to leave a comment and keep track of our blog. Let’s try and enjoy it!

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