How to Build a FAQ Accordion Plugin for WordPress

WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) that helps you easily create and manage a website. One common feature you may want to add to your WordPress site is a FAQ section.

A FAQ section can be a great way to provide helpful information to your visitors and customers. It can also help reduce the number of support requests you receive.

There are a few different ways you can add a FAQ section to your WordPress site. In this article, we’ll show you how to easily create a FAQ section using a WordPress plugin.

Why Use a WordPress Plugin?

There are a few different ways you can add a FAQ section to your WordPress site. You can hardcode it into your theme, use a page builder plugin, or create a custom post type.

While all of these methods will work, we recommend using a WordPress plugin. This is because plugins are easy to use and they offer a lot of flexibility.

Plus, if you ever need to change your FAQ section, you can simply disable or delete the plugin. With other methods, you would need to edit your theme or rebuild your pages.

Choosing a WordPress FAQ Plugin

There are a few different WordPress plugins you can use to create a FAQ section. Two of the most popular plugins are WP FAQ Builder and Frequently Asked Questions by WPBrigade.

Both plugins offer a similar set of features. However, we recommend using Frequently Asked Questions by WPBrigade. This is because it’s a newer plugin and it’s regularly updated.

Installing the Plugin

First, you’ll need to install and activate the Frequently Asked Questions by WPBrigade plugin. For more details, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Once the plugin is activated, you’ll need to visit the FAQ » Add New page to create your first FAQ.

Creating a FAQ

On the Add New FAQ page, you’ll need to provide a question and answer. You can also add a featured image, category, and tags.

Once you’re satisfied with your FAQ, click on the Publish button to publish it live on your WordPress site.

Displaying Your FAQs

The plugin comes with a few different ways to display your FAQs. You can use the shortcode, widget, or template tag.

We recommend using the shortcode because it’s the easiest method. Simply add the [faq] shortcode to any post or page where you want to display your FAQs.

You can also use the shortcode to display FAQs from a specific category or tag. For example, the following shortcode will only display FAQs from the ‘Plugins’ category.

[faq category=”plugins”]

If you want to display your FAQs in a sidebar widget, then you can use the FAQ Widget. Simply go to Appearance » Widgets and add the FAQ Widget to your sidebar.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are some frequently asked questions about adding a FAQ section in WordPress:

Can I add a search form to my FAQ section?

Yes. Both WP FAQ Builder and Frequently Asked Questions by WPBrigade plugins come with a built-in search form.

Can I use shortcodes in my FAQ answers?

Yes. You can use shortcodes in your FAQ answers. This can be helpful if you want to embed videos or other content in your answers.

Can I change the order of my FAQs?

Yes. You can change the order of your FAQs by going to the FAQ » Order FAQs page. On this page, you can drag and drop your FAQs to change their order.

We hope this article helped you learn how to easily create a FAQ section in WordPress.

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6. Adding the jQuery

Now that we have our HTML set up, we can start adding the jQuery that will make our accordion work.

First, we need to wrap all of our content in a jQuery function. This will ensure that our code doesn’t run until the document is ready.

Next, we need to create a click handler for our headings. This will allow us to toggle the content when the heading is clicked.

Inside the click handler, we need to prevent the default action of the heading (which is to link to the anchor tag). We also need to toggle the active class on the heading and content.

Lastly, we need to slide the content up or down, depending on whether it is currently visible or not.

Here is the complete jQuery code:

$(document).ready(function(){

$(‘.accordion-heading’).click(function(e){

e.preventDefault();

$(this).toggleClass(‘active’);

$(this).next(‘.accordion-content’).slideToggle();

});

7. Adding the CSS

Now that we have our accordion functionality working, we just need to add some CSS to style it.

First, we need to hide the content by default. We can do this by setting the height of the content to 0 and overflow to hidden.

Next, we need to style the headings. We’ll give them a background color and some padding.

Lastly, we’ll style the active state of the heading and content. For the heading, we’ll change the background color and add a bottom border. For the content, we’ll increase the height to auto so it is visible.

Here is the complete CSS code:

.accordion-content {

height: 0;

overflow: hidden;

}

.accordion-heading {

background-color: #EEE;

padding: 10px;

}

.accordion-heading.active {

background-color: #FFF;

border-bottom: 1px solid #EEE;

}

.accordion-content.active {

height: auto;

}

8. Adding the JavaScript

Lastly, we just need to add the JavaScript that will make our accordion work on smaller screens.

First, we need to wrap our code in a jQuery function. This will ensure that the code doesn’t run until the document is ready.