=== Instant Knowledge Base – Documentation, Knowledge Base, Help Center & Wiki Resource Center === Contributors: 7thskysoftware Donate link: https://www.7thskysoftware.com/ Tags: knowledge base, documentation, help center, faq, wiki Requires at least: 6.4 Tested up to: 7.0 Requires PHP: 7.4 Stable tag: 2.0.2 License: GPLv2 or later License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html Build a searchable WordPress knowledge base, documentation hub, help center, or FAQ with responsive layouts, live search, and analytics. == Description == Instant Knowledge Base helps you publish a fast, organized **WordPress knowledge base** without building a documentation system from scratch. Create help articles, group them into hierarchical Help Topics, add searchable FAQs, and give visitors a clear path to the answer they need. Use it for product documentation, customer support, SaaS onboarding, internal wikis, standard operating procedures, tutorials, troubleshooting guides, and frequently asked questions. The Core plugin includes unlimited knowledge base articles and FAQs, three responsive layouts, AJAX live search, article feedback, access controls, basic analytics, custom ordering, and flexible display options. It works with classic and block themes and can be embedded with a shortcode. = A searchable help center for WordPress = Visitors can search documentation as they type, browse Help Topics, open related articles, and move through clear breadcrumb navigation. Responsive landing, category, and article templates keep documentation readable on desktops, laptops, tablets, and phones. = Three responsive knowledge base layouts = Choose the presentation that fits your content: * **Default:** A clean support hub with topic cards, popular articles, and a reading-focused article view. * **Classic:** A familiar documentation layout with structured navigation for larger help libraries. * **Plain Index:** A lightweight, text-first directory for simple documentation and internal knowledge bases. = Knowledge base articles and Help Topics = Create and manage documentation with a dedicated article post type. Use parent and child Help Topics to build a useful hierarchy, control topic visibility, show or hide empty topics, and manually order topics and articles. = WordPress FAQ plugin features = Enable the included FAQ system to publish searchable questions and answers. Organize FAQs into categories and output FAQ structured data for eligible content. Search engines determine whether rich results are displayed. = Built-in engagement tools = Measure article views, collect helpful or not-helpful feedback, review basic search and engagement summaries, and guide readers with popular and related articles. = Access and privacy controls = Require visitors to log in before viewing the knowledge base, or override access settings for individual articles. Optional consent controls are available for knowledge base analytics, and analytics can be disabled from the plugin settings. == Core Features == * Unlimited articles, FAQs, and FAQ categories * Default, Classic, and Plain Index layouts * Responsive knowledge base, category, and article pages * Live search and search results * Hierarchical Help Topics and subtopics * Manual Help Topic and article ordering * Topic visibility and empty-topic controls * Breadcrumbs, related articles, popular articles, views, and feedback * Basic search and engagement analytics * Global and per-article login requirements * FAQ structured data and presentation settings * Floating search widget and import/export tools * Block-theme and classic-theme compatibility * Knowledge base shortcode: `[instant_knowledgebase]` * FAQ shortcode: `[ikbase_faqs]` == WALK-THROUGH: Instant Knowledge Base Tutorial== Learn how to install, activate, and configure your knowledge base with our easy step-by-step guide. https://youtu.be/IZZ_anhY97E == Instant Knowledge Base Pro == The free Core plugin is a complete knowledge base and remains fully functional without an upgrade. **Instant Knowledge Base Pro** is a separate add-on for businesses, agencies, and documentation teams that need more design control, richer editorial tools, multi-product organization, and deeper reporting. = What is included in Pro? = * **Premium layouts:** Compact, Content Focus, Help Center Modern, Opt-in Focus, Knowledge Canvas, and other designed experiences. * **Advanced analytics:** Explore search terms, missing-content opportunities, engagement, article performance, funnels, and automated insights. * **Product documentation:** Organize one knowledge base around multiple products, brands, services, or platforms with product-specific landing pages and content filtering. * **Advanced search interfaces:** Add dropdown results, live suggestions, and richer search presentation options. * **Hero and design controls:** Customize hero backgrounds, colors, content, search presentation, typography, and branding in more detail. * **Content Editor Tools:** Insert code, content boxes, media, iFrames, interactive checklists, and single checks. * **Knowledge base widget:** Embed searchable documentation in more locations with the Pro widget shortcode. * **Video tutorials section:** Present product demos, walkthroughs, and training resources inside the help center. * **Advanced integrations:** Connect optional external analytics services and use additional export and reporting tools. * **PDF exports:** Export supported articles and analytics reports as PDFs. = Why upgrade to Pro? = Upgrade when your help center has outgrown one documentation structure or support decisions need more than basic totals. Pro helps teams: * Run documentation for several products from one WordPress site. * Match a knowledge base more closely to a company or client brand. * Discover unsuccessful searches and missing documentation topics. * Create richer tutorials and interactive onboarding workflows. * Improve access with widgets and advanced search. * Produce reports and exports for teams or clients. [Compare Instant Knowledge Base Pro features and plans](https://7thskysoftware.com/wordpress-plugins/instant-knowledge-base/) == Installation == = Install from WordPress = 1. In the WordPress dashboard, go to **Plugins > Add New Plugin**. 2. Search for **Instant Knowledge Base**. 3. Select **Install Now**, then **Activate**. 4. Open **Knowledge Base**, create Help Topics and articles, then choose a layout in Settings. == Frequently Asked Questions == = How do I display the knowledge base? = Use the plugin's knowledge base pages or place `[instant_knowledgebase]` on a WordPress page or post. = Can I organize articles into categories and subcategories? = Yes. Help Topics are hierarchical, so you can create parent topics and nested subtopics. You can also control visibility and custom ordering. = Does the plugin include live search? = Yes. AJAX live search helps visitors find matching documentation without manually browsing every topic. = Can I restrict access to documentation? = Yes. You can require login globally and override that setting for individual knowledge base articles. = Can I add an FAQ section? = Yes. Enable FAQs in the settings, create FAQ categories and entries, or use the `[ikbase_faqs]` shortcode. = Does FAQ structured data guarantee rich results? = No. The plugin can output structured FAQ data for eligible content, but search engines decide whether and where rich results appear. = What analytics are included in Core? = Core includes article views, helpfulness feedback, total search activity, and basic admin summaries. Pro adds query-level reporting, funnels, deeper engagement analysis, automated insights, and additional integrations. = Is Pro required? = No. Core includes the article system, FAQs, search, layouts, access controls, basic analytics, ordering, and responsive templates. Pro is an optional separate add-on for advanced workflows and design requirements. = Where can I get support? = Use the [plugin documentation](https://7thskysoftware.com/knowledge-base/), [video tutorials](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLer8JCsTREH_HsGTkBBOsHjzZ01fo2qwy), or the WordPress.org support forum. == Screenshots == 1. Knowledge Base Default Layout Style Homepage 2. Knowledge Base Default Layout Style Categories Archive 3. Knowledge Base Default Layout Style Single Article 4. Knowledge Base Classic Layout Style Homepage 5. Knowledge Base Classic Layout Style Single Article 6. Knowledge Base Plain Index Layout Style Homepage 7. Knowledge Base Plain Index Layout Style Categories Archive 8. Knowledge Base Plain Index Layout Style Single Article == Support and Documentation == * [Knowledge base documentation](https://7thskysoftware.com/knowledge-base/) * [Instant Knowledge Base product page](https://7thskysoftware.com/wordpress-plugins/instant-knowledge-base/) * [Video tutorials](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLer8JCsTREH_HsGTkBBOsHjzZ01fo2qwy) * [WordPress.org support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/instant-knowledgebase/) == Changelog == = 2.0.2 - 2026-07-03 = * Add: New free Classic knowledge base layout with a documentation-style main page and single article page. * Add: New Plain Index layout with a lightweight, text-first documentation directory and focused article reader. * Add: Compact Content Editor Tools preview on knowledge base article editors, with quick visual access to Pro writing tools. * Add: Basic, Pro, and Agency purchase options on the Core Upgrade page with direct plan checkout links. * Redesign: Rebuilt the Default layout across the knowledge base, help topic, and single article pages with a clean responsive interface. * Improvement: Standardized compact article sharing and helpfulness controls across Core and Pro layouts. * Improvement: Added block-theme-compatible template headers and footers for knowledge base, search, Classic, and FAQ routes. * Change: Shortcodes inside knowledge base article content now display as plain text instead of executing across all layouts. * Fix: Related article rendering now accepts the structured result format returned by the hierarchy query without PHP warnings. = 2.0.1 = * Add: Floating Knowledge Base widget with enable/disable setting, position control, customizable text, and documentation search. * Improvement: Refined default layout category and single article pages with cleaner list-style article navigation. * Fix: Help topic sidebar now shows parent topics when child topics contain articles and respects the Show Empty Help Topics setting. * Fix: Floating widget article lists now show article titles only. * Fix: Improved compatibility with Pro templates on single article pages, sidebar navigation, and image previews. * Update: Compatibility update to WordPress 7.0. = 2.0.0 = * Fix: Product archive pages now open correctly without loading help topic layouts. * Change: Knowledge base product links now use safer product filtering. * Add: Improved FAQ search handling while keeping old FAQ search links working. * Fix: FAQ page and category search forms now submit correctly. * Change: Breadcrumbs and knowledge base links now keep the selected product. * Improvement: Bug fixes and minor improvements. = 1.1.3 = * Fix: Reliable Layout saves with Pro using one layout field and deferred submit handling. * Change: Removed duplicate Help Center hero and Opt-in search fields; use General settings instead. * Improvement: Bug fixes and minor improvements. = 1.1.2.1 = * Fix: Product-based organization now works consistently as a Pro-only feature in the free core plugin.. * Improvement: Moved inline scripts and styles into shared assets; removed all literal