=== Ultimate FAQ - WordPress FAQ and Accordion Plugin ===
Contributors: Rustaurius, EtoileWebDesign
Tags: faq, faqs, accordion, woocommerce faq, gutenberg faq, faq block
Requires at least: 5.0
Tested up to: 6.1
Stable tag: 2.2.2
License: GPLv3
License URI: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html
FAQ and accordion plugin with easy to use Gutenberg blocks and shortcodes. Includes FAQ schema and FAQ search.
== Description ==
Easily create FAQs and add them to any page on your site. The responsive accordion display fits seamlessly into any site and provides a great FAQ user experience on any device.
[FAQ Demo](https://www.etoilewebdesign.com/ultimate-faq-demo/)
The plugin includes Gutenberg blocks as well as shortcodes, so you can display your FAQs on any page, no matter which page editing system you are using. We also include several patterns, so you can integrate your FAQs directly into your block-based theme.
= Key Features =
* Create unlimited FAQs
* Create unlimited FAQ categories and tags
* Easy-to-use Gutenberg blocks to display your FAQs anywhere
* FAQ shortcodes for extra flexibility
* Responsive accordion layout that will fit any site and any device
* FAQ schema structured data
* Ordering and sorting options for your FAQ page
* Group FAQ options
* Translation ready (all strings localized and .pot file included)
* Insert custom CSS to style your FAQ layout
Ultimate FAQ is very user friendly and comes with a walk-through that runs automatically when you activate the plugin and will help you create your first FAQs and set key options!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULAq7e-JyL8]
= FAQ Structured Data =
The plugin includes full FAQPage and FAQ schema structured data markup, in LD+JSON format. So, when your page is indexed, Google will know it’s an FAQ page and can list it accordingly in search results.
= Additional FAQ Features =
* Widgets to display a list of specific FAQs, as well as for recent and popular FAQs
* Choose what elements show for each FAQ (e.g. categories, tags, author, date, etc.)
* FAQ statistics and view count
* Allow people to comment on individual FAQs
* And more!
= Advanced FAQ Search (Requires Premium) =
In order to make it as easy as possible for your visitors to find the information they are looking for, the premium plugin comes with a built-in FAQ search form
* Easily add the FAQ search form to any page via block or shortcode.
* Uses asynchronous requests to search your whole database of FAQs in real time, without having to reload the page.
* Includes option to display your FAQs on the initial page load
* And an option to auto-complete FAQs as you type in the search form
Combining these features allows you to create one page that serves as both your FAQ page and your search page. The experience couldn’t be any easier for your visitors.
= FAQs for WooCommerce (Requires Premium) =
The premium version of the Ultimate FAQs plugin comes with WooCommerce integration, so you can easily add FAQs to your product pages.
* Add an FAQs tab to product pages
* Responsive accordion layout that fits seamlessly into any product page
* Create an FAQ category that matches the name of a product or category in your WooCommerce and it will automatically show!
* Alternatively, manage product FAQs directly from the product edit screen
= Ultimate FAQ Premium =
The premium version of this plugin also comes with the following great features:
* Several custom-designed responsive FAQ layouts and styles
* Choose from 15 toggle icon sets for your frequently asked questions
* WP Forms Integration
* Share FAQs on social media
* Select animation options
* Drag and drop precise ordering of FAQs
* Add additional custom fields to your FAQs, such as a text area, file, link, date and more
* SEO-Friendly FAQ, category and tag permalinks
* Add an FAQ submit form to your site, so visitors can suggest their own FAQs and also (optionally) answers
* Admin notification for new FAQ submissions
* Bulk import FAQs from a spreadsheet
* Export FAQs to spreadsheet
* Export all FAQs to a PDF to (e.g. to create a user manual)
* Advanced FAQ styling options
* Change the FAQ permalink slug base
* Labelling options
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLory4igOWs]
For further information and purchasing options, please visit our WordPress FAQ plugin homepage.
** We are also pleased to offer a free 7-day trial of the premium version, which you can use to test out features like the FAQ search form, custom fields and styling options before buying! **
= Customize Your FAQs with the Included Template System =
Ultimate FAQ is built on a series of templates, such that everything that displays on the front end of the plugin can be customized by creating your own template files (to modify and/or overwrite the existing templates files). This gives you a powerful and non-destructive way to custmoize the look and functionality of the FAQs to your exact needs. More info about this can be found in our documentation.
= FAQ Blocks =
* Display FAQs: Display all FAQs, or only specific categories using the block attributes
* Popular FAQs: Displays a number of the most viewed FAQs (5 unless specified)
* Recent FAQs: Displays a number of the most recently added FAQs (5 unless specified)
* Search FAQs: Display a search form that allows users to find FAQs with a specific string in the title or body of the FAQ post (premium)
* Submit FAQ: Display a form that allows users to submit FAQs of their own and, if enabled, enter an answer to their submitted question as well (premium)
= FAQ Shortcodes =
* [ultimate-faqs]: Display all FAQs, or only specific categories using include_category and exclude_category attributes (both take a comma-separated list of category slugs)
* [popular-faqs]: Displays a number of the most viewed FAQs (5 unless specified)
* [recent-faqs]: Displays a number of the most recently added FAQs (5 unless specified)
* [select-faq]: Display specific FAQ posts, using the attributes faq_name, faq_slug and faq_id which take comma-separated lists of FAQ post names, slugs and ids respectively
* [ultimate-faq-search]: Display a search form that allows users to find FAQs with a specific string in the title or body of the FAQ post (premium)
* [submit-question]: Display a form that allows users to submit FAQs of their own and, if enabled, enter an answer to their submitted question as well (premium)
= For help and support, please see: =
* Our documentation, here: [https://doc.etoilewebdesign.com/plugins/ultimate-faq/user/](https://doc.etoilewebdesign.com/plugins/ultimate-faq/user/)
* Our FAQ pages, here: [https://doc.etoilewebdesign.com/plugins/ultimate-faq/user/faq](https://doc.etoilewebdesign.com/plugins/ultimate-faq/user/faq), and here: [https://wordpress.org/plugins/ultimate-faqs/faq/](https://wordpress.org/plugins/ultimate-faqs/faq/)
* Our installation guide and information about the walk-through, here: [https://doc.etoilewebdesign.com/plugins/ultimate-faq/user/getting-started/install](https://doc.etoilewebdesign.com/plugins/ultimate-faq/user/getting-started/install)
* Our tutorial videos, here: [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEndQUuhlvSrNdfu5FKa1uGHsaKZxgdWt](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEndQUuhlvSrNdfu5FKa1uGHsaKZxgdWt)
* The Ultimate FAQ support forum, here: [https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/ultimate-faqs/](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/ultimate-faqs/)
* Our Support Center, here: [https://www.etoilewebdesign.com/support-center/](https://www.etoilewebdesign.com/support-center/)
== Installation ==
1. Upload the 'ultimate-faqs' folder to the '/wp-content/plugins/' directory
2. Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress
or
1. Go to the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress and click 'Add New'
2. Search for 'Ultimate FAQ' and select 'Install Now'
3. Activate the plugin when prompted
= Getting Started =
After activating the plugin, a walk-through will run automatically, which will help you to create your first FAQs and to set a few key options.
For more info on installing and activating the plugin, and on the walk-through, please see here: [https://doc.etoilewebdesign.com/plugins/ultimate-faq/user/getting-started/install](https://doc.etoilewebdesign.com/plugins/ultimate-faq/user/getting-started/install)
= For help and support, please see: =
* Our documentation, here: [https://doc.etoilewebdesign.com/plugins/ultimate-faq/user/](https://doc.etoilewebdesign.com/plugins/ultimate-faq/user/)
* Our FAQ pages, here: [https://doc.etoilewebdesign.com/plugins/ultimate-faq/user/faq](https://doc.etoilewebdesign.com/plugins/ultimate-faq/user/faq), and here: [https://wordpress.org/plugins/ultimate-faqs/faq/](https://wordpress.org/plugins/ultimate-faqs/faq/)
* Our tutorial videos, here: [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEndQUuhlvSrNdfu5FKa1uGHsaKZxgdWt](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEndQUuhlvSrNdfu5FKa1uGHsaKZxgdWt)
* The Ultimate FAQ support forum, here: [https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/ultimate-faqs/](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/ultimate-faqs/)
* Our Support Center, here: [https://www.etoilewebdesign.com/support-center/](https://www.etoilewebdesign.com/support-center/)
== Frequently Asked Questions ==
= Is there a shortcode to display FAQs? =
Yes, you can use the `[ultimate-faqs]` shortcode. For more info, see [here](https://doc.etoilewebdesign.com/plugins/ultimate-faq/user/blocks-shortcodes/ultimate-faqs-shortcode).
= Is there a Gutenberg block to display FAQs? =
Yes, you can search for the **Display FAQs** block. Alternatively, you'll find it in its own block category/section called **Ultimate FAQs**. For more info, see [here](https://doc.etoilewebdesign.com/plugins/ultimate-faq/user/blocks-shortcodes/display-faqs-block).
= What are all the available blocks and shortcodes? =
For a complete list of blocks and shortcodes, and their associated parameters/attributes, please see [here](https://doc.etoilewebdesign.com/plugins/ultimate-faq/user/blocks-shortcodes/).
= Can I have multiple FAQ pages with different FAQs on each =
Yes. For this, we would recommend assigning your FAQs to different categories and then using the shortcode to include only the category you want on each page. For more info, see [here](https://doc.etoilewebdesign.com/plugins/ultimate-faq/user/blocks-shortcodes/ultimate-faqs-shortcode).
= How do I sort the order of my FAQs? =
The FAQs can be sorted by title, created date or modified date. The FAQ categories can be sorted by name, slug or count. If you are using the premium version, there is also a drag-and-drop table that can be used for precise ordering. For more info, see [here](https://doc.etoilewebdesign.com/plugins/ultimate-faq/user/faqs/order).
= Can I translate my FAQs? =
Yes, the plugin uses a custom post type and all the strings/labels are localized in the code. For more information on plugin translation, please see [here](https://doc.etoilewebdesign.com/plugins/ultimate-faq/user/labelling/translating).
= Is this compatible with WPML? =
Yes, the plugin uses a custom post type and taxonomies. As such, if you enable our post type in the WPML settings, you'll be able to create translations of your FAQs, categories and tags. As well, all the strings/labels are localized in the code. As such, they will be picked up by WPML's String Translation tool for easy direct translating.
For more info on translating the plugin, please see [here](https://doc.etoilewebdesign.com/plugins/ultimate-faq/user/labelling/translating).
= The individual FAQ page isn't displaying correctly =
For the FAQ single post pages, it would be your theme that controls the look and layout. Because the FAQs are a custom post type, the single post page for FAQ posts would, by default, make use of your theme's single.php template file. If you'd like to modify the single post page for FAQs, we'd suggest duplicating your single.php file and creating one specifically for our post type, as discussed [here](https://codex.wordpress.org/Post_Type_Templates). Our post type is called **ufaq**, so you'd want to call your template file **single-ufaq.php**.
= Can I hide my FAQ categories? =
Yes, you can choose to display or hide FAQ categories on the FAQ settings page.
= How can I make my FAQs sharable over social media? =
On the FAQ premium settings page you can choose to link to twitter, facebook and more!
= How do I make my FAQs searchable? =
You can use the premium shortcode, [ultimate-faq-search], which displays an AJAX FAQ search form. You can use the "Auto-Complete Titles" option to have a list of all matching FAQ questions pop up when a user has typed 3 or more characters.
= Can I display all FAQs on pageload using the [ultimate-faq-search] shortcode? =
You can add the attribute "show_on_load" to the shortcode, and set it to "Yes" to display all FAQs when the page first loads.
= How do I add FAQs to a WooCommerce product page with the premium version? =
You can add FAQs for either a specific product or for a WooCommerce category.
For a specific product, create an FAQ category with the same name as the product, and then select that category for all of the FAQs you want included on your product page.
For a category of WooCommerce products, create an FAQ category with the same name as the WooCommerce category, and then select that category for all of the FAQs you want included on your product page.
= How do I customize my FAQs, for example, to change the font? =
You can customize the plugin by adding code to the Custom CSS box on the FAQ settings page, go to the "Custom CSS" box. For example to change the font you might want to add something like:
.ufaq-faq-title h4, .ufaq-faq-category-title h4 {font-family:"Palatino Linotype", "Book Antiqua", Palatino, serif;}
You can also use the "Styling" area of the "Options" tab if you're using the premium version, which has a built-in color picker for FAQ color fields and more!
= What is enabled in the premium version? =
For more info about the premium version, please see here: https://doc.etoilewebdesign.com/plugins/ultimate-faq/user/premium/benefits
= For help and support, please see: =
* Our documentation, here: [https://doc.etoilewebdesign.com/plugins/ultimate-faq/user/](https://doc.etoilewebdesign.com/plugins/ultimate-faq/user/)
* Our installation guide and information about the walk-through, here: [https://doc.etoilewebdesign.com/plugins/ultimate-faq/user/getting-started/install](https://doc.etoilewebdesign.com/plugins/ultimate-faq/user/getting-started/install)
* Our tutorial videos, here: [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEndQUuhlvSrNdfu5FKa1uGHsaKZxgdWt](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEndQUuhlvSrNdfu5FKa1uGHsaKZxgdWt)
* The Ultimate FAQ support forum, here: [https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/ultimate-faqs/](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/ultimate-faqs/)
* Our Support Center, here: [https://www.etoilewebdesign.com/support-center/](https://www.etoilewebdesign.com/support-center/)
== Screenshots ==
1. FAQ demo page - Default display style
2. Example of the "Contemporary" FAQ display style
3. Example of the "Block" FAQ display style
4. Example of the "Border Block" FAQ display style
5. Example of the "Minimalist" FAQ display style
6. Example of the "List" FAQ display style
7. The AJAX FAQ search feature in use
8. WooCommerce product page with "FAQs" tab
9. Simple user submitted FAQs form
10. Example of FAQ page with custom FAQ font icons
11. FAQ with comments enabled
12. FAQ with ratings enabled
13. FAQ with post author and date displayed
14. FAQ social sharing
15. Mobile view of FAQs
16. Adding the FAQ block to a page.
17. View of the FAQ edit screen, including custom fields.
18. FAQ tab in WooCommerce product edit
19. Ultimate FAQs plugin dashboard
20. Admin area showing all FAQs with their number of views as well as their categories
21. FAQ Categories
22. FAQ Order table
23. Creating/editing custom fields
24. Styling area of the Settings page
== Changelog ==
= 2.2.2 (2022-12-08) =
- Update to remove warning notice that was sometimes displaying on the FAQ search page if certain parameters were not defined.
= 2.2.1 (2022-12-08) =
- Updated an incorrect link URL in the admin.
- Plus the following from 2.2.0:
- Added new tutorial videos to the settings pages that explain and show what each option does.
- Added quick links to the admin about page to re-run the walk-through, view tutorial videos and suggest a feature.
- Added new parameters to the Display FAQs block and the ultimate-faqs shortcode that let you enable/disable FAQ accordion and category accordion.
- Updated dropdown block parameters to have a default value.
- Accessibility updates (e.g. for the Expand button and the FAQ search label).
- Tested with PHP 8.1.
- Updated the export class for PHP 8 compatibility.
= 2.2.0 (2022-12-08) =
- Added new tutorial videos to the settings pages that explain and show what each option does.
- Added quick links to the admin about page to re-run the walk-through, view tutorial videos and suggest a feature.
- Added new parameters to the Display FAQs block and the ultimate-faqs shortcode that let you enable/disable FAQ accordion and category accordion.
- Updated dropdown block parameters to have a default value.
- Accessibility updates (e.g. for the Expand button and the FAQ search label).
- Tested with PHP 8.1.
- Updated the export class for PHP 8 compatibility.
= 2.1.18 (2022-10-13) =
- Fixed an issue in which, if the include_category attribute was used in the search shortcode, multiple categories would display if some of the FAQs matching that category were in multiple categories.
= 2.1.17 (2022-08-22) =
- Updating a condition to make sure the new block patterns do not cause an error on WordPress installations using a version of WordPress older than 5.5.
= 2.1.16 (2022-08-12) =
- Introducing new block patterns, which can be used to integrate FAQs directly into your block-based theme templates.
- Added a parameter to the Display FAQs block, as well as an attribute to the ultimate-faqs shortcode, that lets you enable/disable grouping FAQs by category for that specific instance.
- Added a Tags column to the main admin FAQs overview/table.
- Updated the success/failure/validation messaging for the submit question form and added labelling options for these.
= 2.1.15 (2022-06-10) =
- Fixed an issue in which FAQs were sometimes showing on archive pages for other custom post types if there was nothing selected for the FAQ Page setting.
= 2.1.14 (2022-05-20) =
- Tested with WordPress 6.0.
= 2.1.13 (2022-05-17) =
- Added previews for Gutenberg blocks (i.e. when, on the page edit screen, you add the block, it will show a preview).
= 2.1.12 (2022-05-04) =
- Added a setting to choose/set an FAQ page (as an alternative option to manually putting the block or shortcode on a page).
- Implemented an option to highlight the search term in the results.
- Multiple admins can now be emailed on question submission (comma-separated).
- The "No Results Found" text is now wrapped in a selector, so you can style it separately, if desired.
- FAQ Category Toggle now has a title attribute. It also has a tabindex="0" attribute so that the toggle div can be selected via the keyboard.
- Added a small delay before fetching search results, so that, if someone is typing a query, less requests are being sent to the server.
- Updated the X button that clears the search field, so that it sets the display back to no FAQs or all FAQs, depending on which option you have specified.
- Fixed an issue causing date and datetime custom fields to show an incorrect input type on the FAQ edit screen.
- FAQs set to Private now display on the front end when you are logged in to the site.
- Removed some extra blank spaces that were showing in textarea edit fields.
= 2.1.11 (2022-03-01) =
- Fixed an issue causing invalid schema (structured data).
= 2.1.10 (2022-02-23) =
- Updated WPForms integration, so you can now specify a minimum character count before matching FAQs show.
- Removed Gutenberg block code from the output of the post body in the structured data.
- Fix for structured data not output on FAQ search page.
- Fix for issue in which, when using the ordering table, editing the FAQ that was at the top would send it to the bottom.
= 2.1.9 (2022-02-01) =
- Fixed compatibility issue when using block-based themes.
= 2.1.8 (2022-01-26) =
- Updated escaping function to correct issue with the widget output.
= 2.1.7 (2022-01-19) =
- Added a new filter (ewd_ufaq_kses_allowed_html) to specify allowed tags for the FAQ answer/body.
= 2.1.6 (2022-01-05) =
- Fixed an issue causing the YouTube block to not output on the front end in an FAQ post.
= 2.1.5 (2022-01-04) =
- Updated class naming issues.
- Fixed a few styling issues with the walk-through.
= 2.1.4 (2021-12-29) =
- Updated sanitizing and escaping.
= 2.1.3 (2021-12-24) =
- Updated sanitizing and escaping.
- Added stable tag.
= 2.1.2 (2021-12-23) =
- Updating nonce and capability checks for AJAX calls.
- Updating sanitization and escaping.
= 2.1.1 (2021-12-22) =
- Fixed an issue in which the defaults were not being correctly set for a few options.
= 2.1.0 (2021-12-21) =
- Changed how premium settings areas are previewed.
- CSS styling update for the FAQ Details area on the FAQ edit screen.
= 2.0.26 (2021-12-13) =
- Added a notice pertaining to the requirement of the premium helper plugin to access premium settings and content.
= 2.0.25 (2021-11-03) =
- Updates the SAP library to version 2.6.1
- Updates setting's so that a number display only conditionally on other settings' values
- Fix for the 'X' in the search box not re-triggering the AJAX search
= 2.0.24 (2021-10-07) =
- Adds in error handling for when the display_faq isn't defined
- Adds in additional checks to prevent a console errors when the plugin JS files are loaded without the default localization data being defined.
= 2.0.23 (2021-09-17) =
- Updated how secondary assets are conditionally enqueued.
- Adds in a check to prevent a console error when the plugin JS files are loaded without the default localization data being defined.
= 2.0.22 (2021-09-08) =
- Updated the settings page library.
- Made FAQ search input field type search, so it includes functionality such as the clear event.
- Updated the conditional enqueuing of assets.
- Update to the integration with the Ultimate WP Mail plugin for the submitted FAQ thank-you email.
- Added ID to the category headings (when grouping FAQs by category), so you can anchor link directly to one.
- Added a check on FAQ import for the post type, so you can't accidentally overwrite an existing post if you mistakenly specify a post ID that already exists for a post in another post type.
= 2.0.21 (2021-08-12) =
- Updated deprecated block_categories.
= 2.0.20 (2021-07-21) =
- Updating a condition to account for a possible notice create by a rare use of the_content filter.
= 2.0.19 (2021-06-24) =
- Fixed an issue in which FAQs that were imported would not display on the front end until manually updated.
= 2.0.18 (2021-06-21) =
- Fixed an issue with incorrect permalinks in search results.
- Fixed an issue in which emails from Ultimate WP Mail were not available for selection.
- Fixed an issue in which