How did WPMU DEV compare against other WordPress leaders in the areas of Managed Hosting, Web Hosting, and WordPress Site Management for the Summer 2023 quarter?
Managed Hosting user satisfaction rankings (Summer 2023)
Summary
WPMU DEV, along with Kinsta, tops 3 of the 5 G2 user satisfaction categories shown above, including an amazing 99% for Quality of Support, which we’re pretty chuffed about.
Web Hosting user satisfaction rankings (Summer 2023)
Summary
WPMU DEV and Kinsta ranked highest for the various G2 user satisfaction categories shown above. Notably, WPMU DEV topped Quality of Support here with another 99%Â score.
WordPress Site Management overall grid rankings (Summer 2023)
User satisfaction rankings (Summer 2023)
WordPress Site Management user satisfaction rankings (Summer 2023)
Summary
WPMU DEV is the clear winner in all of G2’s WordPress Site Management categories shown above. Not much more to say, other than to brush the non-existent dust off our shoulders.
We take our members’ feedback and suggestions seriously and we provide 24×7 expert support to deal with any issues you may experience.
If you are unhappy with any aspect of our services or have suggestions for improvement, please tell us. And if you are delighted, please leave a review.
To see how our performance stacks up against other WordPress leaders, go here: How We Compare
To see what new and exciting WPMU DEV developments are coming up next, check out our roadmap.
Not a WPMU DEV member yet? Then experience our award-winning services and become a member today…it’s 100% risk-free!
All new Safe Repair feature makes repairing and quarantining malicious files with Defender Pro smoother and safer than ever before for WordPress users!
View quarantined files using Defender’s Safe Repair feature from The Hub.
Defender, WPMU DEV’s powerful WordPress security plugin, recently launched its all new version 4.1, which ensures maximum compatibility with the latest version of WordPress, and — more importantly for Pro users — is designed to streamline the process of repairing and quarantining modified files, suspicious files, and offer users a safer alternative to deleting files.
In this post, we’ll focus on this new feature and cover the following areas:
As a user-driven company, we listen to what our members and users want. Especially when it comes to addressing issues, as outlined in the comments below from our Defender plugin users:
“I was running a malware scan with Defender Pro, and I think I accidentally deleted a file which I shouldn’t have. Now the website is down with a critical error.”
“Our website is currently down after removing two attached files that Defender Pro recommended removing.”
“It would be wonderful if Defender Pro allowed us to quarantine a file in addition to the options of deleting a file or ignoring it. That way if the suspicious file breaks the site, it can be restored easily instead of having to restore the entire site from a backup.”
Using the above feedback, our developers decided to improve our security plugin and add the following options to avoid serious issues and errors on users’ WordPress sites:
Repair and Quarantine/backup suspicious files so these can be restored if necessary.
Repair and Quarantine/backup modified files so these can be restored if necessary.
Defender Malware Scanning scans your entire site for suspicious code or modified files and published vulnerabilities in plugins, themes, and WordPress core.
The new Safe Repair feature applies to reported suspicious and modified files, allowing these to be quarantined, deleted, or replaced with the latest file copies from their official plugin repository.
Defender detects and warns users of plugin, theme, and core vulnerabilities. Note: the plugin shown in the above screenshot was modified for illustrative purposes.
How Does Safe Repair Work?
As explained earlier, Defender Pro’s Safe Repair feature within the Malware scanning section is designed to streamline the process of quarantining files before repairing or deleting them, offering a safer alternative to outright suspicious or modified file deletion.
Here’s how Defender Pro handles these requests from version 4.1 onward:
Suspicious Files
Defender flags PHP functions, code, and files when they vary from what is expected or when they match known issues.
Defender detects and flags files with suspicious code.
Once a flagged function or suspicious code has been verified as suspicious, Defender presents you with three actions: Ignore, Delete, or Safe Repair (note: you may need to deactivate the plugin for the ‘Delete’ option to become active).
Prior to v4.0, deleting suspicious files would occasionally cause a plugin, theme, or even the entire website to break. Often, this is caused by code from the plugin or theme itself being flagged by Defender as being suspicious.
The problem, however, appears when it’s a false positive, meaning that the flagged file isn’t malicious per se, but part of the plugin’s (or theme’s) core files and contains risky code added by the theme or plugin developer. Hence, deleting this file could cause errors on the site, break functionality, or even break the entire site.
From Defender Pro v4.1 onward, users can now opt to repair and quarantine/back up suspicious files for 30 days or more, instead of deleting the file right away. Files are stored under the new quarantine tab, allowing you to restore these if needed, including restoring files manually. This provides a fail-safe method to handle suspicious files and offers a restoration option if things go wrong or return false-positives.
Note: The Safe Repair option becomes available only if the suspicious code found differs from the plugin’s original code. Also, Safe Repair only works with WordPress.org plugins currently.
Modified Files
If code in a plugin, theme, or WordPress core file doesn’t match what is found in the official WordPress repository. Defender will flag the file as a Modified file. Restoring the original file fixes this issue.
Earlier versions of Defender (and Defender Free plugin) feature a “Restore” button in the plugin’s Malware Scanning section, which fetches a fresh file from the WordPress repository and replaces the existing file in the server directory.
Earlier versions of Defender offer only the option to restore modified files with a fresh version of the file.
However, when a file has been modified by an admin or site developer (e.g. by adding a custom code for a certain functionality), deleting or replacing the file with its original can result in the loss of custom code or functionality, and in some cases, lead to sites breaking.
In Defender Pro, Restore is now Safe Repair. This new feature not only replaces the modified file with the original file from the WordPress repository, it also adds an option to quarantine the modified file before replacing it, allowing users to restore the file if required.
The new Safe Repair feature of Defender Pro allows users to restore replaced files.
Repairing Files
Repair is a handy feature to have when a file in the server directory gets modified for any reason. It smartly fetches a fresh file from the WordPress repository and swaps it with the current file in the server directory. (See below for more details on how to use this feature.)
Quarantined Files
Modified and/or suspicious files on your server are quarantined and moved to a remote directory (/wp-content/.defender-security-quarantine), allowing you to restore the files if needed (explained in more detail further below).
Also, make sure that you have enabled the plugin’s settings as shown below for the Safe Repair feature to work.
The above settings must be enabled for Safe Repair to work.
With Defender Pro v4.1 (minimum) installed and the above settings configured, run a fresh Malware Scan by going to Defender > Malware Scanning > New Scan…
Run a malware scan in Defender.
Once the scan is completed, check for modified or suspicious files.
A malware scan showing modified files and suspicious code detected.
Next, click on the Malware Scanning > Issues tab.
Select a file and click on the Safe Repair button.
You will be given the option to repair and/or quarantine the selected file.
We recommend quarantining files before repairing them.
Note that by default, quarantined files will remain isolated for 30 days before being automatically deleted. You can configure quarantine duration in the Malware scanning settings if you want to change this default period.
You can change the quarantine period in the Malware Scanning settings section.
Restoring Quarantined Files
You can restore quarantined files in one of two ways:
Via WordPress Admin: Go to Defender > Malware scanning > Quarantined section.
Via The Hub: Use the Quarantined Hub widget under the Security tab.
Restoring Quarantined Files Via The WordPress Admin
Quarantined files are listed under the new quarantine tab.
Defender stores all of your quarantined files in the Quarantined section.
To restore quarantined files from your WordPress admin, log into your WordPress site, and go to Defender Pro > Malware Scanning > Quarantined.
View all of your quarantined files in the Malware Scanning section.
This section lets you go through your quarantined files and choose to either restore or permanently delete these.
Restore or delete your quarantined files.
Files can also be restored manually by downloading them from /wp-content/.defender-security-quarantine.
Restoring Quarantined Files Via The Hub
The Hub’s Security tab lists your most recent quarantined files (up to a maximum of 5 files) and provides the following options, depending on whether the website is running or not.
If the website is up – files can be restored from the Hub.
If the website is down – instructions will display on how to restore the quarantined file(s) manually using FTP/SSH
Monitor quarantined files in The Hub’s Security section.
Repair Files Safely Using Defender
Defender 4.1 now lets you apply a powerful combination of quarantining and repairing modified or suspicious file threats and isolating files instead of deleting these entirely, lessening the risk of breaking your site, as quarantined files can be restored if required.
For full details on using the new Safe Repair feature and all of its options, see the Defender plugin documentation section.
All new Safe Repair feature makes repairing and quarantining malicious files with Defender Pro smoother and safer than ever before for WordPress users!
View quarantined files using Defender’s Safe Repair feature from The Hub.
Defender, WPMU DEV’s powerful WordPress security plugin, recently launched its all new version 4.1, which ensures maximum compatibility with the latest version of WordPress, and — more importantly for Pro users — is designed to streamline the process of repairing and quarantining modified files, suspicious files, and offer users a safer alternative to deleting files.
In this post, we’ll focus on this new feature and cover the following areas:
As a user-driven company, we listen to what our members and users want. Especially when it comes to addressing issues, as outlined in the comments below from our Defender plugin users:
“I was running a malware scan with Defender Pro, and I think I accidentally deleted a file which I shouldn’t have. Now the website is down with a critical error.”
“Our website is currently down after removing two attached files that Defender Pro recommended removing.”
“It would be wonderful if Defender Pro allowed us to quarantine a file in addition to the options of deleting a file or ignoring it. That way if the suspicious file breaks the site, it can be restored easily instead of having to restore the entire site from a backup.”
Using the above feedback, our developers decided to improve our security plugin and add the following options to avoid serious issues and errors on users’ WordPress sites:
Repair and Quarantine/backup suspicious files so these can be restored if necessary.
Repair and Quarantine/backup modified files so these can be restored if necessary.
Defender Malware Scanning scans your entire site for suspicious code or modified files and published vulnerabilities in plugins, themes, and WordPress core.
The new Safe Repair feature applies to reported suspicious and modified files, allowing these to be quarantined, deleted, or replaced with the latest file copies from their official plugin repository.
Defender detects and warns users of plugin, theme, and core vulnerabilities. Note: the plugin shown in the above screenshot was modified for illustrative purposes.
How Does Safe Repair Work?
As explained earlier, Defender Pro’s Safe Repair feature within the Malware scanning section is designed to streamline the process of quarantining files before repairing or deleting them, offering a safer alternative to outright suspicious or modified file deletion.
Here’s how Defender Pro handles these requests from version 4.1 onward:
Suspicious Files
Defender flags PHP functions, code, and files when they vary from what is expected or when they match known issues.
Defender detects and flags files with suspicious code.
Once a flagged function or suspicious code has been verified as suspicious, Defender presents you with three actions: Ignore, Delete, or Safe Repair (note: you may need to deactivate the plugin for the ‘Delete’ option to become active).
Prior to v4.0, deleting suspicious files would occasionally cause a plugin, theme, or even the entire website to break. Often, this is caused by code from the plugin or theme itself being flagged by Defender as being suspicious.
The problem, however, appears when it’s a false positive, meaning that the flagged file isn’t malicious per se, but part of the plugin’s (or theme’s) core files and contains risky code added by the theme or plugin developer. Hence, deleting this file could cause errors on the site, break functionality, or even break the entire site.
From Defender Pro v4.1 onward, users can now opt to repair and quarantine/back up suspicious files for 30 days or more, instead of deleting the file right away. Files are stored under the new quarantine tab, allowing you to restore these if needed, including restoring files manually. This provides a fail-safe method to handle suspicious files and offers a restoration option if things go wrong or return false-positives.
Note: The Safe Repair option becomes available only if the suspicious code found differs from the plugin’s original code. Also, Safe Repair only works with WordPress.org plugins currently.
Modified Files
If code in a plugin, theme, or WordPress core file doesn’t match what is found in the official WordPress repository. Defender will flag the file as a Modified file. Restoring the original file fixes this issue.
Earlier versions of Defender (and Defender Free plugin) feature a “Restore” button in the plugin’s Malware Scanning section, which fetches a fresh file from the WordPress repository and replaces the existing file in the server directory.
Earlier versions of Defender offer only the option to restore modified files with a fresh version of the file.
However, when a file has been modified by an admin or site developer (e.g. by adding a custom code for a certain functionality), deleting or replacing the file with its original can result in the loss of custom code or functionality, and in some cases, lead to sites breaking.
In Defender Pro, Restore is now Safe Repair. This new feature not only replaces the modified file with the original file from the WordPress repository, it also adds an option to quarantine the modified file before replacing it, allowing users to restore the file if required.
The new Safe Repair feature of Defender Pro allows users to restore replaced files.
Repairing Files
Repair is a handy feature to have when a file in the server directory gets modified for any reason. It smartly fetches a fresh file from the WordPress repository and swaps it with the current file in the server directory. (See below for more details on how to use this feature.)
Quarantined Files
Modified and/or suspicious files on your server are quarantined and moved to a remote directory (/wp-content/.defender-security-quarantine), allowing you to restore the files if needed (explained in more detail further below).
Also, make sure that you have enabled the plugin’s settings as shown below for the Safe Repair feature to work.
The above settings must be enabled for Safe Repair to work.
With Defender Pro v4.1 (minimum) installed and the above settings configured, run a fresh Malware Scan by going to Defender > Malware Scanning > New Scan…
Run a malware scan in Defender.
Once the scan is completed, check for modified or suspicious files.
A malware scan showing modified files and suspicious code detected.
Next, click on the Malware Scanning > Issues tab.
Select a file and click on the Safe Repair button.
You will be given the option to repair and/or quarantine the selected file.
We recommend quarantining files before repairing them.
Note that by default, quarantined files will remain isolated for 30 days before being automatically deleted. You can configure quarantine duration in the Malware scanning settings if you want to change this default period.
You can change the quarantine period in the Malware Scanning settings section.
Restoring Quarantined Files
You can restore quarantined files in one of two ways:
Via WordPress Admin: Go to Defender > Malware scanning > Quarantined section.
Via The Hub: Use the Quarantined Hub widget under the Security tab.
Restoring Quarantined Files Via The WordPress Admin
Quarantined files are listed under the new quarantine tab.
Defender stores all of your quarantined files in the Quarantined section.
To restore quarantined files from your WordPress admin, log into your WordPress site, and go to Defender Pro > Malware Scanning > Quarantined.
View all of your quarantined files in the Malware Scanning section.
This section lets you go through your quarantined files and choose to either restore or permanently delete these.
Restore or delete your quarantined files.
Files can also be restored manually by downloading them from /wp-content/.defender-security-quarantine.
Restoring Quarantined Files Via The Hub
The Hub’s Security tab lists your most recent quarantined files (up to a maximum of 5 files) and provides the following options, depending on whether the website is running or not.
If the website is up – files can be restored from the Hub.
If the website is down – instructions will display on how to restore the quarantined file(s) manually using FTP/SSH
Monitor quarantined files in The Hub’s Security section.
Repair Files Safely Using Defender
Defender 4.1 now lets you apply a powerful combination of quarantining and repairing modified or suspicious file threats and isolating files instead of deleting these entirely, lessening the risk of breaking your site, as quarantined files can be restored if required.
For full details on using the new Safe Repair feature and all of its options, see the Defender plugin documentation section.
Our formtastic team’s done it again! Forminator’s new Geolocation Add-on with Google Maps API integration lets you effortlessly gather geolocation data from your form submissions and provide address auto-completion for a smoother user experience.
After releasing the highly anticipated PDF Generator Add-on, we’re proud to announce another powerful addition to our form-building plugin…Geolocation add-on!
If your business needs to collect location information from users, Forminator Pro with Geolocation Add-on is the only form-building plugin you’ll need.
Key Benefits of Using Forminator’s Geolocation Add-on
With Forminator’s Geolocation Add-on enabled, you can enhance forms on your site in the following ways:
Accurate Location Detection
Forminator can precisely pinpoint the user’s location by harnessing the device’s GPS or IP address.
This information is seamlessly integrated into your forms, giving you real-time access to where your users are located.
Moreover, the Geolocation feature includes a convenient address lookup function, allowing users to search for and select their location using postal addresses, city names, or zip codes.
See the user’s location in your form submissions.
Interactive Map View
One of the standout aspects of the Geolocation feature is its map view. Not only can users see their location on a map but also interact with it.
Users have the option to manually input their location or select it directly from a map marker. This dynamic map view enhances user engagement and makes it easy for users to provide accurate location details.
Customization Options
Forminator’s Geolocation offers a range of customization options to suit your needs. You can configure the display of Google Maps next to your address field, choose whether to position the map above or below the address field, and even adjust the map’s size, ensuring a responsive or custom fit for various devices.
Additionally, you have the flexibility to set a default map location based on specific latitude and longitude coordinates.
You can easily customize your map’s geolocation options.
Seamless Integration
To utilize the Geolocation feature, simply enter your Google Maps API key in the Geolocation settings, ensuring a seamless and reliable experience for your users.
Global Settings
For ease of use across all your forms, you can enable Geolocation as a default setting on all address fields throughout your site. This simplifies the process of collecting location information from your users.
Enable Geolocation as a default setting on all new forms.
User-Friendly Configuration
If you require users to provide location access before submitting a form, the “Require access to users’ location” option can be enabled. Additionally, you can customize the error message displayed if users choose not to provide location access.
How To Use Forminator’s Geolocation Add-on
To install and use the Geolocation Add-on, you’ll need to have Forminator Pro installed and activated on your site.
Forminator Pro is included in all paid memberships, so if you’re not a WPMU DEV member yet, consider becoming one by choosing one of our risk-free membership plans.
With Forminator Pro installed, go to the Add-Ons section of the plugin’s menu and click Install.
Install Geolocation in the plugin’s Add-Ons screen.
Once the plugin has been installed, click Configure.
You’ll need to configure the Add-On before you can use it.
You’ll need to add a valid Google Maps API key to enable and set up geolocation on your forms. Refer to our Forminator Docs for instructions on obtaining this key if you need help with this step.
Enter your key into the Google Maps API field, switch the toggle on to enable geolocation as the default option for all your new forms (optional), and click the Save button to continue.
Enter your Google Maps API key.
Once the API key has been validated and the configuration has been successfully saved, a confirmation message will display briefly on your screen letting you know that you’re all good to go.
Note: You can access additional Geolocation configuration settings for individual forms (e.g. disabling geolocation or making it mandatory for users to provide their location details in order to submit a form) in the Forms > Edit Form > Settings section.
Configure additional Geolocation settings in the Form Settings section.
With the addon configured, let’s go through an example of adding Geolocation field to a form.
Adding Geolocation Fields To Forms
In the Forms section, select a form or create a new form and select Edit > Fields.
Click on the Insert fields button to add Geolocation to a form.
Select the Address field and click the Insert Fields button.
Add an address field to your form.
The Address field is highly customizable and includes a Geolocation tab with advanced options for configuring maps, such as:
Autocomplete: Provides real-time suggestions as users enter an address into the field.
Display address in Map: Displays a map next to the address fields
Map Position: Choose whether to display the map above or below (default) the address field.
Map Size: Set a responsive or custom size for your map.
Default Map Location: Set a default of custom location for your map.
Forminator Address field settings include advanced Geolocation options.
Configure the above settings to suit your needs and to facilitate user interaction with your form maps and a great user experience.
For example, enable autocomplete to display matching locations as users start typing and to fill in the address fields automatically when an address is selected from the options displayed.
Enable autocomplete for a smoother and more interactive user experience with form maps.
Once the browser loads the form page, it will prompt users to give access to their location. Allowing this access will then show the user’s current location on the map and auto complete the address fields.
Enabling autocomplete also prefills all address details on the form.
By simply clicking on different points on the map, users can also change their location and update address fields.
Clicking on different points on the map changes the address on the form fields.
All form information including the user’s geolocation details and a map will also display on Forminator’s submission page.
An example of a Forminator form submission showing a map with the user’s location and coordinates.
It’s All About Geolocation, Geolocation, Geolocation
Forminator’s new Geolocation feature empowers you to collect and leverage location information from your form users, gain valuable insights into your audience, whether they are customers, employees, or suppliers, and make more informed business decisions.
Check out this feature in Forminator Pro and if you need any help, see our documentation or contact our expert 24/7 support team.
Our formtastic team’s done it again! Forminator’s new Geolocation Add-on with Google Maps API integration lets you effortlessly gather geolocation data from your form submissions and provide address auto-completion for a smoother user experience.
See where form users are located with Forminator’s new geolocation feature.
After releasing the highly anticipated PDF Generator Add-on, we’re proud to announce another powerful addition to our form-building plugin…Geolocation add-on!
If your business needs to collect location information from users, Forminator Pro with Geolocation Add-on is the only form-building plugin you’ll need.
Key Benefits of Using Forminator’s Geolocation Add-on
With Forminator’s Geolocation Add-on enabled, you can enhance forms on your site in the following ways:
Accurate Location Detection
Forminator can precisely pinpoint the user’s location by harnessing the device’s GPS or IP address.
This information is seamlessly integrated into your forms, giving you real-time access to where your users are located.
Moreover, the Geolocation feature includes a convenient address lookup function, allowing users to search for and select their location using postal addresses, city names, or zip codes.
See the user’s location in your form submissions.
Interactive Map View
One of the standout aspects of the Geolocation feature is its map view. Not only can users see their location on a map but also interact with it.
Users have the option to manually input their location or select it directly from a map marker. This dynamic map view enhances user engagement and makes it easy for users to provide accurate location details.
Customization Options
Forminator’s Geolocation offers a range of customization options to suit your needs. You can configure the display of Google Maps next to your address field, choose whether to position the map above or below the address field, and even adjust the map’s size, ensuring a responsive or custom fit for various devices.
Additionally, you have the flexibility to set a default map location based on specific latitude and longitude coordinates.
You can easily customize your map’s geolocation options.
Seamless Integration
To utilize the Geolocation feature, simply enter your Google Maps API key in the Geolocation settings, ensuring a seamless and reliable experience for your users.
Global Settings
For ease of use across all your forms, you can enable Geolocation as a default setting on all address fields throughout your site. This simplifies the process of collecting location information from your users.
Enable Geolocation as a default setting on all new forms.
User-Friendly Configuration
If you require users to provide location access before submitting a form, the “Require access to users’ location” option can be enabled. Additionally, you can customize the error message displayed if users choose not to provide location access.
How To Use Forminator’s Geolocation Add-on
To install and use the Geolocation Add-on, you’ll need to have Forminator Pro installed and activated on your site.
Forminator Pro is included in all paid memberships, so if you’re not a WPMU DEV member yet, consider becoming one by choosing one of our risk-free membership plans.
With Forminator Pro installed, go to the Add-Ons section of the plugin’s menu and click Install.
Install Geolocation in the plugin’s Add-Ons screen.
Once the plugin has been installed, click Configure.
You’ll need to configure the Add-On before you can use it.
You’ll need to add a valid Google Maps API key to enable and set up geolocation on your forms. Refer to our Forminator Docs for instructions on obtaining this key if you need help with this step.
Enter your key into the Google Maps API field, switch the toggle on to enable geolocation as the default option for all your new forms (optional), and click the Save button to continue.
Enter your Google Maps API key.
Once the API key has been validated and the configuration has been successfully saved, a confirmation message will display briefly on your screen letting you know that you’re all good to go.
Note: You can access additional Geolocation configuration settings for individual forms (e.g. disabling geolocation or making it mandatory for users to provide their location details in order to submit a form) in the Forms > Edit Form > Settings section.
Configure additional Geolocation settings in the Form Settings section.
With the addon configured, let’s go through an example of adding Geolocation field to a form.
Adding Geolocation Fields To Forms
In the Forms section, select a form or create a new form and select Edit > Fields.
Click on the Insert fields button to add Geolocation to a form.
Select the Address field and click the Insert Fields button.
Add an address field to your form.
The Address field is highly customizable and includes a Geolocation tab with advanced options for configuring maps, such as:
Autocomplete: Provides real-time suggestions as users enter an address into the field.
Display address in Map: Displays a map next to the address fields
Map Position: Choose whether to display the map above or below (default) the address field.
Map Size: Set a responsive or custom size for your map.
Default Map Location: Set a default of custom location for your map.
Forminator Address field settings include advanced Geolocation options.
Configure the above settings to suit your needs and to facilitate user interaction with your form maps and a great user experience.
For example, enable autocomplete to display matching locations as users start typing and to fill in the address fields automatically when an address is selected from the options displayed.
Enable autocomplete for a smoother and more interactive user experience with form maps.
Once the browser loads the form page, it will prompt users to give access to their location. Allowing this access will then show the user’s current location on the map and auto complete the address fields.
Enabling autocomplete also prefills all address details on the form.
By simply clicking on different points on the map, users can also change their location and update address fields.
Clicking on different points on the map changes the address on the form fields.
All form information including the user’s geolocation details and a map will also display on Forminator’s submission page.
An example of a Forminator form submission showing a map with the user’s location and coordinates.
It’s All About Geolocation, Geolocation, Geolocation
Forminator’s new Geolocation feature empowers you to collect and leverage location information from your form users, gain valuable insights into your audience, whether they are customers, employees, or suppliers, and make more informed business decisions.
Check out this feature in Forminator Pro and if you need any help, see our documentation or contact our expert 24/7 support team.
Do you manage a WordPress site for researchers, scholars, or educators? Use these plugins to easily add footnotes, citations, a table of contents, or a glossary to academic or research content.
WordPress offers many plugins that make it easier for sites publishing academic content, scientific research, technology papers, or even instructional courses online to adhere to scholarly standards.
In this guide, we’ll cover useful plugins that will help you establish authority, enhance credibility, provide additional context and information, improve user experience, and aid in knowledge dissemination.
Note: scholarly or technical content also often requires presenting data visually. See our WordPress data visualization plugins article for help with this.
Let’s get right into it…
Adding Footnotes in WordPress
In addition to being an academic writing requirement, footnotes can be used for:
Clarification: Provide additional explanations, definitions, or background information on specific terms, concepts, or data mentioned on your website.
Source Attribution: Cite sources and give credit to external references, studies, or research to support the content you are presenting online.
Legal Compliance: Certain industries or topics may require you to provide proper attribution and references to comply with legal and ethical guidelines.
For example, if you work in or run a technology company, you may want include footnotes in articles about your products to reference scientific studies or industry reports that support your product’s claims and features. Or, you may want to publish an excerpt of a book, ebook, or research that includes footnotes and reproduce these footnotes on your excerpt.
WordPress Footnotes Plugins
One of the most time-consuming aspects of academic writing is manually creating footnotes. Fortunately, WordPress offers plugins that automate this process, allowing you to focus more on your research and writing.
The plugins below provide simple and intuitive interfaces for adding footnotes, and they will automatically format and number them correctly on your site:
CM Footnotes
CM Footnotes
With the CM Footnotes plugin installed, you can effortlessly add footnotes to any page or post on your WordPress site.
An example of a page with footnotes generated by the CM Footnotes plugin.
The plugin has a user-friendly interface that allows you to add footnotes with just a few clicks. You can also customize the styles and designs of the footnotes and use a shortcode to place footnotes anywhere in your content, with unique link symbols for each definition.
CM Footnotes – General Settings tab.
Additionally, you can enable autoscrolling from the footnote link to the definition at the bottom of the page.
Modern Footnotes
Modern Footnotes
Modern Footnotes is another plugin that lets you easily insert footnotes into your posts. The plugin offers two methods of displaying footnotes: tooltips and expandable footnotes.
On desktop, footnotes will appear as a tooltip when the user clicks on the number, while on mobile, footnotes will expand as a section below the current text.
With Modern Footnotes, you can display footnotes differently for desktop and mobile users.
You can also customize the styles of your footnotes by overriding the default footnotes styles in the custom CSS of your site.
Modern Footnotes Settings screen.
This plugin makes adding footnotes to your content straightforward and is compatible with Gutenberg/block editor as well. You can easily insert footnotes using a simple shortcode or the Gutenberg block. Sequential numbers are automatically associated with each footnote.
Easy Footnotes
Easy Footnotes
The Easy Footnotes plugin lets you add footnotes into your website’s content without requiring any coding skills.
Clicking on the footnote label will take the user down the page to the corresponding footnote at the bottom of the WordPress post. Each footnote at the bottom of the post has a icon that can be clicked to return to that particular footnote within the post copy.
Add footnotes with tooltips.
The plugin has very minimal settings and is quite easy for any beginner to use.
Easy Footnotes settings panel.
You can set a custom footnote label and can even display footnotes on the front/home page of your site. Footnotes are inserted using a shortcode.
Blank Footnotes
Blank Footnotes
Blank Footnotes lets you create footnotes using markdown notation.
It’s important to note that only footnotes are recognized with this plugin, and no other markdown tags will be taken into account.
To add footnotes, simply add a shortcode to your content and customize the styles and designs to fit your preferences.
The footnotes will appear in the exact location where you’ve inserted them, and users can easily navigate back to the text mode by clicking on the footnote number.
Enter reference numbers in the popup to create footnotes.
This plugin is compatible with the Gutenberg editor as well as the Classic Editor and doesn’t require any additional configuration, but it’s recommended to use a caching plugin (e.g. Hummingbird) to improve the overall site speed and performance.
Footnotes Made Easy
Footnotes Made Easy
With Footnotes Made Easy, you can add footnotes to posts and pages and restrict displaying footnotes on specific page types.
The plugin is very user-friendly and a footnote can be added just by inserting double parentheses within a sentence. The inserted footnotes are displayed at the bottom of the page or post.
Add footnotes and tooltips easily to content with Footnotes Made Easy.
Footnotes can also be displayed in the form of tooltips using jQuery. The plugin has many configurations that make it easy to customize the footnotes according to your needs from the WordPress admin panel.
Footnotes Made Easy settings panel.
Generally, inserting footnotes in paginated posts is quite hard. But this plugin makes it easy. But this plugin makes it easy. You can start the footnotes numbering at any number using a tag. And referencing an already-added footnote is quite simple as well.
You can also combine several identical footnotes into one single note.
Adding Citations in WordPress
Citations are used by content publishers to give credit to the original sources of information, ideas, or content included in their work. Whether you’re quoting directly, paraphrasing, or summarizing, giving proper credit through citations is a fundamental aspect of responsible content creation.
Citations can serve multiple purposes. For example:
Academic and Professional Standards: In academic and many professional settings, proper citation is required. It showcases the writer’s ability to engage with and contribute to the existing body of knowledge.
Credibility: Citations add credibility by showing that the writer has conducted research to present content based on reliable and reputable sources of information.
Ethical Use: Properly citing sources is an ethical practice that shows respect for the intellectual property of others. It shows readers that your site values and honors the work of other researchers, writers, and creators.
Transparency: Citations allow your readers to verify the accuracy and authenticity of your information and delve deeper into subjects they are interested in.
Avoiding Plagiarism: Plagiarism, which is using someone else’s work without proper attribution, can have serious consequences. Citations help to avoid accidentally using someone else’s work without permission.
Citations can also be used in a variety of business applications. For example, a financial consulting firm may write a blog post on their website about investment strategies and include citations from well-known economists, financial institutions, or academic research to support their recommendations.
Citations typically include information such as the author’s name, the title of the work, the publication date, and relevant publication details like the name of the book, journal, or website.
Also, the format of the citation can vary depending on the style being used (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago), so it’s important to be consistent and follow the guidelines of the chosen style.
WordPress Citations Plugins
Maintaining accurate and consistent citations is essential for academic writing. However, manually managing citations can be a tedious and error-prone task.
The WordPress plugins listed below offer solutions that simplify the process of adding and managing citations, allowing you to import bibliographic information from various sources, automatically format citations according to different citation styles (such as APA or MLA), and even generate bibliographies or reference lists with just a few clicks:
Zotpress
Zotpress
Zotpress lets you add in-text citations and display bibliographies and searchable libraries from Zotero, a free cross-platform reference manager that lets you collect, organize, annotate, cite, and share research with others online.
Zotpress lets you display items from Zotero libraries on your WordPress site.
Zotpress offers different styling options and you can select the style of your choosing. The plugin also provides a widget you can insert in any page or post type. Thumbnail images from the media library and open library are also supported.
Citations can be easily inserted into content by simply pasting the shortcode generated. The plugin lets you search for items using the autocomplete search bar. Visitors can browse your citation library by collection or tag and download citations from your pages/posts.
You can also customize citations and other items using custom CSS in the plugin’s Options screen.
Zotpress Options screen
WP-BibTeX
WP-BibTeX
With WP-BibTeX, you can easily generate a bibliography-style text for your publications by inputting all the relevant details through a shortcode.
WP-BibTeX output preview.
Additionally, you also have the option to customize the links displayed on the page for every citation, including the ability to add a new link for downloading code.
Using the new “highlighted” format, the plugin lets you create an item with a featured image on the left. And by adding the overlay attribute to the shortcode you can create overlaid media like a GIF or video that appears when the mouse hovers over the item.
Bibtex Opyions screen
The plugin supports BibTeX entry types such as articles, books, inproceedings, mastersthesis, phdthesis, and unpublished.
Adding A Glossary in WordPress
A glossary can be valuable for sites publishing content with technical or industry-specific terminology. A glossary can help to define, clarify, and explain specialized terms or jargon used within the business’s industry and improve user experience by providing definitions within the site’s content itself, so users won’t need to leave the page or site to conduct separate searches.
An example of a site that could benefit from using a glossary would be a healthcare website focused on medical conditions. Including a glossary section to explain medical terms, symptoms, and treatment options would help site users to better understand complex medical information.
WordPress Glossary Plugins
Here are some useful plugins for adding and managing a glossary in WordPress:
Glossary
Glossary
Glossary for WordPress automatically generates word lists and styled tooltips using the content provided. The generated terms and definitions are grouped in a glossary or dictionary section and are linked automatically to corresponding words within posts and pages.
Glossary automatically links every instance of a term (or set of terms) to a predefined list of definitions.
The plugin is compatible with both the classic WordPress editor and the Gutenberg editor. The free version of the plugin offers a range of features, including automatic linking of every instance of a term to a predefined list of definitions.
You can group terms by category and create vertical archives of terms through shortcodes.
The plugin also allows you to activate its features in specific pages, archives, taxonomies, and custom post types, among other options.
You can apply a highlight or a tooltip on hover to linked terms, style tooltips by choosing from three templates, and link terms to internal or external locations.
Other features include the ability to add a dedicated icon to highlight external links and integration with Gutenberg blocks and ChatGPT.
CM Tooltip Glossary
CM Tooltip Glossary
CM Tooltip Glossary automatically identifies glossary terms in your posts or pages and then adds links to a dedicated glossary page, which contains the respective term’s definition.
Hovering over the linked glossary term will display a tooltip containing the definition of the term.
Hover over linked terms to view glossary definitions as a tooltip.
You can filter and limit the length of words displayed on the tooltip. Instead of displaying the glossary definition, excerpts can also be displayed on the tooltip.
The plugin also generates a glossary index that contains a list of all of the terms used across your website along with their definitions for easy access. You can even control the location and area where the tooltip appears, as well as limit its length and appearance.
In the free version, the glossary index is limited to a maximum of 500 terms.
Encyclopedia Lite
Encyclopedia Lite
Encyclopedia Lite allows you to create and manage a knowledge base, dictionary, glossary, or wiki. It offers a range of features, including automatic indexing, unique URLs for every content, SEO-friendly URL structure, and the ability to classify items by tags and categories.
You can also filter items by letter and cross-link them throughout your site.
Encyclopedia Lite is more than glossary. It’s also a Wiki, Knowledgebase, and more!
The plugin is compatible with various languages and content types, supports user rights and capabilities, has a clean and intuitive user interface and supports multimedia elements and shortcodes, and integrates with WordPress menus and RSS feeds.
Additionally, it offers a search function, auto-complete and item suggestions, and widgets for displaying items, tags, and categories in your sidebar.
WordPress Tooltips
WordPress Tooltips
WordPress Tooltips is a powerful and easy-to-use jQuery tooltip solution that allows you to add text, images, videos, audio, and social links to tooltip boxes.
You can add tooltips to post titles, content, excerpts, tags, archive, menu items, and gallery images.
WordPress Tooltips detects and adds tooltip effects on tooltip terms automatically.
The plugin supports a glossary too. A glossary can be inserted with a simple shortcode and it has a dedicated glossary settings panel where you can configure various styles for your glossary.
You can manage all the tooltip keywords and content from the WordPress admin panel.
You do not need a tooltip shortcode as the plugin will detect and add tooltip effects on tooltip terms automatically. The plugin is also compatible with most of the gallery and slideshow plugins as well.
Adding a Table of Contents in WordPress
Long academic articles can sometimes overwhelm readers, making it difficult for them to find the information they need.
A table of contents (ToC) provides a concise overview of your content’s structure and allows readers to jump to the sections that most interest them. By incorporating a table of contents in lengthy articles, guides, comprehensive user manuals, or technical documentation, you enable readers to navigate through your content more easily and improve readability, comprehension, understanding, and engagement.
WordPress Table of Contents (ToC) Plugins
The WordPress plugins below will automatically scan your content and generate an organized table of contents based on your headings and add anchor links that allow readers to jump directly to specific sections, eliminating the need for manual updates and enabling your readers to navigate through your content more easily:
Joli Table Of Contents
Joli Table Of Contents
Joli ToC is a performance-friendly, user-friendly plugin that runs incredibly fast without relying on jQuery or bloated code. The ToC can be inserted using a block in the Gutenberg editor.
It has plenty of customization options. You can hide or edit specific headings from the ToC. The plugin by default picks up headings generated by third-party shortcodes and blocks, this includes the headings that don’t appear in the editor but are available in the front end.
Joli Table Of Contents
The plugin offers two variants of toggle: a classic Text toggle and a modern Icon toggle to give your website a modern look.
It also includes pre-defined CSS variables that can be used to override the plugin’s default styles to create unique styles.
Easy Table of Contents
Easy Table of Contents
Easy ToC automatically creates a table of contents for your posts, pages, and custom post types by scanning the page/post content for headings.
It works with the Classic Editor and Gutenberg editor and is compatible with other popular page builders like Divi, Elementor, WPBakery Page Builder, and Visual Composer.
Easy Table of Contents
You need to select the post types in which the table of contents should appear and the plugin will automatically insert the table of contents into the page.
The plugin offers a variety of customization and multiple built-in ToC themes that you can choose. You can customize the appearance of the ToC either using the built-in themes and can create your own from scratch.
You can also choose between several bullet formats, and hierarchies, and can even selectively enable or disable ToC on a post-by-post basis.
If you prefer not to insert the table of contents in the post content, you can use the widget and place the table of contents in the sidebar of a page. The widget highlights the sections currently visible on the page.
Table of Contents Plus
Table of Contents Plus
Table of Contents Plus automatically creates a table of contents for long pages, posts, and custom post types.
It not only inserts a ToC but also generates a sitemap that lists pages and/or categories across your entire website. By default, the table of contents block appears before the first heading on a page, enabling you to add a page summary or introduction.
Table of Contents Plus lets you add a page summary or introduction before inserting a ToC.
You can customize settings such as display position, the minimum number of headings before an index is displayed, and other appearance options from the WordPress admin panel.
It offers other advanced options to further tweak behavior, such as excluding undesired heading levels like h5 and h6 from being included, disabling the output of the included CSS file, adjusting the top offset, and more.
Customizations can also be added to the shortcodes to override the default behavior, such as special exclusions on a specific page or to hide the table of contents block.
This plugin is suitable for both beginners as well as advanced users.
Simple ToC
Simple ToC
Simple ToC lets you easily insert a Table of Contents for your posts and pages by adding the SimpleToC block. The block provides a nested list of links to all the headings found in your post or page.
You can also configure the maximum depth of the table of content in the blocks’ sidebar and customize it to your liking, and even add your own heading by using a normal heading block and hiding the default “Table of Contents” headline.
Simple TOC
This plugin works with the Gutenberg editor and requires zero configuration. It produces minimal HTML output and does not add any JavaScript or CSS unless you activate the accordion menu.
You can style SimpleToC with Gutenberg’s native group styling options and it will inherit the style of your theme. You can also customize it with background and text color, choose between an ordered or bullet HTML list, and control the maximum depth of the headings.
The plugin is also compatible with many popular plugins and themes, including AMP plugins.
Publish Smarter, Not Harder
If you publish scholarly research or educational content, incorporating footnotes, citations, indexes, table of contents, or glossaries will enhance credibility, improve user experience, provide access to valuable information faster, and help to establish your site as a reliable source of knowledge in your industry or field.
Every website has its own unique design and branding, so it’s important that the footnotes, citations, glossaries, and tables of contents match the overall style of your website to ensure a cohesive and visually appealing presentation.
The plugins listed above will allow you to transform your content into professionally structured and SEO-optimized articles and present information in your WordPress site in an organized and reader-friendly manner by automating the generation of footnotes, glossaries and tables of contents, simplifying citation management, and offering customizable styles to align with your website’s design.
If you’re looking for a solid, fully managed, and expertly-supported platform to host sites and/or content for an educational institution, check out CampusPress. It’s the WordPress platform many of the world’s largest and well-known academic institutions choose to host their WordPress sites and blogs.
CampusPress will not only manage all the technical aspects of hosting your site securely and reliably, they also include many pre-installed and useful plugins for higher education and schools.
Do you manage a WordPress site for researchers, scholars, or educators? Use these plugins to easily add footnotes, citations, a table of contents, or a glossary to academic or research content.
WordPress offers many plugins that make it easier for sites publishing academic content, scientific research, technology papers, or even instructional courses online to adhere to scholarly standards.
In this guide, we’ll cover useful plugins that will help you establish authority, enhance credibility, provide additional context and information, improve user experience, and aid in knowledge dissemination.
Note: scholarly or technical content also often requires presenting data visually. See our WordPress data visualization plugins article for help with this.
Let’s get right into it…
Adding Footnotes in WordPress
In addition to being an academic writing requirement, footnotes can be used for:
Clarification: Provide additional explanations, definitions, or background information on specific terms, concepts, or data mentioned on your website.
Source Attribution: Cite sources and give credit to external references, studies, or research to support the content you are presenting online.
Legal Compliance: Certain industries or topics may require you to provide proper attribution and references to comply with legal and ethical guidelines.
For example, if you work in or run a technology company, you may want include footnotes in articles about your products to reference scientific studies or industry reports that support your product’s claims and features. Or, you may want to publish an excerpt of a book, ebook, or research that includes footnotes and reproduce these footnotes on your excerpt.
WordPress Footnotes Plugins
One of the most time-consuming aspects of academic writing is manually creating footnotes. Fortunately, WordPress offers plugins that automate this process, allowing you to focus more on your research and writing.
The plugins below provide simple and intuitive interfaces for adding footnotes, and they will automatically format and number them correctly on your site:
CM Footnotes
CM Footnotes
With the CM Footnotes plugin installed, you can effortlessly add footnotes to any page or post on your WordPress site.
An example of a page with footnotes generated by the CM Footnotes plugin.
The plugin has a user-friendly interface that allows you to add footnotes with just a few clicks. You can also customize the styles and designs of the footnotes and use a shortcode to place footnotes anywhere in your content, with unique link symbols for each definition.
CM Footnotes – General Settings tab.
Additionally, you can enable autoscrolling from the footnote link to the definition at the bottom of the page.
Modern Footnotes
Modern Footnotes
Modern Footnotes is another plugin that lets you easily insert footnotes into your posts. The plugin offers two methods of displaying footnotes: tooltips and expandable footnotes.
On desktop, footnotes will appear as a tooltip when the user clicks on the number, while on mobile, footnotes will expand as a section below the current text.
With Modern Footnotes, you can display footnotes differently for desktop and mobile users.
You can also customize the styles of your footnotes by overriding the default footnotes styles in the custom CSS of your site.
Modern Footnotes Settings screen.
This plugin makes adding footnotes to your content straightforward and is compatible with Gutenberg/block editor as well. You can easily insert footnotes using a simple shortcode or the Gutenberg block. Sequential numbers are automatically associated with each footnote.
Easy Footnotes
Easy Footnotes
The Easy Footnotes plugin lets you add footnotes into your website’s content without requiring any coding skills.
Clicking on the footnote label will take the user down the page to the corresponding footnote at the bottom of the WordPress post. Each footnote at the bottom of the post has a icon that can be clicked to return to that particular footnote within the post copy.
Add footnotes with tooltips.
The plugin has very minimal settings and is quite easy for any beginner to use.
Easy Footnotes settings panel.
You can set a custom footnote label and can even display footnotes on the front/home page of your site. Footnotes are inserted using a shortcode.
Blank Footnotes
Blank Footnotes
Blank Footnotes lets you create footnotes using markdown notation.
It’s important to note that only footnotes are recognized with this plugin, and no other markdown tags will be taken into account.
To add footnotes, simply add a shortcode to your content and customize the styles and designs to fit your preferences.
The footnotes will appear in the exact location where you’ve inserted them, and users can easily navigate back to the text mode by clicking on the footnote number.
Enter reference numbers in the popup to create footnotes.
This plugin is compatible with the Gutenberg editor as well as the Classic Editor and doesn’t require any additional configuration, but it’s recommended to use a caching plugin (e.g. Hummingbird) to improve the overall site speed and performance.
Footnotes Made Easy
Footnotes Made Easy
With Footnotes Made Easy, you can add footnotes to posts and pages and restrict displaying footnotes on specific page types.
The plugin is very user-friendly and a footnote can be added just by inserting double parentheses within a sentence. The inserted footnotes are displayed at the bottom of the page or post.
Add footnotes and tooltips easily to content with Footnotes Made Easy.
Footnotes can also be displayed in the form of tooltips using jQuery. The plugin has many configurations that make it easy to customize the footnotes according to your needs from the WordPress admin panel.
Footnotes Made Easy settings panel.
Generally, inserting footnotes in paginated posts is quite hard. But this plugin makes it easy. But this plugin makes it easy. You can start the footnotes numbering at any number using a tag. And referencing an already-added footnote is quite simple as well.
You can also combine several identical footnotes into one single note.
Adding Citations in WordPress
Citations are used by content publishers to give credit to the original sources of information, ideas, or content included in their work. Whether you’re quoting directly, paraphrasing, or summarizing, giving proper credit through citations is a fundamental aspect of responsible content creation.
Citations can serve multiple purposes. For example:
Academic and Professional Standards: In academic and many professional settings, proper citation is required. It showcases the writer’s ability to engage with and contribute to the existing body of knowledge.
Credibility: Citations add credibility by showing that the writer has conducted research to present content based on reliable and reputable sources of information.
Ethical Use: Properly citing sources is an ethical practice that shows respect for the intellectual property of others. It shows readers that your site values and honors the work of other researchers, writers, and creators.
Transparency: Citations allow your readers to verify the accuracy and authenticity of your information and delve deeper into subjects they are interested in.
Avoiding Plagiarism: Plagiarism, which is using someone else’s work without proper attribution, can have serious consequences. Citations help to avoid accidentally using someone else’s work without permission.
Citations can also be used in a variety of business applications. For example, a financial consulting firm may write a blog post on their website about investment strategies and include citations from well-known economists, financial institutions, or academic research to support their recommendations.
Citations typically include information such as the author’s name, the title of the work, the publication date, and relevant publication details like the name of the book, journal, or website.
Also, the format of the citation can vary depending on the style being used (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago), so it’s important to be consistent and follow the guidelines of the chosen style.
WordPress Citations Plugins
Maintaining accurate and consistent citations is essential for academic writing. However, manually managing citations can be a tedious and error-prone task.
The WordPress plugins listed below offer solutions that simplify the process of adding and managing citations, allowing you to import bibliographic information from various sources, automatically format citations according to different citation styles (such as APA or MLA), and even generate bibliographies or reference lists with just a few clicks:
Zotpress
Zotpress
Zotpress lets you add in-text citations and display bibliographies and searchable libraries from Zotero, a free cross-platform reference manager that lets you collect, organize, annotate, cite, and share research with others online.
Zotpress lets you display items from Zotero libraries on your WordPress site.
Zotpress offers different styling options and you can select the style of your choosing. The plugin also provides a widget you can insert in any page or post type. Thumbnail images from the media library and open library are also supported.
Citations can be easily inserted into content by simply pasting the shortcode generated. The plugin lets you search for items using the autocomplete search bar. Visitors can browse your citation library by collection or tag and download citations from your pages/posts.
You can also customize citations and other items using custom CSS in the plugin’s Options screen.
Zotpress Options screen
WP-BibTeX
WP-BibTeX
With WP-BibTeX, you can easily generate a bibliography-style text for your publications by inputting all the relevant details through a shortcode.
WP-BibTeX output preview.
Additionally, you also have the option to customize the links displayed on the page for every citation, including the ability to add a new link for downloading code.
Using the new “highlighted” format, the plugin lets you create an item with a featured image on the left. And by adding the overlay attribute to the shortcode you can create overlaid media like a GIF or video that appears when the mouse hovers over the item.
Bibtex Opyions screen
The plugin supports BibTeX entry types such as articles, books, inproceedings, mastersthesis, phdthesis, and unpublished.
Adding A Glossary in WordPress
A glossary can be valuable for sites publishing content with technical or industry-specific terminology. A glossary can help to define, clarify, and explain specialized terms or jargon used within the business’s industry and improve user experience by providing definitions within the site’s content itself, so users won’t need to leave the page or site to conduct separate searches.
An example of a site that could benefit from using a glossary would be a healthcare website focused on medical conditions. Including a glossary section to explain medical terms, symptoms, and treatment options would help site users to better understand complex medical information.
WordPress Glossary Plugins
Here are some useful plugins for adding and managing a glossary in WordPress:
Glossary
Glossary
Glossary for WordPress automatically generates word lists and styled tooltips using the content provided. The generated terms and definitions are grouped in a glossary or dictionary section and are linked automatically to corresponding words within posts and pages.
Glossary automatically links every instance of a term (or set of terms) to a predefined list of definitions.
The plugin is compatible with both the classic WordPress editor and the Gutenberg editor. The free version of the plugin offers a range of features, including automatic linking of every instance of a term to a predefined list of definitions.
You can group terms by category and create vertical archives of terms through shortcodes.
The plugin also allows you to activate its features in specific pages, archives, taxonomies, and custom post types, among other options.
You can apply a highlight or a tooltip on hover to linked terms, style tooltips by choosing from three templates, and link terms to internal or external locations.
Other features include the ability to add a dedicated icon to highlight external links and integration with Gutenberg blocks and ChatGPT.
CM Tooltip Glossary
CM Tooltip Glossary
CM Tooltip Glossary automatically identifies glossary terms in your posts or pages and then adds links to a dedicated glossary page, which contains the respective term’s definition.
Hovering over the linked glossary term will display a tooltip containing the definition of the term.
Hover over linked terms to view glossary definitions as a tooltip.
You can filter and limit the length of words displayed on the tooltip. Instead of displaying the glossary definition, excerpts can also be displayed on the tooltip.
The plugin also generates a glossary index that contains a list of all of the terms used across your website along with their definitions for easy access. You can even control the location and area where the tooltip appears, as well as limit its length and appearance.
In the free version, the glossary index is limited to a maximum of 500 terms.
Encyclopedia Lite
Encyclopedia Lite
Encyclopedia Lite allows you to create and manage a knowledge base, dictionary, glossary, or wiki. It offers a range of features, including automatic indexing, unique URLs for every content, SEO-friendly URL structure, and the ability to classify items by tags and categories.
You can also filter items by letter and cross-link them throughout your site.
Encyclopedia Lite is more than glossary. It’s also a Wiki, Knowledgebase, and more!
The plugin is compatible with various languages and content types, supports user rights and capabilities, has a clean and intuitive user interface and supports multimedia elements and shortcodes, and integrates with WordPress menus and RSS feeds.
Additionally, it offers a search function, auto-complete and item suggestions, and widgets for displaying items, tags, and categories in your sidebar.
WordPress Tooltips
WordPress Tooltips
WordPress Tooltips is a powerful and easy-to-use jQuery tooltip solution that allows you to add text, images, videos, audio, and social links to tooltip boxes.
You can add tooltips to post titles, content, excerpts, tags, archive, menu items, and gallery images.
WordPress Tooltips detects and adds tooltip effects on tooltip terms automatically.
The plugin supports a glossary too. A glossary can be inserted with a simple shortcode and it has a dedicated glossary settings panel where you can configure various styles for your glossary.
You can manage all the tooltip keywords and content from the WordPress admin panel.
You do not need a tooltip shortcode as the plugin will detect and add tooltip effects on tooltip terms automatically. The plugin is also compatible with most of the gallery and slideshow plugins as well.
Adding a Table of Contents in WordPress
Long academic articles can sometimes overwhelm readers, making it difficult for them to find the information they need.
A table of contents (ToC) provides a concise overview of your content’s structure and allows readers to jump to the sections that most interest them. By incorporating a table of contents in lengthy articles, guides, comprehensive user manuals, or technical documentation, you enable readers to navigate through your content more easily and improve readability, comprehension, understanding, and engagement.
WordPress Table of Contents (ToC) Plugins
The WordPress plugins below will automatically scan your content and generate an organized table of contents based on your headings and add anchor links that allow readers to jump directly to specific sections, eliminating the need for manual updates and enabling your readers to navigate through your content more easily:
Joli Table Of Contents
Joli Table Of Contents
Joli ToC is a performance-friendly, user-friendly plugin that runs incredibly fast without relying on jQuery or bloated code. The ToC can be inserted using a block in the Gutenberg editor.
It has plenty of customization options. You can hide or edit specific headings from the ToC. The plugin by default picks up headings generated by third-party shortcodes and blocks, this includes the headings that don’t appear in the editor but are available in the front end.
Joli Table Of Contents
The plugin offers two variants of toggle: a classic Text toggle and a modern Icon toggle to give your website a modern look.
It also includes pre-defined CSS variables that can be used to override the plugin’s default styles to create unique styles.
Easy Table of Contents
Easy Table of Contents
Easy ToC automatically creates a table of contents for your posts, pages, and custom post types by scanning the page/post content for headings.
It works with the Classic Editor and Gutenberg editor and is compatible with other popular page builders like Divi, Elementor, WPBakery Page Builder, and Visual Composer.
Easy Table of Contents
You need to select the post types in which the table of contents should appear and the plugin will automatically insert the table of contents into the page.
The plugin offers a variety of customization and multiple built-in ToC themes that you can choose. You can customize the appearance of the ToC either using the built-in themes and can create your own from scratch.
You can also choose between several bullet formats, and hierarchies, and can even selectively enable or disable ToC on a post-by-post basis.
If you prefer not to insert the table of contents in the post content, you can use the widget and place the table of contents in the sidebar of a page. The widget highlights the sections currently visible on the page.
Table of Contents Plus
Table of Contents Plus
Table of Contents Plus automatically creates a table of contents for long pages, posts, and custom post types.
It not only inserts a ToC but also generates a sitemap that lists pages and/or categories across your entire website. By default, the table of contents block appears before the first heading on a page, enabling you to add a page summary or introduction.
Table of Contents Plus lets you add a page summary or introduction before inserting a ToC.
You can customize settings such as display position, the minimum number of headings before an index is displayed, and other appearance options from the WordPress admin panel.
It offers other advanced options to further tweak behavior, such as excluding undesired heading levels like h5 and h6 from being included, disabling the output of the included CSS file, adjusting the top offset, and more.
Customizations can also be added to the shortcodes to override the default behavior, such as special exclusions on a specific page or to hide the table of contents block.
This plugin is suitable for both beginners as well as advanced users.
Simple ToC
Simple ToC
Simple ToC lets you easily insert a Table of Contents for your posts and pages by adding the SimpleToC block. The block provides a nested list of links to all the headings found in your post or page.
You can also configure the maximum depth of the table of content in the blocks’ sidebar and customize it to your liking, and even add your own heading by using a normal heading block and hiding the default “Table of Contents” headline.
Simple TOC
This plugin works with the Gutenberg editor and requires zero configuration. It produces minimal HTML output and does not add any JavaScript or CSS unless you activate the accordion menu.
You can style SimpleToC with Gutenberg’s native group styling options and it will inherit the style of your theme. You can also customize it with background and text color, choose between an ordered or bullet HTML list, and control the maximum depth of the headings.
The plugin is also compatible with many popular plugins and themes, including AMP plugins.
Publish Smarter, Not Harder
If you publish scholarly research or educational content, incorporating footnotes, citations, indexes, table of contents, or glossaries will enhance credibility, improve user experience, provide access to valuable information faster, and help to establish your site as a reliable source of knowledge in your industry or field.
Every website has its own unique design and branding, so it’s important that the footnotes, citations, glossaries, and tables of contents match the overall style of your website to ensure a cohesive and visually appealing presentation.
The plugins listed above will allow you to transform your content into professionally structured and SEO-optimized articles and present information in your WordPress site in an organized and reader-friendly manner by automating the generation of footnotes, glossaries and tables of contents, simplifying citation management, and offering customizable styles to align with your website’s design.
If you’re looking for a solid, fully managed, and expertly-supported platform to host sites and/or content for an educational institution, check out CampusPress. It’s the WordPress platform many of the world’s largest and well-known academic institutions choose to host their WordPress sites and blogs.
CampusPress will not only manage all the technical aspects of hosting your site securely and reliably, they also include many pre-installed and useful plugins for higher education and schools.
As a web developer working with WordPress, troubleshooting errors is part and parcel of your journey. One common error you might come across is the dreaded “502 Bad Gateway” error.
In this tutorial, we’ll dive into the meaning of a 502 Bad Gateway error, provide examples to help you identify it, and offer step-by-step instructions on how to troubleshoot and resolve this issue efficiently.
The 502 Bad Gateway error is an HTTP status code that indicates communication failure between two servers, often a web server (like Nginx or Apache) and an upstream server (like PHP-FPM or a database server).
In the context of WordPress, this error typically arises when your web server cannot receive a valid response from an upstream server. Basically, a 502 bad gateway message indicates that something went wrong while connecting with a device that should fetch all the elements your web page needs to load.
The dreaded 502 Bad Gateway error message.
Common Causes of 502 Errors
Server Overload
When a server is overloaded with too many requests, it can struggle to process them all, leading to delayed or failed responses. This overload could be due to sudden spikes in website traffic, misconfiguration, or inadequate server resources.
DNS Issues
Domain Name System (DNS) issues can lead to a “Bad Gateway 502” error. If the DNS server fails to resolve the domain name, the communication between servers breaks down, triggering the error.
Network Connectivity Problems
Disruptions in network connectivity, such as broken connections or high latency, can also contribute to the occurrence of the “Bad Gateway 502” error.
PHP-FPM or Backend Server Issues
PHP-FPM (PHP FastCGI Process Manager) is a highly efficient and configurable alternative to the traditional way of running PHP scripts on a web server. Instead of having the web server handle PHP scripts directly, PHP-FPM manages a pool of worker processes to handle PHP requests and works as an intermediary between the web server (e.g., Nginx, Apache) and the PHP interpreter.
Handling PHP requests and processing these separately from the web server improves resource management and contributes to better performance and stability in serving dynamic content, such as what’s commonly found in WordPress websites.
If your web server relies on PHP-FPM or any other backend service, issues with these servers can lead to 502 errors.
Database Server Problems
If your WordPress site is connected to a database server (like MySQL), database connection problems can result in a 502 error.
Proxy or CDN Configuration
Incorrect settings or misconfigurations within your content delivery network (CDN) or proxy server can also trigger this error.
Plugins or Themes
Faulty plugins or themes that overload or improperly interact with your server can lead to 502 errors.
Recognizing a Bad Gateway Error
When a 502 Bad Gateway error occurs, users visiting your website might see a message like:
“502 Bad Gateway”
“502 Bad Gateway – nginx”
“502 Proxy Error”
“Bad Gateway: The proxy server received an invalid response from an upstream server.”
Troubleshooting and Resolving Errors
It goes without saying that the best way to prevent most server-related issues is to host your sites with a reliable hosting company.
WPMU DEV not only offers award-winning managed WordPress hosting as voted by users, but all of our hosting plans are also built on a self-healing architecture that proactively attempts to restart hosting services during high server loads to prevent issues and minimize disruptions.
If you are a WPMU DEV member, we also recommend activating Uptime from The Hub. Uptime will alert you if your site goes down for any reason, including issues that can lead to a 502 error.
Uptime alerts you when issues like a 502 error cause your site to go down.
Now, let’s delve into the steps you can take to diagnose and resolve the 502 Bad Gateway error on your WordPress site.
Step 1: Refresh the Page
Sometimes, the 502 error might be transient and can be resolved by simply refreshing the page. This could indicate a temporary server glitch.
Step 2: Check Other Sites
Visit other websites to determine if the issue is isolated to your site or affecting multiple websites. This can help you differentiate between a problem on your end or a more widespread issue.
Step 3: Clear Browser Cache and Cookies
Cached data in your browser might be causing the error. Consider clearing server-side caches (e.g. object cache, static cache etc.), then try accessing your website again.
Step 4: Flush DNS Cache
Flushing your computer’s DNS cache can help resolve DNS-related issues that might contribute to the error. See this guide if you need help.
Step 5: Monitor Server Status
Check the status of your web server, backend servers, and database servers. Look for server load issues or errors in server logs.
Step 6: Review PHP and Backend Configuration
Inspect your PHP-FPM or backend server configuration files. Make sure they are properly configured and functioning as expected.
Step 7: Examine CDN and Proxy Settings
If you’re using a CDN or proxy server, review their settings for any misconfigurations. Ensure that requests are being properly forwarded to your web server. Clearing the CDN cache may also be helpful.
Step 8: Disable Problematic Plugins/Themes
Temporarily deactivate all plugins and switch to a default WordPress theme. Gradually reactivate plugins one by one to identify if any are causing the 502 error.
Step 9: Increase Server Resources
If your server is running out of resources, consider upgrading your hosting plan or optimizing your server settings.
Step 10: Consult Hosting Support
If the error persists and you’re unable to identify the cause, reach out to your hosting provider’s support team. They can provide valuable insights and assistance in resolving the issue.
Preventing and Minimizing 502 Errors
Additional measures to help prevent or minimize potential 502 errors include the following:
1. Optimize Server Performance
Invest in robust server infrastructure and optimize server performance to significantly reduce the likelihood of encountering “Bad Gateway 502” errors.
2. Implement Redundancy
Having backup servers ready to take over in case of failure will help to maintain uninterrupted service and prevent errors.
3. Load Balancers
Implement load balancers to distribute incoming traffic across multiple servers. This reduces the risk of overloading a single server and triggering the error.
4. Content Delivery Networks (CDNs)
CDNs store cached copies of websites on servers located globally. This can enhance website performance and reduce the chances of a “Bad Gateway 502” error. If you’re not using a CDN, consider implementing one in your setup.
5. Regular Server Maintenance
Perform routine server maintenance, including software updates and security checks to prevent unforeseen errors.
6. Monitoring and Alert Systems
Implement monitoring tools and alert systems (e.g. Uptime) to notify administrators of server issues in real-time, allowing for swift intervention and error resolution.
7. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Protection
DDoS protection services can safeguard servers from malicious traffic surges, preventing server overload and potential 502 errors.
8. Implement Graceful Error Handling
Graceful error handling refers to the practice of designing a website or application to handle errors and unexpected situations in a smooth and user-friendly manner.
Custom error pages and graceful error handling can enhance user experience by providing informative messages, clear, human-readable explanations of what went wrong and offering actionable steps to resolve the issue instead of presenting users with the standard error codes, confusing error messages, or technical jargon.
Know What To Do When You Get a 502
Facing a 502 Bad Gateway error in WordPress can be frustrating.
If you experience a 502 error, refer to the above information to help you quickly identify possible causes and solutions. Make sure you’re familiar with WordPress troubleshooting tools and our WordPress troubleshooting guide and follow the steps outlined above to identify and address the root cause of the error to ensure your website remains up and running smoothly for your visitors.
And of course, if you are a WPMU DEV member and need additional help troubleshooting errors, you can always access our 24/7 expert support team anytime for assistance with anything WordPress or hosting-related.
Meet Forminator’s powerful PDF Generator Addon…the simplest, easiest and most automated way to create, edit, and send out form-submitted PDFs without leaving your WordPress dashboard!
Forminator plugin users spoke to us about the challenges they face creating and sending out form-generated PDFs on the fly that seamlessly integrate with their business processes.
For example:
“I would like to send a PDF of our forms with email notifications using Forminator. But I don’t want to use the E2PDF method because it’s too limited for us.â€
“We need to create a form for our user, and generate a PDF after they write on it, and give them the possibility to pay.â€
“Does anyone know how I can generate a PDF from a form submission like Gravity PDF?â€
Forminator users, we heard you!
Forminator Pro now gives you the ability to integrate, create, generate, and automate PDFs using our nifty new PDF generator addon!
Install with just one click and say goodbye to limited free 3rd-party plugins, costly upgrades, and unnecessary integrations!
Built to make it easy for any user to create and customize a PDF file from form submission regardless of their technical level, here are some of the key features of Forminator’s PDF Generator Addon:
Easier PDF Generation
“I am working on a free course for artists who want to start their own websites. They fill out a form and then get a PDF download of their answers. This will serve as a ‘Scope of Work’ for their project.â€
Forminator’s PDF Builder uses the same intuitively easy-to-use drag and drop visual interface as the Form builder, providing a seamless user experience with no additional learning curve required.
In fact, the PDF creation option is part of the Form Builder, so it only takes a couple of clicks to create a PDF file.
Customizable PDFs
Forminator gives users high flexibility by not only making it easy to customize the PDF form structure and layout using its form builder, but also customize PDF content using the Rich Text field, add additional form fields, and insert field tags (see “How to Use” section below).
Autogenerated PDFs
PDFs can be autogenerated from your existing form structure and form fields, so you don’t need to create your PDF from scratch.
However, Forminator is flexible enough so that if you want to design your PDF fom scratch, you can.
Attach PDFs to Emails
“It would be great if PDFs could be created of the form submissions and could be attached and sent over emails.â€
You can send customized email notifications to admins and visitors with PDF attachments automatically. (see “How to Use” section below.)
Downloadable PDFs
Download the PDFs of the form submissions on the Submissions page.
Unlimited PDFs
No limits on usage of fields, number of pages, or number of PDFs.
PDFs and More PDFs
Create multiple PDFs on the same form.
PDF Templates
Generate PDF files for payment receipts, invoices, and quotations in seconds with easy-to-use pre-designed templates. (Coming soon!)
We also have loads more features coming soon (e.g. payment and quotation fields, more settings to customize PDF form appearance with colors and fonts, allowing form submitters to download PDFs after submission, etc.), so watch this space!
How to Use Forminator’s PDF Generator Addon
As mentioned earlier, one of the key features of Forminator’s PDF Generation Addon is that it works just like the plugin’s Form builder, so once you’ve installed it, configuring your PDF forms is so easy.
Note: This is a Pro feature, so make sure you have Forminator Pro installed, or consider becoming a WPMU DEV member if you are currently using our free Forminator plugin.
Creating PDFs
To create PDFs, first make sure to install the addon. You can do this from your WPMU DEV Dashboard plugin, or by going to Forminator Pro > Add-ons .
Install the PDF Generator from Forminator Pro’s Add-Ons section.
Note: to use the PDF Generator Addon, make sure that you have created at least one form on your site. Remember too, that you can generate multiple PDF files for the same form.
Once the add-on has been installed and activated, edit the form you want to attach a PDF to, and in the Edit Form > PDF section, click on Create New PDF.
Create a new PDF in Forminator’s Edit Form > PDF section.
Give your new PDF a filename and click the + Create button.
Give your PDF a name for internal identification purposes.
Next, choose a template for your PDF. Note: As we develop this feature further, we’ll be adding all kinds of new templates to this section for generating PDF receipts, quotations, etc.
After selecting your template, click the Continue button.
Forminator Pro users can choose from a range of professionally designed PDF templates.
The Preload PDF Content modal gives you the choice of preloading form fields into your new PDF file, or creating your PDF from scratch.
Choose an option and click the Continue button to proceed.
Forminator gives you the choice of preloading form fields or starting with a blank file.
Once your PDF file is created, you can edit it or continue the setup process.
Once your PDF file is created, you can edit it or continue building your form.
If you selected the Preload Form Fields in PDF File option, the fields in your form will load in your PDF file.
Editing PDFs
While the Page Header and Page Footer elements are static and cannot be moved, you can edit the settings and style for all fields by clicking on the gear icon to the right of the fields.
You can also rearrange non-static fields using drag and drop to fully customize the layout of your PDF.
Insert, edit, and preview your form fields.
As well as preloading form fields, you can insert additional fields to add custom text and labels, add page breaks to create multipage PDFs, insert payment and quotation fields, and more.
There are many PDF form field options to choose from.
Note: To add custom text in your forms, use the Rich Text field. Use either a label for the field, or hide the label and add your own text with formatting options like bold, italics, bullet points, and hyperlinks.
You can also insert form fields into the text area to create a customized PDF template that will autopopulate your form details when generated.
Use the Rich Text field to format and style your form field content.
Additionally, you can adjust the appearance of your PDFs using appearance options, which allow you to control how your PDFs will look and their layout.
The Page settings section lets you set the page size from a dropdown menu, with the recommended default being A4. The default page margin is 30 pixels, and you can change this under the Custom tab.
You can also enable the RTL (Right-to-Left) option to output your PDF in languages like Arabic, Hebrew, Farsi, Urdu, etc., and if you’re familiar with CSS, you can use the Custom CSS option to further customize your PDF. Many selectors are included to help you, and if you need further assistance, make sure to contact our 24/7 Live Support team.
After creating or editing your PDF, you can save it as a Draft to continue working on it at a later time. You can also preview, edit, or delete it, and publish or unpublish it.
A Forminator Form with a Forminator generated PDF.
Emailing PDFs
With Forminator’s PDF Generator Addon, attaching PDFs to emails is really simple and easy.
After creating your PDF form, go to Forminator > Edit Form > Email Notifications and select the PDF file(s) to attach to the email notification you have set up.
Select one or more PDFs to attach to the email.
Note: You can also set up conditional email rules to automatically send specific PDFs to specific users.
Use the power of conditional emails to send PDFs to specific users.
Downloading PDFs
You can download PDFs on form submissions from the Submissions page for forms with PDF templates. There are no restrictions on the number of PDFs you can download.
If you have more than one PDF template available for a single form, you can download the form submission PDF for each template separately or the PDFs of all the templates as a zip file.
Download PDFs for all submission forms.
For full details on using the PDF generator addon and all of its features refer to our Forminator documentation.
With Forminator Pro, You Can’t Go PDF’ing Wrong!
Forminator Pro’s new PDF generator allows you to generate an unlimited number of PDFs with your forms and form submissions, customize, edit, and style PDF templates, and a whole lot more.
If you are a WPMU DEV member, there is nothing else you need to purchase to start generating professional PDFs. Simply install the addon in Forminator, tweak the appearance and settings in your forms, and you’re all good to go.
If you’re not a member yet, consider choosing one of our risk-free membership options (Pro or Agency). You’ll not only get all of our Pro plugins, you’ll also get access to everything else you need to use PDFs effectively, including site management, client report, and client billing tools, white label and reseller options, 24/7 expert support on all areas related to WordPress, CSS, hosting, etc, and so much more!
Start using Forminator’s PDF Generator Addon today…it’s PDF’ing great!
Meet Forminator’s powerful PDF Generator Addon…the simplest, easiest and most automated way to create, edit, and send out form-submitted PDFs without leaving your WordPress dashboard!
Forminator plugin users spoke to us about the challenges they face creating and sending out form-generated PDFs on the fly that seamlessly integrate with their business processes.
For example:
“I would like to send a PDF of our forms with email notifications using Forminator. But I don’t want to use the E2PDF method because it’s too limited for us.â€
“We need to create a form for our user, and generate a PDF after they write on it, and give them the possibility to pay.â€
“Does anyone know how I can generate a PDF from a form submission like Gravity PDF?â€
Forminator users, we heard you!
Forminator Pro now gives you the ability to integrate, create, generate, and automate PDFs using our nifty new PDF generator addon!
Install with just one click and say goodbye to limited free 3rd-party plugins, costly upgrades, and unnecessary integrations!
Built to make it easy for any user to create and customize a PDF file from form submission regardless of their technical level, here are some of the key features of Forminator’s PDF Generator Addon:
Easier PDF Generation
“I am working on a free course for artists who want to start their own websites. They fill out a form and then get a PDF download of their answers. This will serve as a ‘Scope of Work’ for their project.â€
Forminator’s PDF Builder uses the same intuitively easy-to-use drag and drop visual interface as the Form builder, providing a seamless user experience with no additional learning curve required.
In fact, the PDF creation option is part of the Form Builder, so it only takes a couple of clicks to create a PDF file.
Customizable PDFs
Forminator gives users high flexibility by not only making it easy to customize the PDF form structure and layout using its form builder, but also customize PDF content using the Rich Text field, add additional form fields, and insert field tags (see “How to Use” section below).
Autogenerated PDFs
PDFs can be autogenerated from your existing form structure and form fields, so you don’t need to create your PDF from scratch.
However, Forminator is flexible enough so that if you want to design your PDF fom scratch, you can.
Attach Emails to PDFs
“It would be great if PDFs could be created of the form submissions and could be attached and sent over emails.â€
You can send customized email notifications to admins and visitors with PDF attachments automatically. (see “How to Use” section below.)
Downloadable PDFs
Download the PDFs of the form submissions on the Submissions page.
Unlimited PDFs
No limits on usage of fields, number of pages, or number of PDFs.
PDFs and More PDFs
Create multiple PDFs on the same form.
PDF Templates
Generate PDF files for payment receipts, invoices, and quotations in seconds with easy-to-use pre-designed templates. (Coming soon!)
We also have loads more features coming soon (e.g. payment and quotation fields, more settings to customize PDF form appearance with colors and fonts, allowing form submitters to download PDFs after submission, etc.), so watch this space!
How to Use Forminator’s PDF Generator Addon
As mentioned earlier, one of the key features of Forminator’s PDF Generation Addon is that it works just like the plugin’s Form builder, so once you’ve installed it, configuring your PDF forms is so easy.
Note: This is a Pro feature, so make sure you have Forminator Pro installed, or consider becoming a WPMU DEV member if you are currently using our free Forminator plugin.
Creating PDFs
To create PDFs, first make sure to install the addon. You can do this from your WPMU DEV Dashboard plugin, or by going to Forminator Pro > Add-ons .
Install the PDF Generator from Forminator Pro’s Add-Ons section.
Note: to use the PDF Generator Addon, make sure that you have created at least one form on your site. Remember too, that you can generate multiple PDF files for the same form.
Once the add-on has been installed and activated, edit the form you want to attach a PDF to, and in the Edit Form > PDF section, click on Create New PDF.
Create a new PDF in Forminator’s Edit Form > PDF section.
Give your new PDF a filename and click the + Create button.
Give your PDF a name for internal identification purposes.
Next, choose a template for your PDF. Note: As we develop this feature further, we’ll be adding all kinds of new templates to this section for generating PDF receipts, quotations, etc.
After selecting your template, click the Continue button.
Forminator Pro users can choose from a range of professionally designed PDF templates.
The Preload PDF Content modal gives you the choice of preloading form fields into your new PDF file, or creating your PDF from scratch.
Choose an option and click the Continue button to proceed.
Forminator gives you the choice of preloading form fields or starting with a blank file.
Once your PDF file is created, you can edit it or continue the setup process.
Once your PDF file is created, you can edit it or continue building your form.
If you selected the Preload Form Fields in PDF File option, the fields in your form will load in your PDF file.
Editing PDFs
While the Page Header and Page Footer elements are static and cannot be moved, you can edit the settings and style for all fields by clicking on the gear icon to the right of the fields.
You can also rearrange non-static fields using drag and drop to fully customize the layout of your PDF.
Insert, edit, and preview your form fields.
As well as preloading form fields, you can insert additional fields to add custom text and labels, add page breaks to create multipage PDFs, insert payment and quotation fields, and more.
There are many PDF form field options to choose from.
Note: To add custom text in your forms, use the Rich Text field. Use either a label for the field, or hide the label and add your own text with formatting options like bold, italics, bullet points, and hyperlinks.
You can also insert form fields into the text area to create a customized PDF template that will autopopulate your form details when generated.
Use the Rich Text field to format and style your form field content.
Additionally, you can adjust the appearance of your PDFs using appearance options, which allow you to control how your PDFs will look and their layout.
The Page settings section lets you set the page size from a dropdown menu, with the recommended default being A4. The default page margin is 30 pixels, and you can change this under the Custom tab.
You can also enable the RTL (Right-to-Left) option to output your PDF in languages like Arabic, Hebrew, Farsi, Urdu, etc., and if you’re familiar with CSS, you can use the Custom CSS option to further customize your PDF. Many selectors are included to help you, and if you need further assistance, make sure to contact our 24/7 Live Support team.
After creating or editing your PDF, you can save it as a Draft to continue working on it at a later time. You can also preview, edit, or delete it, and publish or unpublish it.
A Forminator Form with a Forminator generated PDF.
Emailing PDFs
With Forminator’s PDF Generator Addon, attaching PDFs to emails is really simple and easy.
After creating your PDF form, go to Forminator > Edit Form > Email Notifications and select the PDF file(s) to attach to the email notification you have set up.
Select one or more PDFs to attach to the email.
Note: You can also set up conditional email rules to automatically send specific PDFs to specific users.
Use the power of conditional emails to send PDFs to specific users.
Downloading PDFs
You can download PDFs on form submissions from the Submissions page for forms with PDF templates. There are no restrictions on the number of PDFs you can download.
If you have more than one PDF template available for a single form, you can download the form submission PDF for each template separately or the PDFs of all the templates as a zip file.
Download PDFs for all submission forms.
For full details on using the PDF generator addon and all of its features refer to our Forminator documentation.
With Forminator Pro, You Can’t Go PDF’ing Wrong!
Forminator Pro’s new PDF generator allows you to generate an unlimited number of PDFs with your forms and form submissions, customize, edit, and style PDF templates, and a whole lot more.
If you are a WPMU DEV member, there is nothing else you need to purchase to start generating professional PDFs. Simply install the addon in Forminator, tweak the appearance and settings in your forms, and you’re all good to go.
If you’re not a member yet, consider choosing one of our risk-free membership options (Pro or Agency). You’ll not only get all of our Pro plugins, you’ll also get access to everything else you need to use PDFs effectively, including site management, client report, and client billing tools, white label and reseller options, 24/7 expert support on all areas related to WordPress, CSS, hosting, etc, and so much more!
Start using Forminator’s PDF Generator Addon today…it’s PDF’ing great!
WordPress Management Tools
Managed Hosting
Web Hosting
Managed Hosting
Management Tools
WordPress Hosting
Managed Hosting
Managed DNS Providers
Domain Registration
WordPress Management Tools
WordPress Hosting
Managed Hosting
Web Hosting
WordPress Management Tools
Web Hosting
WordPress Management Tools
Web Hosting
Managed Hosting
Managed Hosting
Domain Registration
WordPress Hosting
Web Hosting
Web Hosting
Web Hosting
WordPress Hosting
Web Hosting
WordPress Management Tools
Web Hosting
WordPress Management Tools
Web Hosting
Web Hosting
Web Hosting
