Our Form Builder addon will allow you to customize several aspects of BePro Listings. These include the front end form, search filters, and templates like search results. This is all done via the Drag and Drop admin interface. It allows you to capture the information your website needs via 18 form fields including, categories, files uploads, and the other typical fields. If you consider each form to be its own listing type, since there are unlimited forms, you can host multiple custom listing solutions simultaneously on one website .
HOW TO SETUP
On activation, you will notice a default form when visting the new admin menu BePro listings->FormBuilder. There you can manage all of your forms including editing and deleting them. You will notice that the default form is an exact replica of the stock BePro Listings frontend form. From the main Form Builder page, you can begin editing the form, or copy the “create_listing_form” shortcode onto a page to reveal the form.
While editing a form, you will notice that the page is split into two areas, field selections on the left with the live demo on the right. Drag and drop new buttons from your selections, into the live form demo in the right pane. Delete form fields that you no longer need or rearrange them. When you click on the demo form fields, the options for that field, replace the selections in the left pane. Once you click “add fields” the selections reappear.
Make sure to enter a unique name under the form tab, while editing the forms. This will help you to tell the forms apart, especially when assigning an old listing to a form. The thing to note here, is that when the From Builder is installed, none of your old listings will be linked to its forms. You will have one opportunity to make this link, while editing each old listing. Specifically, the form names will appear in a select/drop box. Once the listing is saved, it is linked to the form you selected and the select box is replaced with the form fields.
You will see notices at the top of the form as you build them. Is is especially obvious while creating a form from scratch. Its sole purpose is to help you build a working form. It constantly monitors the active fields and makes suggestions. For example, we give you the power to add a submit button and place it anywhere on the form. However, if you forget to add the submit button, the form wont work. The notices remind you of things like this, helping you to create fully functional forms.
HOW TO USE
Each form generates its own bl_form_id. This is a new option for the, display_listings, bl_search_filter, generate_map and create_listing_form shortcodes. Remember, these are stock BePro Listings shortcodes which you first saw in the BePro Listings Shortcode documentation.
Using this shortcode option, tells the plugin that you are only interested in results pertaining to a particular form. So here is a code example
[display_listings bl_form_id="1"]
In the above example, we are showing listings which were captured by the form with the ID of 1. This form can be confirmed by viewing the BePro Listings Form Builder admin page. Each form will clearly show a demo of a shortcode with its perspective bl_form_id
This demonstrates the power of BePro Listings. The same shortcodes that you experienced in the base FREE solution, are being used by the addons. This keeps the learning curve low, rewarding you for spending the time to learn the FREE solution.
VARIOUS FORM FIELD TYPES
We also feature form fields that are useful for communicating with the user like headings, paragraph and page separators. You are provided with the freedom to configure various options like the field name and validations. Some fields come with their own valdiations or special features like the number and the date fields. This is a very flexible Form Builder with everything needs to create a truly custom front end form.
Some fields are controlled by BePro Listings admin configuration like, categories, item name and files. These fields can only be used once and are disabled after their first use. These fields have no configuration options on the form builder.
Addons introduce new buttons. These buttons will package several fields together. They may or may not have options associated with them. For example, the BePro Listings Vehicles addon is compatible with this plugin and provides several configurable form fields. The values for these fields will show up on the details page, in the order they were setup in the form. This is a great way to change the language and priority for these addon fields, on both the front end form and details page
You also have access to the typical form fields like select, input, radio, and checkboxes. They all offer validation and other configuration options. Combine them as necessary to capture the information you need for your directory.
THINGS TO NOTE
This addon integrates with various features. Its important to understand how this will change what you see and how you interact with the plugin. Some points to note include
- Activation – On activation, the form builder will create a copy of the current default front end form. If used, the change will not be noticeable to visitors. Ultimately, its purpose is to demonstrate how the forms work
- If you have made customization’s to the default form, they will not transfer to the form generated by this addon.
- If you have addons that generate form fields, make sure they are compatible with this plugin before purchasing or installing. For example, the vehicles addon is compatible
- Field Names – Note that some form fields have the “Field Name” option. Note that if you expect them to use BePro Listings features, they must use specific field name. This is explined in our documentation regarding customizing BePro Listings fields They are listed on this documentation page
- Reuse Fields – Item Name, Description, Categories, submit button and File uploads are disabled after the first use
- Page separators (hr tags) – these show up as line breaks (spaces) on the detail page.
- Some fields force validation – the number field for example will always validate as a number
- Item Name – Any form that does not use the “Item Name” field, will not generate anything
- Address – Address field only requires the country. You can rebuild the individual fields yourself if you prefer to control validation for each field
- Options – Some options control field availability. So make sure Cost, Contact, and geo are selected in the BePro listings admin
- Admin – The submissions for fields generated by the form builder, minus the fields already managed by BePro Listings, are visible while editing the listing.
- Categories – The form will override the admin settings
- Form Names – When editing a form, make sure it has a unique form name
CONCLUSION
This is a great solution for those looking to customize the listngs experience. Use headings and paragraphs to highlight useful information or ask questions. Then implement various input fields to capture the information important for your type of directory. Since this plugin integrates with all default form features, the submissions can be searched and filtered on the front end via the BePro Listings shortcodes. You can even customize the search features. If you need to customize the data in BePro Listings, this is the plugin you need.
