If you are looking for a way to display form submissions in WordPress, we have not one but two ways how you can take a user’s form submissions and turn them into actual WordPress content.
Whether you want to display these form submissions on the front-end of your site because you are letting visitors submit blog posts and job listings, collecting testimonials, or you are creating a business directory, Ninja Forms offers two alternatives to help you accomplish this task: Submissions Table Block and Front-End Posting add-on.
In this article, we will deal a bit with both and show you how they work and what their differences are. Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
- Display form submissions on the front-end of your site with a Submissions Table Block
- Create user-submitted content on your site with Front-End Posting
- Differences between the Submissions Table Block and Front End Posting add-on
Display form submissions on the front-end of your site with a Submissions Table Block
Before we dive into Submissions Table Block, keep in mind that you will need to disable the Classic editor or switch to a block-based theme to access this feature. Submissions Table Block is a popular feature if you like to display submissions for all types of directories, event calendars, or if you are creating a document library.
In order to display submissions on your front end, navigate to the Gutenberg editor, you can select a Ninja Forms Submissions Table Block to display submissions from a specific form.
Once you add the Submissions Table Block to the form, on the right sidebar, you can choose the fields you would like to include in the table.
The Submission data from the selected form will then display on the page as a table that is easily searchable and filterable.
As you can see, using the submissions table block to submit is very easy, and you can quickly display all WordPress form submissions on your site.
However, this option may not be ideal for every type of submission, so let us introduce you to the post-creation add-on below that will save your day!
Display form submissions in WordPress with Front-End Posting
If you want to create a form that allows user-submitted content and display it on your website while offering advanced features, the Front-End Posting add-on comes to the rescue. This premium add-on comes included with two role features that will allow you to set the author and status of the post or page. You can even create custom post types, and if you are a user of the Advanced Custom Fields plugin, you will surely appreciate this feature.
However, imagine a situation where your website visitors are posting job listings on your site and they need to make changes. Sure, you as an admin can make these changes for them, but wouldn’t be easier to give them access to make changes in those submissions themselves? Luckily, Ninja Forms thought of that too.
Normally form submissions are restricted to administrator user roles only but with our User Management add-on you can allow them to view and edit these form submissions in the WordPress dashboard without you constantly checking for any update requests from your clients.
Looking for more resources about Front-End Posting? Check our documentation page or learn how to enable user-submitted posts here.
TL;DR, Differences between the Submissions Table Block and Front End Posting add-on
What is the difference between using the Submissions Table Block and the Front-End Posting add-on when displaying submissions on the front-end of your website?
Submissions Table Block is a free feature of Ninja Forms and can be only used if you are using the Gutenberg editor from WordPress. Submissions Table Block is only for a presentation. it is a great option if you are planning to share data such as event listings, job listings, or a directory with a list of museums, schools, or restaurants you want to promote on your page and share with visitors.
All the entries submitted from your WordPress form are only displayed in a table, and you as an admin don’t have access to edit this information. Submissions Table Block doesn’t give you access to the submissions. Since you can’t control what is being posted so this might not be ideal for collecting product testimonials or reviews.
On the other hand, the Front-End Posting add-on lets you display submissions on your page. As the website owner/admin, you can view the submissions created with the Front-End Posting add-on and you can control what content is being posted to your site. All content submitted by a form becomes completely configurable including post type, title, and even categories and tags. You can even set post status, author, and much more.
Combine Front-End Posting with our add-ons and add more flexibility to your forms!
That’s it for today! We hope you now clearly understand the ways you can display form submissions in WordPress, and what is the difference between using Submissions Table Block and the Front-End Posting add-on.
Want to add even more flexibility to your WordPress forms when collecting user-submitted content? Combine Front-End Posting add-on with our file upload plugin and let user submit their photos or videos for testimonials! You could also use one of our payment integrations to charge people a fee in order to submit their business to your directory.
What you are waiting for? Elevate your business with user-submitted content in WordPress and give the Front-End Posting add-on a try today! Unlike our competitors, you can purchase all our add-ons individually for single, 5, or 20 licenses, and all our products come with a 14-day money-back guarantee. You have really nothing to lose…Let your imagination run wild and get creative with your form-building today!
