Transform your WordPress membership site into a vibrant online community where members can easily connect, collaborate, and foster meaningful relationships. Many of our readers utilize a searchable member directory to facilitate this process.
A member directory serves as a central hub for member profiles, fostering a sense of belonging and promoting engagement. New members will feel welcomed and connected, while existing members can quickly find and network with others who share their interests.
In this article, we will guide you through the process of creating a searchable member directory in WordPress, adding a new dimension of community to your membership website.
Reasons to Create a Searchable Member Directory in WordPress
A membership site often unites individuals with shared interests. By enabling easy communication among your members about their common passions, you can cultivate a strong sense of community on your WordPress website.
You can achieve this by establishing a membership directory. This searchable list showcases the members on your site, allowing them to view each other’s profiles and contact information.
Implementing this feature will enhance your website’s credibility and increase its value to your members, potentially making them feel appreciated and recognized.
To ensure privacy, consider requiring members to consent before their personal information is included in the directory.
If you haven’t set up your membership site yet, check out our comprehensive guide on creating a WordPress membership site.
While there are various methods to build a membership site, we recommend using the MemberPress plugin. It provides advanced membership features and works seamlessly with the Formidable Forms Directory addon featured in this tutorial.
Creating a Searchable Member Directory in WordPress
The most effective way to build a member directory is by utilizing the Formidable Forms plugin. It offers powerful features that allow you to format, filter, and showcase user-submitted data on your website, including member profiles.
Formidable Forms is one of the top user registration plugins available for WordPress, making it easy to create a member directory with an addon. Additionally, it integrates with MemberPress to provide full control over your directory’s design and functionality.
With Formidable Forms, you can create a profile form for members to input their information and consent to be listed in the directory. It also enables you to display the searchable member directory.
Additionally, you can utilize Formidable Forms for various functions on your website, including creating booking forms, web directories, and enabling clients to request quotes.
With that in mind, let’s explore how to build a searchable member directory using the Formidable Forms plugin.
- How to Install Formidable Forms on Your Membership Site
- Steps to Create the Formidable Member Directory Application
- How to Customize the Member Profile Form and ‘Add a Member’ Page
- How to Customize the ‘Member Directory’ Page
- How to Remove Sample Data from Your Member Directory
- Comprehensive Guides on WordPress Membership Websites
Step 1: Install Formidable Forms on Your Membership Site
The first step is to install and activate Formidable Forms Lite, the free version of the plugin, which serves as the foundation for the advanced features available in the Pro version.
For further information, refer to our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Next, visit the Formidable Directory page and click the ‘Get Formidable Directory’ button. You will then be prompted to purchase the Elite plan, which includes the Directory add-on.
Before leaving the Formidable website, make sure to copy your license key. You can find it by clicking on ‘Account’ at the top of the page.
Now, go back to your website and navigate toFormidable » Global Settings. Once there, simply click on the link that says ‘Click to enter a license key manually’ to paste your license key, and then click the ‘Save License’ button.
You are now ready to create a member directory in WordPress.
2. Creating the Formidable Member Directory Application
Next, navigate toFormidable » Applicationsin the WordPress admin sidebar. This page will display the available application templates.
Once there, locate the Member Directory application and click the ‘+ Add’ button to install it.
This will open a popup that provides details about the Member Directory application.
Simply click the ‘Install Application’ button to proceed.
Next, you will be prompted to name the application.
For this tutorial, we will keep the default name, ‘Member Directory’, and then click the ‘Install Application’ button to proceed.
Formidable Forms will now generate the necessary pages, forms, and views for your member directory.
The pages are saved as drafts, allowing you to make customizations before they are published.
Click the ‘Open Application’ button to access the Member Directory application page, where you can personalize and publish your directory.
You have successfully created a ‘User Directory Profile’ form for your members to complete on the ‘Add a Member’ page.
There is a ‘Member Directory’ page where you can view the directory in either a table or grid format.
3. Customizing the Member Profile Form and the ‘Add a Member’ Page
Next, you may want to add or remove fields from the ‘User Directory Profile’ form, which members must complete to be listed in the directory.
Consider adding instructions to the page displaying the profile form before you publish it.
Customizing the ‘User Directory Profile’ Form
The ‘User Directory Profile’ form includes all necessary fields for most member profiles. You can customize it by clicking the ‘User Directory Profile’ link or hovering over it and selecting ‘Edit’.
This will open the form editor, where you can see a preview of the form on the right and available fields on the left.
The form collects essential contact information, social media links, and additional details. Certain fields will automatically populate using data from the member’s WordPress user profile, including their name, email address, and biography.
To introduce new fields, simply drag and drop them from the ‘Add Fields’ section located on the left.
You can modify a field’s options by clicking on it. This action will open the ‘Field Options’ tab on the left, allowing you to personalize the field by adjusting its settings.
In the ‘Advanced’ section, you will find options for setting a default value for the field. Here, you can select a default value from a list of smart tags, which will pull information already provided by the user in their WordPress profile, eliminating the need for duplicate entries.
At the bottom of the form, you’ll see that it already includes fields for social media links and an option for members to indicate whether they wish to be listed in the directory.
After customizing the form to your satisfaction, click the ‘Save Profile’ button to save your changes.
Personalizing the ‘Add a Member’ Page
Next, you will need to customize and publish the ‘Add a Member’ page, which will showcase the profile form on your website.
You may need to navigate back toFormidable » Applications » Member Directoryto view the page. Next, click on the ‘Add a Member’ link or hover over it and select ‘Edit.’
This will bring up the ‘Add a Member’ page in the WordPress content editor. It includes the page title and the Formidable form you were just reviewing.
Feel free to change the page title to something like ‘Join Our Member Directory’.
If you want to add instructions before the form, click on the page title and press the Enter key. This will create a new block where you can enter those instructions.
Once you are satisfied with the page, click the ‘Publish’ button at the top of the screen to make the page live on your website.
4. Customizing the ‘Member Directory’ Page
Now you can personalize and publish the member directory. Choose whether to display the members in a grid or table format, and remember to publish the page so it appears on your website.
Customizing the ‘Member Directory’ Page
First, return to Formidable » Applicationsand click on your member directory application.
Before publishing the draft ‘Member Directory’ page, you can choose to display the directory in either a grid or table layout.
To edit the ‘Member Directory’ page, simply click on it in the WordPress editor.
The page currently includes only the title and a shortcode that will render the directory:
[display-frm-data id=dir-two-col-grid]
By default, this shortcode presents the directory in a two-column grid format.
You can preview the page to see its appearance.
Alternatively, you have the option to display your member directory in a table format.
To achieve this, use the following shortcode instead:
[display-frm-data id=dir-table-listing-view]
You can preview the page again to observe the updates.
In this format, each member’s information will be displayed on a single line with their details organized in columns.
Regardless of the shortcode you select, clicking on ‘View Profile’ will provide more detailed information about that member.
Here’s how it appears on our demo website.
If desired, you can add more content to the page. Just remember to click the ‘Publish’ button to make your member directory live on your website once you’re done.
Integrating Member Directory Pages into Your Navigation Menu
Enhance accessibility for your members by including the ‘Add a Member’ and ‘Member Directory’ pages in your website’s navigation menu.
Follow our comprehensive guide on adding specific posts to the WordPress navigation menu.
Limiting Access to the Member Directory for Registered Members
Depending on your membership site’s structure, you may want to restrict access to the ‘Add a Member’ and ‘Member Directory’ pages to logged-in members only.
To achieve this, you will need to establish a rule that grants access exclusively to members.
Our ultimate guide on creating a WordPress membership site provides a step-by-step process. Simply scroll to Step 6 to learn how to create a MemberPress rule and Step 7 for adding members-only content.
5. Removing Sample Data from Your Member Directory
Your member directory includes sample data visible in the tutorial screenshots, which is useful for visualizing profile layouts during setup.
However, once your directory is fully set up, it’s essential to remove the sample data.
You will need to return to Formidable Forms » Applications » Member Directoryand click on the ‘User Directory Profile’ form.
When the Formidable editor opens, select the ‘Entries’ tab at the top of the screen to view the sample entries.
You will likely see only the four sample members listed. If so, click the ‘Delete All Entries’ button at the top of the screen to remove all listed members.
If some of your actual members have created profiles, you will need to select the sample entries individually.
To do this, check the box next to each sample member. Then, click the ‘Bulk Actions’ button at the top of the list and choose ‘Delete’ from the drop-down menu.
Finally, click the ‘Apply’ button to remove the sample data. Your member directory will now exclusively feature profiles from your actual members.
Comprehensive Guides on WordPress Membership Websites
We hope this tutorial has helped you learn how to create a searchable member directory in WordPress. You may also find these related articles on building membership websites in WordPress useful:
- Ultimate Guide to Creating a WordPress Membership Site
- How to Enable User Registration on Your WordPress Site
- A Guide to Restricting Content for Registered Users in WordPress
- Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Members-Only WooCommerce Store
- Understanding the Costs of Starting a Membership Site
- Top Membership Site Examples You Should Explore
- Step-by-Step Guide to Tracking Customer Journeys with MemberPress
- Comparative Review of the Best WordPress Membership Plugins
- Top WordPress Themes for Membership Websites
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