This WordPress plugin makes it easy to have pages like this one, with animated drop down or expanding text when users click headings on the page. This is useful for a frequently asked questions (FAQ) page. This page is a demo as well as a Frequently Asked Questions page about this plugin.

Version 3.0 now available. Download it here.

Why did you make Easy FAQ with Expanding Text?

I built this WordPress plugin to make it easy to have an impressive, animated FAQ page. Later, I added capabilities to use it for other kinds of pages, too.

In 2011 I built a website for a client who wanted an FAQ page with expanding text when people clicked the questions. But the plugin we found for this feature  required a shortcode placed before and after reach block of text. It also required a significant amount of CSS coding and a little bit of javascript to get it running. This struck me as too much work for those people who are using WordPress specifically because they don’t want to do so much coding.

How does this plugin work?

This plugin simplifies the creation of these kinds of pages by automatically animating them. When you click a checkbox for this feature in your WordPress editor, or include “FAQ” or “Frequently asked questions” in the title, the plugin automatically makes headings clickable and hides content beneath them until the heading is clicked.

How can I install this plugin?

I recommend either of these two easy ways to install this plugin.

First (easiest) method:

1. In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to the Plugins page and select “Add new.”

2. Search for the plugin title, “Easy FAQ with Expanding Text.” It should be the first that comes up.

3. Install and activate it there.

Second method:

1. Download Version 3.1 on this page or on the WordPress.org plugins page.
2. Go to the Plugins page in your WordPress dashboard and select “Add new.”
3. Choose the “Upload” link on the Add New plugin page. Select the ZIP file that you downloaded, and upload it.
4. Activate the plugin; visit your new “FAQ Admin Page” for details and to set a couple of options.

How can I use this plugin?

It is easy to create an animated page with this plugin.

First, create a page that has “Frequently Asked Questions” or “FAQ” in the title, or just click the checkbox for making dropdown text in the WordPress editor screen. (It will appear somewhere in the right hand column under the “publish” box.)

As you create your page, make some headings. These will appear on the page and will be clickable. Other content between headings will be invisible until the heading above the content is clicked.

Can I include pictures in the answers?

Yes, you can.

What about video?

You be the judge.

What’s new in version 3.0?

The ability to give the animation effects to any post or page, regardless of the page title.

Also, I reduced the amount of javascript code needed, improved the ability to include video and pictures, and created two options for visual cues (little images that appear next to the headings) to help your readers know they are clickable. (You can choose not to show those, though.) Thankfully, I simplified the plugin so that you can have as many (or few) lines of introductory text as you want.

How can I turn the effects off at the end (or middle) of a page?

By making a line formatted as a heading 6 (as the line above is), you can temporarily “break” the effects so that this text below the heading does not get hidden.

This is helpful if you want to have several sections of FAQ. Also, if you want an image (such as a buy-now button) at the bottom of the page, you can format that image as a heading 6. If your heading 6 is text and it is too small, the FAQ Admin Page allows you to change the size or font using valid CSS.

Can you then start the effects again?

Absotively, posolutely.