{"id":7066111,"date":"2020-09-22T13:28:51","date_gmt":"2020-09-22T13:28:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpml.org\/?p=7066111"},"modified":"2023-12-14T14:04:39","modified_gmt":"2023-12-14T14:04:39","slug":"custom-field-plugins-toolset-vs-acf-elementor-pro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpml.org\/th\/tutorials\/2020\/09\/custom-field-plugins-toolset-vs-acf-elementor-pro\/","title":{"rendered":"Custom Field Plugins – Toolset vs. ACF + Elementor Pro"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

To build advanced WordPress sites, you\u2019ll need custom fields. In this tutorial, we compare two leading alternatives – Toolset<\/a> versus ACF<\/a> + Elementor Pro<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Setting up custom fields <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Both ACF and Toolset allow you to add custom fields to any kind of content. Both plugins offer different kinds of fields and let you choose on which posts to include them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Field types<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

ACF and Toolset include the basic fields that you\u2019d expect to see. These include \u201ctext fields\u201d, \u201cvisual editor\u201d, \u201cselectors\u201d, \u201cradios\u201d, \u201ccheckboxes\u201d, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"ACF<\/a>
ACF’s custom fields<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Toolset’s custom fields<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Custom fields features<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

ACF and Toolset include the basic features for custom fields. With both, you can mark fields as \u201crequired\u201d, customize error messages and provide description for fields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ACF\u2019s custom field setup<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Toolset\u2019s custom field setup<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

With ACF you can add a prepend or append (content before or after the value) which will appear on the backend when a user enters information. ACF also lets you limit the number of characters for fields, control the width and even duplicate an existing field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Controlling where fields appear in the WordPress Editor<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Both products allow you to select which post type, category or taxonomy your group appears on. ACF has more features for fine-grained control over which pages should show different fields. Toolset\u2019s approach is more towards simple display logic, based on post type.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Exact control for field display in ACF<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Post-type control for field display in Toolset<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Displaying custom fields<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Toolset has everything needed to set-up custom fields and display them on the site\u2019s front-end, without coding. ACF has an API for PHP developers and offers integrations with Elementor Pro and Divi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you prefer to build all your site\u2019s templates using PHP, ACF offers a rich API<\/a> that has you covered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For people who want to build custom sites without coding, there are two options available. With Toolset, you\u2019ll be using Blocks<\/a> to display custom fields. With ACF, you can use Elementor Pro (there are ACF integrations with other page builders, but Elementor\u2019s is the most popular).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Repeatable field groups<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Both Toolset and ACF offer repeatable field groups<\/a>. Both plugins allow you to create your repeatable field groups visually on the back-end with a similar level of flexibility. For example, you can easily create a repeatable set of fields for a slider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Setting up a repeater field in ACF<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Setting up repeatable fields in Toolset<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

With both plugins, the repeating fields can have infinite nesting, different input options and other features that make it convenient to enter content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly to single fields, ACF and Toolset differ in how you can display repeating field groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With ACF, you\u2019ll need to write PHP code that loops through the repeating fields and displays them. ACF provides complete examples, which you can copy\/paste and customize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Toolset, you can display repeating fields without coding. Toolset\u2019s View block lets you loop through repeating fields and display them with your design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Post relationships<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Post relationship is the ability to connect between different posts. For example, in a Real Estate site, you will want to connect properties with agents. In a Gyms Directory site, you will want to connect gyms and trainers. You can connect posts as \u201cone to many\u201d and \u201cmany to many\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To connect posts using ACF, you can use ACF\u2019s Relationship field<\/a>. This field allows linking between posts in the database. ACF\u2019s documentation explains how to use this information to display the related content, using PHP code, on the site\u2019s front-end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toolset comes with complete support for setting up post relationships<\/a> and displaying related posts (without coding).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Setting up a Relationship Field in ACF<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Setting up post relationship with Toolset<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Displaying relationships with ACF using PHP<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Displaying related content<\/em> with Toolset<\/figcaption><\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Translating Content that Uses Custom Fields<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re building multilingual sites, you\u2019re probably wondering how ACF and Toolset work with WPML. Since both ACF and Toolset are popular plugins, WPML team makes sure that both work smoothly with WPML.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To build multilingual sites with ACF, you\u2019ll need to install our Advanced Custom Fields Multilingual <\/a>glue plugin, and follow the instructions on translating sites built with ACF. ACFML allows you to translate content that has any kind of ACF field, including the complex repeater fields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WPML support is built into Toolset, so you don\u2019t need to install a glue plugin. You\u2019ll be able to easily translate everything that you create with Toolset, right from WPML\u2019s Translation Dashboard, or from the post-editor (whichever works best fits you).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond Custom Fields<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

ACF and Toolset are large packages that include more than custom fields. Here are some additional features and links to where you can learn more about them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ACF FEATURES GALLERY<\/p>\n\n\n\n