Visual Field Group Builder — Drag & Drop
Field Forge has one of the fastest visual builders in the WordPress custom fields category. Three panels: field type palette on the left, current field group in the middle, selected field settings on the right. Drag from the left, drop in the middle, configure on the right.
Three-panel layout
Left panel: field type palette
All 35 field types organized by category (Basic, Content, Choice, Relational, jQuery, Layout, Pro Compound, Blocks) with a search box at the top. Drag any type into your field group.
Categories collapse and expand to fit large screens. Search narrows the field list instantly — type “image” to see Image, Gallery, oEmbed. Type “date” to see Date Picker, Time Picker.
Middle panel: field group canvas
Your current field group rendered as a sortable list. Every field shows:
- Field type icon
- Field label (editable inline)
- Field name (auto-generated from label, editable)
- Drag handle for reordering
- Duplicate button
- Delete button
Click any field to select it and open its settings in the right panel.
Right panel: selected field settings
The selected field’s configuration. Settings vary by field type but always include:
- Labelwhat editors see in the post editor
- Namethe PHP variable name used in
get_field('name') - Requiredwhether the field must be filled in
- Instructionshelp text shown to editors
- Default valuepre-filled value for new posts
- Conditional logicshow/hide based on other field values
Field-type-specific settings appear below (choices for Select, allowed types for File, etc.).
Inline label editing
Double-click any field’s label in the middle panel to edit in place. Press Enter or click outside to save. No dialog box, no settings panel trip — just quick label changes for when you’re naming fields on the fly.
Real-time preview
As you edit field settings, a preview updates in the middle panel. You see exactly what the field will look like in the post editor before saving. Settings like Required, Instructions, and field-type-specific options all reflect in the preview immediately.
For complex fields like Repeater and Flexible Content, the preview shows the full row structure with sub-fields rendered correctly.
Keyboard shortcuts
- Cmd/Ctrl + Ssave the field group
- Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Fopen the “add field” modal
- Cmd/Ctrl + Zundo last change
- Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Zredo
- Escclose modal or cancel action
- Deletedelete selected field (with confirmation)
Field duplication
Click the duplicate icon on any field to copy it in place. The duplicate inherits all settings — type, label, instructions, defaults — and is placed directly after the original with “(copy)” appended to the label. Edit the duplicate’s settings to customize.
Saves tons of time when building similar fields repeatedly.
Drag-drop reordering
Grab any field’s drag handle and move it up or down within the field group. Drag over the edges of other fields to drop above or below them.
For nested fields (inside Repeater, Group, or Flexible Content), drag to reorder sub-fields within their parent without affecting fields outside.
Location rules editor
Below the field group canvas, the Location Rules section controls which content shows this field group. Rules use a visual editor with dropdowns:
- Rule type (Post type, Page, Taxonomy, Current User Role, etc.)
- Operator (is, is not, is equal to, is greater than)
- Value (depends on the rule type)
Combine rules with AND (within a group) and OR (between groups) for complex matching.
Example: “Show this field group if Post Type is ‘product’ AND Post Category is ‘featured’ OR Current User Role is ‘administrator’.”
Field group settings
Top-level settings for the whole field group:
- Title (internal name)
- Position (normal, side, or advanced — where in the post editor to show)
- Style (default, seamless, meta box, none)
- Label placement (top or left)
- Instruction placement (label or field)
- Hide on screen (which WordPress screens to hide: discussion, comments, featured image, etc.)
- Local JSON sync (enable/disable per-group)
- Schema versioning (enable/disable per-group)
AI generate button
At the top of the field group builder, the Generate with AI button opens an input for plain-English descriptions. Type a description, AI creates the field group, you review and save. Learn more about AI schema generation →.
Works alongside code
For developers who want both visual editing and code-first workflows:
- Local JSON Sync saves field groups as JSON files in your theme for git versioning
- Export to PHP generates
fieldforge_register_field_group()code for programmatic setup - Import from code scans theme files for existing field group code and converts
This hybrid approach is especially useful when migrating from CMB2 or Carbon Fields — developers get to keep code-first control while non-dev team members get a visual builder.
Compared to other builders
vs ACF’s builder
Similar three-panel layout. Field Forge adds keyboard shortcuts, inline label editing, and live preview. AI generation is unique to Field Forge.
vs Meta Box’s builder
Field Forge is more modern (Meta Box’s admin UI hasn’t changed much since 2018). Similar feature parity, Field Forge is faster to use for complex groups.
vs CMB2 / Carbon Fields
CMB2 and Carbon Fields have no visual builder — fields are defined in PHP. Field Forge offers both: visual builder for most use cases, plus a code API for developers who prefer programmatic setup.
Ready to build field groups visually?
The visual builder is in every version of Field Forge, including the free one.