Setup wizard and starter templates

Last updated Oct 3, 20264 min read

The setup wizard helps you get to your first field group in about a minute. It is optional: you can skip it at any time and everything it offers stays available later.

Open the wizard

It opens by itself once after you activate the plugin (see Installation).
Any time later, go to wp-admin/admin.php?page=wpmcf-setup (the screen is called Set up Mass Custom Fields and is not in the menu), or click Run the setup wizard on the dashboard checklist. That button only shows while the wizard has been neither finished nor skipped.

Only administrators (manage_options) can use it.

Step 1: Your goal

Title: What are you building? The text underneath says this only shapes the next steps and everything stays available later.

Option	Meaning
Custom fields	Add your own fields to posts, pages, users and more.
Programmatic SEO	Turn a spreadsheet of data into many search-friendly pages from one template (a Pro feature).
Both	Custom fields for your content, and generated pages for your data.

Select one and click Continue. Your choice is saved. It affects two things: the second step (a hint about Pro) and whether the dashboard checklist includes a Programmatic SEO step.

Step 2: Starting point

Title: Pick a starting point. A starter creates a ready-to-use field group you can change at any time. Nothing is created until you pick one.

If you chose Programmatic SEO or Both and your site does not have Pro, a box explains that Programmatic SEO is part of Pro and that you can try Pro free for 14 days, with a See what Pro includes link to the Pro page. The starters below work on every plan.

Click Use this starter on a card to install it right away, Start from scratch to install nothing, or Back to change your goal. A card shows Added before if you installed that starter earlier.

The four starters

All starters use free field types only.

Article extras: a subtitle, reading time, source link and key takeaways for blog posts.

Creates	Details
Field group Article details (key `article_details`)	Shown on posts
Fields	Subtitle (text), Reading time (minutes) (number), Source link (URL), Key takeaways (repeater with one sub-field, Point)

FAQ section: questions and answers you can add to any page.

Creates	Details
Field group Frequently asked questions (key `page_faq`)	Shown on pages
Fields	Questions (repeater) with Question (text) and Answer (text area)

Team members: a "Team members" post type with role, email, phone and profile link.

Creates	Details
Post type Team members (name `team_member`, dashicon "groups", supports title, editor, featured image)	Appears in the admin menu
Field group Team member details (key `team_details`)	Shown on the Team members post type
Fields	Role (text), Email (email), Phone (text), Profile link (URL)

Business listings: a "Listings" post type with phone, website, address, price range and a featured switch.

Creates	Details
Post type Listings (name `listing`, store icon, supports title, editor, featured image, excerpt, with an archive page)	Appears in the admin menu
Field group Listing details (key `listing_details`)	Shown on the Listings post type
Fields	Phone (text), Website (URL), Address (text area), Price range (select: `$`, `$$`, `$$$`), Featured (true / false)

Installing a starter twice

It is safe. A second install never touches the first copy: the group key gets a number (team_details_2) and the post type is reused if it already exists. Each starter also creates the group's database table straight away. If creating the group fails, a post type that was created for it is removed again.

You can edit, rename or delete everything a starter creates like any other field group or post type, under WPM Fields › Field Groups and WPM Fields › Post Types.

Step 3: You are ready

The last step tells you what was set up (for example "Article extras is set up. Open it to see its fields, then fill them in on a post.") and mentions when a new post type was added to the admin menu. It also links to the getting started guide. Each button finishes the wizard:

Button	Where it goes
Open the field group (after a starter) / Create a field group (from scratch)	The field group editor / the new field group form
Open Programmatic SEO	Only shown with a Pro license and a goal other than Custom fields
Go to the dashboard	WPM Fields › Dashboard

Skip setup

Skip setup at the top right (steps 1 and 2) marks the wizard as skipped and opens the dashboard. Starters you already installed stay.

If you close the tab part-way, the wizard stays "pending": it will not pop up again by itself, but Run the setup wizard remains on the dashboard checklist.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Cause and fix
"Could not save the post type of this template" or a message about the post type	A post type with that name or a reserved name exists. Rename or delete the old one, or choose Start from scratch.
A starter's field group has a number at the end	You installed it before. That is intended.
Starter installed but fields do not appear on posts	Check the group's location rules under Field Groups. Starters target posts, pages or their own post type.

Next: the dashboard. To build a field group yourself: Field groups.

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