In this article, we will talk about Advanced Views Lite and Advanced Views Pro, two plugins for WordPress.
This review will help you understand how Advanced Views Lite makes it easy to show your website’s content in different ways. It does a lot of the work, like making templates and putting your posts in order.
I’ll also talk about Advanced Views Pro, considering it as its big brother. This is like the advanced version of Advanced Views Lite with more features.
Whether you know a lot about making websites or you’re just starting, this review will help you decide if Advanced Views Lite or Pro is better for you.
Let’s explore what these plugins can do in my detailed review below.
What is Advanced Views?
Advanced Views Lite is a plugin for WordPress websites. It helps you display your website’s content in different and customized ways.
This plugin includes features that automatically create templates and sort your posts.
It is designed to make the development process faster and easier while still allowing you to have control over how your website looks.
Advanced Views Lite is useful for both developers and those who are not developers, as it simplifies the process of managing and displaying website content.
Features of Advanced Views
Advanced Views Lite offers a range of features, so whether you’re building complex websites or just starting, they are of immense help.
They simplified the development process, enhanced efficiency, and ensured that my website was both functional and visually appealing in no time.
Being a non-developer, it didn’t take time at all to be hands-on on the plugin.
Below are some of the features that I absolutely love –
For Developers:
Smart Templates
They adapt automatically to your content, saving you time and effort in designing and coding. This means you can focus more on creative aspects rather than technical details.
Hassle-Free Development
The robust foundation provided by Advanced Views Lite streamlines your workflow. It significantly cuts down on the time needed to implement projects, making your development process faster and more efficient.
Automatic Data Retrieval and Template Generation
This feature simplifies data handling and template creation, allowing you to concentrate on the more important parts of your project rather than getting bogged down with complex coding.
Up-to-date Templates
The plugin automatically updates templates when you change fields in your database. This ensures your website stays current without extra work, and the on-site editor enables quick edits, enhancing your productivity.
UI for WP_Query Construction
The user-friendly interface for WP_Query saves you time and effort in writing complex queries. It’s easier to customize your website’s layout and content display thanks to clear descriptions and an intuitive design.
Adherence to Best Practices
By using industry-standard practices like the Twig engine, modular content building, and BEM methodology, your projects are more structured, reliable, and easier to maintain.
For Non-Developers:
Display Posts and Fields
Easily display various types of content on your site, from posts to products, without needing to know how to code. This flexibility allows for a more dynamic and engaging website.
Powerful Features with Built-in Twig Templates
The auto-generated Twig templates reduce the need for manual coding, making it easy to create professional designs without technical expertise.
Intuitive Interface
The user-friendly interface streamlines your website-building process, making it faster and more efficient, especially for those without coding skills.
Simplified Process
Advanced Views Lite automates many of the complex processes, like creating templates, which means you can focus on the content rather than the coding.
Lite Code Base, Fast Results
Benefit: The plugin’s lightweight design ensures that your website remains fast and efficient, providing a better experience for your visitors without sacrificing functionality.
How to select between Advanced Views Lite and Advanced Views Pro?
First, let me tell you the features that are common in both Advanced Views Lite and Advanced Views Pro.
- Multiple Fields: Display different types of fields like user info, categories, comments, and WooCommerce product details.
- Edit CSS & JavaScript: Customize the appearance and behavior of your site with CSS and JavaScript.
- Custom Templates & Preview Output: Create and see a preview of your designs for displaying content.
- Development Mode & Export/Import Tool: Test changes without affecting your live site and easily move settings between sites.
- Multilingual Field Labels & Google Maps with Multiple Markers: Support for various languages and showing multiple locations on a map.
Now, let me explain to you the features that are common only in Advanced Views Pro.
- Gallery Field (Requires Advanced Views Pro): Create image galleries on your site.
- Custom Map Marker Icon & Hide Map/Show Address: Personalize map icons and toggle between map view and address display.
- Assign View for Relational Field Types: Link specific templates to related data types.
- Masonry Gallery Layout & Lightbox Image Option: Organize images in an overlapping grid and view them in full-screen mode.
- Repeater and Group Fields (Requires Advanced Views Pro): Display repeating data and organize fields into groups.
- Meta and Taxonomy Filters: Filter content based on metadata and categories/tags.
- Pagination & Mount Points: Add page numbers for content and specify content insertion points.
- Custom Template Variables: Use dynamic variables in your templates.
- Integration with Gutenberg Block (Requires Advanced Views Pro): Use this plugin’s features within the Gutenberg editor.
- Shortcodes in Custom Templates: Embed WordPress shortcodes in your custom templates.
Who Should Use Which Version:
Advanced Views Lite
This is best for individual users or small-scale projects where basic functionalities are sufficient.
In my opinion, this is ideal for those who need essential features without the complexity of advanced options.
Advanced Views Pro
Pro is best suited for professional developers, freelancers, or agencies that require advanced functionalities like repeater fields, enhanced filtering, pagination, and more sophisticated design options.
It’s also better for those integrating with Gutenberg Block and needing more customization in templates.
Pricing Advanced Views Lite
Advanced Views Lite is free for all. But if you want advanced features, as explained above, then you should go for Advanced Views Pro, which is paid and has different pricing plans.
So, let me discuss those with you.
Pricing for Advanced Views Pro
Advanced Views Pro has three different price plans, each with its benefits:
Personal Plan ($25/year)
If you have just one website or a small project, then I would recommend your Personal Plan
This plan offers you all the Advanced Views features, custom design options, ways to filter content, easy page scrolling, fields for repeated information, blocks for Gutenberg editor, mount points, and support for one year.
Freelancer Plan ($45/year):
This one is most suited to Freelancers or small businesses who work on up to 5 websites. I have taken this one, and trust me, there is no remorse.
This plan offers everything from the personal plan to 5 different websites (both live and development versions) and priority support for a year.
Agency Plan ($80/year):
This is ideal for larger businesses or agencies with many clients working on up to 20 websites.
Here, you get all Personal plan features for 20 websites, including live and development versions, with priority support for a year.
To decide which plan to choose, think about how many websites you need to manage.
If it’s just one, go for Personal. If you have more than one website to look for, Freelancer might be best. For lots of sites, Agency is the way to go.
Remember, you need the Advanced Custom Fields plugin for all these plans, and the Gutenberg block feature is only available with the Advanced Views PRO plugin.
How to install Advanced Views Lite?
You can download and install Advanced Views Lite from WordPress.org or WordPress.com’s plugin directory for free.
You can access your WordPress dashboard and then Click Add New Plugin in the Plugins list.
Search for Advanced Views.
Advanced Views Lite can be installed by clicking Install Now and then activating it.
Creating your first View is easy with the new menu item Advanced Views.
Now, if you have made the choice that you wish to go with Advanced Views Pro, then let me explain how to install and activate Advanced Views Pro.
To upload a plugin, click Add New Plugin in the Plugins list.
Click Choose File, then Open after downloading Advanced Views Pro.
The package will be uploaded and installed once you click Install Now, then you can click Activate Plugin after it has been installed.
Please note here: This will automatically deactivate Advanced Views Lite.
Advanced Views Lite can be safely deleted from the Plugins list.
You won’t lose any data when you delete the Lite plugin.
Click Activate your Pro license in the Advanced Views Pro plugins list.
Click Activate after copying and pasting your License Key.
Here, you go, your Advanced Views Pro is also activated.
Automated updates keep Advanced Views Pro up-to-date with all its features and settings.
Through their support form, customers with an Active Pro license can receive personal support, the best part of which I totally love.
How to Create Your First View?
You can use View items to display fields for specific posts/pages or Custom Post Type items.
Step-by-step guide
You can view advanced views in the backend of WordPress by clicking on the Advanced Views tab.
You can add a new view by clicking Add New.
Give your view a name.
Add a field by clicking the Add Field button.
Choosing the target Group and Field from the dropdown menu will then take you to the next step.
Once all fields have been assigned, continue adding them.
Once you have saved and published your View, click on the Publish button.
From the sidebar, copy your View’s shortcode.
You can paste the shortcode into a post, page or theme section.
To save your document, fill out the required fields and click the Publish button.
How is customer support?
When it comes to getting assistance with Advanced Views, they have you covered on multiple fronts.
If you’re using Advanced Views Lite and have questions or need guidance, their support forum is the place to go.
You can expect responsive answers and assistance from their team.
On the other hand, if you’re a user of Advanced Views Pro, their support is a bit more personalized.
They offer a support request form where you can lay out your concerns, and their dedicated support team, led by experts, will promptly cater to your specific needs.
It’s worth noting that they strongly recommend checking out their detailed documentation before seeking help – it might have the answers you’re looking for.
Pros and Cons of Advanced Views
Pros
- Smart Templates and automatic data retrieval simplify design and coding tasks.
- Offers a Lite version for essential features, catering to smaller projects.
- Advanced Views Pro provides advanced functionalities like repeater fields and more design options.
- Flexible pricing plans for different user needs, from Personal to Agency.
- Provides priority support and automated updates for Pro users.
- Customer support includes a support forum and personalized support for Pro users.
- Detailed documentation is available for users seeking self-help.
Cons
- The Lite version may have limitations for users with complex website requirements.
- The Pro version is a paid plugin, which may not be suitable for budget-conscious users.
- The learning curve for beginners, especially with the Pro version, maybe steep due to its advanced features.
Conclusion
After exploring Advanced Views Lite and Advanced Views Pro, it’s clear that these plugins can help a lot with WordPress websites.
Advanced Views Lite is good for making it easy to show your content in different ways, and it’s great for beginners and experts.
Advanced Views Pro has even more cool features, but it needs a special plugin called Advanced Custom Fields, which is not free.
If you’re willing to pay, you can choose from different plans based on your needs. There’s a plan for individuals, one for freelancers or small businesses, and a plan for agencies or big companies. The Pro version also comes with faster support and updates.
Ultimately, whether you pick Lite or Pro depends on what you need and how much you want to spend.
Both can help you make your WordPress website better, but Pro has extra features if you’re willing to invest in it.
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