How to Create Tables in WordPress: An Easy Guide

Displaying a large amount of data on a website can be puzzling if you fail to choose the right tools. Likewise, it becomes an uphill battle for a WordPress-based website because WordPress doesn’t offer any default table showcasing functionality right now. Does it mean you won’t be able to display data in a table format on the  WordPress website anymore?

Fear not, my friend! There is a solution for your queries. Using a specialized data table plugin comes in handy to create tables in WordPress. A data table plugin is specially designed to display a mammoth amount of data in an organized way. Thus, it helps your visitors find the required information without wasting most of their valuable time. Ultimately, this facility makes your website more dynamic and drives more traffic. 

Therefore, in the article below, we will demonstrate a complete guide on how to create tables in a WordPress-based website using a sophisticated data table plugin. So why wait? Let’s get started!

Step by Step Guide on How to Create Tables in WordPress

To insert table in WordPress, we will be using the ‘TablePress’ plugin as it is one of the best free data table generating plugins in WordPress. Let’s begin. 

Step 1: Creating your first data table

Before proceeding further, I hope you have installed WordPress as your dedicated Content Management System (CMS). To know how to create tables in WordPress, you need to head over to your Dashboard’s ‘Admin Menu Bar’ and click on Plugins➤Add New.  

Now, you have landed on the WordPress free Plugin’s bank. Write ‘TablePress’ in the Search Plugins box. You will see ‘TablePress’ is already in the search result. Now, click on Install Now to activate the plugin. 

You have successfully installed ‘TablePress’ on your site. Now, it’s time to make it come into work. To do this, click on Activate to make it work. 

You have installed and activated the ‘TablePress’ on your WordPress site. It’s time to work with this plugin. To do this, go to WP Admin Menu➤TablePress. 

Now, you are about to explore ‘TablePress’. After entering, you will see a ‘Welcome’ message containing information about FAQ, Documentation, and Support. Below the ‘Welcome’ text, there is a blank data table list.

For now, you are going to insert table in WordPress. To do this, click on the Add New button.

You are on the new page to create your first data table. Here, you need to provide basic information about the new data table.

First, give the title of your new table in the Table Name box. Below this, write what your table is all about in the Description box, though it’s optional. Lastly, provide how many rows and columns you want to include in your table using the Number of Rows and Number of Columns.

Don’t forget to click on Add Table displayed at the page’s footer when everything is done. We have already created a data table Named ‘Employee personal details’ to make the process easier for you.

Right now, you are on the next page. Here, you will get the Table Information option, where basic information about your newly created table is displayed. Besides, you will get a unique Table ID and Shortcode here to show your table on any page or post. Below the ‘Table Information’ option, there is a Table Content option where you need to fill out the individual cells with numerous data. The interface here is straightforward and similar to using Excel sheets. 

Scroll down further, you will find the ‘Table Manipulation’ option that offers numerous facilities to manage the functionalities of your recently created new Table like Insert Link, Insert Image, and more. Besides, there is an Advanced Editor to help you edit any cell of your table. 

Up next, Table Option offers different functionalities to customize the ‘Row’ of your table. Besides, you will get the Print option from where you can print both Table Name and Table Description. Moreover, you have the opportunity to add Extra CSS Classes to give your table a stylish look.

Next, at the last part of the page, you will find the Data Table’s JavaScript Library that depicts numerous features of it. 

After completing all the procedures, you will move on to the footer part of the page. Here you will get Preview to inspect what the changes will look like when the Table goes live, or click on Save Changes to store all the changes you have made to your table.

In the last part you will find three options: Copy Table, Export Table, and Delete Table.

So you have already created your desired data table. Now, you can display it to any post or page by copying the Shortcode belonging to it and ‘Paste’ it to any page or post you like. Let’s see.

Now that you have seen how easy it is to insert table in WordPress and display them on any post or page using shortcode.

Step 2: Import data table

Sometimes you may need to use a ready-made table for your website, but you don’t have any ready-made data table. To solve this problem, you can import data tables from different sources.

To do this, move onto your WordPress Admin Menu Bar and click on ‘TablePress’. You will be redirected to the TablePress page. Now click on Import, and you will land on the Import Tables. There are four different Import Sources for you. The default import option here is selected as ‘File Upload’. Click on ‘Choose File’ from the Select File to upload a file. Besides, other options help your Data Table import process way easier. Lastly, click on Import.

Now, you can see the imported Data Table on your Table List.

Step 3: Export data table 

To export a table, go to your WordPress Dashboard Admin Panel and click on ‘TablePress’. The screen will be like this.

Next, Choose Tables to Export to export files. Besides, to export all the data tables of your site, click on Select All. Lastly, click on the Download Export File button to download the data table file you want to export.

Step 4: Take a tour on ‘Plugin Options’

Next, it’s time to get into the ‘Plugin Options’. To do that, go to your Dashboard Admin Menu Bar and click on TablePress➤Plugin Options. You will be redirected to the ‘Plugin Options’ page. If you want to customize the options and styling of your table, go to Custom CSS in the ‘Frontend Options and Styling’. From here, you can write Custom CSS commands in the text area. 

Under the ‘Custom CSS’ text, there are some Instructions available. If you aren’t a coding expert, you can get detailed styling examples from the ‘FAQs’. Moreover, from the ‘Documentation’ part, you will get information on available CSS selectors.

In the Admin menu entry, you can also choose the section of your Admin Menu where TablePress will be shown. Lastly, after making all the required changes, click on the Save Changes button to record the progress.

If necessary, you can uninstall TablePress from the database by clicking on Uninstall TablePress. But before doing that, you should carefully read the text-based instructions and proceed.

Final Thoughts

Generating a data table is undoubtedly a challenging task for your WordPress website if the proper plugin isn’t selected. This is why, in this article, we have used an easy-to-get free plugin to let you know how to create tables in WordPress to relieve you from this hassle. Moreover, using this plugin won’t raise your tension higher thinking about the plugin’s pricing. 

If you follow this step-by-step guide, we can assure you that it will become the most convenient way for you to insert table in WordPress at any time you wish. Do you have more ideas on making the data tables creation process way easier? Then, feel free to share them in the comments section below.

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