Drag-and-drop page assembly. Every shortcode SocietyPress ships has a matching widget in the page builder, so you don't have to type shortcodes by hand if you don't want to.
The page builder is a SocietyPress feature, not a separate plugin. It works on top of WordPress's Pages — you create a Page, edit it with the SocietyPress builder, save.
What you can do
- Drop pre-built widgets (24+ types) into single-column or multi-column rows.
- Configure each widget through a settings panel — no code, no shortcode syntax.
- Drag widgets to reorder. Resize columns by dragging the dividers.
- Preview as you build — what you see in the editor is roughly what visitors see.
- Save drafts, publish when ready. Revisions are tracked like any WordPress page.
- Any page can mix builder widgets with WordPress block-editor content if you switch back-and-forth.
How to make a builder page
SocietyPress → Pages → Add New. Title the page. In the page editor, click the Use SocietyPress Builder toggle at the top. The block editor disappears; the builder canvas appears.
From here:
- Click + Row to add a row. Pick a column layout (1 column / 2 columns / 3 columns / etc.).
- Click + Widget in any column to open the widget picker.
- Pick a widget. Configure its settings in the right-hand panel. Save.
- Drag widgets to rearrange. Drag the column divider to resize.
- Click Save at the top right when done.
The page is published the same way any WordPress page is — make sure the page status is "Published" (top-right of the WP page editor).
What widgets ship
Categorized by what they do:
Member-facing
- Member Directory — public roster with privacy controls
- Membership Tiers — display the join page
- Surname Lookup — search member-researched surnames
- My Volunteer Hours — logged-in member's contribution summary
- My Research Cases — member's paid-research-case list
- My Research Assignments — researcher dashboard
Content + display
- Heading
- Rich Text
- Image
- Hero Slider
- Feature Cards
- Contact Card
- Map Embed
- Community Link
- Newsletter Archive
- Photo Gallery
- Picture Wall (member-submitted ancestor portraits)
Events
- Event Calendar (grid view)
- Upcoming Events (list view)
Library + Records
- Library Catalog
- Genealogical Records Search
Donations + store
- Donation Form
- Membership Tiers (drives the join flow)
Help / Research
- Help Request Submission Form
- Help Requests Archive
- Research Case Request
Lineage Programs
- Lineage Roster
- Lineage Application Form
- My Lineage Applications
Information
- Database Subscriptions
- Research Guide
Forms + utility
- Contact Form
- Button
- Member Stats
- Volunteer Stats
That's the full set. New modules ship with their widgets registered automatically — they appear in the picker as soon as you enable the module.
How widget settings work
Each widget has a unique settings panel — the Donation Form has fields for default frequency and campaign; the Library Catalog has a per-page count and login-required toggle; the Member Directory has columns shown and search behavior.
Common patterns:
- Login required — gate the widget behind a login. Visitors without a session see a "please log in" message instead.
- Per-page count — how many items to show per page in paginated widgets.
- Show search — a checkbox to enable/disable a search box at the top of the widget.
- Filter by [thing] — pre-filter the widget to show only content matching some condition.
The settings panel updates the live preview as you change settings, so you see the impact before saving.
How shortcodes and widgets relate
Every page-builder widget is a wrapper around a shortcode. If you'd rather use shortcodes (in a regular post body, in an email template, in a child-theme PHP template), every widget has a shortcode equivalent.
Convention: widget donate corresponds to shortcode [sp_donate]. Widget lineage_roster corresponds to [sp_lineage_roster]. Settings on the widget become attributes on the shortcode ([sp_donate default_frequency="monthly"]).
This means you can prototype with the page builder, then "graduate" to shortcodes when you want to embed the same content elsewhere — your WordPress post, your child theme, an email — without redoing the configuration.
How responsive layouts work
Builder rows are responsive out of the box. A 3-column row on desktop becomes 2-column on tablet, then 1-column on phone. You don't configure this — it's automatic.
If you want a row that stays multi-column at all sizes (rare), edit the row settings → "Responsive Behavior" → pick a different breakpoint.
The widgets themselves are also responsive — tables collapse to cards on mobile, image grids reflow, font sizes scale. You shouldn't have to do anything for a builder page to work on a phone.
How to embed a builder page elsewhere
If you've built a great page and want to drop part of it onto another page, the simplest path is shortcodes. Each widget on the original page is a configured shortcode somewhere; copy the shortcode (visible in the widget settings → "Shortcode" tab) and paste it on the second page.
You can also save a builder row as a "template" via the row's settings menu → "Save as template," then drop it into another page from the Templates widget category.
If something looks wrong
The builder toggle isn't appearing. Make sure you're editing a Page (not a Post). The builder is page-only. Go SocietyPress → Pages → All Pages, click the page title to edit.
A widget I expected isn't in the picker. The widget probably belongs to a module that's currently disabled. SocietyPress → Settings → Modules — turn on the module that owns the widget.
A widget shows raw shortcode instead of rendering. Double-check the page is published (not draft) and you're viewing the front-end (not the editor preview). Shortcode resolution happens at front-end render.
The page-builder layout looks broken on mobile. Open the page in a phone-sized browser window. If a column is being too aggressive, edit the row → "Responsive Behavior" and pick a wider breakpoint.
I want to copy a page. WordPress's "Duplicate Page" plugin works fine for this. Or save the row(s) as templates and reassemble.
Related guides
- Theme Presets — the design tokens that drive widget rendering
- Setup Wizard — gets the design defaults in place
- Every other module guide — references its widget(s) at the bottom