Ninja Tables Glossary

This guide defines common terms used in the Ninja Tables documentation to help you understand key features.

A

Action Button (data type): A column data type that renders a clickable button or link inside a cell instead of plain text.

Advanced Mode (Classic Mode): The default table-building mode, where you configure columns and rows in a structured builder. This is the counterpart to Drag & Drop (Simple Mode).

Advanced Settings: Column-level configuration options such as sorting behavior, default sort order, and other per-column rules.

Advanced Shortcode: A Pro feature that extends the standard table shortcode with extra attributes for developers to control how a table renders.

B

Background Color: A setting that customizes the background color of table cells, available in both Advanced and Drag & Drop modes.

Basic Settings: The core column configuration tab where you set a column's title, data type, and visibility.

Button Element: A Drag & Drop element that adds a clickable button to a table cell.

C

Cell Merge (Colspan): Combining two or more adjacent cells horizontally, within the same row, into a single cell.

Color Settings: The tab where you customize a table's overall colors — header, rows, borders, and text — beyond a single preset.

Column Rearrangement: Dragging a column into a new position to reorder it in the table builder.

Conditional Formatting: A Pro feature that automatically changes a cell's color, text color, content, or CSS class based on rules like Equal, Not equal, or Contains.

Custom Filter: A Pro feature for building custom frontend filter controls (dropdowns, ranges, etc.) beyond the default search box.

Custom SQL Query: A data source that builds a table directly from the results of a custom SQL query against the WordPress database.

CSS Styling: Adding custom CSS, targeted with a table-specific selector, to fine-tune a table's appearance beyond the built-in style options.

D

Data Calculation: A feature that computes sums or other calculated values across a row or column of numeric data.

Data Filtering Shortcode: A shortcode attribute that pre-filters which rows of a table are shown, without the visitor needing to use the search/filter controls.

Data Type: The kind of value a column holds — Text, Numeric, Date, Select, Image/File, Button/Link, HTML, and more — which determines how it's edited, validated, and sorted.

Date Field: A column data type for storing and displaying calendar dates, with a date-picker input in the editor.

Drag & Drop Table (Simple Mode): A visual table-building mode where you construct a table by dragging cell elements (text, button, image, etc.) directly onto the table, instead of configuring columns and rows.

E

Excel Formula Support: An option, enabled per column, that lets a Transform Value use Excel-style formulas (like =SUM(...)) to compute a cell's displayed value.

F

Featured Image: A WordPress Posts table option that pulls a post's featured image into its own table column.

Fluent Forms Integration: A data source that pulls submitted Fluent Forms entries into a Ninja Tables table as rows.

Font Settings: The tab where you customize a table's font family, size, and weight.

Frontend Editing: A Pro feature that lets site visitors edit table data directly on the published page, not just in the WordPress admin.

G

Google Sheets Integration: A Pro data source that pulls live data from a connected Google Sheet into a table.

H

HTML Element (Drag & Drop): A Drag & Drop element that inserts custom HTML directly into a cell.

HTML Field: A column data type, in Advanced Mode, that renders raw HTML inside a cell.

I

Icon Element: A Drag & Drop element that displays an icon inside a cell.

Image & File (data type): A column data type for displaying an uploaded image or file, optionally with a lightbox popup.

Image Element (Drag & Drop): A Drag & Drop element, available in Pro, for placing an image inside a cell.

Image Lightbox: An option that opens an image in an enlarged popup overlay when a visitor clicks it, instead of just showing a static thumbnail.

Import Table: Creating a new table by importing existing CSV, JSON, or TablePress data.

J

JSON Export/Import: Exporting an entire table's structure and data as a JSON file, or importing a table from a previously exported Ninja Tables JSON file.

L

Language Settings: Text-string overrides for the frontend table interface — like the search placeholder or "no data" message — used to translate or customize wording.

License Key: The code entered in Ninja Tables Pro's settings to activate Pro features and receive plugin updates.

List Element: A Drag & Drop element for displaying a bulleted or numbered list inside a cell.

M

Merge/Split Table Cells: The general term for combining cells (see Cell Merge and Rowspan) or reverting a merged cell back to individual cells.

N

Ninja Charts: A companion free plugin that turns Ninja Tables data into charts and graphs — pie charts, bar charts, line charts, and more.

Numeric Value (data type): A column data type for numbers, enabling numeric sorting, filtering, and calculations rather than plain-text comparison.

P

Pagination: Splitting a large table's rows across multiple pages instead of showing all of them at once.

Post Meta Field: A WordPress Posts table column sourced from a post's custom field (meta) value, including ACF fields.

Pro (version): The paid tier of Ninja Tables, unlocking integrations (Google Sheets, WooCommerce, WP Posts), Conditional Formatting, Frontend Editing, Custom Filter, and several Drag & Drop elements.

Progress Bar Element: A Drag & Drop element, available in Pro, that visualizes a percentage or value as a filled bar.

R

Rendering Settings: Options that control how and when a table's data loads on the frontend — for example, loading all data immediately versus in chunks.

Responsive Breakpoint: A screen-width threshold at which specific table columns are automatically hidden or shown to fit smaller screens.

Ribbon Element: A Drag & Drop element, available in Pro, that adds a decorative ribbon or badge (e.g. "Best Seller") to a cell.

Row Colors: A styling option for alternating or custom-coloring individual table rows.

Rowspan: Merging a cell vertically across two or more rows.

S

Search & Filter: The built-in search box that lets frontend visitors instantly filter a table's rows by typing.

Select Field (data type): A column data type that presents a dropdown of predefined options for each row.

Shortcode: The bracketed code (e.g. [ninja_tables id="123"]) copied and pasted to embed a specific table on any WordPress page, post, or widget area.

Shortcode Element (Drag & Drop): A Drag & Drop element that renders any WordPress shortcode inside a cell.

Simple Mode: See Drag & Drop Table.

Sorting: Letting frontend visitors click a column header to sort the table's rows by that column's values.

Stackable Table: A responsive display mode, available in Pro, where on small screens each row "stacks" into its own mini vertical table instead of scrolling horizontally.

Star Rating Element: A Drag & Drop element that displays a star-rating graphic inside a cell.

Styled List Element: A Drag & Drop element, available in Pro, for displaying a more visually styled list than the basic List Element.

T

Table Cloning: Duplicating an existing table, including its columns and settings, to use as a starting point for a new one.

Table ID: The unique numeric identifier assigned to every table, used inside its shortcode.

Table Style Settings: The tab where you choose a table's overall CSS design — Bootstrap, Semantic UI, or a custom style — from 100+ presets.

TablePress Migration: A one-click tool that imports existing tables created with the TablePress plugin into Ninja Tables.

Text Icon Element: A Drag & Drop element, available in Pro, that pairs an icon with text in a single cell.

Transform Value: A column setting that computes or reformats a cell's displayed value using HTML, CSS, or an Excel-style formula, optionally referencing other columns by their reference shortcode.

U

User Permissions: Settings that control which WordPress user roles can view, edit, or manage a specific table.

W

WooCommerce Integration: A Pro data source that builds a table from WooCommerce products — price, stock, variations, and an add-to-cart button.

WordPress Posts Table: A data source that builds a table from WordPress posts or any custom post type.