VP FAQ — Getting Started

A short welcome guide to VP FAQ — what it is, how to install it, and how to publish your first FAQ in five minutes. For detailed configuration options, troubleshooting and use cases, see the VP FAQ Reference.

VP FAQ is a two-part Joomla extension. The admin component gives you a dedicated dashboard for managing questions and answers as database records, with categories, ordering, and Joomla's standard publishing controls — exactly the same experience as managing articles. The frontend module renders selected items, or whole categories, as an accessible accordion that drops into any Joomla template.

If you have ever maintained a real FAQ database — dozens of questions, multiple categories, content reused across pages — you know that storing each question in module configuration (the way simpler accordion modules do) does not scale. VP FAQ separates content from presentation: questions live in the database, modules just display them.

Requirements

Before you install, make sure your environment meets the following:

  • Joomla 5.1 or later, or Joomla 6.0 or later
  • PHP 8.1 or higher
  • MySQL 8 or MariaDB 10.4 or higher
  • A modern browser. The module does not target Internet Explorer.

The frontend module ships with its own scoped CSS and vanilla JavaScript — no jQuery, no Bootstrap, no template framework dependency. It works on Cassiopeia, custom builds, or fully bespoke templates without additional setup.

Installation

VP FAQ ships as a single package ZIP that installs both the component and the module in one step.

  1. After purchase, download the latest pkg_vpfaq_*.zip from your account.
  2. In the Joomla administrator, go to System → Install → Extensions.
  3. Drop the ZIP onto the upload area, or use Upload Package File → choose the ZIP.
  4. Wait for the green "installation successful" notice.

The installer registers two extensions with Joomla: the component com_vpfaq and the site module mod_vpfaq (listed as VP FAQ Module). It also creates a database table #__vp_faq_item for storing your questions. No template files are touched and no Joomla core files are modified.

You can verify the install in System → Manage → Extensions — both should appear with status "Enabled".

Quick Start

The fastest path from zero to a working FAQ on your site is about five minutes:

  1. Create a category. Go to Components → VP FAQ → Categories → New. Title it something like "General FAQ" and save.
  2. Create a few questions. Go to Components → VP FAQ → Questions and Answers → New. Pick the category, write a question in the Title field, write the answer in the editor, save. Repeat 3-4 times to have enough material to test with.
  3. Create a module instance. Go to Extensions → Modules → New → VP FAQ Module. Give it a title, choose a position (e.g. bottom-a in your template), assign it to the menu items where you want it shown.
  4. Configure the module. In the Module tab, set Source to Categories and pick "General FAQ". Save & Close.
  5. Visit your site. The accordion should appear in the chosen position.

Where to go next

Once you have the basics working, the VP FAQ Reference covers everything else:

  • Every option of the component (categories, FAQ item fields, ordering)
  • Every option of the module (both source modes, ordering, limits, "Read more" link, open-first)
  • Five common use case patterns with concrete configurations
  • Article Linking — how to connect a short FAQ answer to a full Joomla article
  • Troubleshooting — eight typical problems and their fixes
  • Updates, support, and license details

If something is not covered or you run into a problem, contact us through the support form.