How to Build a Member Dashboard with Ninja Forms & NFViews

ByAman Updated on

Creating a powerful, user-friendly member dashboard in WordPress doesn’t have to involve custom development from scratch. With the combination of Ninja Forms and the NFViews plugin, you can build a fully functional frontend dashboard where users can view, edit, and manage their own form submissions. Whether you’re running a membership site, job board, event portal, or client intake system, this setup is flexible, extensible, and easy to use.

In this guide, we’ll walk through how to build a member dashboard using Ninja Forms and NFViews, step-by-step.

Why Use Ninja Forms & NFViews for a Member Dashboard?

Ninja Forms is one of the most powerful form builders for WordPress. But by default, it doesn’t let users view or manage their submissions. That’s where NFViews comes in.

NFViews allows you to:

  • Display form submissions on the frontend
  • Show entries specific to the logged-in user
  • Allow users to edit or delete their submissions
  • Customize layouts with table, list, or datatable views

This makes it ideal for creating dashboards where users interact with their data directly from your site.

Step 1: Install Required Plugins

You’ll need the following plugins:

  1. Ninja Forms – Download from WordPress.org
  2. NFViews – Available at https://nfviews.com/

Install and activate both plugins. Once done, you’ll be ready to create forms and views.

Step 2: Create a Form with Ninja Forms

Let’s say you want to create a form for users to submit their profiles. Here’s how:

  1. Go to Ninja Forms > Add New.
  2. Choose a blank form or use a pre-made template.
  3. Add fields like:
    • Full Name
    • Email Address
    • Profile Picture (using File Upload)
    • Short Bio (Textarea)
  4. Save and publish the form.

You can embed this form on a page using the shortcode or Gutenberg block.

Step 3: Create a View in NFViews

Once users start submitting data, you can show their submissions using NFViews.

Create a New View

  1. Go to NFViews > Add New View
  2. Choose the form you just created.
  3. Select a layout: Table, List, or DataTable. For a dashboard, Table View works well.
  4. Configure the fields you want to show: Name, Email, Bio, etc.

Filter Entries by Logged-In User

To ensure users only see their own data:

  • Under the Filter tab, set a filter like:
    • Field: Email
    • Condition: is equal to
    • Value: {wp:user_email}

This will make the view dynamic and personalized.

Enable Frontend Editing

To allow users to edit their own form submissions on the frontend using NFViews:

  1. Go to the NFViews View Editor for the view displaying your entries.
  2. Navigate to the View Settings tab and check the Edit Entry option.
  3. Add the url where you have Ninja Form on site.
  4. Add Edit Entry Field to your View
  5. You can also enable Delete Entry field if you’d like users to have that permission.

After saving the settings, each row in the view will show an Edit button. Clicking it will display the editable form right on the frontend, allowing users to update their own data easily.

For more details and visuals, check out the official documentation.

Now, users can modify their entries right from the dashboard.

Step 4: Add the View to a Dashboard Page

  1. Create a new WordPress Page called “My Dashboard”
  2. Paste the shortcode generated by NFViews (e.g., [nfviews view_id=”123″])
  3. Save and publish

Now, when a user logs in and visits that page, they’ll see their own form submissions listed in a table, with options to edit or delete.

Step 5: Add Login & Access Control

To restrict the dashboard to logged-in users:

  • Use a plugin like MemberPress, Ultimate Member, or Restrict Content Pro to manage user registration and login.
  • Or add a simple shortcode like [member] … [/member] if your theme/plugin supports it.

You can also redirect users to their dashboard after login, making the experience seamless.

Example Use Cases

  • Job Portals: Let users post jobs and manage them from their dashboard.
  • Event Sites: Allow speakers or organizers to manage their sessions.
  • Client Portals: Clients can view or update submitted documents.
  • Membership Sites: Members can update bios, profiles, or application forms.

Conclusion

With Ninja Forms and NFViews, you can build a versatile member dashboard in minutes – without writing custom code. It’s scalable, user-friendly, and fits seamlessly into most WordPress sites.

By using conditional filters, edit/delete permissions, and layout controls, you can create a truly dynamic frontend experience that empowers your users.

Ready to build your own? Get started with NFViews today and turn your form data into a powerful dashboard!

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