The free version of ACF (Advanced Custom Fields) offers 30 field types. One of which is the Tab field. Unlike other field types, the Tab field doesn’t store any data type. Instead, it is aimed at simplifying the interface of the custom field section within the WordPress editor.
You can use the Tab field to group together several fields into tabbed sections. The Tab field is useful if you want to create a custom field group that consists of many fields. You can place several fields in the same tab.
Say you want to create a custom field group for a movie database website. The custom field group you want to create will consist of 15 fields. In such a case, you can split those 15 fields into 3 tabs with each tab consists of 5 fields.
How to Use ACF Tab Field
The use of the Tab field is pretty simple. First, add the fields (the fields to store the data) just like usual. If you are new to ACF, you can read our previous article to learn how to create custom fields with ACF. Once done adding the fields, add another one. Set the field type to Tab and specify the tab placement (top or left).
Drag the newly added field to the top.
Add another field and set the field type to Tab. Set the tab placement as well.
Drag the new field you have just created above and drop it beneath the endpoint of the first tab. All fields beneath this field will be grouped into the second tab.
If you want to add the third tab (and so on), you can simply add a new Tab field and drag it beneath the endpoint of the second tab.
Summary
ACF is a great plugin to create WordPress custom fields. The free version of ACF offers 30 field types, which are more than enough to store basic information. Not only you can use those field types to store data, but also to simplify the interface of the custom field section within the WordPress editor. The Tab field is the field that you can use to do so.
Fyi, if you have zero knowledge of PHP, you can display the data of the custom fields you created with ACF using page builder plugins like Divi Builder, Elementor, to Brizy.
