Pro Workflow Guide

Start with the Top-level Repeater Guide if you have not built a basic repeater-powered Loop Grid yet. Pro uses the same foundation and adds specialized workflows.

Choose the row source first

The source determines which controls and template strategy you need.

Goal	Use
Render rows from one top-level Repeater	Standard ACF row source
Render child rows found inside a nested structure	Nested Repeater
Give each Flexible Content layout a different design	ACF Flexible Content skin
Render posts selected by Relationship or Post Object	Relationship Query
Render each mapped row's own selected posts	Flexible Content: row-scoped Relationship posts
Pull rows from a user, term, post, or options object	Contexts
Add public row search, sorting, ranges, or layout filtering	Row Search and Sorting
Inspect the resolved widget pipeline inside Elementor	Context Inspector

Configure the Loop Item before the widget

Open the Loop Item document settings and choose ACF Row Schema for Loop. This gives the editor the correct row schema and prevents unrelated subfields from appearing in dynamic-tag selectors.

For Flexible Content, create one Loop Item for each layout you intend to map. Each template should use the schema for its own layout.

If a mapped row should render its own Relationship or Post Object selections, place a second Loop Grid or Loop Carousel inside that mapped Loop Item. The inner widget uses a normal related-post Loop Item plus Query Relationship Posts; the outer widget still owns the Flexible Content mapping.

Configure the Loop widget

In the Loop Grid or Loop Carousel Query panel:

1. Enable Use ACF Rows.
2. Select ACF Row Source.
3. Decide whether Query Current Post Only should limit the source to the current context.
4. If the source is Flexible Content, choose the ACF Flexible Content skin and map the layouts.
5. Add filters, relationship source settings, or context overrides only when the workflow requires them.

For a Relationship query nested inside a mapped row, enable Use ACF Rows and Query Relationship Posts on the inner widget, then choose the row's field under Relationship / Post Object Field. Do not point that inner widget at a separate Repeater row source.

If you need search, sorting, number/date ranges, or a Flexible Content layout selector, configure them in Content → Row Search & Sorting. The feature is off until Enable Row Controls is enabled.

Add presentation features independently

Lightbox and taxonomy filtering are optional layers. They do not change the underlying row schema:

• Lightbox clones a rendered Loop Item into an overlay.
• Taxonomy Filters limit visible rows by taxonomy.
• Loop Carousel uses Elementor's carousel rendering with repeater rows.

Build for the correct context

Editor previews and frontend requests do not always resolve the same WordPress object automatically. Use Contexts when the rows live on an Options Page, user, term, archive object, or explicitly selected post.

Validate before launch

Test at least:

• The Elementor Loop Item preview with a populated source object.
• The page in the Elementor editor and on the frontend.
• Empty rows and unmapped Flexible Content layouts.
• Desktop, tablet, and mobile behavior.
• Multiple widgets on the same page if used.
• Filter deep links, lightbox controls, and carousel navigation if enabled.
• A logged-out session, because stale editor authentication can hide REST or context problems.

During setup, the optional Context Inspector can verify the source and context without exposing row values or adding frontend output. Turn it off again when you no longer need the sidebar report.

If behavior differs between the editor and frontend, use Troubleshooting before rebuilding the template.