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Gravity Tables
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Getting started

Installation methods

Install Gravity Tables via the WordPress admin UI, WP-CLI, Composer, or Bedrock. Plus auto-update setup.

Five installation paths cover every WordPress setup we’ve seen in production.

Method 1: WordPress.org via admin UI#

The default for most users.

  1. Plugins → Add New
  2. Search “Advanced Data Tables for Gravity Forms”
  3. Click Install, then Activate

This installs the free version. Pro features unlock once you activate a Pro licence under Tables → Licence.

Method 2: ZIP upload#

For Pro installations, or for sites without WordPress.org connectivity.

  1. Download the .zip from your Freemius account dashboard
  2. Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
  3. Choose the .zip, click Install Now
  4. Click Activate

Pro features are pre-enabled in the Pro .zip. No separate licence-activation step beyond email sign-in on first launch.

Method 3: WP-CLI#

For automated provisioning, CI pipelines, and headless server administration.

Free version#

# Install from WordPress.org
wp plugin install tablecrafter-wp-data-tables

# Activate
wp plugin activate tablecrafter-wp-data-tables

Pro version (from a .zip)#

# Install from a remote URL or local file
wp plugin install /path/to/gravity-tables-pro.zip --activate

# Or from a private URL
wp plugin install https://your-site.com/private/gravity-tables-pro.zip --activate

One-liner activation flow#

# Install + activate + start trial in a single shell pipeline
wp plugin install tablecrafter-wp-data-tables --activate && \
wp option set gt_trial_started 1

(The trial activation flow inside the plugin is interactive; the wp option set shown here is illustrative, actual licence activation goes through Freemius’s UI.)

Method 4: Composer (Bedrock and similar)#

For Roots Bedrock, Trellis, or any Composer-managed WordPress install.

Free version (from WP Packagist)#

{
  "require": {
    "wpackagist-plugin/tablecrafter-wp-data-tables": "^4.1"
  }
}

Install:

composer require wpackagist-plugin/tablecrafter-wp-data-tables:^4.1

Pro version (private repository)#

If you’ve set up a private package registry for Pro plugins:

{
  "repositories": [
    {
      "type": "composer",
      "url": "https://packages.your-company.com"
    }
  ],
  "require": {
    "tablecrafter/gravity-tables-pro": "^4.1"
  }
}

Or use composer-installers with a custom path:

{
  "extra": {
    "installer-paths": {
      "web/app/plugins/{$name}/": ["type:wordpress-plugin"]
    }
  }
}

Method 5: Manual file upload#

Last-resort path for sites that disable plugin installation entirely.

  1. Unzip the plugin locally
  2. Upload the gravity-tables folder to wp-content/plugins/ via SFTP
  3. Plugins → Installed Plugins in WP admin
  4. Click Activate next to the entry

Auto-updates#

Gravity Tables uses Freemius for licence enforcement and auto-updates. Once Pro is activated:

  • WordPress shows the standard “update available” notice when a new release ships
  • Click Update Now under Plugins → Installed Plugins
  • The Pro .zip downloads from Freemius (your licence is verified) and installs in place

To enable auto-background-updates without UI clicks, add to wp-config.php:

add_filter('auto_update_plugin', function ($update, $item) {
    if (in_array($item->slug ?? '', [
        'tablecrafter-wp-data-tables',
        'gravity-tables-pro',
    ])) {
        return true;
    }
    return $update;
}, 10, 2);

Multisite#

For network-activated installations:

wp plugin install tablecrafter-wp-data-tables --network --activate

Or in admin: Network Admin → Plugins → Network Activate.

The licence is per-network. Each subsite uses the same Pro features without separate activation.

Uninstallation#

When uninstalling (not just deactivating):

  • Plugin settings, table configs, and audit log table are removed (uninstall.php runs)
  • Gravity Forms entries are NOT touched, they remain in wp_gf_entry. Uninstalling Gravity Tables does not delete a single entry.

To export tables before uninstalling:

wp option get gt_tables --format=json > gt-tables-backup.json

Compatibility matrix#

ComponentRequiredTested up to
WordPress5.0+6.9
PHP8.0+8.3
Gravity Forms2.5+2.9.x
MySQL / MariaDB5.7+ / 10.3+8.0 / 11.x
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