Getting started

How to configure and use the FAQ app for SharePoint Online by Accelerator 365

The FAQ app from Accelerator 365 presents questions and answers on any SharePoint page. The FAQ is designed to provide a seamless and intuitive experience for both readers and editors.

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Recommended setup considerations

The FAQ app stores its data in SharePoint lists. This includes data such as the questions and answers, in addition to categories and number of views (see the Technical details page for further information). These lists, referred to as the "data source", can be created via the web part property pane and do not require manual setup.

We recommend creating the data source on the same site as where the app will be displayed if possible. In some rare scenarios, you may wish to create a single data source and display it on multiple pages, across multiple sites.

Note: only users in the Site Owners group can create a data source.

Note: it is only possible to create one data source per site.


Configuring the app for the first time

The FAQ app has several settings that can be edited when adding the app to a page.

  1. If you are not already in edit mode on your page, select Edit on the top right of the page.
  2. Select the Edit web part button located on the web part toolbar to open the properties pane.
  3. Select create data source from the first section in the property pane.

    Note: you will first need to select a site for the data to live. This could be any site but if you choose to select a site different from the current site please ensure that potential users have read access.

  4. Configure the display of the app via any of the below options:
    1. Show search bar and summary: Show or hide the integrated FAQ app search bar and sort options.
    2. Search placeholder: Modify the default text presented in the search bar if the search functionality is enabled.
    3. Show categories: Show or hide categories and sub-categories in the FAQ.
    4. Show modified date and views: Show or hide the last modified date and view count displayed per question.
    5. Number of questions to show: Adjust the number of questions shown in FAQ. The app will automatically paginate depending on this setting and the total number of questions.

Add a category

The FAQ app supports categories and sub-categories to help organise your questions and answers. Adding a category is available when the ‘Show categories’ setting is enabled for the app.

  1. As a user with edit permissions to the FAQ, select the Edit button that appears next to the default ‘All’ category.

    Note: the page does not need to be in edit mode.

  2. Click on the Add category button, enter a title and select the OK button.
  3. To create a sub-category, add a new category and either:
    1. Drag and drop the new category onto the parent category
    2. Or click on the three dots and Make sub link
  4. All categories and sub-categories can be edited and reordered using the options available in the three dots.

Add a question

Questions are added one at a time in the FAQ app.

  1. As a user with edit permissions to the FAQ, select Add question from the upper right area of the app.

    Note: the page does not need to be in edit mode.

  2. Add a Question title, categories (if required) and an answer in the displayed fields.
  3. Select the Save button to confirm your changes and add the question to the FAQ.

Edit a question

You can edit an existing question in the FAQ app.

  1. As a user with edit permissions to the FAQ, select the title of the question/ answer you wish to edit.
  2. From within the expanded view of the question, select the pencil icon to enter edit mode.
  3. The question title, related categories and answer can all now be edited.
  4. To confirm any changes, select the Save button below the answer field.

Re-order questions

You can change the default order that the questions are displayed within the FAQ app.

  1. As a user with edit permissions to the FAQ, select Re-order questions from the upper right area of the app.

    Note: the page does not need to be in edit mode.

  2. In the Order questions panel, drag and drop the questions into the required order.
    faq-order-questions
  3. If necessary, use the menu from the ellipsis to also edit the order.
    faq-reorder-menu
  4. Select the Save button to confirm your changes.

    Adding images or videos

    Images or videos can be added to answers in the FAQ app. Images can be added from SharePoint libraries or an external URL. Videos can be added from Microsoft Stream (on SharePoint), YouTube or Vimeo.

    To insert an image or video: 

    1. As a user with edit permissions to the FAQ, select the title of the question/ answer you wish to edit.
    2. From within the expanded view of the question, select the pencil icon to enter edit mode.
    3. On the text editing toolbar, select the image or video icon and use the dialog box to browse, upload or link to the relevant file.
      faq-image-and-video-toolbar
    4. The media can be aligned after it has been added, using the align buttons at the top of the thumbnail.
    5. The media can be re-sized by dragging the sides or corners of the thumbnail.
    6. Select the Save button to confirm your changes.