Listdom Dummy Data Documentation

Listdom’s Dummy Data Import tool helps you set up sample content on your directory site with a single click. This is great for seeing how Listdom works or for quickly populating a new site with example data (so you’re not starting from scratch). The dummy data includes example listings, categories, locations, tags, custom fields, and more.

Where to find it: In WordPress admin, go to Listdom → Import / Export and select the Dummy Data tab.

What Dummy Data Can Import

On the Dummy Data page, you’ll see a list of toggle switches for various content types. You can choose which types of sample content to import:

• Listings: A few sample listing posts with placeholder content and images (for example, “Sample Bank”, “Sample Business”). These demonstrate how listings look on the front-end, complete with featured images and gallery images.
• Categories: A set of example listing categories such as Beauty Salon, Cafe, Hospital, Hotel, Restaurant, Super Market. These come with colorful icons to show how category icons appear.
• Locations: Sample location terms like Florida, London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Rome, Madrid. Useful for testing the location filtering and map features.
• Tags: Example tags like Discount, Easy Access, Parking Friendly, Recommended.
• Features: A few feature terms like Free Wifi, Live Music, Valet to demonstrate listing features.
• Labels: Sample label terms such as Exclusive, Hot Offer, Must See, Recommended (with label colors) to see how labels can highlight listings.
• Custom Fields (Attributes): Some pre-made custom attributes:
  • Discount (Text field)
  • Pets Allowed (Dropdown with options “Yes, No, Only Cats, Only Dogs”)
  • Parking Capacity (Number field)
    These show how additional attributes can be used in listings (they’ll be assigned to the sample listings).
• Frontend Dashboard: Creates a page for the user dashboard. Specifically, it will add a WordPress page titled “Manage Listings” with the [listdom-dashboard] shortcode. This page allows frontend users to manage their listings (submission, editing, etc.).
• Shortcodes & Pages: Generates several preset listing view shortcodes and a default search form:
  • A default Search Form (saved in Listdom’s Search Builder) with common fields (text search, category dropdown, location dropdown, label dropdown).
  • Multiple Listing view shortcodes saved under Listdom → Shortcodes: for example, “Side By Side” (listings alongside a map), “List” view, “Grid” view, “Single Map” view, “List + Grid” (toggleable), “Halfmap”, “Table”, “Masonry”, etc. Each shortcode is preconfigured with a particular skin and settings to demonstrate the variety of listing layouts. (These shortcodes are saved in the backend; you can insert them into pages as needed to replicate demo layouts.)
• Profile: Creates a page titled “Profile” with the [listdom-profile] shortcode. This page is used to display a directory user’s public profile (including their info and listings). It’s useful for testing the profile/contact functionality.

You can toggle ON any items you want to import. For example, to set up everything, turn on all switches. If you only want dummy listings and taxonomies but not pages, you might toggle on Listings/Categories/etc. and leave “Frontend Dashboard” and “Profile” off.

Importing the Dummy Data

After selecting the desired content types, click the Import Dummy Data button. Listdom will proceed to generate the selected content. The process is usually fast (just a few seconds for all content).

Here’s what happens for each item:

• Taxonomies (Categories, Locations, Tags, Features, Labels): For each enabled taxonomy, Listdom will create the sample terms listed above (if they don’t already exist). It skips any term that is already present to avoid duplicates. For example, if you run it twice, it won’t create “Cafe” category twice — it will detect it exists.
• Custom Fields: If enabled, the system will create those sample attributes in Listdom’s custom fields (under Listdom Settings). Again, it won’t duplicate them if they already exist from a previous import.
• Listings: If enabled, a few sample listings will be added. These listings are assigned to the sample categories, locations, etc., and filled with placeholder text. They also come with example coordinates, prices, contact info, and gallery images. (The images are fetched from Listdom’s demo site URLs.) The sample listings give you a quick way to see how a listing appears on the front-end with all its sections.
• Shortcodes/Search Forms: If enabled, Listdom will create the default search form and multiple shortcode entries as described. Each will appear in the Listdom → Search and Filter Builder or Listdom → Shortcodes list. They will not be placed on pages automatically (except the special pages below), but you can copy their shortcodes and paste into a page or widget to use them.
• Frontend Dashboard Page: If enabled, a WordPress page named “Manage Listings” (or similar) is created with the [listdom-dashboard] shortcode. If such a page already existed (even in Trash), it will be restored or updated rather than duplicated. This page allows front-end listing management.
• Profile Page: If enabled, a page “Profile” with [listdom-profile] shortcode is created (if not already present). This page is used to display user profiles on the front-end.

Once the dummy data import finishes, you can navigate around your site to see the effects:

• The Listings menu will now show the sample listings. Try viewing them on the front-end; you’ll see example content, images, and the various elements (maps, contact form, etc.) in action.
• The Categories, Locations, etc. will show the new terms (each with icons/colors if applicable). These will appear on listing cards and filters.
• Under Listdom → Shortcodes, you’ll find entries like “Side By Side”, “Grid”, etc. You can edit these to see how they’re configured, or use their generated shortcodes on a test page.
• The Manage Listings page (frontend dashboard) is now available. If you have the Listdom user dashboard enabled, visiting this page as a logged-in user will show the dummy listings and allow editing, etc.
• The Profile page is available. If you have user profiles enabled in Listdom, you can view this page (likely by adding a link or by visiting as a logged-in user) to see a sample profile.

Removing Dummy Data

Dummy content can be removed when you no longer need it. You can delete the sample listings from the Listings menu, and likewise delete sample categories, tags, etc., from their respective menus. Pages (Manage Listings, Profile) and shortcodes can also be trashed if not needed. The dummy import will not overwrite or duplicate content that already exists, so you can run it again to add missing pieces without worrying about creating duplicates.

Use Cases for Dummy Data

• Learning and Testing: If you’re new to Listdom, importing dummy data is a great way to explore the plugin’s features. You can see how a fully set-up listing looks and how the search and display shortcodes function without having to manually create everything.
• Design and Styling: Developers or designers can use dummy listings and terms to test how the directory will appear with real content. It’s easier to adjust styling or settings when you have example data visible.
• Demo Sites: If you’re setting up a demo for a client or on a staging site, the dummy data gives you a quick directory to show off, which you can then replace with real data later.

Feel free to mix and match the dummy content types. For instance, you might import just taxonomies and custom fields, then add your own listings manually. Or import everything for a complete demo setup.

When you’re ready to go live with your own data, simply remove the dummy entries. They are all standard WordPress posts/terms, so deletion is straightforward. Nothing the dummy importer adds will affect your actual settings - it’s only content.