We rebuilt collections in Builderius. You can now build dynamic semantic HTML structures visually — tables, description lists, form elements, recursive menus, nested loops — with clean code output. Things that usually need custom PHP or workarounds, you can now build visually.

The Problem with Most Builders

You need a data table in most WordPress builders? You get divs styled with CSS Grid to look like a table. Not actual <table> elements. Just divs pretending.

Menu that goes more than 2-3 levels deep? No visual option. You write custom PHP or use a plugin that adds bloat.

Want to nest loops — showing taxonomy terms with posts inside each term? You’re building workarounds or writing code.

The output is messy. Wrappers everywhere. Inline styles. Large CSS files. Sites load slower, accessibility suffers, and you’re fighting the builder instead of building.

What You Can Build Now

Semantic HTML Tables

Collections accept any HTML tag now. You need a table? Use actual table elements:

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Dish</th>
      <th>Price</th>
      <th>Calories</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <!-- Each row loops through your data -->
    <tr>
      <td>{{dish_name}}</td>
      <td>{{price}}</td>
      <td>{{calories}}</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

This is the actual HTML output. No div wrappers. No CSS Grid pretending to be a table. Clean, semantic markup that screen readers understand and browsers render properly.

In the video at the end, I build a restaurant menu table from scratch. Takes few minutes. The data comes from a custom post type with ACF fields. You change the data, the table updates. Change the structure, the data stays connected.

Recursive Structures

Something no other visual builder does — recursive templates for unlimited depth.

You need a menu that goes 5, 10, 12 levels deep? One Recursive Template element handles it. No manual nesting. No limit on depth. It works.

<ul>
  <li>
    <a>Parent Item</a>
    <ul>
      <li>
        <a>Child Item</a>
        <ul>
          <li>
            <a>Grandchild Item</a>
            <!-- Continues as deep as your data goes -->
          </li>
        </ul>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>
</ul>

Same pattern works for threaded comments, hierarchical categories, nested page structures. Anywhere you have hierarchical data.

Builderius is the only visual builder with dedicated recursive support.

Nested Loops

The new Sub-collection element handles loops inside loops. You can build an accordion where each taxonomy term shows its posts:

<details>
  <summary>Appetizers</summary>
  <!-- Posts with "Appetizers" term -->
  <article>Spring Rolls</article>
  <article>Bruschetta</article>
</details>

<details>
  <summary>Main Courses</summary>
  <!-- Posts with "Main Courses" term -->
  <article>Grilled Salmon</article>
  <article>Beef Steak</article>
</details>

Outer loop goes through taxonomy terms. Inner loop through posts with that term. You click a term, see its posts. These are native HTML accordions with <details> and <summary> elements. No JavaScript needed for the accordion behavior.

Switch Data Sources

This makes the system flexible. Your markup is separate from your data.

You build a collection structure once. Then connect it to custom post query, ACF repeater query, WordPress menu query, external API data query — whatever you need. Same HTML structure, different data sources.

In the video, I take one collection and switch it between three different queries without changing the markup. Structure stays same. Data changes.

Clearer Structure, Easier to Learn

Old way to build nested loops in Builderius looked like this:

Collection {main loop source}
  Template
    Content elements
    Template {child loop source}
      Content elements

Which Template does what? You had to remember conventions, track which level you’re at, figure out the structure.

New structure is self-explanatory:

Collection {main loop source}
  Template
    Content elements
    Sub-collection {child loop source}
      Template
        Content elements

Sub-collection tells you what it does — handles nested data. No guessing.

For recursion, old way needed Templates with special naming that referenced each other. New way has a dedicated Recursive Template element. It says what it does in the name.

You look at your element tree, you understand the structure. This matters when you’re building complex layouts or coming back to edit something months later.

The Output Matters

Look at typical builder output for a post grid:

<div class="elementor-widget-container">
  <div class="elementor-posts-container">
    <div class="elementor-post elementor-grid-item">
      <div class="elementor-post__thumbnail">
        <div class="elementor-post__thumbnail__link">
          <img />
        </div>
      </div>
      <div class="elementor-post__text">
        <h3 class="elementor-post__title">
          <a>Post Title</a>
        </h3>
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

Now Builderius output for same grid:

<div class="post-grid">
  <article>
    <img />
    <h3><a>Post Title</a></h3>
  </article>
</div>

Fewer divs. Semantic elements. Smaller file size. Faster load times. Better accessibility. Clean code you’d write by hand.

You inspect any collection — you see minimal markup, no unnecessary wrappers. CSS is external, not inline. JavaScript loads only when needed.

Build Your Own Dynamic Elements

Collection accepts any tag now and handles nesting properly. You can build your own dynamic structures. You’re not waiting for us to add pre-built elements. Collection is the building block. You compose it into what you need.

Image sliders. Use Collection with <div> or <ul>, loop through ACF gallery fields, add your navigation. Same pattern works for testimonial sliders, logo carousels, product showcases.

Dynamic Galleries. Use Collection with <figure> or <li> to create galleries from variety of sources. Build the gallery once, reuse it across sites.

Dynamic form fields. Populate <select> options from custom post types or ACF fields. Build dependent dropdowns where selecting one option loads different options in next field. Multi-step forms where each step loops through different data.

Product configurators. Nest collections for variants (color → size → price), each level pulls from your data structure. Customer sees available options based on previous selections.

Custom navigation patterns. Mega menus with nested content, breadcrumbs, sitemaps, archive listings — all from same collection element, just different tags and data sources.

The video shows the patterns. Once you see how collections work, you’ll recognize where else you can use them.

Watch the Full Video

This 14-minute walkthrough covers:

  • Building semantic HTML tables with dynamic data
  • Creating nested loops with Sub-collection element
  • Using recursive templates for unlimited depth
  • Adding visual conditions inside loops
  • Switching data sources without changing markup
  • Live build: restaurant menu table from scratch (starts at 5:30)

What’s in This Release

Free version features:

  • Sub-Collection element for nested loops
  • Recursive Template element for unlimited depth
  • Visual conditions builder inside loops
  • Optional frontend rendering toggle
  • Collection tags: <div>, <ul>, <ol>
  • Simplified Template element with dedicated fields

Pro version adds:

  • Any HTML tag for collections (<table>, <details>, <select>, <dl>, everything)

Full technical details in the release notes.

Get Started

New to Builderius? Download the free version from WordPress plugin repository. Build templates, create collections. When you need any HTML tag and advanced features, upgrade to Pro.

Already using Builderius? Update to latest version. Your existing collections continue working. The new Sub-Collection and Recursive Template elements are available immediately.

Have questions? Join the Builderius community with 2000+ developers, or check the collections documentation.