Breakdance Schema FAQ Block

The Breakdance element does the same core job as the Gutenberg faq block, and in a few ways it’s actually more capable than the Gutenberg block. The split is intentional:

• Custom Breakdance Blocks plugin → ships the SCOS FAQs element (the UI shell, design controls, accordion JS)
• SCOS / Site Essentials → owns the FAQ library, data, schema graph, and FAQ_Module API the element calls

Both plugins need to be active. Without SCOS FAQ module enabled, the element shows a placeholder: “Site Essentials FAQ module is not active.”

Same core idea

Same FAQ posts. Same “write once, embed many times” model.

How you use it in Breakdance

1. In Breakdance builder, add element SCOS FAQs (badge: SCOS).
2. Under FAQ Source, choose:
   • Selected FAQs — repeater: add rows, pick each FAQ from a dropdown
   • By Topic — enter a topic slug (e.g. pricing); all published FAQs tagged with that scos_topic render automatically
3. Under Display:
   • Accordion or Plain
   • First item opened (accordion only)
   • Contribute to FAQPage schema on/off
4. Under Design — full Breakdance styling: typography, borders, icons, spacing, colours, etc.

The element badge says SCOS so you know it’s wired to the SCOS FAQ library, not Breakdance’s generic static FAQ element.

What’s cooler about the Breakdance version

1. Topic mode (Gutenberg doesn’t have this)

Instead of hand-picking FAQs, enter a topic slug and every FAQ tagged with that topic appears. Great for topic landing pages or service areas where the FAQ set grows over time — new FAQs tagged pricing show up automatically without re-editing the page.

2. Proper Breakdance design controls

The Gutenberg block outputs simple bw-faq-* markup (native <details> accordion). The Breakdance element uses the same bde-faq__* structure as Breakdance’s native FAQ element — icons, active states, borders, typography presets, spacing bars.

You style it like any other Breakdance component.

3. First item opened

Accordion can open the first question by default. Useful for above-the-fold FAQ sections.

4. Accessible accordion JS

Uses Breakdance’s BreakdanceFaq script with proper aria-expanded, button/panel IDs, and custom +/- icons — not just browser-native <details>.

5. Same schema intelligence

FAQ_Schema_Graph in SCOS walks Breakdance page data (_breakdance_data) looking for ScosFaqs elements. If a page has both a Gutenberg block and a Breakdance element, duplicates are deduplicated — each FAQ only appears once in schema.

Differences worth knowing

Gutenberg block: pick FAQs, set format, done — best for posts or hybrid editor workflows.
Breakdance SCOS FAQs: same library, plus topic-auto mode and full visual design control — best for Breakdance-built service pages and landing pages.

Both read from the same FAQ library. Edit an answer once, every Gutenberg block and every Breakdance element using that FAQ updates. Schema stays clean regardless of which embed method you used.

Requirements checklist

For the Breakdance element to work:

1. Site Essentials installed (MU plugin)
2. FAQ System toggled on (Recommended Custom Posts & Fields)
3. Custom Breakdance Blocks plugin active (ships the element)
4. At least one published FAQ in the library

The Breakdance plugin connects to SCOS via:

• FAQ_Module::get_by_ids() — render the answers
• FAQ_Module::get_ids_by_topic() — topic mode
• Filter bd_brighter_elements_faq_post_type — SCOS registers this as faq