Building a Testimonial Slider Carousel Plugin for WordPress

Posted on 19th June 2023

Building a Testimonial Slider Carousel Plugin for WordPress

As a WordPress developer, you may be asked to build a variety of plugins for different purposes. One plugin you may be asked to build is a testimonial slider carousel. This type of plugin allows users to showcase testimonials in a rotating carousel on their website. In this article, we will show you how to build a testimonial slider carousel plugin for WordPress.

Building a plugin can seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. In this article, we will walk you through the process of building a WordPress plugin, step-by-step. We will also provide you with a downloadable plugin boilerplate that you can use to get started building your own plugins.

What is a Plugin?

A WordPress plugin is a piece of software that extends the functionality of WordPress. WordPress is written in the PHP programming language and plugins are also written in PHP.

When you build a plugin, you will need to create a PHP file with a unique name. This file will contain your plugin’s code. You will also need to save any assets, such as images or JavaScript files, in a separate directory.

How to Build a WordPress Plugin

Now that you know what a WordPress plugin is, let’s take a look at how to build one.

1. Choose a Plugin Name

The first step in building a WordPress plugin is to choose a name for your plugin. This name should be unique and descriptive. It should also be easy to remember.

2. Create a Plugin Directory

Once you have chosen a name for your plugin, you will need to create a directory for it. This directory will contain your plugin’s PHP file and any other assets, such as images or JavaScript files.

3. Create a Plugin PHP File

Now that you have created a directory for your plugin, you will need to create a PHP file. This file will contain your plugin’s code. The name of this file should be the same as your plugin’s directory.

4. Include a Plugin Header

At the top of your plugin PHP file, you will need to include a plugin header. This header will contain information about your plugin, such as its name and version number.

5. Write Your Plugin Code

Now that you have included a plugin header, you can start writing your plugin code. This code will determine what your plugin does.

6. Register Your Plugin

Once you have written your plugin code, you will need to register your plugin. This can be done by adding a line of code to your plugin’s PHP file.

7. Activate Your Plugin

Once you have registered your plugin, you will need to activate it. This can be done from the WordPress admin area.

8. Test Your Plugin

After you have activated your plugin, you should test it to make sure it works as expected.

Building a Testimonial Slider Carousel Plugin

Now that you know how to build a WordPress plugin, let’s take a look at how to build a testimonial slider carousel plugin.

1. Choose a Plugin Name

The first step in building a testimonial slider carousel plugin is to choose a name for your plugin. We recommend using a name that is descriptive and easy to remember.

2. Create a Plugin Directory

Once you have chosen a name for your plugin, you will need to create a directory for it. This directory will contain your plugin’s PHP file and any other assets, such as images or JavaScript files.

3. Create a Plugin PHP File

Now that you have created a directory for your plugin, you will need to create a PHP file. This file will contain your plugin’s code. The name of this file should be the same as your plugin’s directory.

4. Include a Plugin Header

At the top of your plugin PHP file, you will need to include a plugin header. This header will contain information about your plugin, such as its name and version number.

5. Write Your Plugin Code

Now that you have included a plugin header, you can start writing your plugin code. This code will determine what your plugin does.

6. Register Your Plugin

Once you have written your plugin code, you will need to register your plugin. This can be done by adding a line of code to your plugin’s PHP file.

7. Activate Your Plugin

Once you have registered your plugin, you will need to activate it. This can be done from the WordPress admin area.

8. Test Your Plugin

After you have activated your plugin, you should test it to make sure it works as expected.

Conclusion

Building a WordPress plugin can seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. In this article, we have shown you how to build a testimonial slider carousel plugin for WordPress.

In order to create a testimonial carousel, we will need to use a jQuery plugin. There are many different plugins available, but we will be using the Owl Carousel 2 plugin.

Once you have downloaded the plugin, you will need to include the jQuery library and the Owl Carousel 2 plugin files in the head of your HTML document.

The HTML for the carousel will be very simple. We will just create a container element with the class of “owl-carousel” and then add a few child elements with the class of “item”. Each “item” will represent one testimonial.

All that is left to do is initialize the carousel with some options. We will set the “loop” option to “true” so that the carousel will loop infinitely, and we will also set the “nav” option to “true” so that the carousel will have navigation arrows.

$(document).ready(function(){
$(‘.owl-carousel’).owlCarousel({
loop:true,
nav:true,
items:1
});
});

And that’s it! You should now have a working testimonial carousel.