Building a Job Application Plugin for WordPress
Posted on 18th June 2023
Introduction
In this tutorial, we will be discussing how to build a job application plugin for WordPress. This plugin will allow users to submit their applications directly to your website. The plugin will also allow you to manage and keep track of all the applications that have been submitted. This is a great way to streamline the process of collecting job applications and to make it easier for you to manage them.
Creating the Plugin
The first thing we need to do is create a new folder for our plugin. For this tutorial, we will call it “job-application”.
Next, we need to create a file called “job-application.php” in our plugin folder. This will be the main plugin file. In this file, we need to insert the following code:
<?php
/*
Plugin Name: Job Application
Plugin URI: https://example.com/job-application
Description: This plugin allows users to submit their applications directly to your website.
Version: 1.0
Author: John Doe
Author URI: https://example.com
License: GPLv2 or later
Text Domain: job-application
*/
// Exit if accessed directly
if ( !defined( 'ABSPATH' ) ) exit;
// Plugin Version
if ( !defined( 'JOB_APPLICATION_VERSION' ) )
define( 'JOB_APPLICATION_VERSION', '1.0' );
// Plugin Folder Path
if ( !defined( 'JOB_APPLICATION_PLUGIN_PATH' ) )
define( 'JOB_APPLICATION_PLUGIN_PATH', plugin_dir_path( __FILE__ ) );
// Plugin Folder URL
if ( !defined( 'JOB_APPLICATION_PLUGIN_URL' ) )
define( 'JOB_APPLICATION_PLUGIN_URL', plugin_dir_url( __FILE__ ) );
// Plugin Root File
if ( !defined( 'JOB_APPLICATION_PLUGIN_FILE' ) )
define( 'JOB_APPLICATION_PLUGIN_FILE', __FILE__ );
?>
In the code above, we have defined some important plugin constants. We have also included a check to make sure that the file is not being accessed directly.
Creating the Plugin Settings Page
The next thing we need to do is create a settings page for our plugin. This will allow us to configure the plugin options. To do this, we will need to create a new folder called “admin” in our plugin folder. In this folder, we will create a file called “job-application-admin.php”. This file will contain the code for our settings page.
In our “job-application-admin.php” file, we will need to insert the following code:
<?php
// Exit if accessed directly
if ( !defined( 'ABSPATH' ) ) exit;
// Settings Page
function job_application_settings_page() {
?>
<div class="wrap">
<h1><?php _e( 'Job Application Settings', 'job-application' ); ?></h1>
<form method="post" action="options.php">
<?php settings_fields( 'job_application_settings' ); ?>
<?php do_settings_sections( 'job_application_settings' ); ?>
<?php submit_button(); ?>
</form>
</div>
<?php
}
// Add Settings Page to Admin Menu
function job_application_admin_menu() {
add_options_page(
__( 'Job Application Settings', 'job-application' ),
__( 'Job Application', 'job-application' ),
'manage_options',
'job_application_settings',
'job_application_settings_page'
);
}
add_action( 'admin_menu', 'job_application_admin_menu' );
// Register Plugin Settings
function job_application_register_settings() {
register_setting( 'job_application_settings', 'job_application_settings' );
add_settings_section(
'job_application_settings_section',
__( 'Job Application Settings', 'job-application' ),
'job_application_settings_section_callback',
'job_application_settings'
);
add_settings_field(
'job_application_field_name',
__( 'Name Field', 'job-application' ),
'job_application_field_name_callback',
'job_application_settings',
'job_application_settings_section'
);
add_settings_field(
'job_application_field_email',
__( 'Email Field', 'job-application' ),
'job_application_field_email_callback',
'job_application_settings',
'job_application_settings_section'
);
add_settings_field(
'job_application_field_phone',
__( 'Phone Field', 'job-application' ),
'job_application_field_phone_callback',
'job_application_settings',
'job_application_settings_section'
);
add_settings_field(
'job_application_field_resume',
__( 'Resume Field', 'job-application' ),
'job_application_field_resume_callback',
'job_application_settings',
'job_application_settings_section'
);
add_settings_field(
'job_application_field_cover_letter',
__( 'Cover Letter Field', 'job-application' ),
'job_application_field_cover_letter_callback',
'job_application_settings',
'job_application_settings_section'
);
}
add_action( 'admin_init', 'job_application_register_settings' );
// Settings Section Callback
function job_application_settings_section_callback() {
echo '<p>' . __( 'This section allows you to configure the job application form fields.', 'job-application' ) . '</p>';
}
// Name Field Callback
function job_application_field_name_callback() {
$options = get_option( 'job_application_settings' );
$field_name = ( isset( $options['field_name'] ) && $options['field_name'] ) ? $options['field_name'] : __( 'Name', 'job-application' );
echo '<input type="text" name="job_application_settings[field_name]" value="' . esc_attr( $field_name ) . '">';
}
// Email Field Callback
function job_application_field_email_callback() {
$options = get_option( 'job_application_settings' );
$field_email = ( isset( $options['field_email'] ) && $options['field_email'] ) ? $options['field_email'] : __( 'Email', 'job-application' );
echo '<input type="text" name="job_application_settings[field_email]" value="' . esc_attr( $field_email ) . '">';
}
// Phone Field Callback
function job_application_field_phone_callback() {
$options = get_option( 'job_application_settings' );
$field_phone = ( isset( $options['field_phone'] ) && $options['field_phone'] ) ? $options['field_phone'] : __( 'Phone', 'job-application' );
echo '<input type="text" name="job_application_settings[field_phone]" value="' . esc_attr( $field_phone ) . '">';
}
// Resume Field Callback
function job_application_field_resume_callback() {
$options = get_option( 'job_application_settings' );
$field_resume = ( isset( $options['field_resume'] ) && $options['field_resume'] ) ? $options['field_resume'] : __
The next step is to create the plugin's front-end. This is what the user will see when they visit the job application page on your WordPress site.
To do this, you'll need to create a new file in your plugin's directory called "front-end.php".
In this file, you'll need to write some HTML and PHP code to output the job application form.
Here's an example of what this might look like:
Job Application Form
Please fill out the form below to apply for the job.
<form action="" method="post">
This code will output a basic job application form on your WordPress site.
Of course, you'll need to customize this code to fit your needs. For example, you may want to add additional fields to the form, or change the layout of the form.
Once you've added the front-end code to your plugin, the next step is to add the back-end code. This is the code that will actually process the job application form and send the data to you.
To do this, you'll need to create a new file in your plugin's directory called "back-end.php".
In this file, you'll need to write some PHP code to process the job application form data.
Here's an example of what this might look like:
<?php
if ( isset( $_POST['submit'] ) ) {
// sanitize form values
$name = sanitize_text_field( $_POST["name"] );
$email = sanitize_email( $_POST["email"] );
$phone = sanitize_text_field( $_POST["phone"] );
$message = sanitize_text_field( $_POST["message"] );
// send the email
wp_mail( "youremail@example.com", "New Job Application", $message, "From: $name " );
}
?>
This code will process the job application form data and send it to you via email.
Of course, you'll need to customize this code to fit your needs. For example, you may want to save the form data to a database, or send it to multiple email addresses.
Once you've added the back-end code to your plugin, you're ready to test it out.
To do this, simply visit the job application page on your WordPress site and fill out the form.
If everything is working correctly, you should receive an email with the form data.
Congratulations, you've just created a job application plugin for WordPress!
