Building a Membership Site Plugin for WordPress

Posted on 16th June 2023

In this article, we will be discussing how to build a membership site plugin for WordPress. WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that enables you to create a website or blog from scratch, or to improve an existing website. There are two ways to create a membership site on WordPress: by using a WordPress membership plugin, or by adding code to your WordPress site.

What is a Membership Site?

A membership site is a website that offers exclusive content or services to its members. Members typically pay a monthly or annual fee to access the content or services. The content or services offered on a membership site can be anything from online courses to exclusive forums, or even physical products.

Why Use a WordPress Plugin?

WordPress plugins are pieces of code that extend the functionality of WordPress. They are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. There are thousands of plugins available for WordPress, and many of them are free.

How to Choose a WordPress Membership Plugin

There are many WordPress membership plugins available. Some are free, while others are paid. When choosing a WordPress membership plugin, you should consider the following:

• Features: What features does the plugin offer?
• Integrations: Does the plugin integrate with other software or services that you use?
• Ease of Use: How easy is the plugin to use?
• Pricing: How much does the plugin cost?

Building a Membership Site Plugin

If you want to build a membership site plugin, you will need to have a basic understanding of the PHP programming language. You will also need to be familiar with the WordPress codebase. To get started, you will need to create a new plugin. You can do this by creating a new directory in the WordPress plugins directory. The directory should be named after your plugin. In the new directory, you will need to create a file named plugin.php.

In the plugin.php file, you will need to add the following code:

In the code above, we have defined a new plugin class named Membership_Site_Plugin. The constructor function is where we will add our plugin code.

Adding a Shortcode

Shortcodes are a type of WordPress plugin that enables you to add custom functionality to your WordPress site. Shortcodes are written in the PHP programming language and are added to WordPress posts and pages using square brackets [ ].

In our plugin, we will be adding a shortcode that will enable members to access the content or services offered on our membership site. To do this, we will need to add the following code to our plugin:

In the code above, we have added a new shortcode named membership_site. The membership_site_shortcode function is where we will add our shortcode code.

Adding a Widget

Widgets are a type of WordPress plugin that enables you to add custom functionality to your WordPress site. Widgets are written in the PHP programming language and are added to WordPress sidebars using the WordPress admin dashboard.

In our plugin, we will be adding a widget that will enable members to access the content or services offered on our membership site. To do this, we will need to add the following code to our plugin:

‘membership_site_widget’,
‘description’ => __( ‘This widget enables members to access the content or services offered on your membership site.’, ‘membership-site-plugin’ )
)
);
}

// Widget code
public function widget( $args, $instance ) {

// Widget code goes here
}

// Widget form
public function form( $instance ) {

// Widget form code goes here
}
}

new Membership_Site_Plugin();
?>

In the code above, we have added a new widget named Membership_Site_Widget. The widget function is where we will add our widget code. The form function is where we will add our widget form code.

Adding a Settings Page

In our plugin, we will be adding a settings page that will enable members to access the content or services offered on our membership site. To do this, we will need to add the following code to our plugin: