How to Build a Tabbed Content Plugin for WordPress
Posted on 19th June 2023
In this article, we will be discussing how to build a tabbed content plugin for WordPress. Tabbed content is a popular way to present content on a website, as it allows for easy navigation and can help to organize information in an easily digestible way. There are a few different ways that tabbed content can be implemented, but we will be focusing on how to build a plugin that will allow you to easily add tabbed content to your WordPress site.
The first thing you will need to do is create a new directory in your WordPress installation for your plugin. For this example, we will call it “tabbed-content-plugin”. In this directory, you will need to create two files: one for the plugin code and one for the plugin settings. We will name these files “tabbed-content-plugin.php” and “tabbed-content-plugin-settings.php”, respectively.
The next step is to fill out the plugin header information in “tabbed-content-plugin.php”. This header information is required by WordPress in order for the plugin to be recognized. The header information should look like this:
<?php
/*
Plugin Name: Tabbed Content Plugin
Plugin URI: https://yourwebsite.com/tabbed-content-plugin
Description: This plugin allows you to easily add tabbed content to your WordPress site.
Version: 1.0
Author: Your Name
Author URI: https://yourwebsite.com
License: GPLv2 or later
*/
// If this file is called directly, abort.
if ( ! defined( 'WPINC' ) ) {
die;
}
Now that we have the basic plugin header information in place, we can move on to writing the code for our plugin. The first thing we need to do is create a function that will register our plugin settings. This function will be added to the "tabbed-content-plugin.php" file.
function tabbed_content_plugin_register_settings() {
// Register plugin settings
}
add_action( 'admin_init', 'tabbed_content_plugin_register_settings' );
In the code above, we have created a function called "tabbed_content_plugin_register_settings". This function will register our plugin settings with WordPress. We have also added an action hook that will call this function when the "admin_init" action is fired.
Next, we need to write the code for our "tabbed_content_plugin_register_settings" function. This function will register our plugin settings with WordPress. The code for this function should look like this:
function tabbed_content_plugin_register_settings() {
register_setting( 'tabbed_content_plugin_options', 'tabbed_content_plugin_options', 'tabbed_content_plugin_options_validate' );
add_settings_section( 'tabbed_content_plugin_main', 'Main Settings', 'tabbed_content_plugin_section_text', 'tabbed_content_plugin' );
add_settings_field( 'tabbed_content_plugin_option_1', 'Option 1', 'tabbed_content_plugin_setting_1', 'tabbed_content_plugin', 'tabbed_content_plugin_main' );
add_settings_field( 'tabbed_content_plugin_option_2', 'Option 2', 'tabbed_content_plugin_setting_2', 'tabbed_content_plugin', 'tabbed_content_plugin_main' );
}
In the code above, we have registered our plugin settings with WordPress. We have also created two settings sections and two settings fields. The first settings section is called "tabbed_content_plugin_main" and the second is called "tabbed_content_plugin_secondary". The first settings field is called "tabbed_content_plugin_option_1" and the second is called "tabbed_content_plugin_option_2".
Next, we need to write the code for our "tabbed_content_plugin_section_text" function. This function will display the text for our "tabbed_content_plugin_main" settings section. The code for this function should look like this:
function tabbed_content_plugin_section_text() {
echo '
This is the main settings section for our plugin.
‘;
}
In the code above, we have created a function that will display the text for our “tabbed_content_plugin_main” settings section. This function simply echoes out a paragraph of text.
Next, we need to write the code for our “tabbed_content_plugin_setting_1″ function. This function will display the first settings field for our plugin. The code for this function should look like this:
function tabbed_content_plugin_setting_1() {
$options = get_option( ‘tabbed_content_plugin_options’ );
echo ”;
}
In the code above, we have created a function that will display the first settings field for our plugin. This function gets the plugin options from the WordPress database and then displays a text input field. The value of this text input field is set to the value of the “option_1” setting.
Next, we need to write the code for our “tabbed_content_plugin_setting_2″ function. This function will display the second settings field for our plugin. The code for this function should look like this:
function tabbed_content_plugin_setting_2() {
$options = get_option( ‘tabbed_content_plugin_options’ );
echo ”;
}
In the code above, we have created a function that will display the second settings field for our plugin. This function gets the plugin options from the WordPress database and then displays a text input field. The value of this text input field is set to the value of the “option_2” setting.
Next, we need to write the code for our “tabbed_content_plugin_options_validate” function. This function will validate the settings for our plugin. The code for this function should look like this:
function tabbed_content_plugin_options_validate( $input ) {
$options = get_option( ‘tabbed_content_plugin_options’ );
$options[‘option_1’] = trim( $input[‘option_1’] );
$options[‘option_2’] = trim( $input[‘option_2’] );
return $options;
}
In the code above, we have created a function that will validate the settings for our plugin. This function gets the plugin options from the WordPress database and then trims any whitespace from the “option_1” and “option_2” settings. Finally, this function returns the updated options array.
Now that we have written the code for our plugin, we can move on to writing the code for our plugin settings page. The first thing we need to do is create a function that will register our plugin settings page. This function will be added to the “tabbed-content-plugin.php” file.
function tabbed_content_plugin_register_settings_page() {
// Register plugin settings page
}
add_action( ‘admin_menu’, ‘tabbed_content_plugin_register_settings_page’ );
In the code above, we have created a function called “tabbed_content_plugin_register_settings_page”. This function will register our plugin settings page with WordPress. We have also added an action hook that will call this function when the “admin_menu” action is fired.
Next, we need to write the code for our “tabbed_content_plugin_register_settings_page” function. This function will register our plugin settings page with WordPress. The code for this function should look like this:
function tabbed_content_plugin_register_settings_page() {
add_options_page( ‘Tabbed Content Plugin Settings’, ‘Tabbed Content Plugin’, ‘manage_options’, ‘tabbed-content-plugin’, ‘tabbed_content_plugin_render_settings_page’ );
}
In the code above, we have registered our plugin settings page with WordPress. We have also given our settings page a title and a menu label. Finally, we have specified that the “tabbed_content_plugin_render_settings_page” function should be used to render our settings page.
Next, we need to write the code for our “tabbed_content_plugin_render_settings_page” function. This function will render our
