How to Build a Testimonials Slider Plugin for WordPress
Posted on 21st June 2023
Introduction
If you’re a WordPress developer, then you’re probably familiar with the process of creating a plugin. In this article, we’ll walk you through the process of creating a testimonials slider plugin for WordPress.
A testimonials slider is a great way to showcase customer testimonials on your website. Not only does it add a touch of professionalism, but it also allows you to showcase multiple testimonials in a single, easy-to-use slider.
Creating a testimonials slider plugin is a great way to improve your development skills and add a valuable tool to your portfolio. Plus, it’s a great way to get started with plugin development for WordPress.
In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about creating a testimonials slider plugin for WordPress. We’ll start by walking you through the process of setting up the plugin, then we’ll move on to creating the slider itself.
By the end of this article, you’ll have a fully functioning testimonials slider plugin for WordPress. Let’s get started!
Step 1: Setting Up the Plugin
The first thing you need to do when creating a WordPress plugin is to set up the plugin file. This file will contain the plugin’s information and tell WordPress how to load the plugin.
To set up the plugin file, create a new file in your WordPress plugins directory and name it testimonials-slider.php. Then, add the following code to the top of the file:
define_constants();
$this->includes();
$this->init_hooks();
}
/**
* Define constants
*/
private function define_constants() {
define( ‘TESTIMONIALS_SLIDER_VERSION’, ‘1.0.0’ );
define( ‘TESTIMONIALS_SLIDER_FILE’, __FILE__ );
define( ‘TESTIMONIALS_SLIDER_PATH’, plugin_dir_path( TESTIMONIALS_SLIDER_FILE ) );
define( ‘TESTIMONIALS_SLIDER_URL’, plugin_dir_url( TESTIMONIALS_SLIDER_FILE ) );
define( ‘TESTIMONIALS_SLIDER_ASSETS’, TESTIMONIALS_SLIDER_URL . ‘assets/’ );
}
/**
* Include required files
*/
private function includes() {
require_once TESTIMONIALS_SLIDER_PATH . ‘includes/class-testimonials-slider-shortcode.php’;
}
/**
* Initialize hooks
*/
private function init_hooks() {
add_action( ‘init’, array( $this, ‘load_textdomain’ ) );
register_activation_hook( TESTIMONIALS_SLIDER_FILE, array( $this, ‘activate’ ) );
register_deactivation_hook( TESTIMONIALS_SLIDER_FILE, array( $this, ‘deactivate’ ) );
}
/**
* Load textdomain
*/
public function load_textdomain() {
load_plugin_textdomain( ‘testimonials-slider’, false, dirname( plugin_basename( TESTIMONIALS_SLIDER_FILE ) ) . ‘/languages/’ );
}
/**
* Plugin activate
*/
public function activate() {
// Do nothing
}
/**
* Plugin deactivate
*/
public function deactivate() {
// Do nothing
}
}
new Testimonials_Slider();
Step 2: Creating the Slider
Now that the plugin is set up, it’s time to start creating the slider itself. We’ll start by registering a new post type for the testimonials. This will allow us to easily add and manage testimonials from the WordPress admin.
To register the post type, add the following code to your plugin file:
/**
* Register testimonials post type
*/
function testimonials_slider_register_post_type() {
$labels = array(
‘name’ => _x( ‘Testimonials’, ‘post type general name’, ‘testimonials-slider’ ),
‘singular_name’ => _x( ‘Testimonial’, ‘post type singular name’, ‘testimonials-slider’ ),
‘menu_name’ => _x( ‘Testimonials’, ‘admin menu’, ‘testimonials-slider’ ),
‘name_admin_bar’ => _x( ‘Testimonial’, ‘add new on admin bar’, ‘testimonials-slider’ ),
‘add_new’ => _x( ‘Add New’, ‘testimonial’, ‘testimonials-slider’ ),
‘add_new_item’ => __( ‘Add New Testimonial’, ‘testimonials-slider’ ),
‘new_item’ => __( ‘New Testimonial’, ‘testimonials-slider’ ),
‘edit_item’ => __( ‘Edit Testimonial’, ‘testimonials-slider’ ),
‘view_item’ => __( ‘View Testimonial’, ‘testimonials-slider’ ),
‘all_items’ => __( ‘All Testimonials’, ‘testimonials-slider’ ),
‘search_items’ => __( ‘Search Testimonials’, ‘testimonials-slider’ ),
‘parent_item_colon’ => __( ‘Parent Testimonials:’, ‘testimonials-slider’ ),
‘not_found’ => __( ‘No testimonials found.’, ‘testimonials-slider’ ),
‘not_found_in_trash’ => __( ‘No testimonials found in Trash.’, ‘testimonials-slider’ )
);
$args = array(
‘labels’ => $labels,
‘public’ => false,
‘publicly_queryable’ => false,
‘show_ui’ => true,
‘show_in_menu’ => true,
‘query_var’ => true,
‘rewrite’ => array( ‘slug’ => ‘testimonial’ ),
‘capability_type’ => ‘post’,
‘has_archive’ => false,
‘hierarchical’ => false,
‘menu_position’ => null,
‘supports’ => array( ‘title’, ‘editor’ )
);
register_post_type( ‘testimonial’, $args );
}
add_action( ‘init’, ‘testimonials_slider_register_post_type’ );
This code registers a new post type for the testimonials. It also adds a new menu item to the WordPress admin so you can easily add and manage testimonials.
Next, we need to create a custom field for the testimonials. This field will be used to store the testimonial author’s name.
To create the custom field, add the following code to your plugin file:
/**
* Add testimonial author field
*/
function testimonials_slider_add_meta_box() {
add_meta_box(
‘testimonials_slider_author’,
__( ‘Author’, ‘testimonials-slider’ ),
‘testimonials_slider_render_meta_box’,
‘testimonial’,
‘side’,
‘high’
);
}
add_action( ‘add_meta_boxes’, ‘testimonials_slider_add_meta_box’ );
function testimonials_slider_render_meta_box(
WordPress testimonial plugins are a dime a dozen. But what if you want something a little more unique? In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to build a testimonials slider plugin for WordPress.
Building a plugin from scratch can seem daunting, but it’s actually quite simple. All you need is a text editor and a basic understanding of PHP.
To get started, create a new folder in your WordPress plugins directory and call it “testimonials-slider”. Inside this folder, create a file called “testimonials-slider.php”.
The first thing you’ll need to do is add some basic information to your plugin header. This will tell WordPress what your plugin is called and who created it.
‘Testimonials’,
‘singular_name’ => ‘Testimonial’,
‘add_new’ => ‘Add New Testimonial’,
‘add_new_item’ => ‘Add New Testimonial’,
‘edit_item’ => ‘Edit Testimonial’,
‘new_item’ => ‘New Testimonial’,
‘all_items’ => ‘All Testimonials’,
‘view_item’ => ‘View Testimonial’,
‘search_items’ => ‘Search Testimonials’,
‘not_found’ => ‘No testimonials found’,
‘not_found_in_trash’ => ‘No testimonials found in Trash’,
‘parent_item_colon’ => ”,
‘menu_name’ => ‘Testimonials’
);
$args = array(
‘labels’ => $labels,
‘public’ => true,
‘publicly_queryable’ => true,
‘show_ui’ => true,
‘show_in_menu’ => true,
‘query_var’ => true,
‘rewrite’ => true,
‘capability_type’ => ‘post’,
‘has_archive’ => true,
‘hierarchical’ => false,
‘menu_position’ => null,
‘supports’ => array( ‘title’, ‘editor’, ‘author’, ‘thumbnail’, ‘excerpt’, ‘comments’ )
);
register_post_type( ‘testimonial’, $args );
}
add_action( ‘init’, ‘testimonials_slider_post_type’ );
Now that you have your post type registered, you can start creating testimonials. Each testimonial will need a title, author, and testimonial text. You can also add a featured image, which will be used in the slider.
Once you have a few testimonials created, it’s time to start building the slider itself. The first thing you’ll need to do is enqueue the jQuery UI library. This can be done with the following code:
function testimonials_slider_scripts() {
wp_enqueue_script( ‘jquery-ui-core’ );
wp_enqueue_script( ‘jquery-ui-widget’ );
wp_enqueue_script( ‘jquery-ui-mouse’ );
wp_enqueue_script( ‘jquery-ui-slider’ );
}
add_action( ‘wp_enqueue_scripts’, ‘testimonials_slider_scripts’ );
Next, you’ll need to write some code to output the testimonials slider. This can be done with a shortcode.
function testimonials_slider_shortcode() {
// Code to output testimonials slider goes here
}
add_shortcode( ‘testimonials_slider’, ‘testimonials_slider_shortcode’ );
Inside the testimonials_slider_shortcode() function, you’ll need to query the database for your testimonials. This can be done with the WordPress loop.
$args = array(
‘post_type’ => ‘testimonial’,
‘posts_per_page’ => -1
);
$query = new WP_Query( $args );
if ( $query->have_posts() ) :
// Code to output testimonials goes here
endif;
Now that you have your testimonials, you can start outputting them inside the loop.
while ( $query->have_posts() ) : $query->the_post();
// Output testimonial goes here
endwhile;
wp_reset_postdata();
Each testimonial will need to be wrapped in a list item. Inside this list item, you’ll need to output the testimonial title, author, and text. You can also output the featured image, if one is set.
Once you have all of your testimonials outputting inside the loop, you can close it out.
Your testimonials are now being outputted as a list. The next thing you’ll need to do is turn this list into a slider.
To do this, you’ll need to add a little bit of jQuery code. This code will convert your list into a slider and add some basic navigation controls.
jQuery(document).ready(function($){
$( ‘#testimonials-slider’ ).slider({
});
});
The final step is to add a bit of CSS to style your slider. This CSS will add a basic style to your testimonials and make sure they are properly aligned inside the slider.
#testimonials-slider {
width: 100%;
}
#testimonials-slider li {
float: left;
width: 33.33%;
}
And that’s it! You now have a working testimonials slider plugin for WordPress.
