BVE Law Legal Updates - WordPress Plugin

A simple, secure WordPress plugin for managing and displaying legal updates with category-based tabbed navigation.

Features

• Admin CRUD Interface: Complete Create, Read, Update, Delete functionality for legal updates
• Custom Database Table: Uses a dedicated table (not custom post types)
• Category System: 5 fixed categories for organizing updates
• Tabbed Frontend Display: AJAX-powered tabs for smooth category switching
• Security First: Nonces, capability checks, and proper sanitization throughout
• Responsive Design: Mobile-friendly layout

Fixed Categories

1. Commercial & Taxation
2. Litigation & Alternative Dispute Resolution
3. Employment
4. Intellectual Property
5. Immigration and Citizenship

Installation

1. Download the bve-law-legal-updates folder
2. Upload to /wp-content/plugins/ directory
3. Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress
4. The custom database table will be created automatically on activation

Database Schema

The plugin creates a custom table: {wp_prefix}legal_updates

CREATE TABLE wp_legal_updates (
    id BIGINT(20) UNSIGNED NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
    heading VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
    content LONGTEXT NOT NULL,
    category VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
    created_at DATETIME NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
    updated_at DATETIME NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
    PRIMARY KEY (id),
    KEY category (category),
    KEY created_at (created_at)
) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_unicode_ci;

Admin Usage

Accessing the Admin Panel

1. Navigate to Legal Updates in the WordPress admin menu
2. Only users with manage_options capability (Administrators) can access

Adding a New Legal Update

1. Click Legal Updates > Add New
2. Select a Category from the dropdown
3. Enter a Heading (title for the update)
4. Add Content using the WYSIWYG editor
5. Click Save Legal Update

Editing a Legal Update

1. Go to Legal Updates list page
2. Click Edit next to the update you want to modify
3. Make your changes
4. Click Update Legal Update

Deleting a Legal Update

1. Go to Legal Updates list page
2. Click Delete next to the update
3. Confirm the deletion in the popup

Frontend Usage

Shortcode

Display legal updates on any page or post using the shortcode:

[bve_legal_updates]

Example Usage

1. Create a new page: Legal Updates
2. Add the shortcode: [bve_legal_updates]
3. Publish the page
4. The page will display tabs for each category
5. Users can click tabs to view updates in each category

Frontend Features

• Default Tab: "Commercial & Taxation" loads by default
• AJAX Loading: Updates load without page refresh
• Responsive: Works on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices
• Clean Design: Professional styling that matches most themes

File Structure

bve-law-legal-updates/
├── bve-law-legal-updates.php    # Main plugin file
├── assets/
│   ├── legal-updates.js         # Frontend JavaScript
│   └── legal-updates.css        # Frontend styles
└── README.md                     # Documentation

Security Features

Capability Checks

• All admin functions require manage_options capability
• Unauthorized users are blocked from accessing CRUD operations

Nonces

• Add/Edit forms use nonces: bve_lu_save
• Delete actions use unique nonces: bve_lu_delete_{id}
• AJAX requests use nonces: bve_lu_ajax

Data Sanitization

• Heading: sanitize_text_field()
• Content: wp_kses_post() (allows safe HTML)
• Category: Validated against allowed list

Data Escaping

• Admin Output: esc_html(), esc_attr()
• Frontend Output: esc_html(), esc_attr(), wp_kses_post()

SQL Security

• All database queries use $wpdb->prepare() for safe parameter binding

Technical Details

Database Functions

Insert New Update:

$wpdb->insert(
    $table_name,
    array(
        'heading' => $heading,
        'content' => $content,
        'category' => $category
    ),
    array('%s', '%s', '%s')
);

Update Existing:

$wpdb->update(
    $table_name,
    $data,
    array('id' => $id),
    array('%s', '%s', '%s'),
    array('%d')
);

Delete:

$wpdb->delete(
    $table_name,
    array('id' => $id),
    array('%d')
);

AJAX Handler

The plugin includes an AJAX handler for loading updates by category:

Action Hook: bve_lu_get_updates Registered for: Logged-in and non-logged-in users

Request Format:

{
    action: 'bve_lu_get_updates',
    category: 'commercial-taxation',
    nonce: '...'
}

Response Format:

{
    success: true,
    data: '<div class="bve-lu-update-item">...</div>'
}

Asset Enqueuing

Frontend assets are conditionally loaded only when the shortcode is present:

if (has_shortcode($post->post_content, 'bve_legal_updates')) {
    wp_enqueue_style('bve-legal-updates', ...);
    wp_enqueue_script('bve-legal-updates', ...);
}

Customization

Modifying Styles

Edit /assets/legal-updates.css to customize:

• Tab colors and fonts
• Update item styling
• Responsive breakpoints
• Spacing and padding

Changing Categories

To modify categories, edit the bve_lu_get_categories() function in the main plugin file:

function bve_lu_get_categories() {
    return array(
        'category-slug' => 'Category Display Name',
        // Add more categories
    );
}

Note: Changing categories after data exists may require migration.

Browser Compatibility

• Chrome (latest)
• Firefox (latest)
• Safari (latest)
• Edge (latest)
• Mobile browsers (iOS Safari, Chrome Mobile)

Requirements

• WordPress 5.0 or higher
• PHP 7.0 or higher
• MySQL 5.6 or higher

Support

For issues or questions:

1. Check the WordPress debug log
2. Verify database table was created
3. Ensure user has manage_options capability
4. Clear browser cache after updates

Version History

1.0.0 (Initial Release)

• Complete CRUD functionality
• Custom database table
• Frontend tabbed display with AJAX
• Security hardening
• Responsive design

License

This plugin is provided as-is for BVE Law's internal use.

Credits

Developed for BVE Law