WhatsApp Contact Form

A simple WordPress plugin that provides a contact form which sends messages directly to WhatsApp instead of email.

• Plugin main file: whatsapp-contact-form.php
• Admin settings: admin/settings-page.php
• Public shortcode form: public/form-shortcode.php

Features

• Add a contact form via shortcode to any post or page.
• Messages are sent directly to a configured WhatsApp number (opens WhatsApp / WhatsApp Web).
• Simple admin settings page to configure the target phone number and message templates.

Requirements

• WordPress 5.0+ (recommended latest)
• PHP 7.2+ (follow host requirements)
• A phone with WhatsApp installed or desktop with WhatsApp Web for testing

Installation

1. Upload the whatsapp-contact-form folder to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory, or install via your preferred plugin installer.
2. Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' screen in WordPress.

Initial Setup

1. After activation, open the plugin settings page to configure your WhatsApp recipient and default message template.
   • The settings UI is provided by admin/settings-page.php.
   • Assumption: the settings page is available under the WordPress admin; look under Settings or the plugin list if you don't see a top-level menu.
2. Enter the target phone number (including country code but without the + or leading zeros). Example: 15551234567 for +1 555 123 4567.
3. Save settings.

Note: If you can't find the settings page, open admin/settings-page.php to see the exact admin menu slug and location.

Usage — Shortcode

Place the following shortcode into a post or page where you want the form to appear:

[whatsapp_contact_form]

What this does:

• Renders a contact form (input fields and submit button).
• On submit, the plugin builds a WhatsApp URL with the message and opens WhatsApp or WhatsApp Web.

Optional: The plugin's public/form-shortcode.php file may accept additional shortcode attributes depending on implementation. If you want to customize behavior (button text, prefill text, or the target phone), check public/form-shortcode.php for supported attributes and examples.

Example (if attributes are supported by your version):

[whatsapp_contact_form button_text="Send on WhatsApp"]

If the plugin does not implement shortcode attributes, configure defaults in the admin settings page.

Customization

• To change markup, validation, or the message template, edit public/form-shortcode.php.
• To add more settings, edit admin/settings-page.php and follow WordPress Settings API or option functions.

Developer contract (inputs / outputs):

• Input: Standard HTML form fields (name, email, message) — exact fields depend on form-shortcode.php.
• Output: Redirect to WhatsApp URL (web.whatsapp.com or whatsapp://) with prefilled message.
• Error modes: If WhatsApp cannot open, the form should fallback to showing the composed URL or instructing the user to copy/paste the message.

Testing

1. Add the shortcode to a test page and view it on the front end.
2. Fill the form and press the send button.
3. Expected result: your browser opens a WhatsApp link (desktop => WhatsApp Web, mobile => WhatsApp app) with the message prefilled and the recipient set to the number configured in settings.

Troubleshooting

• Nothing happens on submit:
  • Verify JavaScript is enabled and there are no JS errors. Check browser console.
  • Confirm the configured phone number in the settings is correct (country code + number, no "+").
• WhatsApp Web opens but recipient is not set:
  • Make sure the number uses the international format (country code + subscriber number, no leading zero). Example: 447700900123.
• Settings page not visible:
  • Check admin/settings-page.php for the admin menu registration (menu slug and capability). You may need Administrator privileges.

Security & Privacy

• The plugin sends messages to a WhatsApp number. It does not send emails by default.
• If you log or store submitted messages, ensure you comply with GDPR and local privacy regulations.
• Sanitize and escape all inputs if you modify the plugin. Use sanitize_text_field(), esc_html(), wp_kses() where appropriate.

Localization

• The plugin header includes a text domain: whatsapp-contact-form in whatsapp-contact-form.php.
• To add translations, create .pot/.po/.mo files using the same text domain and load them with standard WordPress functions.

Hooks & Extensibility

• If you want to add filters or actions, consider adding apply_filters() around the message template and do_action() on form submission inside public/form-shortcode.php.

• Example idea (not implemented automatically):

  • apply_filters('wcf_message_template', $message, $form_data) — lets other plugins modify the message text.
  • do_action('wcf_after_submit', $form_data, $whatsapp_url) — run custom code after the form builds the WhatsApp URL.

If you want, I can add these hooks as a small follow-up change.

Changelog

• 1.0.0 — Initial release: basic contact form and admin settings.

License

This plugin is provided under the terms set by the plugin author. If you plan to redistribute or modify, include a license file as appropriate (MIT, GPLv2+, etc.). WordPress plugins typically use GPL-compatible licenses.

Support

For issues, open an issue in the repository or inspect plugin PHP files:

• whatsapp-contact-form.php
• admin/settings-page.php
• public/form-shortcode.php

If you want, I can also:

• Add example shortcode attributes and document them.
• Add a settings screenshot and menu location in the README.
• Add filters/actions to make the plugin more extensible.

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(Assumptions: The README references the plugin files included with this repository. I inferred the admin page location and certain behaviors — if you want the README to show exact admin menu paths, shortcode attributes, or screenshots, I can open the specific files and update the README accordingly.)