Oxford Course Discovery System

A scalable and extensible Course Discovery system for WordPress, built without external plugins (except ACF).

Features

• Custom post types for Courses, Instructors, and Providers
• Advanced filtering system with AND/OR logic
• Responsive, accessible frontend interface
• Custom database tables for optimized date queries
• Extensible filter architecture using Strategy Pattern
• AJAX-based filtering without page reload

Installation

1. Upload the plugin folder to /wp-content/plugins/
2. Activate the plugin through WordPress admin
3. Install and activate Advanced Custom Fields PRO
4. Run the database setup:
   • The plugin will automatically create necessary tables on activation
5. Configure ACF fields (they're automatically registered)

Setup Instructions

1. Post Types Creation

After activation, you'll see new menu items for:

• Courses
• Instructors
• Providers

2. Adding Content

1. Add Providers: Create provider entries with location information
2. Add Instructors: Create instructor profiles
3. Add Courses:
   • Enter course details
   • Set price, descriptions
   • Select instructors and providers
   • Add start dates in Month-Year format

3. Displaying the Course Discovery

Use the shortcode [course_discovery] on any page or post.

Database Schema

Custom Tables

• wp_oxford_course_dates: Stores course start dates for optimized querying

WordPress Native

• Uses standard WordPress posts, meta, and taxonomies
• Leverages WordPress query system with meta queries

Filter Logic Architecture

Design Patterns Used

• Strategy Pattern: Each filter type implements a common interface
• Factory Pattern: Filter manager creates and manages filter instances
• Singleton Pattern: Filter manager instance is globally available

Filter Combination Logic

• Between filters: AND logic (must match all selected filter types)
• Within filters: OR logic (can match any value within a filter)

Example: