Testimonial Collector

A WordPress plugin that allows users to submit testimonials via a frontend form. Admins can review, approve, and manage testimonials in the dashboard. Display approved testimonials using a shortcode with a beautiful slider/carousel layout.

Features

Frontend Features

• 📝 Submission Form - Users can submit testimonials with name, email, rating (1-5 stars), and testimonial text
• 🎠 Carousel Display - Display approved testimonials in an elegant slider/carousel
• ⭐ Rating System - 5-star rating system with both visual stars and numbers
• 🔒 Spam Protection - Built-in honeypot field and nonce verification
• 📱 Responsive Design - Mobile-friendly on all devices

Admin Features

• 👥 Testimonial Management - View all testimonials in an organized table
• ✅ Approval System - Approve, reject, or delete testimonials
• 🔍 Status Filters - Filter by All, Pending, Approved, or Rejected
• ✏️ Edit Testimonials - Edit any testimonial details
• 📧 Email Notifications - Get notified when new testimonials are submitted
• ⚙️ Settings Page - Configure email notifications, display options, and carousel behavior

Installation

1. Download the plugin files
2. Upload the testimonial-collector folder to /wp-content/plugins/
3. Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress
4. Go to Testimonials > Settings to configure your preferences

Usage

Display Submission Form

Use the [testimonial_form] shortcode in any post or page where you want users to submit testimonials:

[testimonial_form]

Display Testimonials Carousel

Use the [testimonials] shortcode to display approved testimonials:

[testimonials]

With limit:

[testimonials limit="5"]

This will display only 5 testimonials.

Shortcode Reference

Shortcode	Description	Attributes
[testimonial_form]	Display the submission form	None
[testimonials]	Display approved testimonials	limit - Number of testimonials to show (default: all)

Admin Guide

Managing Testimonials

1. Go to Testimonials in your WordPress admin menu
2. View all submitted testimonials in a table format
3. Filter by status using the tabs at the top:
   • All - Show all testimonials
   • Pending - Show testimonials awaiting review
   • Approved - Show published testimonials
   • Rejected - Show rejected testimonials

Actions Available

For each testimonial, you can:

• Approve - Publish the testimonial (makes it visible on the frontend)
• Reject - Mark as rejected (hidden from frontend)
• Edit - Modify the testimonial details
• Delete - Permanently remove the testimonial

Email Notifications

When a new testimonial is submitted, you'll receive an email notification with:

• Submitter's name and email
• Rating
• Testimonial text
• Quick action buttons to approve or edit

Configure email notifications:

1. Go to Testimonials > Settings
2. Check/uncheck "Enable Email Notifications"
3. Set the admin email address
4. Save changes

Settings

Email Notifications

• Enable Email Notifications - Toggle email alerts on/off
• Admin Email - Email address to receive notifications

Display Settings

• Show Rating - Display or hide star ratings on the frontend

Carousel Settings

• Autoplay - Enable automatic carousel scrolling
• Autoplay Speed - How fast the carousel scrolls (milliseconds)
• Items to Show - Number of testimonials visible at once (1-5)

Workflow Example

1. User submits testimonial via [testimonial_form]
2. Testimonial saved as "Pending" in the database
3. Admin receives email notification
4. Admin reviews and clicks "Approve" or "Reject"
5. Approved testimonials appear in the [testimonials] carousel

Technical Details

Custom Post Type

The plugin uses a custom post type called testimonial:

• Title - Submitter's name
• Content - Testimonial text
• Status - Pending (awaiting review), Publish (approved), Draft (rejected)

Post Meta

Each testimonial stores:

• _testimonial_email - Submitter's email (not displayed publicly)
• _testimonial_rating - Rating value (1-5)
• _testimonial_date_submitted - Submission timestamp

Security Features

• ✅ Nonce verification on all forms
• ✅ Capability checks (only admins can manage)
• ✅ Input sanitization and validation
• ✅ Output escaping
• ✅ Honeypot spam protection
• ✅ AJAX security

Requirements

• WordPress: 5.8 or higher
• PHP: 7.4 or higher
• jQuery: Included with WordPress

External Dependencies

The plugin uses the following external library for the carousel:

• Slick Carousel (v1.8.1) - Loaded from CDN only when the [testimonials] shortcode is used

Browser Compatibility

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

Customization

Styling

You can override the plugin's CSS by adding custom styles to your theme:

/* Custom testimonial card styling */
.testimonial-content {
    background: #f9f9f9;
    border-left: 4px solid #your-color;
}

/* Custom submit button */
.testimonial-submit-btn {
    background-color: #your-color;
}

Carousel Settings

Adjust carousel behavior in Settings > Carousel Settings or by modifying the settings in the admin panel.

Troubleshooting

Testimonials not displaying

• Make sure you've approved at least one testimonial
• Check that the shortcode [testimonials] is correctly placed
• Verify the plugin is activated

Form not submitting

• Check browser console for JavaScript errors
• Ensure jQuery is loaded (included by default in WordPress)
• Verify AJAX URL is correct

Email notifications not working

• Check Settings > Email Notifications is enabled
• Verify the admin email address is correct
• Check your spam folder
• Test with an SMTP plugin if using shared hosting

Carousel not working

• Ensure the Slick Carousel library is loading (check browser console)
• Clear your browser cache
• Check for JavaScript conflicts with other plugins

Support

For issues, questions, or feature requests:

1. Check the documentation above
2. Review existing issues on GitHub
3. Create a new issue with detailed information

Changelog

Version 1.0.0

• Initial release
• Testimonial submission form
• Admin approval workflow
• Email notifications
• Carousel display with Slick Carousel
• Settings page
• Responsive design

Credits

• Developed by [Your Name]
• Uses Slick Carousel by Ken Wheeler

License

GPL v2 or later

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