I just purchased a plug-in called Contest Domination. It only offers two entry boxes, one for name and one for email. We want to have three input boxes. The creator told me we could add some code to accomodate our needs. We need someone to do this for us - any recommendations? Or, can anyone tell us where to look in the code to find the entry box area?? Once I know what to look for I could paste that part of the code here.
No idea, never used it. The creator would be the better one to ask.
Hi Pat,
Depending on the plug-in, this can actually be a lot more complicated than it sounds. Creating the input is only one part of the problem. You also need to write code to handle whatever is going in it. This means not only finding the form, but also writing the appropriate code in your action script. If this will need to be stored in the database, you will need to create the appropriate table and write to it. I wouldn’t recommend modifying the original plug-in’s tables, I would create a new one if you need to store the field. If you do need to store the field’s value, you will also need to find every place that queries the table and modify the query to include the new field. You may also need to modify sections of code that interact with this figure (like emails, etc.) Finally, you will need to code something to display the value wherever appropriate.
If the plug-in is a single file, this shouldn’t be too bad, but if it is a number of libraries and files, this can take a considerable amount of time and effort to do right. One big issue that you may have to deal with is that any official updates to the plug-in will likely overwrite your changes. I have seen people pay someone to do modifications like this, only to have them completely wiped out when they updated the plug-in. Just something to be aware of.
It sounds like you have been in touch with the creator, would they consider doing this for you? They know the structure and flow better than anyone and should be in the best position to do it right.
If they won’t and you still wish to proceed with implementing the additional input box, you will first need to locate the form that will need to be modified. I would load the page with the form up in your browser and then view the source, looking for the form’s name and/or id. You will then want to look through the code (it could be in a php or html file) and find this form. From there, you can add your new input, but the new input will do nothing without all the right code in all the right places.
I know this probably doesn’t help, but it at least may help you to better understand what you will probably be dealing with. Maybe somebody on here will have experience with the plug in, but absent that it is likely to be a challenge.