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Contact Form Lite

A simple, lightweight WordPress contact form plugin with anti-spam protection. Easy to use with a shortcode and no external dependencies.

Single File v1.0.0 Updated 2 months ago
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YT Contact Form Lite

A simple, lightweight WordPress contact form plugin with anti-spam protection. Easy to use with a shortcode and no external dependencies.

Features

  • Simple Shortcode: Use [contact_form] to display the contact form anywhere
  • Anti-Spam Protection: Built-in honeypot field to prevent spam submissions
  • Email Notifications: Sends form submissions via wp_mail() to specified recipient
  • Customizable Fields: Enable/disable name and phone fields
  • Client-Side Validation: Real-time form validation with JavaScript
  • Success/Error Handling: Clear feedback messages for users
  • Responsive Design: Mobile-friendly form layout
  • Accessible: Keyboard navigation and screen reader friendly
  • Translation Ready: i18n/l10n support
  • WPCS Compliant: Follows WordPress coding standards

Installation

  1. Upload the yt-contact-form-lite folder to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory
  2. Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress
  3. Configure settings at Settings → Contact Form
  4. Add [contact_form] shortcode to any page, post, or widget

Usage

Basic Shortcode

[contact_form]

Custom Button Text

[contact_form button_text="Send Message"]

Shortcode Attributes

  • button_text - Custom text for submit button (default: "Send Message")

Settings

Navigate to Settings → Contact Form to configure:

Email Settings

  • Recipient Email: Email address to receive form submissions (default: admin email)
  • Email Subject: Subject line for notification emails (default: "New Contact Form Submission")
  • Success Message: Message displayed after successful submission
  • Enable Name Field: Show/hide name field in the form
  • Enable Phone Field: Show/hide phone field in the form

Default Configuration

  • Recipient: Site admin email
  • Subject: "New Contact Form Submission"
  • Success Message: "Thank you for your message! We will get back to you soon."
  • Name Field: ✓ Enabled
  • Phone Field: ✗ Disabled

How It Works

Form Submission Flow

  1. User fills out form with required fields
  2. JavaScript validation runs on submit (client-side)
  3. Form submits to WordPress via POST
  4. Server-side validation checks all fields
  5. Honeypot check prevents spam bots
  6. Nonce verification ensures security
  7. Email sent via wp_mail() to recipient
  8. Success/error message displayed to user

Anti-Spam Protection

The plugin uses a honeypot field technique:

  • Hidden field (yt_contact_form_lite_website) not visible to humans
  • Bots automatically fill all fields including hidden ones
  • Submissions with honeypot field filled are rejected
  • No CAPTCHA needed, better user experience

Security Features

  • Nonce Verification: WordPress nonce for CSRF protection
  • Input Sanitization: All inputs sanitized before processing
  • Output Escaping: All output properly escaped
  • Email Validation: Server-side email format validation
  • Honeypot Field: Spam bot prevention
  • No Database Storage: No sensitive data stored (privacy-friendly)

Form Fields

Default Fields (Always Visible)

  1. Email (required)

    • Input type: email
    • Validated for proper email format
    • Used as reply-to address in notification

  2. Message (required)

    • Textarea field
    • Minimum 5 rows
    • Supports multiline text

Optional Fields

  1. Name (optional, enabled by default)

    • Input type: text
    • Can be disabled in settings

  2. Phone (optional, disabled by default)

    • Input type: tel
    • Can be enabled in settings
    • Not required even when visible

Email Notifications

When a form is submitted successfully, an HTML email is sent containing:

  • Name (if enabled)
  • Email address (with mailto link)
  • Phone (if provided)
  • Message (formatted with line breaks)
  • Site information (site name and URL)
  • Submission timestamp

Email Headers:

  • Content-Type: text/html
  • Reply-To: User's email address

File Structure

yt-contact-form-lite/
├── class-yt-contact-form-lite.php    # Main plugin file (~760 lines)
├── assets/
│   ├── css/
│   │   └── yt-contact-form-lite.css  # Form styles
│   └── js/
│       └── yt-contact-form-lite.js   # Client validation
└── README.md                          # This file

Prefix Convention

All functions, classes, and elements use the yt_contact_form_lite prefix:

  • Class: YT_Contact_Form_Lite
  • Constants: YT_CONTACT_FORM_LITE_*
  • Functions: yt_contact_form_lite_*
  • Form Fields: yt_contact_form_lite_*
  • CSS Classes: .yt-contact-form-lite-*
  • Options: yt_contact_form_lite_options
  • Text Domain: yt-contact-form-lite

Styling

Default Styles

The plugin includes default styles with:

  • Clean, modern design
  • Responsive layout
  • Focus states for accessibility
  • Error state styling
  • Success/error message boxes
  • Dark mode support

Custom Styling

Override default styles by adding CSS to your theme:

.yt-contact-form-lite {
    background: #your-color;
    padding: 30px;
}

.yt-contact-form-lite-submit {
    background: #your-button-color;
}

.yt-contact-form-lite-submit:hover {
    background: #your-hover-color;
}

JavaScript Features

The included JavaScript provides:

  • Real-time Validation: Fields validated on blur
  • Error Display: Inline error messages
  • Error Clearing: Errors clear on input
  • Email Format Check: Client-side email validation
  • Auto-scroll: Scrolls to messages after submission
  • Focus Management: Focuses first error field
  • Loading State: Visual feedback during submission
  • Duplicate Prevention: Prevents multiple submissions
  • Visual Feedback: Focus states for better UX

Troubleshooting

Emails not being received?

  1. Check spam folder: Form emails might be filtered
  2. Verify recipient email: Ensure it's correct in settings
  3. Test wp_mail(): WordPress email functionality might need SMTP plugin
  4. Check server: Some hosts block wp_mail()
  5. Use SMTP plugin: Consider WP Mail SMTP or similar

Form not displaying?

  1. Check shortcode: Ensure [contact_form] is correct
  2. Plugin activated: Verify plugin is active
  3. Theme compatibility: Some themes may have CSS conflicts
  4. JavaScript errors: Check browser console for errors

Validation not working?

  1. JavaScript enabled: Ensure JS is not blocked
  2. jQuery loaded: Plugin requires jQuery
  3. Console errors: Check for JavaScript errors
  4. Browser compatibility: Test in different browsers

Spam submissions?

The honeypot field blocks most bots, but sophisticated bots might:

  1. Enable server-side logging to identify patterns
  2. Consider adding reCAPTCHA via another plugin
  3. Use a security plugin for additional protection

Best Practices

  1. Test email delivery: Send test submission after setup
  2. Check spam folder: Configure email authentication (SPF, DKIM)
  3. Customize messages: Personalize success message for your brand
  4. Monitor submissions: Regularly check for issues
  5. Backup settings: Document your configuration
  6. Use SMTP: For reliable email delivery

Uninstallation

When the plugin is deleted via WordPress admin:

  1. All plugin options are removed
  2. No database tables created (nothing to clean)
  3. WordPress cache is flushed
  4. Form submissions are not stored (privacy-friendly)

Requirements

  • WordPress 5.8 or higher
  • PHP 7.4 or higher
  • JavaScript enabled in browser (for validation)
  • wp_mail() function working (for email delivery)

Complexity

  • Main PHP File: ~760 lines (with comments)
  • CSS File: ~210 lines
  • JS File: ~170 lines
  • Total: ~1,140 lines across all files

FAQ

Does this store form submissions in the database?

No, submissions are only sent via email. This is privacy-friendly and reduces database bloat.

Can I add more fields?

The lite version has fixed fields. For custom fields, you would need to extend the code.

Does it work with page builders?

Yes! Use the [contact_form] shortcode in any page builder's shortcode block.

Can I have multiple forms on one page?

Yes, but they'll all use the same settings. For different forms, use separate pages.

Is it GDPR compliant?

Yes, as it doesn't store data. Add a privacy policy link in your site footer as needed.

Can I customize the email template?

The email template is built in the yt_contact_form_lite_build_email_body() function. You can modify it by editing the plugin file.

Why use honeypot instead of CAPTCHA?

Honeypot is invisible to users, providing better UX while still blocking most spam bots.

Can I translate the plugin?

Yes! The plugin is translation-ready with all strings properly wrapped in translation functions.

Changelog

1.0.0

  • Initial release
  • Basic contact form with email, name, phone, message fields
  • Honeypot anti-spam protection
  • Email notifications via wp_mail()
  • Client-side and server-side validation
  • Settings page for configuration
  • Responsive design
  • Accessibility features
  • Dark mode support

License

GPL v2 or later

Author

Krasen Slavov

Support

For issues and feature requests, please visit the GitHub repository.

Future Enhancements

Potential features for future versions:

  • Custom field builder
  • File attachment support
  • Database logging option
  • Email templates
  • Auto-reply to sender
  • Multiple form support
  • Integration with email services
  • Form analytics

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