eCards Documentation

Installation

1. Upload the /ecards/ folder to your /wp-content/plugins/ directory
2. Activate the plugin via the Plugins menu in WordPress
3. Create and publish a new post/page, add an image or more and add the {ecard} shortcode
4. A new eCards menu will appear in WordPress Settings area
5. A new eCards menu will appear below WordPress Posts
6. Import an example page (download here, unzip and Tools -> Import)

First, before starting using the plugin, you need to create a dedicated email address to use for sending eCards and prevent your messages landing in Spam/Junk folders. Use noreply@yourdomain.com, ecards@yourdomain.com or something similar. You will not receive any emails on this address, as it is only used for sending. Use your cPanel or Plesk panel to create an empty mailbox. Add this email address inside the Email Options tab, in eCards settings.

Second, you should go to the Diagnostics tab and check if your mail sending function is working.

Third, you should go to the Labels tab and configure (or translate) the strings as necessary.

The plugin is configured to use the best settings for your site, but you might want to check all the tabs – Settings, Email Options, Restrictions & Payments and Labels – and change the options as necessary.

Usage

Adding eCards to a post or a page is accomplished by uploading one or more images for the {ecard} shortcode.

Images should be uploaded directly to the post or page where the shortcode is present, not attached from the Media Library. Inserting the images is not necessary, as the plugin creates the eCard automatically and displays all uploaded images.

1. Add the {ecard} shortcode to a post or a page or call the function from a template file:

<?php if(function_exists('display_ecardMe')) echo display_ecardMe(); ?>

2. Use the {ecard_counter} shortcode to display the number of eCards sent or call the function from a template file:

<?php if(function_exists('display_ecardCounter')) echo display_ecardCounter(); ?>

(example: {ecard_counter} eCards sent so far!)

3. Use the {paypal amount="8"}{ecard}{/paypal} shortcode to hide the eCard form and require payment. Only guests and non-members see the payment button. Members always see the hidden content.

4. Use noselect as ALT text for attached images you do not want included as eCards.

Options and Additional Information

• The plugin uses Akismet to filter email spam.
• The plugin allows the user to select a predefined image or to upload one or to select from his/her Dropbox.
• For a better system management, the plugin allows for user creation upon eCard sending, automatic custom post type creation and eCard scheduling.

All these options are switchable (on or off) from the plugin’s Settings tab.

• The plugin allows for multiple ways of displaying an email.
• The plugin allows for a fixed email address to be used for all eCards.
• The plugin allows for custom content to be appended to all emails.
• The plugin allows for optional description and post content.
• The plugin allows for subject shortcodes, such as [name] and [email].

All these options are switchable (on or off) from the plugin’s Email Options tab.

• The plugin allows for PayPal payment.
• The plugin allows for membership restrictions.
• The plugin is compatible with third-party payment or membership plugins by default.

All these options are configurable from the plugin’s Email Options tab.

Styling

In order to style the radio boxes differently or to make them larger and add more padding, add this to your CSS stylesheet (or use a custom CSS plugin):

.ecard input[type="radio"] {
    -webkit-appearance: radio;
    -moz-appearance: radio;
    width: auto;
    box-shadow: none;
    margin: 24px 0 48px 0;
    -webkit-transform: scale(2);
    transform: scale(2);
}

You can also use width and height to make the checkboxes bigger – https://jsfiddle.net/getbutterfly/drLbq8mt/

eCard Designer

Use the following Designer template as a starting point for your own:

You have received an eCard!

[name] sent you an eCard!

[image]

[ecard-message]

Check your eCard here:
[ecard-link]

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will the shortcode work on any page in my site?
A: The eCard shortcode displays the eCard form anywhere on the site: public posts, public pages, restricted pages, gateway pages, custom post types and so on. If you use a payment plugin or a membership plugin to restrict access to certain area, eCard will work without a problem.

Q: My images are already uploaded, can I attach them from the Media Library?
A: If you want to use images from your Media Library, you need to attach them to your post or page. There are free plugins which allow you to attach images to posts/pages.

Q: Is there a way to add a border around the emailed eCard with CSS without updating all the card images?
A: No, there is no way of styling the email content.

Q: I get an error regarding Fatal error: Can't use function return value in write context in /path/to/plugin/file.php on line XXX.
A: Upgrade your PHP version to 5.6 or higher.

Q: I have the plugin working on the site, but it’s not sending eCards?
A: Check your server logs for any mail related errors or create a dedicated email address on your server and add it to the Email Options tab or install an SMTP plugin (https://wordpress.org/plugins/easy-wp-smtp/) or disable other email plugins.

Q: Can the PayPal button be optional? So that people can leave a donation if they want, but can send an eCard anyway if they don’t want to?
A: No, it’s not possible. But you can use any free plugin to add a donation button on the eCard posts/pages.

Q: Can you send to multiple emails at the same time?
A: No, that would be spammy and your email address (and even the domain name) would be banned.

Q: If I want to allow my website visitors to send their own designed eCards, will this plugin allow front-end submission?
A: Yes, there is a user upload option/button which allows users to upload their own images.

Q: Is there a way to suppress some of the images from the eCard gallery? I only want to show four of eight images.
A: Use noselect as ALT text for attached images you do not want included as eCards.

Q: Can I use foreign characters, such as Russian, Scandinavian, Greek?
A: Yes. It also depends on your theme’s settings, as the plugin inherits the current site language.