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Looking for complex database/form solution WordPress

  • SOLVED

Hi!

I've been browsing through the WP plugins for days but can't find what I'm looking for, so I'm hoping someone will be able to help me out.

I'm running a large wordpress-based website (on 3.1).

One page on the website is a list of health practitioners. Practitioners can apply to be added to the list by filling out a contact7 form. I then have to review each form and publish them by adding the listings manually into the page.

Because that list is becoming very long and there are issues of keeping track of invoicing/correspondence and other stuff, I was hoping I could find a plugin that would allow me to do everything at once.

- practictioners would fill out a form with their contact and practice info;
- that info would be input into a database;
- from a user-friendly backend interface (not phpmyadmin!), I could edit, and add to, that database (including extra fields such as "invoicing" and "last correspondence" or whatnot).
- I could pick the fields I want to publish directly onto the list accessible by the public on the website.

Any thoughts at all on how I could achieve this? Either with a WP plugin, which would be optimal, or even with a separate custom database app... Any sort of recommendation or advice would be appreciated.

I'd also be ready to hire someone to do this (for more $ of course!), so any developer out there who'd be interested, let me know!

Cheers and many thanks,

Marie

Answers (5)

2012-06-18

Ben Tupper answers:

Go with Wufoo.

It's a form building service and it's great! You can do all the things you describe as needing. The form and report integration into WP is easy with the Wufoo plugin (by Chris Coyier). There's a free version or paid version. It's a great tool. Used it for a lot of sites of my own.

Good luck!


Marie-Charlotte Pezé comments:

I think this would work fine, it's got the "comment" section in the back end that would allow me to keep track of the extra stuff - many thanks Ben!

2012-06-18

paul de wouters answers:

seems you could do this with Gravity forms (affiliate link)
[[LINK href="http://wpconsult.net/gravity"]]www.gravityforms.com[[/LINK]]

you can use this addon plugin to create custom post type entries from form submissions, then you can use that in a custom template to display on the front end
[[LINK href="http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/gravity-forms-custom-post-types/"]]http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/gravity-forms-custom-post-types/[[/LINK]]

and here's a tutorial site dedicated to Gravity forms
[[LINK href="http://gravitywiz.com/"]]http://gravitywiz.com/[[/LINK]]


Marie-Charlotte Pezé comments:

Hi Paul -

Looks like this plugin would be perfect for the first part of the job, i.e. collecting info from the practitioners (which contact form 7 already does), then publishing it - but it doesn't seem to do a very important part, which is giving me access to an easy to review and easy to edit backend, where I could add my own fields with information NOT filled out by the practitioners in the form.

Thank you, though!

2012-06-18

Arnav Joy answers:

Hi ,

I do not know if there is any plugin available but I can develop a plugin for you let me know if you are interested.

my email is : [email protected]

send me pm for this.

Thanks
Arnav


Marie-Charlotte Pezé comments:

Thanks, writing to you now!

2012-06-18

Clifford P answers:

Here's a video demo (no audio) of a site I did recently that uses Gravity Forms: [[LINK href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFpXXfHisoM&hd=1&t=10m9s"]]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFpXXfHisoM&hd=1&t=10m9s[[/LINK]]

That video shows how you can use the "notes" field to do what you want.
And if you watch to the end, you can see how to export entries to CSV by date filter.

Here are some links that should prove helpful once you start creating forms:
[[LINK href="http://www.gravityhelp.com/css-ready-classes-for-gravity-forms/"]]http://www.gravityhelp.com/css-ready-classes-for-gravity-forms/[[/LINK]]
[[LINK href="http://www.gravityhelp.com/documentation/page/Input_Mask"]]http://www.gravityhelp.com/documentation/page/Input_Mask[[/LINK]]
[[LINK href="http://www.gravityhelp.com/documentation/page/Gform_input_masks"]]http://www.gravityhelp.com/documentation/page/Gform_input_masks[[/LINK]]
[[LINK href="http://www.gravityhelp.com/documentation/page/Gform_input_mask_script"]]http://www.gravityhelp.com/documentation/page/Gform_input_mask_script[[/LINK]]
[[LINK href="http://gravitywiz.com/2012/05/24/format-field-as-currency/"]]http://gravitywiz.com/2012/05/24/format-field-as-currency/[[/LINK]]
[[LINK href="http://www.gravityhelp.com/documentation/page/Gform_save_field_value"]]http://www.gravityhelp.com/documentation/page/Gform_save_field_value[[/LINK]]
[[LINK href="http://www.gravityhelp.com/documentation/page/Gform_get_input_value"]]http://www.gravityhelp.com/documentation/page/Gform_get_input_value[[/LINK]]
[[LINK href="http://www.gravityhelp.com/other-resources/"]]http://www.gravityhelp.com/other-resources/[[/LINK]]

Here's my affiliate link to Gravity Forms: [[LINK href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?cl=54585&c=ib&aff=190740"]]https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?cl=54585&c=ib&aff=190740[[/LINK]]
If this helped, I'd appreciate a signup through my link.
In my opinion, there's no reason not to sign up. I'd suggest the Developer version (i.e. unlimited version, with priority support). If there's some extended functionality you desire, you can always extend Gravity Forms (as you can tell by the many Add-Ons).

2012-06-18

Gabriel Reguly answers:

Hi Marie-Charlotte Pezé,

Seems you have a very nice site, first I strongly suggest that you upgrade it to 3.4.

What is preventing you from doing it?

There is a nice plugin, [[LINK href="http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/contact-form-7-to-database-extension/"]]http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/contact-form-7-to-database-extension/[[/LINK]], which can store the data your clients are filling.

I can code a custom solution or a plugin extension for an agreed fee.

Please let me know your detailed requirements and I'll give you a quote.

Regards,
Gabriel


Marie-Charlotte Pezé comments:

Hey Gabriel,

Thanks a lot - I didn't know about this contact form 7 extension, I will check it out. I will also send you an MP detailing what I need exactly, let me know what it would take to customize the plugin.

And I haven't updated to 3.4 yet because between my regular job + maintaining the website + hosting a minecraft server + trying to keep a bare-minimum social life, I have cold sweats at all the troubleshooting it's going to take with plugins that'll stop working... etc, when right now it's running smoothly.

I promise I will look into it soon!! *shame on me*

:-p


Gabriel Reguly comments:

Hi Marie-Charlotte Pezé,

Yep, updating takes time.

But think about the potential damage a hacker can cause due to an unpatched flaw.

I assume you do have daily backups, correct?

Hint [[LINK href="http://wpb2d.com/#install"]]http://wpb2d.com/#install[[/LINK]]

Please use this [[LINK href="http://db.tt/1S6e3kJ"]]http://db.tt/1S6e3kJ[[/LINK]] to install dropbox, if you don't already have it (We'll get an extra 500Mb both of us)

Regards,
Gabriel


Marie-Charlotte Pezé comments:

Oh and by the way, my website (karlotta.com) is not the one concerned with that question! I suppose I also have to update that one, and all the others (HAHA).

I already do have dropbox.

And I backup my WP databases weekly via email. You can scold me further via mp, i'm writing it now!

Cheers :)