Can I display the petition as a widget?Yes. Once you've created a petition, go to the Widgets screen and drag the "SpeakOut! Email Petitions" widget into a sidebar. In the widget's options, enter a Title and a Call to Action and then select the petition you wish to display.
Can I display the total signatures of 2 petitions?Yes, but it isn't quite so straightforward.
Firstly install the plugin: Insert PHP Code Snippet. This allows us to add PHP code to the page.
Go into the XYZ PHP Code > Settings and disable Autoinsert PHP opening tags
Then go back to XYZ PHP Code > PHP Code Snippets and Add new PHP code snippet
Before you add the code, notice the arrows, the number in each case has to match the petition number.
Tracking name: multisignatures
PHP Code:
// IF YOU ARE USING THIS ON A PAGE WITHOUT A PETITION you need to include the petition class by removing the // from in front of the next line
//include_once( '/wp-content/plugins/speakout/includes/class.petition.php' );
// create a new petition object
$petition = new dk_speakout_Petition();
// check if first petition exists
$petition1_exists = $petition->retrieve( 1 );
// if it does
if ( $petition1_exists ) {
// get the signature count and save it in $signature_total
$signature_total = $petition->signatures;
}
// see if our next petition exists
$petition7_exists = $petition->retrieve( 7 );
if ( $petition7_exists ) {
// this time add our signature count to $signature_total - we have a running total
$signature_total = $signature_total + $petition->signatures;
}
// you could repeat the second block to add a 3rd or more petition
// print the signature total on the page
echo $signature_total;
Awesome! You now have the total signatures sitting in a variable ready to be displayed on the page.
Now we need to add the shortcode to the page to actually display it.
Total signatures - [xyz-ips snippet="multisignatures"]
Here is live data - The total of both SpeakOut! demo petition signatures is
Can I download a list of my petition’s signatures?To download the signatures in CSV format, click the "Download as CSV" button at the top of the Signatures screen. If you do not see a "Download as CSV" button on this screen, you will first need to select your petition from the drop-down list.
Can I hide the petition message?Yes. In the petition edit page, on the right is an option to hide the message that is sent with the petition. The purpose of this is so that you can add the text of your petition to the page itself, likely above the petition. You could then format it a bit better than the default display.
Can I import existing petitions and signatures from SpeakUp?SpeakOut! was forked from an abandoned plugin speakup.
Since version 1.3.0 there is an item in the dashboard menu to import from speakup to SpeakOut! This is a non destructive import, it doesn't affect the existing SpeakUp data at all, simply copies it to SpeakOut! If you have any previous petitions in SpeakOut! they will not be affected. Legacy SpeakUp shortcodes will still work, but the petition ID may need to be updated.
After importing it is strongly recommended that speakup be deactivated.
Can I make the postal code a required field?You need to edit two files in order to get the new “required” fields working. First file is /wp-content/plugins/speakout/includes/emailpetition.php and the second file is /wp-content/plugins/speakout/js/public.js
The first file: emailpetition.php
The following steps are required in order to make the field “required”.
Find the following line.
<label for="dk-speakout-postcode-' . $petition->id . '">’ . __( 'Postal Code', 'speakout' ) . '</label>
Change this line to;
<label for="dk-speakout-postcode-' . $petition->id . '" class=”required"' . '>' . __( 'Postal Code', 'speakout' ) . '</label>
The second file public.js
Find the following lines:
if ( lastname === '' ) {
$( '#dk-speakout-last-name-' + id ).addClass( 'dk-speakout-error' );
errors ++;
}
Append the following code just after this section .
if ( postcode === '' ) {
$( '#dk-speakout-postcode-' + id ).addClass( 'dk-speakout-error' );
errors ++;
}
So it should look like this:
if ( lastname === ” ) {
$( '#dk-speakout-last-name-' + id ).addClass( 'dk-speakout-error' );
errors ++;
}
if ( postcode === ” ) {
$( '#dk-speakout-postcode-' + id ).addClass( 'dk-speakout-error' );
errors ++;
}
(Thanks to @altinkaya)
Can I preserve custom CSS?
First, select “None” as your theme on the Settings screen. Then add a petition.css file to your theme folder. You can use the styles included in the plugin’s CSS folder as a starting point for your custom theme — just copy the contents of theme-standard.css or theme-basic.css into your petition.css file and make any modifications you desire.
Custom styles can also be created for the widget and signaturelists by adding petition-widget.css or petition-signaturelist.css to your theme and changing the theme for these items to “None”.
Of course, you can always use the WordPress custom CSS option, however if you change themes they are lost.
Can I run a petition without having it send email?When you create a new petition, simply select the checkbox labelled "Do not send email (only collect signatures)" at the top of the Petition box and email will not be sent out when the petition is signed.
Can the petition message be sent to multiple email addresses?Yes. In the Target Email field, simply enter a comma-separated list of email addresses.
Also see this question
Does SpeakOut! comply with GDPR?The plugin doesn't need to comply, it is your site that has to meet the rules. I have done my best based on what people have asked for. Under dashboard > SpeakOut! > settings there is a new item at the bottom to Display Privacy Policy accept". If you check that box and fill in the URL to your privacy policy a checkbox will be displayed on your petition form with a link to your privacy policy.
If it needs more work (I am not in the EU) please send me a message via the contact form.
How can I create a custom style for the petition form?First, select "None" as your theme on the Settings screen. Then add a 'petition.css' file to your theme folder. You can use the styles included in the plugin's CSS folder as a starting point for your custom theme — just copy the contents of 'theme-standard.css' or 'theme-basic.css' into your 'petition.css' file and make any modifications you desire.
Custom styles can also be created for the widget and signaturelists by adding petition-widget.css or petition-signaturelist.css to your theme and changing the theme for these items to "None".
How do I create a new petition?
- Select "Add New" from the "SpeakOut!" menu in the dashboard.
- Complete the "Add New Email Petition" form with the options you desire and save your petition by clicking the "Create Petition" button.
- Enter the petition's shortcode into any page or post where you want the petition form to appear.
Example:
[emailpetition id="1"]
How do I enable recaptchaOpen the dashboard > Speakout! > settings and you will see an option to enable recaptcha. It is necessary to obtain your own site key and secret key from the recaptcha website - there is a link on the settings page
How do I enable the anedot form?To enable the anedot settings tab you will find an option in the settings page under the petitions tab. Checking the box and saving will then display a new tab with fields for anedot settings. If you add a page id, it will attempt to display a donation link in the success message after someone has signed. I have no idea about anedot.com itself, this was a request.
I downloaded the CSV file, but when I open it in a spreadsheet application, the values aren’t in the correct columns. Can I fix this?If the CSV file looks scrambled, try changing its filename extension from .csv to .txt and then re-opening it in your spreadsheet app. The columns should be arranged correctly.
If you wish to keep the .csv extension, once you've opened the .txt file, re-save it as a CSV from your spreadsheet app, which will structure the contents of the file in a version of the CSV format that it understands.
Is it possible to have the petition form hide after it has been signed leaving the success message and social media icons?There are instructions in the file /wp-content/plugins/speakout/js/public.js at about line 110.
Is there a way to confirm a user’s email address when they sign a petition?Simply select "Confirm signatures" when creating a petition and a confirmation email will be sent to the address used to sign the petition. By clicking the link in the confirmation email, the signer can confirm their email address. The petition message will not be sent to the target until the signer's email address is confirmed.
Is there a way to publicly display the names of people who have signed my petition?Place the signaturelist shortcode wherever you want the list to appear in your post (be sure to set the 'id' value to match the id number of your petition). Example:
[signaturelist id="1"]
My language isn’t available, will you translate Speakout! for me?More than likely, head to the contact page and send a message.
The First Name, Last Name or Email fields in the petition form display the name and email of the site administrator. What’s going on?These fields are filled automatically for logged-in users. You are seeing the name and email info associated with your user account. Other users will see their own information in these fields. Or, if the user is not logged-in, the fields will be empty.
There isn’t room for all my target emailsIn your hosting management (cpanel?) create a forwarder something like speakout@example.com for each email address.
Then make that forwarder (speakout@example.com) your target email in the petition.
Finally, forward that email address to each of the people you want to receive the petition e.g. the mayor, your head of government etc etc.
That is tedious, can I change the code?
Firstly, backup your database:
Then in your database, in the table wp_dk_speakout_petitions change the target_email from type VARCHAR (300) to LONGTEXT - this allows more data to be stored in the database table. I am deliberately being a bit vague as if you don't know how to do this based on the minimal information, you shouldn't be messing with the database 😛
Next, make a copy of /wp-content/plugins/speakout/includes/addnew.view.php
Open the original file and on line 80 you will see
<input name="target_email" id="target_email" value="<?php echo esc_attr( $petition->target_email ); ?>" size="40" maxlength="300" type="text" />
remove the text maxlength="300" so that the line becomes
<input name="target_email" id="target_email" value="<?php echo esc_attr( $petition->target_email ); ?>" size="40" type="text" />
this removes the restriction on the number of characters allowed in the form field.
You may also want to increase the width of the field by over-riding the CSS styling. You do this by adding style="width:100%"
So the final code becomes
<input name="target_email" id="target_email" value="<?php echo esc_attr( $petition->target_email ); ?>" size="40" type="text" style="width:100%" />
However note that this is liable to be over-written whenever an update has changes to this file...which is often.
Why are some people not receiving the confirmation emails?Some email services (like AOL, Hotmail, and a few others) do not accept mail sent from the PHP mail() function. So, people who sign your petition with an email address from one of these providers may not be able to receive a confirmation email.
To get around this problem, try installing the WP Mail SMTP plugin which will redirect calls to the PHP mail() function through your webserver's SMTP configuration.
Why are some phrases not translated into my language?It is only the fixed phrases that will will automatically translate. Some of the strings on a petition can be edited, change them in dashboard > SpeakOut! > settings > check all the tabs.
If it is a fixed word or phrase, I might have missed it. Let me know via the contact page.
Why doesn’t the redirection to an external site work?
If you have your petition redirect to a different URL after signing and you also have checked the option target="_blank" hoping it will open in a new window, it is unlikely to work as you expected.
The issue is that spammers and scammers have abused the browser popup function and it is now blocked by default.
You can still do it, but your visitor may have to explicitly allow the popup.
Why is my page showing the shortcode instead of the petition?Find the shortcode on the page e.g. [emailpetition id="3"], delete the space and type it again. The original code included a non-breaking space which caused a problem with Wordpress. It might have been a WordPress update that caused it to stop working.
Will you fix my site?Possibly, if you make a reasonable donation and contact me.
FAQ
Can I display the petition as a widget?Can I display the total signatures of 2 petitions?Can I download a list of my petition’s signatures?Can I hide the petition message?Can I import existing petitions and signatures from SpeakUp?Can I make the postal code a required field?Can I preserve custom CSS?Can I run a petition without having it send email?Can the petition message be sent to multiple email addresses?Does SpeakOut! comply with GDPR?How can I create a custom style for the petition form?How do I create a new petition?How do I enable recaptchaHow do I enable the anedot form?I downloaded the CSV file, but when I open it in a spreadsheet application, the values aren’t in the correct columns. Can I fix this?Is it possible to have the petition form hide after it has been signed leaving the success message and social media icons?Is there a way to confirm a user’s email address when they sign a petition?Is there a way to publicly display the names of people who have signed my petition?My language isn’t available, will you translate Speakout! for me?The First Name, Last Name or Email fields in the petition form display the name and email of the site administrator. What’s going on?There isn’t room for all my target emailsWhy are some people not receiving the confirmation emails?Why are some phrases not translated into my language?Why doesn’t the redirection to an external site work?Why is my page showing the shortcode instead of the petition?Will you fix my site?