ECI and New Notice Boxes Plugin
While working on a new template plugin, once I plan to use for various other plugins including a better download area for digital goods. I found myself creating a Notice Box system that on its own is a great plugin to have installed. I went ahead and created the plugin named WTG Notice Boxes. I released the plugin earlier today and it can be used with Easy CSV Importer.
Using WTG Notice Boxes With Easy CSV Importer
The new WTG Notice Boxes plugin has a short-code that you can paste to your design in Easy CSV Importer. Please see the WTG Notice Boxes page for a quick tutorial on how to use the plugin and the short-code. The two main attributes are title and content. Simply use your projects tokens to populate them. As far as I know, you cannot use ECI column short-codes inside other short-code but if the notice boxes become popular enough I can provide alternative approaches. Right now there is no way to dynamic change the box size and style without actually having the sizes or styles within your data. Obviously no one will have such values in any column however I’ve already thought out a way around it.
Possible Alternative Approaches
I’m not saying I’m going to add these, some of you know I’m seriously busy right now and I need all the funds I can get to get more development done while continuing to increase support. So, I’m always open to a small donation or being hired to prioritise an upgrade that someone is keen to use.
- Integrated short-codes that only work when Easy CSV Importer and WTG Notice Boxes are setup.
- The ability to add custom field names/keys instead of actual values. The short-code function would then get the values to populate the boxes by retrieving the custom fields/meta data. This would allow us to update custom fields using ECI and the notice box then has an update effect.
- ECI Conditions that allow criteria to be set using any of our CSV file columns and the conditions could effect the styling of our boxes. Such conditions would be on offer when WTG Notice Boxes is active.
- WTG Notice Boxes can sort of spin text from variations you provide.
- Most Easy CSV Importer users are dealing with product data. I considered the possiblity of a notice box that only displays the first time a user visits. You could add a buy now button to the box with a limited time offer i.e. right now or never again! Really push the sale and warn that if the user leaves the page the button will be hidden.
Other Ideas
- A role of the WTG Notice Boxes plugin will be to gather statistics on how effective the notices are. It may be best to allow this plugin to handle call to actions including in the sidebar.
- The ability for WTG Notice Boxes to use data imported by ECI and display it in call to action content i.e. a widget, overlay, hovering/sliding box.