How to Create a WordPress Plugin That Connects To An API

Learn to create your own WordPress plugin that connects to an API with our step-by-step guide. Improve your posts’ readability and SEO by eliminating grammar mistakes.

WordPress Plugin API Connection Example

Creating your own WordPress plugin can seem daunting if you’ve never done it before. But it’s a great way to add custom functionality to your site, like a grammar check tool. In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through the process of creating a WordPress Grammar Check Plugin.

This plugin will automatically check all posts in your WordPress database for grammar mistakes using the LanguageTool API, a free and open-source grammar checking tool.

Note: To make this plugin work, you will need a basic understanding of PHP and WordPress development.

Step 1: Setting up the Plugin Environment

1. Create a new folder in your /wp-content/plugins/ directory and name it grammar-check-plugin.
2. Inside the grammar-check-plugin folder, create a new PHP file named grammar-check-plugin.php.
3. Open grammar-check-plugin.php and add the following basic plugin information at the top:

<?php
/*
Plugin Name: Grammar Check Plugin
Description: This plugin checks the grammar of all posts in the WordPress database.
Version: 1.0
Author: Your Name
Author URI: Your Website
*/

Step 2: Including the LanguageTool API

To check grammar, we’re using the LanguageTool API. To use it, you’ll need to sign up for a free API key. Visit LanguageTool to get your API key.

Once you have your API key, add it in grammar-check-plugin.php:

define('LANGUAGE_TOOL_API_KEY', 'your-api-key');

Step 3: Creating the Grammar Check Function

We need to create a function that will communicate with the LanguageTool API. This function will send text to the API, and the API will return any grammar mistakes it finds.

function check_grammar($text) {
    $url = 'https://api.languagetoolplus.com/v2/check';

    $data = array(
        'text' => $text,
        'language' => 'en-US'
    );

    $options = array(
        'http' => array(
            'header'  => "Content-type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded\r\n" . 
                         "Authorization: " . LANGUAGE_TOOL_API_KEY . "\r\n",
            'method'  => 'POST',
            'content' => http_build_query($data),
        ),
    );

    $context  = stream_context_create($options);
    $result = file_get_contents($url, false, $context);
    return json_decode($result, true);
}

Step 4: Checking All Posts in the Database

Next, we’ll create a function that retrieves all posts and checks their grammar. This function will iterate through each post and call the check_grammar function.

function check_all_posts() {
    $args = array(
        'post_type' => 'post',
        'post_status' => 'publish',
        'posts_per_page' => -1,
    );

    $query = new WP_Query($args);

    if($query->have_posts()) {
        while($query->have_posts()) {
            $query->the_post();

            $content = get_the_content();

            $errors = check_grammar($content);

            if (!empty($errors['matches'])) {
                echo "Post ID: " . get_the_ID() . " has the following errors: ";

                foreach ($errors['matches'] as $error) {
                    echo $error['message'] . "<br>";
                }
            }
        }
    }

    wp_reset_postdata();
}

Step 5: Adding a Shortcode to Display Grammar Errors

In order to see the results of our grammar check, we’ll create a shortcode. This shortcode can be added to any post or page, and when viewed, it will display the grammar errors.

function display_grammar_errors_shortcode() {
    ob_start();

    check_all_posts();

    $output = ob_get_clean();
    return $output;
}
add_shortcode('display_grammar_errors', 'display_grammar_errors_shortcode');

Final Code

Here’s how your final grammar-check-plugin.php file should look:

<?php
/*
Plugin Name: Grammar Check Plugin
Description: This plugin checks the grammar of all posts in the WordPress database.
Version: 1.0
Author: Your Name
Author URI: Your Website
*/

define('LANGUAGE_TOOL_API_KEY', 'your-api-key');

function check_grammar($text) {
    $url = 'https://api.languagetoolplus.com/v2/check';

    $data = array(
        'text' => $text,
        'language' => 'en-US'
    );

    $options = array(
        'http' => array(
            'header'  => "Content-type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded\r\n" . 
                         "Authorization: " . LANGUAGE_TOOL_API_KEY . "\r\n",
            'method'  => 'POST',
            'content' => http_build_query($data),
        ),
    );

    $context  = stream_context_create($options);
    $result = file_get_contents($url, false, $context);
    return json_decode($result, true);
}

function check_all_posts() {
    $args = array(
        'post_type' => 'post',
        'post_status' => 'publish',
        'posts_per_page' => -1,
    );

    $query = new WP_Query($args);

    if($query->have_posts()) {
        while($query->have_posts()) {
            $query->the_post();

            $content = get_the_content();

            $errors = check_grammar($content);

            if (!empty($errors['matches'])) {
                echo "Post ID: " . get_the_ID() . " has the following errors: ";

                foreach ($errors['matches'] as $error) {
                    echo $error['message'] . "<br>";
                }
            }
        }
    }

    wp_reset_postdata();
}

function display_grammar_errors_shortcode() {
    ob_start();

    check_all_posts();

    $output = ob_get_clean();
    return $output;
}
add_shortcode('display_grammar_errors', 'display_grammar_errors_shortcode');

This grammar check plugin is a simple yet powerful tool that can enhance the quality of your posts and improve your site’s SEO. Happy coding, and may your grammar be always perfect!

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