=== Hugoatcanada Shortcode Bridge for Contact Form 7 ===
Contributors: hugoatcanada
Donate link: https://paypal.me/hughieiam
Tags: contact form 7, shortcode, cf7, forms, email
Requires at least: 5.8
Tested up to: 7.1
Requires PHP: 7.4
Requires Plugins: contact-form-7
Stable tag: 1.0.0
License: GPLv2 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

Lets you use regular WordPress shortcodes both in the visible text of a Contact Form 7 form and in its Mail Template.

== Description ==

Contact Form 7 has its own tag syntax ([text], [checkbox], [textarea], and so on) and, by design, does not process regular WordPress shortcodes — neither in the visible form editor nor in the Mail Template used to compose the notification email. This means that a shortcode placed in either of those two places is shown or sent as literal text instead of being replaced by its value.

This plugin bridges that gap in **two places at once**:

* The form's free text (what visitors see on the page)
* The Mail Template (the subject and body of the email sent on submission)

Other similar tools only cover the visible form text and leave the Mail Template untouched, which is a common source of confusion when a shortcode looks fine on the page but shows up unprocessed in the notification email.

This plugin is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Contact Form 7 project. "Contact Form 7" is a trademark of its respective owner; this plugin simply extends the behavior of forms built with it.

**What it does:**

* Enables WordPress shortcodes in the free text of any Contact Form 7 form on the site
* Enables WordPress shortcodes in the Mail Template's subject and body
* Does not change the behavior of Contact Form 7's own tags ([text], [email], [submit], etc.)
* Adds no settings screen: it's two small filters, nothing to configure

**What it does NOT do:**

* It does not allow shortcodes inside the *value* of a Contact Form 7 tag (for example, `[text* name "[another_shortcode]"]`) — there, Contact Form 7 parses the content as part of its own syntax, not as free text.

== Installation ==

1. Install and activate Contact Form 7 if you haven't already.
2. Upload the `hugoatcanada-shortcode-bridge-for-contact-form-7` folder to `/wp-content/plugins/`, or install it from the Plugins search screen.
3. Activate the plugin. No additional configuration is needed.
4. Type a shortcode as regular text inside the form body, the Mail Template subject, or the Mail Template body — it will be replaced by its value in each of those three places.

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= Why isn't my shortcode being replaced by its value? =

Make sure the shortcode is free text — in the form body, or in the Mail Template's subject/body — and not inside the quotes of a Contact Form 7 tag (like `[text]`, `[email]`, etc.). Inside those tags, the plugin has no effect because Contact Form 7 parses that content with its own syntax.

= Does this also work in the notification email, not just the form on the page? =

Yes — that's the main difference from similar plugins. Shortcodes are processed both in the form's visible text and in the Mail Template's subject and body.

= Does this plugin run shortcodes from any plugin, or only a specific one? =

Any shortcode registered on the site, regardless of which plugin or theme created it.

= Do I need to configure anything after activating it? =

No, the plugin has no settings screen. It works as soon as it's activated.

= Is this plugin made by the Contact Form 7 team? =

No. This is an independent, unofficial add-on that extends how Contact Form 7 forms and emails are rendered. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Contact Form 7 project.

== Screenshots ==

1. A shortcode shown as literal text in the Contact Form 7 editor (before activating the plugin).
2. The same shortcode replaced by its value in the published form (after activating the plugin).

== Changelog ==

= 1.0.0 =
* Initial release.

== Upgrade Notice ==

= 1.0.0 =
Initial release.
