Contact page acts as the bridge that connects website owner to the users. Having a simple and effective contact form will help you improve the website as a site owner. WordPress plugin directory provides number of plugins for creating contact forms. Contact Form 7 created by Takayuki Miyoshi has become the standout plugin amongst them.

 

During this article I am going to show you how to use Contact Form 7 plugin and an interview with the author about the experience he had in developing the plugin.

Even though this plugin is widely known as very simple, the features and customizations you can make is excellent. Lets take a look at main features of the plugin.

• Support for customize and add fields you prefer.
• Language specific contact from creation.
• Adding Cc, Bcc and Other Mail Headers
• Upload and send files with contact form.
• Tracking form submission with google analytics.

Once the plugin is activated go to the contact menu item in the left menu. Then click the Add New button and you will get a screen like the following. You can add a title for the form and customize the form fields in the Form section.
 

 
Then you have to configure the mail sending settings using the screen below. Here you can customize the email message content according to your preference.
 

 
Then you can adjust the message settings and customize the messages using the following screen.
 

 
Once the Save button is clicked, you will get a shortcode for the form. Copy the shortcode and insert in a new page. Now users will be able to send requests to your email using the contact form.
 

 

Now you know how to use Contact Form 7. You can find the complete documentation here. Lets see what author has to say about this plugin.

1. Can you give a brief introduction about you and what you do
    
   I’m a 35 years old man living in Japan. I own a WordPress consulting company with four members. I’ve created
   – Contact Form 7
   – Really Simple CAPTCHA
   – Support Tickets (help desk plugin; deprecated)
   – Acts as Group (simple group communication plugin like Twitter)
   – Bogo (translation manager)
   – Mail 9 (managing virtual mail queue on WordPress)
    
   Also, I’m developing a plugin named Flamingo, which integrates CRM functions into WordPress.
    
2. How long have you been using wordpress
    
   I started using WordPress in 2004. It has been 8 years.
    
3. How long did it take to become an expert in wordpress
    
   I don’t think I am an expert in WordPress. There are a lot of things I don’t know about WordPress and I discover something new every day.
    
4. What was the motivation for creating contact form plugin
    
   I created Contact Form 7 for my own needs. I just needed simple and flexible plugin, so I made it that way. If users like it, I’m very happy.
    
5. What sorts of challenges did you face in developing the plugin
    
   I have often experienced problems of conflict with other plugin’s code. It’s difficult to identify which combinations cause conflicts.

    

6. What makes your plugin stand-out compared to similar plugins
    
   There are many contact form plugins for WordPress. Among them, only Contact Form 7 balances simplicity and flexibility. Beginners can start using it without any trouble. Skilled users can customize it.

    

7. What is your plan on future of this plugin
    
   The future version of the plugin will support HTML5 input types. I hope to release it by this autumn.
    
8. What is the secret of the Contact Form plugin being so popular
    
   I have no idea. It is surprising to me. How do you think?
    
9. What is your message to beginners of wordpress plugin development
    
   Keep it free. Don’t be greedy. Learn a lot from WordPress itself. Be nice to community.
    
10. Is there any plugin that you think is missing on wordpress plugin repository
     
    I think there should be more variations of social networking plugins.
     
11. How do you want to see wordpress in 2 years from now
     
    I hope its comment table become more utilizable. We now have Custom Post Types and Custom Taxonomy. I’d like Custom Comment Types as well.
     

 
I hope you have learned something from the author of Contact Form 7 plugin. Use the plugin in your wordpress sites and provide simplified contact pages for users.