WhatsApp Template Message Sender for WordPress

A WordPress plugin that allows administrators to send WhatsApp Business API template messages (HSM - Highly Structured Messages) directly from the WordPress admin dashboard, with full message logging and history tracking.

🎯 Purpose

This plugin is designed to initiate WhatsApp conversations outside the 24-hour window when your existing systems (like 3CX) cannot do so. Once a customer replies to the template message, your regular WhatsApp Business system can take over the conversation normally.

✨ Features

• Send WhatsApp Template Messages via Meta Cloud API
• Auto-fetch approved templates from your WhatsApp Business Account
• Dynamic parameter filling with real-time template preview
• Language selection support (English en and English US en_US)
• Complete message logging with timestamp, sender, and API response
• Message history viewer with search and pagination
• Phone number validation with international format support
• Secure admin interface with proper nonce verification
• Easy setup with connection testing

📋 Requirements

• WordPress 5.0 or higher
• PHP 7.4 or higher
• Meta WhatsApp Business Account with:
  • Verified phone number
  • Approved message templates
  • WhatsApp Cloud API access
  • Required permissions: whatsapp_business_messaging and whatsapp_business_management

🚀 Installation

1. Download the plugin files
2. Upload to /wp-content/plugins/whatsapp-template-sender/
3. Activate the plugin through WordPress admin
4. Configure API credentials in Settings

⚙️ Configuration

Step 1: Get Your API Credentials

1. Create a Meta App: Go to Facebook Developers and create a new app
2. Add WhatsApp Product: Add WhatsApp Business API to your app
3. Generate Access Token: Create a permanent access token with required permissions
4. Get Phone Number ID: Find your phone number ID in WhatsApp API configuration
5. Get Business Account ID: Find your WhatsApp Business Account ID (WABA ID) in Meta Business Manager

Step 2: Configure Plugin Settings

Navigate to WhatsApp Templates > Settings in your WordPress admin and enter:

• Access Token: Your WhatsApp Cloud API access token
• Phone Number ID: Your WhatsApp Business phone number ID
• Business Account ID: Your WhatsApp Business Account ID (WABA ID)

Click Save Settings and verify you see "Connection successful".

Step 3: Create Templates

Create and get approval for message templates in Meta Business Manager. Templates support parameters using {{1}}, {{2}}, etc.

📱 Usage

Sending Messages

1. Go to WhatsApp Templates > Send Message
2. Enter recipient phone number (with country code, e.g., 18761234567)
3. Select a template from the dropdown (shows only approved templates)
4. Choose template language (en or en_US based on your template)
5. Fill in parameters if required by the template
6. Click Send Message

Viewing Message History

1. Go to WhatsApp Templates > Message History
2. View all sent messages with details:
   • Date and time sent
   • Recipient phone number
   • Template used
   • Parameters sent
   • Sending admin
   • Status (sent/failed)
3. Filter by phone number or use pagination

🛠️ Technical Details

API Endpoints Used

• Send Messages: POST https://graph.facebook.com/v19.0/{phone_number_id}/messages
• Fetch Templates: GET https://graph.facebook.com/v19.0/{business_account_id}/message_templates
• Connection Test: GET https://graph.facebook.com/v19.0/{phone_number_id}

Database Schema

The plugin creates a custom table wp_whatsapp_templates with:

CREATE TABLE wp_whatsapp_templates (
  id bigint(20) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
  phone_number varchar(20) NOT NULL,
  template_name varchar(100) NOT NULL,
  parameters text,
  sent_by bigint(20) NOT NULL,
  sent_at datetime DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
  status varchar(20) DEFAULT 'sent',
  api_response text,
  PRIMARY KEY (id)
);

Security Features

• Admin-only access: Only users with manage_options capability can use the plugin
• Nonce verification: All forms include CSRF protection
• Input sanitization: All user inputs are properly sanitized
• Secure credential storage: API credentials stored as WordPress options

🔧 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"No templates found"

• Verify your Business Account ID is correct
• Ensure templates are approved in Meta Business Manager
• Check API permissions include whatsapp_business_management

"Template name does not exist in the translation"

• Try switching between "English (en)" and "English (US) (en_US)" language options
• Verify the template language in Meta Business Manager matches your selection

"Connection failed"

• Double-check your Access Token and Phone Number ID
• Ensure your access token has required permissions
• Verify your WhatsApp Business Account is active

Phone number format errors

• Use international format with country code (e.g., 18761234567 for Jamaica)
• Remove any spaces, dashes, or special characters

Debug Information

Enable WordPress debug logging and check for API response details in failed message logs through the Message History page.

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the GPL v2 or later - see the LICENSE for details.

🆘 Support

For issues and feature requests, please open an issue on GitHub.

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Note: This plugin is designed to work alongside existing WhatsApp Business solutions like 3CX. It handles template message initiation, while your existing system manages ongoing conversations.