PilotPress does a lot more than protect pages. In this lesson, you'll use its tools in the WordPress editor: shortcodes that show or hide parts of a page, merge fields, Ontraport forms and videos, and login forms. Then we'll go through the rest of the PilotPress settings. WordPress membership sites with PilotPress are available on Plus and above.
PilotPress adds its tools to the classic WordPress editor. In the block editor, add a Classic block to your page or post, or install the Classic Editor plugin. If you only see one row of editor buttons, click the toolbar toggle to show the rest.
Shortcodes control who sees what. Open the shortcodes dropdown and pick one. Replace the word "content" with whatever you want to show. It can be text, images or video, and as long as you like.
Four shortcodes check membership levels. Type the level names between the quotation marks, separated by commas. Has one shows the content to members with any of the levels you list. Has all shows it only to members with every one of them. Does not have one shows it only to members with none of them. And Does not have any shows it to members who don't have all of them.
Has tag and Does not have tag work the same way, but check the tags on the member's contact record. Is a contact and Is not a contact check whether the WordPress user is a contact in Ontraport. Tag and contact shortcodes only work for logged-in members. Is a cookied contact and Is not a cookied contact work even when visitors aren't logged in, because they check for Ontraport's cookie in the browser. For example, wrap a sign-up form in Is not a cookied contact, so only visitors Ontraport doesn't recognize see it.
One limit: WordPress doesn't let you put one of these shortcodes inside another. To cover several levels, list them all in one shortcode.
The Resync contact shortcode doesn't show or hide anything. When the page loads, it pulls the latest contact information from Ontraport, like a membership level that just changed, so your other shortcodes stay up to date. It has built-in protection against repeated page refreshes.
The same shortcodes also work on Ontraport Pages you publish to WordPress with the Ontrapages plugin. Put the opening and closing tags in text elements above and below the content.
To check your work, save the page and use the PilotPress Admin View As buttons. They open a new tab that shows the page as a member with one membership level. To test combinations, like Has all, log in as a test contact in a private browser window.
The merge fields dropdown adds the same merge fields you use in Ontraport, including most contact fields. In WordPress they're formatted a little differently, so they don't clash with other shortcodes. You can add PURLs for pages hosted on Ontraport here too. The preview shows only each field's label, so to see real data, log in as a test contact in a different browser.
To add an Ontraport form, click the add media button, choose Forms, and select your form. For a video, choose Videos, select it, and pick a player. We recommend HTML5, which avoids FlowPlayer's watermark and link.
Every membership site needs a page with a login form. The quickest way is to add the login page shortcode, which shows the default WordPress login form.
To match your branding, click the settings icon in the Classic block and choose Customize it! You can change the general settings, text, text style, form style, button style and button hover settings. Then click Add my form! and save the page.
In General settings, Forgotten Password lets WordPress handle password resets. That's the more secure option, but the email comes from WordPress, without your branding. To send a branded password reminder from Ontraport instead, set Forgotten Password to Off and follow the Support Center article "Create a WordPress password reminder form and automation." Only do this if your site doesn't hold private information, because sending a password reminder is less secure.
Now the plugin settings. In WordPress, go to Settings, then PilotPress. The customer center settings on this page get their own lesson.
In New user registration settings, choose whether to sync WordPress users to your Ontraport contacts: No; Yes, new users only; or Yes, new and existing users, which also adds your existing WordPress users to Ontraport as new contacts. You can choose a tag to add when users log in, and automation maps to add them to, like a welcome automation. In Logout settings, set Keep users logged in longer than normal to Yes to let members stay logged in longer.
Finally, click Advanced Settings for three less common options. Disable Verify Host SSL is only needed if you see SSL certificate errors. Otherwise, leave it unchecked. Use WordPress URL instead of Site URL helps when your home page address is different from where WordPress is installed. And Clear PilotPress Cache refreshes the member data PilotPress stores. It doesn't log anyone out, though the next page load may take about half a second longer. It's also worth trying when you're troubleshooting.
So: shortcodes and merge fields tailor each page to the member viewing it, add media brings in your forms and videos, a login form lets members in, and the PilotPress settings handle syncing, logins and caching. Next up, you'll set up a customer center for your members.