WordPress Post Approval Email Notification

How the Code Works

The email notification system is built around three core components:

1. Email Sending Function (send_post_approval_email)
   • Retrieves post and author details
   • Generates a dynamic email template
   • Handles placeholder replacements
   • Sends email using WordPress’s wp_mail() function
2. Automatic Trigger (auto_trigger_post_approval_emails)
   • Hooks into WordPress’s post status transitions
   • Checks if the post type is eligible for notification
   • Triggers email sending when post is published
3. Placeholder Replacement
   • Dynamically replaces {{Placeholders}} with actual content
   • Supports flexible template customization

Workflow Breakdown

// 1. Retrieve Post and Author Details
$post = get_post($post_id);
$author = get_userdata($post->post_author);

// 2. Generate Post Link
$post_link = get_permalink($post_id);

// 3. Prepare Email Template
$message = str_replace(
    ['{{First Name}}', '{{Item Name}}', '{{Post Link}}', '{{Website URL}}'],
    [$author->user_login, $post->post_title, $post_link, get_site_url()],
    $default_template
);

// 4. Send Email
wp_mail($author->user_email, $subject, $message, $headers);

Key Features

• Supports multiple post types
• Customizable email templates
• Automatic permalink insertion
• Flexible sender configuration

Full Implementation Code

<?php
/**
 * Send customizable email notification when a post is published
 *
 * @param int $post_id The ID of the post being published
 * @param string $email_subject Optional custom email subject
 * @param string $email_template Optional custom email template
 * @param string $from_email Optional custom sender email
 * @param string $from_name Optional custom sender name
 */
function send_post_approval_email(
    $post_id, 
    $email_subject = null, 
    $email_template = null, 
    $from_email = null, 
    $from_name = null
) {
    // Get post details
    $post = get_post($post_id);
    
    // Bail if post doesn't exist
    if (!$post) {
        return;
    }

    // Get post author details
    $author = get_userdata($post->post_author);
    
    // Bail if no author found
    if (!$author) {
        return;
    }

    // Get post permalink
    $post_link = get_permalink($post_id);

    // Default subject if not provided
    $subject = $email_subject ?? 'Your Listing is Now Live!';

    // Default email template if not provided
    $default_template = "Hi {{First Name}},

Your listing '{{Item Name}}' has been approved and is now live.

View your listing: {{Post Link}}

If you have any questions, please contact us.

Best regards,
The Team
{{Website URL}}";

    // Use provided template or default
    $message = $email_template ?? $default_template;

    // Replace placeholders
    $message = str_replace(
        [
            '{{First Name}}', 
            '{{Item Name}}', 
            '{{Post Link}}',
            '{{Website URL}}'
        ], 
        [
            $author->user_login, 
            $post->post_title, 
            $post_link,
            get_site_url()
        ],
        $message
    );

    // Prepare from email
    $default_from_email = get_option('admin_email');
    $default_from_name = get_option('blogname');

    // Email headers
    $headers = array(
        'Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8',
        sprintf(
            'From: %s <%s>', 
            $from_name ?? $default_from_name, 
            $from_email ?? $default_from_email
        )
    );

    // Send the email
    wp_mail($author->user_email, $subject, $message, $headers);
}

/**
 * Automatically trigger email for specific post types
 */
function auto_trigger_post_approval_emails($new_status, $old_status, $post) {
    // Only trigger when post moves from draft/pending to published
    if ($old_status !== 'publish' && $new_status === 'publish') {
        // List of post types you want to trigger emails for
        $eligible_post_types = [
            'post',      // Standard blog posts
            'agency',    // Your specific custom post type
            'product',   // WooCommerce products
            'listing'    // Any custom listing type
        ];

        // Check if current post type is in the eligible list
        if (in_array($post->post_type, $eligible_post_types)) {
            // Send generic approval email
            send_post_approval_email($post->ID);
        }
    }
}
add_action('transition_post_status', 'auto_trigger_post_approval_emails', 10, 3);

/**
 * Example of custom post type specific email
 */
function custom_agency_approval_email($post_id) {
    send_post_approval_email(
        $post_id,
        'Your Agency Listing is Live!', 
        "Custom agency-specific template...", 
        'agency@yoursite.com', 
        'Agency Team'
    );
}
// Uncomment and modify as needed
// add_action('publish_agency', 'custom_agency_approval_email', 10, 1);

Advanced Usage Examples

Customizing for Specific Post Types

// Agency-specific notification
add_action('publish_agency', function($post_id) {
    send_post_approval_email(
        $post_id,
        'Agency Listing Approved',
        "Specialized agency listing template...",
        'agency@notifications.com'
    );
}, 10, 1);

Adding Conditional Logic

function advanced_notification_handler($new_status, $old_status, $post) {
    // Custom conditions before sending email
    if ($new_status === 'publish' && 
        some_custom_validation_function($post)
    ) {
        send_post_approval_email($post->ID);
    }
}

Implementation Tips

• Add to theme’s functions.php
• Customize $eligible_post_types
• Test thoroughly with different post types
• Consider performance impact on large sites

Debugging

• Check email delivery
• Verify post-type triggers
• Test with various user roles