March 2019: We have discontinued Caldera Forms Translations and replaced it with Caldera Forms + Weglot.
One of our goals for Caldera Forms is to create an accessible by default WordPress form builder. Previous releases have already dealt with all major accessibility issues, but until now it has been hard to deliver the same form in multiple languages. Internationalization is a key component of accessibility and Caldera Forms can now be translated using our intuitive new form translation add-on.
Caldera Forms Translations is a free add-on, which requires Caldera Forms 1.4.4, which we released today as well. This update for Caldera Forms addresses several bugs including smaller accessibility issues.
Updates
In addition to our two big updates today, we have released minor bug fix updates for Caldera Forms Authorize.net payments and Caldera Forms Users. Those updates are available for users with an active license.
Caldera Forms Translations
One great thing about WordPress is its excellent translation system. The Caldera Forms admin interface is 100% translatable. But, translating Caldera Forms fields has not been possible, until now. When using Caldera Forms on a multi-lingual site, you used to have to create multiple forms, one per language. That is a pain to manage.
Today we are releasing our free translations add-on. One forms, many languages. Add as many languages as you want to a form, translate all the fields and then add a language switcher field to your form.
I had a lot of fun building the interface for this one. It lets you translate each field, in as many languages as you want, all from one screen. You can learn more by reading the Caldera Forms Translations Getting Started Guide.
This plugin is available for free through WordPress.org. We plan on releasing an update with support for WPML and Weglot soon.
Caldera Forms 1.4.4
A new version of Caldera Forms is now available. This is mainly a bug fix release, with a few enhancements. Mainly these new improvements are infrastructure for add-ons and custom development.
Most of the bug fixes were to resolve accessibility issues, as we continue to work towards our goal of being the most accessible WordPress form builder. In addition, we have fixed an issue affecting form submissions on sites using WooCommerce when products were in the cart. In addition we have reduced the number of CSS stylesheets that are loaded in the front-end and in future versions will continue to reduce the number of HTTP requests that pages with Caldera Forms on them require.
Also, we have fixed the output of the summary magic tag. Fields will now appear in the same order they appear in form, not order they were added to the form. This used to be how it worked, which was good, but then I made a mistake. It’s fixed now.
The biggest improvement in this new version is how file and advanced file fields handle uploads. This new version resolves a bug that left files that were not set to be added to the media library, but were set to be attached to emails in the uploads directory. Now files that are not added to the media library are deleted after they are attached to the email. In addition, there is now a way to change how files are uploaded.
If you know me, you know I’m a huge fan of the WordPress REST API. I even wrote a whole book about it. This new version of Caldera Forms is the first step in implementing the WordPress REST API in Caldera Forms. RIght now, it’s only there for use by add-ons, for example the new translations add-on. But it will grow in its usefulness over time.
Upcoming WordCamps
This weekend I will be at WordCamp Orlando. I’ll be presenting on how to create great contact and lead generation forms and ensuring they convert. If you’re going to be there, make sure to come and say hi. I’ll give you a Caldera Forms sticker and a special Caldera Forms discount code.
Christie and I will both be at WordCamp US next month in Philadelphia. The day before we will be having a get together near the venue. There will be tacos and special Caldera Forms tacos. RSVP here if you can attend.