EPFL Library Plugins

WordPress plugin developed for the EPFL Library to automatically integrate dedicated search bars on specific Library website pages.

Features

• Automatically adds a BEAST search bar on Library pages.
• Automatically adds an Infoscience search bar on dedicated pages.
• Multilingual support (FR / EN).
• Option to hide the search bar via post meta:
  • hide_searchbar (recommended name)
  • hide_beastbox (legacy compatibility).
• Final placement of the search bar is handled on the frontend via JavaScript (jQuery).

Technical Overview

PHP (plugin)

• Generates the HTML for the search bars.
• Determines when the bars should be displayed.
• Loads the required CSS/JS assets.

JavaScript (assets/searchbars.js)

• Dynamically positions the search bar in the DOM depending on the active WordPress theme structure.
• Handles form behavior when needed.

CSS (assets/searchbars.css)

• Provides shared styling for both search bars.

Development and Testing

To facilitate development and testing, a dedicated WordPress development environment has been created by the EPFL Library.

👉 https://github.com/epfllibrary/epfl-library-wp-devkit

This environment allows you to:

• Quickly install WordPress with the required dependencies.
• Test Library plugins in conditions close to production.
• Simplify development and debugging.

Author

Sylvain Vuilleumier
EPFL Library, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne