The fastest way to add a WHMCS domain search form to WordPress. Multi-shortcode, zero JavaScript, full admin dashboard.

Shipon Karmakar

<p><strong>Domain Search for WHMCS</strong> is a lightweight WordPress plugin that adds a polished domain search form to your site and hands the visitor off to your existing WHMCS billing portal to complete registration.</p>
<p>It is purpose-built for hosting providers, domain resellers, ICANN registrars, and white-label hosting brands who already use WHMCS as their billing platform.</p>
<h4>TL;DR</h4>
<ul>
<li>Install, activate, paste <code>[domain_search_for_whmcs]</code> on any page.</li>
<li>No JavaScript on the front-end. No external requests. No tracking.</li>
<li>Create unlimited branded shortcodes pointing at different WHMCS installs.</li>
<li>Modern admin dashboard with built-in support center.</li>
<li>Translation-ready, multisite-friendly, GDPR-friendly.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Why this plugin</h4>
<p>Most WHMCS integrations are heavy or hard-coded. This one is the opposite: a single, dependency-free shortcode that drops into any layout. It does one thing and does it cleanly.</p>
<ul>
<li>No external API calls — submits directly to your own WHMCS install.</li>
<li>No JavaScript on the public site (admin-only JS for the dashboard tabs).</li>
<li>Works with classic themes, block themes, and every major page builder.</li>
<li>Visitor queries never touch a third-party server.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Key features</h4>
<p><strong>Drop-in shortcode</strong> — <code>[domain_search_for_whmcs]</code> works in posts, pages, widgets, FSE template parts, page-builder shortcode blocks, or via <code>do_shortcode()</code> in PHP.</p>
<p><strong>Unlimited custom shortcodes</strong> — create branded forms each pointing at a different WHMCS install with its own placeholder. Reference them as <code>[domain_search_for_whmcs id="sc_xxxxx"]</code>.</p>
<p><strong>Modern admin dashboard</strong> — tabbed UI, click-to-copy shortcodes, an “At a Glance” overview (custom shortcode count, active host, HTTPS status), and a built-in Support tab.</p>
<p><strong>Built for speed</strong> — one ~1.7 KB CSS file. No JavaScript, no jQuery, no Ajax, no remote assets, no tracking pixels.</p>
<p><strong>Theme-agnostic styling</strong> — six stable, well-named CSS classes you can target from any theme or page builder.</p>
<p><strong>Developer extensibility</strong> — five filter hooks let plugins and themes change behavior without forking. See <em>Developer Filters</em> below.</p>
<p><strong>Secure by default</strong> — nonce verification, capability checks, sanitized I/O, properly escaped output.</p>
<p><strong>Translation-ready</strong> — every string wrapped in the <code>domain-search-for-whmcs</code> text domain.</p>
<p><strong>Privacy-friendly</strong> — no data collection, no cookies, no remote services. See <em>Privacy</em> below.</p>
<h4>Perfect for</h4>
<ul>
<li>Hosting providers running WHMCS as their billing system.</li>
<li>Domain resellers with multiple storefronts (TLD niches, geographic markets, white-label brands).</li>
<li>ICANN registrars offering retail domain sales through WordPress.</li>
<li>Agencies building landing pages for hosting clients.</li>
</ul>
<h4>How it works</h4>
<ol>
<li>The shortcode renders a clean HTML form on your page.</li>
<li>When a visitor submits it, the browser navigates (in a new tab) to:<br />
   https://your-whmcs.com/cart.php?a=add&domain=register&query=THE-DOMAIN</li>
<li>WHMCS handles availability, pricing, TLDs, cart, and checkout — exactly as it would for any other entry point.</li>
</ol>
<p>You do <strong>not</strong> need to expose any WHMCS API credentials in WordPress. The plugin never calls WHMCS APIs; it just hands off the visitor.</p>
<h4>Roadmap</h4>
<ul>
<li>Optional Gutenberg block wrapper.</li>
<li>Optional Elementor and Bricks widgets.</li>
<li>Optional inline Ajax availability check (off by default; would call your WHMCS Domain Availability API).</li>
<li>Bulk import/export of custom shortcodes.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Quick Start</h3>
<ol>
<li>Install and activate the plugin.</li>
<li>Go to <strong>Settings <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> Domain Search for WHMCS</strong>.</li>
<li>On the <strong>Default Settings</strong> tab, enter your WHMCS base URL (e.g. <code>https://billing.example.com</code>) and a placeholder (“Find your domain”).</li>
<li>Click <strong>Save Changes</strong>.</li>
<li>Add <code>[domain_search_for_whmcs]</code> to any post or page.</li>
</ol>
<p>That’s it. Visitors who type a domain and submit will land on your WHMCS cart with the search pre-filled.</p>
<h3>Shortcode Reference</h3>
<p><strong>Default shortcode</strong> (uses the <em>Default Settings</em> tab values):</p>
<pre><code>[domain_search_for_whmcs]
</code></pre>
<p><strong>Custom shortcode</strong> (uses settings from a specific custom shortcode):</p>
<pre><code>[domain_search_for_whmcs id="sc_1234567890_456"]
</code></pre>
<p>The <code>id</code> value is generated when you create a custom shortcode and is shown in the table on the <strong>Custom Shortcodes</strong> tab. Click it to copy.</p>
<p>If a custom <code>id</code> is provided but doesn’t exist (e.g. it was deleted), the plugin falls back to the default settings rather than rendering nothing.</p>
<h3>Developer Filters</h3>
<p>The plugin exposes five filters for runtime customization. All filters fire inside the shortcode renderer, so you can vary output per page, per user, or per locale.</p>
<h4>dsfwhmcs_whmcs_url</h4>
<p>Filter the resolved WHMCS base URL right before the form is rendered.</p>
<pre><code>add_filter('dsfwhmcs_whmcs_url', function($url, $atts) {
    // Send logged-in users to the staff portal.
    return is_user_logged_in() ? 'https://members.example.com' : $url;
}, 10, 2);
</code></pre>
<p><strong>Returns:</strong> <code>string</code> — the WHMCS base URL.</p>
<h4>dsfwhmcs_placeholder</h4>
<p>Filter the placeholder text dynamically.</p>
<pre><code>add_filter('dsfwhmcs_placeholder', function($placeholder, $atts) {
    return get_locale() === 'fr_FR' ? 'Trouvez votre domaine' : $placeholder;
}, 10, 2);
</code></pre>
<p><strong>Returns:</strong> <code>string</code> — the placeholder text.</p>
<h4>dsfwhmcs_form_action</h4>
<p>Filter the full form action URL (default: <code>{whmcs_url}/cart.php</code>).</p>
<pre><code>add_filter('dsfwhmcs_form_action', function($action, $whmcs_url, $atts) {
    return trailingslashit($whmcs_url) . 'domainchecker.php';
}, 10, 3);
</code></pre>
<p><strong>Returns:</strong> <code>string</code> — the action URL.</p>
<h4>dsfwhmcs_form_method</h4>
<p>Switch the form method. Defaults to <code>GET</code>; return <code>'POST'</code> for legacy WHMCS configurations that prefer it.</p>
<pre><code>add_filter('dsfwhmcs_form_method', function() {
    return 'POST';
});
</code></pre>
<p><strong>Returns:</strong> <code>string</code> — <code>'GET'</code> or <code>'POST'</code>.</p>
<h4>dsfwhmcs_shortcode_html</h4>
<p>Filter the rendered HTML before it’s returned to WordPress. Useful for wrapping the form, injecting analytics attributes, or replacing markup wholesale.</p>
<pre><code>add_filter('dsfwhmcs_shortcode_html', function($html, $atts) {
    return '<div class="my-wrapper">' . $html . '</div>';
}, 10, 2);
</code></pre>
<p><strong>Returns:</strong> <code>string</code> — the final HTML.</p>
<h3>Compatibility</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>WordPress:</strong> 5.0+ (tested up to 7.0)</li>
<li><strong>PHP:</strong> 7.4+ required (PHP 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3 fully tested; PHP 8.1+ recommended)</li>
<li><strong>WHMCS:</strong> any version supporting the standard <code>cart.php?a=add&domain=register</code> URL (WHMCS 6.0+)</li>
<li><strong>Multisite:</strong> fully compatible; settings are per-site</li>
<li><strong>Page builders:</strong> Gutenberg, Classic Editor, Elementor, Beaver Builder, Bricks, Divi, Oxygen, Breakdance</li>
<li><strong>Caching plugins:</strong> fully compatible (the form is static HTML)</li>
<li><strong>HTTPS:</strong> strongly recommended for both WordPress and WHMCS — the dashboard’s “At a Glance” panel flags HTTP connections</li>
</ul>
<h3>Troubleshooting</h3>
<h4>The form submits but I get a 404 or blank page on WHMCS</h4>
<p>Check the WHMCS URL in <strong>Default Settings</strong>. It should be the base URL of your WHMCS install (e.g. <code>https://billing.example.com</code>) — not <code>https://billing.example.com/cart.php</code>. The plugin appends <code>cart.php</code> itself.</p>
<h4>The form looks unstyled</h4>
<p>Make sure your theme isn’t blocking plugin stylesheets. The plugin enqueues a file named <code>domain-search-for-whmcs.css</code> on the front-end. If your theme has aggressive CSS overrides, target the <code>.dsfwhmcs-*</code> classes from the <em>Customization</em> tab.</p>
<h4>Visitors land on the cart but the search box is empty</h4>
<p>This usually means the URL was reached without the query parameter. Check that no caching plugin is stripping query strings from form submissions.</p>
<h4>The Support tab is cut off on my phone</h4>
<p>Update to 3.1.0+. The tab strip is now horizontally scrollable on narrow screens.</p>
<h4>Other plugins’ notices appear inside the green dashboard header</h4>
<p>That’s a WordPress core behavior. Update to 3.0.0+ where the plugin uses <code><hr class="wp-header-end"></code> to push third-party notices below the header.</p>
<h3>Privacy</h3>
<p>Domain Search for WHMCS is privacy-respecting by design.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>No tracking.</strong> The plugin sets no cookies and loads no remote scripts.</li>
<li><strong>No data collection.</strong> Visitor search queries pass directly from the browser to your WHMCS install — they do not touch the WordPress server, are not logged, and are not transmitted to any third party.</li>
<li><strong>No external services.</strong> All assets (CSS, fonts, icons) are served from your own site. No CDN or remote dependency.</li>
<li><strong>Stored data.</strong> Only configuration is stored — WHMCS URL, placeholder text, custom shortcode definitions — in the WordPress <code>wp_options</code> table. This is removed on plugin uninstall.</li>
</ul>
<p>You should still ensure your WHMCS install has its own privacy policy in place, since the visitor will be entering personal data on that side of the integration.</p>
<h3>External Services</h3>
<p>This plugin does not connect to any external service.</p>
<p>The visitor’s browser submits the search form directly to <strong>your own WHMCS installation</strong> — a first-party endpoint that you control. Nothing is sent to WordPress.org, third-party domain APIs, analytics services, or the plugin author.</p>
<h3>Source Code</h3>
<p>This plugin contains no minified or compiled assets. All PHP, CSS, and JavaScript shipped in the plugin is human-readable source.</p>
<p>The plugin is hosted on WordPress.org. Issues and pull requests can be submitted via the support forum or by emailing <a href="mailto:shipon@zendforce.com" rel="nofollow ugc">shipon@zendforce.com</a>.</p>


Domain Search for WHMCS


Essential plugins for domain resellers who have built their websites with WordPress. Thank you for creating such valuable tools!


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