acf/save_post – send email only once the posttype is created

• horrobili

• January 13, 2022 at 12:14 pm

Hello,

I am working with WordPress and ACF Pro Fields.
I want to let users fill out some form, after submit, I want to receive an E-Mail with all the information the user put in AND a specific posttype should be created in the WordPress backend(draft) so I can review it and then publish ist.

All this works perfectly fine!
BUT when I updated the post, I receive a NEW E-Mail with the same information and the updated content, I don’t want that, how can I stop this?

Here is my Code
Form:

<?php acf_form(array(
                        'field_groups' => array('group_5fc8d223090ce'),
                        'form' => false,
                        'post_id' => 'new_post',
                        'new_post' => array(
                            'post_type' => 'my_posttype',
                            'post_status' => 'draft',
                            'post_content' => true,
                        ),

                    )); ?>
          
                        <input type="submit" id="issubmitform" name="issubmitform"
                               class="acf-button button button-primary button-large" value="Submit">

My function:

add_action('acf/save_post' , 'my_save_post');
function my_save_post($post_id) {

if( get_post_type($post_id) !== 'my_posttype' ) {
return;
}

add_filter( 'wp_mail_content_type', 'wpdocs_set_html_mail_content_type' );

   $name = get_field('my_acf_field', $post_id);
  
    $to = '[email protected]';
    $headers = "Content-Type: text/html;  charset=UTF-8";
    $subject = 'My Subject' . $name;
    $message = "This is the message"
        
        
    wp_mail($to, $subject, $message, $headers );

    remove_filter( 'wp_mail_content_type', 'wpdocs_set_html_mail_content_type' );
};

function my_acf_save_post3($post_id) {

    if ($_POST['issubmitform'] === "Submit"){
        wp_redirect( 'https://mywebsite.com/thankyou/'  ); exit;
    }

}
add_action('acf/save_post', 'my_acf_save_post3', 20);

I am sure I am just missing something, any help would be appreciated

• skyfly

• January 27, 2022 at 5:45 am

I had the same “issue”.

I created a work around with an extra ACF field which will be filled on the first time after saving. For sending the email i check if that field is filled. If its empty, its a new post otherwise its an updated post

if(empty(field)) { send email + fill field }

• John Huebner

• January 27, 2022 at 10:11 am

check the post status and only send the email if it is draft.

• rhodesign

• July 6, 2023 at 4:38 am

Hi John
Would you please explain how we can check the post status?
I have exactly the same issue.

After a form is submitted a new CPT-entry is made as draft.
The email goes out to the client who has filled that form.
After reviewing and publishing the post, the mail goes out for a second time.

On submit I have a mail like “thank you, we will check and publish”.
After publishing it would be great to have another mail like “your post is published now” … or at least not the same mail again.

Thank you

• John Huebner

• July 6, 2023 at 9:18 am

For publishing the post you would not use an ACF hook, you would use the WP transition_post_status hook.

• rhodesign

• July 6, 2023 at 9:30 am

Hi John
Thank you for helping me out.

To make it more precise:

I have a frontend form where anyone can add a post to a cpt.
This post is saved as draft until the site-owner is publishing the post.

After filling the form on frontend, a mail should go to the client with a thank you message that his post will be published if everyting is ok.

Thats where I have used acf/save_post.

This is my Code

add_action('acf/save_post' , 'my_save_post', 20);
function my_save_post($post_id) {

	 // If not CPT, exit
    if( get_post_type($post_id) !== 'inserate' ) {
        return;
    }

    add_filter( 'wp_mail_content_type', 'wpdocs_set_html_mail_content_type' );
    

	// get custom fields (field group exists for content_form)
	$name = get_field('name', $post_id);
    $email = get_field('email', $post_id); 

    $to = $email;
	$headers = 'From: ' . $name . ' <' . $email . '>' . "\r\n";
    $subject = 'Thank you';
    $message = 'Thank you for submitting a post';

    wp_mail($to, $subject, $message, $headers );

    remove_filter( 'wp_mail_content_type', 'wpdocs_set_html_mail_content_type' );
}

Now my question is, to just send this mail after submitting the form, but not after publishing. At the moment the action is fired multiple times and I need a check for the post status or something else.

Roman

• John Huebner

• July 6, 2023 at 9:34 am

You check the post status using get_post_status(), which will == ‘draft’ for a draft post.

• rhodesign

• July 6, 2023 at 9:49 am

Hoi John
Thank you, that helped me alot and I have now managed it.
My biggest mistake was, that I was not saving as draft but as pending.

Thank you very much

Roman