Author: Predrag

Summary

This document explains how to add a vCard QR code to a MemberPress ClubDirectory™ member profile page. When scanned, the QR code allows visitors to instantly save the profile member’s contact information — including name, email, phone, website, and address — directly to their device as a vCard contact.

This solution requires installing the Effortless QR Code Generator plugin and adding a custom PHP shortcode via the WPCode plugin. Once in place, the shortcode is added to the active ClubSuite™ Profile template using a Shortcode block. The QR code automatically renders with the data of whichever member’s profile is currently being viewed.

This document also covers common troubleshooting scenarios, including mismatched custom field slugs, the GD library requirement for server-side QR generation, and how to extend the shortcode to support multiple phone number fields.

Troubleshooting

Initial Setup

Complete the following steps before adding the shortcode or troubleshooting any issues.

1) Effortless QR Code Generator Plugin Not Installed

The custom shortcode depends on the Effortless_QRCode_Native class provided by the Effortless QR Code Generator plugin. The QR code will not render if this plugin is missing or inactive.

How to Test/Fix:

1. Navigate to Dashboard > Plugins > Add New Plugin.
2. Search for “Effortless QR Code Generator”.
3. Click Install Now, then click Activate.

No additional plugin configuration is required after activation. The plugin’s PHP API is available immediately for use in custom code.

2) PHP GD Library Not Available on the Server

The shortcode uses the server-side PNG generation method (Effortless_QRCode_Native::generate_png). This method requires the PHP GD library to be enabled on the server. If GD is not available, the QR code will not generate and the shortcode will return an empty output.

How to Test/Fix:

1. Ask the user to check whether their hosting environment has GD enabled. This is typically found under Dashboard > Tools > Site Health > Info > Server.
2. If GD is not listed, the user should contact their hosting provider to enable it. GD is included in most managed WordPress hosting environments by default.
3. As an alternative, direct the user to the client-side rendering mode offered by the Effortless QR Code Generator plugin’s built-in shortcode. Note that this alternative does not support vCard data encoding and is not suitable for this use case.

Adding the Custom Shortcode via WPCode

The following steps add the PHP shortcode that generates the vCard QR code. The recommended method is to use the WPCode plugin. Alternatively, the code can be added to the active child theme’s functions.php file.

1. Navigate to Dashboard > Code Snippets > Add Snippet.
2. Click Add Your Custom Code (New Snippet).
3. Enter a descriptive title, such as “MemberPress vCard QR Code Shortcode”.
4. Set the Code Type to PHP Snippet.
5. Paste the following code into the code editor:

/**
 * MemberPress ClubDirectory - vCard QR Code Shortcode
 * Displays a vCard QR code for the currently viewed ClubDirectory profile user.
 * Requires: Effortless QR Code Generator plugin (server-side/GD mode).
 * Usage: [memberpress_vcard_qr]
 * Attributes:
 *   size         - QR code image size in pixels (default: 150)
 *   show_download - Show a download button below the QR code: "true" or "false" (default: "true")
 *   phone_type   - vCard phone type label: CELL, HOME, or WORK (default: CELL)
 */
add_shortcode('memberpress_vcard_qr', function($atts) {
  $atts = shortcode_atts([
    'size'          => 150,
    'show_download' => 'true',
    'phone_type'    => 'CELL'  // Options: CELL, HOME, WORK
  ], $atts);

  $show_download = filter_var($atts['show_download'], FILTER_VALIDATE_BOOLEAN);
  $phone_type    = strtoupper($atts['phone_type']);

  // Requires ClubDirectory unhashid utility
  if (!method_exists('memberpress\directory\lib\Utils', 'unhashid')) {
    return '';
  }

  $hashed_id = get_query_var('mpdir_user_profile');
  if (empty($hashed_id)) {
    return '';
  }

  $user_id = memberpress\directory\lib\Utils::unhashid($hashed_id);
  if (!$user_id) {
    return '';
  }

  $user_info = get_userdata($user_id);
  if (!$user_info) {
    return '';
  }

  // Retrieve user data
  $first_name = get_user_meta($user_id, 'first_name', true);
  $last_name  = get_user_meta($user_id, 'last_name', true);
  $full_name  = trim($first_name . ' ' . $last_name) ?: $user_info->display_name;
  $email      = $user_info->user_email;
  $website    = $user_info->user_url;

  // Phone field - update slug on line below if using a different custom field slug
  $phone      = get_user_meta($user_id, 'mepr_phone_number', true);
  $phone_clean = preg_replace('/[^0-9+]/', '', $phone);

  // MemberPress default address fields
  $address1 = get_user_meta($user_id, 'mepr-address-one', true);
  $address2 = get_user_meta($user_id, 'mepr-address-two', true);
  $city     = get_user_meta($user_id, 'mepr-address-city', true);
  $state    = get_user_meta($user_id, 'mepr-address-state', true);
  $zip      = get_user_meta($user_id, 'mepr-address-zip', true);
  $country  = get_user_meta($user_id, 'mepr-address-country', true);
  $street   = trim($address1 . ' ' . $address2);

  // Build vCard 3.0 string
  $vcard_data  = "BEGIN:VCARD\n";
  $vcard_data .= "VERSION:3.0\n";
  if (!empty($full_name))                          $vcard_data .= "FN:$full_name\n";
  if (!empty($first_name) || !empty($last_name))   $vcard_data .= "N:$last_name;$first_name;;;\n";
  if (!empty($email))                              $vcard_data .= "EMAIL:$email\n";
  if (!empty($phone_clean))                        $vcard_data .= "TEL;TYPE=$phone_type:$phone_clean\n";
  if (!empty($website))                            $vcard_data .= "URL:$website\n";
  if (!empty($street) || !empty($city) || !empty($state) || !empty($zip)) {
    $vcard_data .= "ADR:;;$street;$city;$state;$zip;$country\n";
  }
  $vcard_data .= "END:VCARD";

  // Generate QR code PNG via Effortless QR Code Generator
  if (!class_exists('Effortless_QRCode_Native')) {
    return '';
  }

  $result = Effortless_QRCode_Native::generate_png($vcard_data, intval($atts['size']));
  if (!$result || empty($result['url'])) {
    return '';
  }

  $filename = sanitize_title($full_name) . '-vcard.png';

  $html  = '<div class="memberpress-vcard-qr" style="text-align:center;">';
  $html .= '<img src="' . esc_url($result['url']) . '"'
         . ' alt="vCard QR code for ' . esc_attr($full_name) . '"'
         . ' width="' . intval($atts['size']) . '"'
         . ' height="' . intval($atts['size']) . '"'
         . ' style="max-width:100%; height:auto;">';

  if ($show_download) {
    $html .= '<div style="margin-top:12px;">';
    $html .= '<a href="' . esc_url($result['url']) . '"'
           . ' download="' . esc_attr($filename) . '"'
           . ' style="display:inline-block; padding:8px 16px; background-color:#0073aa;'
           . ' color:#ffffff; text-decoration:none; border-radius:4px; font-size:14px;">';
    $html .= 'Download QR Code';
    $html .= '</a>';
    $html .= '</div>';
  }

  $html .= '</div>';
  return $html;
});

6. Set the Insert Method to Auto Insert and the Location to Run Everywhere.
7. Toggle the snippet status to Active.
8. Click Save Snippet.

Adding the Shortcode to the ClubSuite™ Profile Template

1. Navigate to Dashboard > ClubSuite™ > Profiles.
2. Hover over the currently active profile and click Edit.
3. In the block editor, click the + icon to add a new block in the desired location on the profile layout.
4. Search for and select the Shortcode block.
5. Enter [memberpress_vcard_qr] in the shortcode field.
6. Click Update to save the profile template.

Once saved, the QR code will appear on each member’s profile page, populated with that member’s data. The result should resemble the following:

Shortcode Attributes

The [memberpress_vcard_qr] shortcode supports the following optional attributes:

Attribute	Default	Description	Example
size	150	QR code size in pixels	[memberpress_vcard_qr size="200"]
show_download	true	Show or hide the download button	[memberpress_vcard_qr show_download="false"]
phone_type	CELL	Phone number type (CELL, HOME, WORK)	[memberpress_vcard_qr phone_type="WORK"]

• size — Sets the QR code image dimensions in pixels. Accepts any integer. Default: 150. Example: [memberpress_vcard_qr size="200"]
• show_download — Controls whether a download button appears below the QR code. Accepts “true” or “false”. Default: “true”. Example: [memberpress_vcard_qr show_download="false"]
• phone_type — Sets the vCard phone type label used when the QR code is scanned. Accepts CELL, HOME, or WORK. Default: CELL. Example: [memberpress_vcard_qr phone_type="WORK"]

Common Issues After Setup

3) Phone Number Field Not Appearing in the QR Code

The shortcode reads the phone number from a custom field with the meta key mepr_phone_number. This slug is generated automatically by MemberPress based on the field name. If the user created their phone field with a different name, the meta key will differ and the field will return empty.

How to Test/Fix:

1. Navigate to Dashboard > MemberPress > Settings > Fields tab.
2. Locate the phone number field under Custom User Information Fields.
3. Note the field slug displayed beneath the field name. The meta key used in the database will be “mepr_” followed by this slug (e.g., a slug of phone_number produces the meta key mepr_phone_number).
4. In the WPCode snippet, locate line 41: $phone = get_user_meta($user_id, 'mepr_phone_number', true);
5. Replace mepr_phone_number with the correct meta key for the site’s phone field.
6. Click Save Snippet in WPCode.

The MemberPress Fields documentation at Dashboard > MemberPress > Settings > Fields tab explains how custom field slugs are generated. The meta key stored in the database is always prefixed with mepr_

4) QR Code Does Not Appear on the Profile Page

If the shortcode renders no output, one of several conditions may be preventing the QR code from generating. The shortcode performs several checks and returns empty silently on failure.

How to Test/Fix:

1. Confirm the Effortless QR Code Generator plugin is installed and active under Dashboard > Plugins.
2. Confirm the WPCode snippet is saved with status set to Active.
3. Confirm the shortcode is being used on an actual ClubDirectory profile page. The shortcode reads the mpdir_user_profile query variable. It will not render on any other page type.
4. Check that the PHP GD library is available on the server (see Issue 2 above).
5. If all of the above conditions are met and the QR code still does not render, enable WordPress debug mode temporarily to check for PHP errors related to the snippet.

5) Supporting Multiple Phone Number Fields in the QR Code

By default, the shortcode encodes a single phone number. If the site collects separate mobile, work, and home phone numbers using distinct MemberPress custom fields, the vCard can be extended to include all three.

How to Test/Fix:

In the WPCode snippet, replace the single phone block (lines 41–43) with the following code. Update the meta key values to match the slugs of the site’s actual custom fields:

// Multiple phone fields - update meta key slugs to match the site's custom field slugs
$mobile = get_user_meta($user_id, 'mepr_phone_number', true);   // Update slug if needed
$work   = get_user_meta($user_id, 'mepr_work_phone', true);     // Update slug if needed
$home   = get_user_meta($user_id, 'mepr_home_phone', true);     // Update slug if needed

if (!empty($mobile)) $vcard_data .= "TEL;TYPE=CELL:" . preg_replace('/[^0-9+]/', '', $mobile) . "\n";
if (!empty($work))   $vcard_data .= "TEL;TYPE=WORK:" . preg_replace('/[^0-9+]/', '', $work) . "\n";
if (!empty($home))   $vcard_data .= "TEL;TYPE=HOME:" . preg_replace('/[^0-9+]/', '', $home) . "\n";

When using multiple phone fields, remove or comment out the original single $phone and $phone_clean variable declarations and the single TEL line in the vCard build section, to avoid duplicating the phone entry.

Public Facing Documentation / Additional References

Public Facing Documentation

• MemberPress ClubDirectory™ Installation and Setup
• Creating Member Profiles With MemberPress
• Member Experience With MemberPress ClubSuite™ Profiles and Directories
• MemberPress Fields

Developer Documentation

• Effortless QR Code Generator (WordPress.org)
• WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets (WordPress.org)
• How to Enable WordPress Debug Mode (WPBeginner)