Learndash Wordpress

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NOTE
This feature was introduced in LearnDash 3.0 and works with the LearnDash 3.0 template. This feature does not work with the Legacy template.

By choosing LearnDash, you partner with a trendsetter in e-learning. You will be in good company – we have one of the largest active online communities of online course creators, educational institutions, and WordPress professionals! LearnDash is a powerful learning management system (LMS) for managing your online courses, but there are some areas where the design falls short. In order to provide your students with an exceptional learning experience, you need a professional design. Enter Design Upgrade for LearnDash.

There are many ways to handle an existing user’s login & new user’s registration process. LearnDash has always provided great flexibility for you to choose how to handle this. As of version 3.0, we now have our own built-in login & registration process. You no longer need a third-party plugin to create a seamless login and/or registration process for your users.

Table of Contents

  • 4 How It Works
    • 4.5 Shortcode Option
  • 6 FAQ & Troubleshooting

Walkthrough Video

Enable LearnDash Login & Registration

There are four important steps in order to enable LearnDash login & registration:

Learndash Wordpress Plugin

  1. You must be using LearnDash 3.0 or higher
  2. You must select “LearnDash 3.0” as your active template
  3. You need to enable the Login & Registration option in the LearnDash general settings
  4. IMPORTANT: You need to enable registration for your WordPress site by selecting the Anyone can register checkbox located under SETTINGS > GENERAL (only necessary if you want to allow registration)

Upload a Login Logo

While not required, we recommend uploading a logo to use on the login screen. This logo will appear below the login form. To upload a logo:

  1. Navigate to LEARNDASH LMS > SETTINGS
  2. In the Design & Content Elements section, look for Logo Upload
  3. Click the Select image button
  4. Choose an image from your Media Library, or upload a new one
  5. Click Use this image at the bottom
  6. Be sure to save your changes

You can remove your image by clicking the X, or upload a new one by repeating the steps above.

How It Works

The native LearnDash login & registration works in a few different ways, depending on the following:

  • Whether or not the user is currently logged in
  • The access mode assigned to the course

NOTE
LearnDash login & registration does not affect the default WordPress login page located at yoursite.com/wp-login.php. You can still use a third-party plugin to customize the default WordPress login page, and users can still login that way.

Logged In Users

Logged in users will never see a login link because they are already logged in.

  • If the user has access to the course, they’ll see a progress bar at the top of the page, and be able to navigate through the course steps
  • If the user is logged in but does not have access to the course, they’ll see the “Take this Course” button

“Open” & “Closed” Courses

These course access modes will never show a login link, and thus will never use this feature.

  • Open courses are available to everyone, even those not logged in. Since it is not necessary to login to view these courses, no login link is shown.
  • Closed courses are most commonly used for integrating with a third-party ecommerce or membership plugin. Login & course access is usually handled via the third-party plugin.

“Free” Courses

Visitors viewing a course with access mode set to “Free” will see a Login to Enroll button. Upon clicking this button, a registration form will appear for the user to sign up for an account to gain access to the course (or login if they already have an account).

“Buy Now” & “Recurring” Courses

Visitors viewing a course with access mode set to “Buy Now” or “Recurring” will see a login link in the “Take this Course” section. If the user has already purchased & enrolled into the course, they can use the “Login” link to open the registration form & sign into their account. If not, they can click the “Take this Course” button to pay via your configured payment gateway (Stripe, PayPal or 2Checkout).

Shortcode Option

Learndash

If you would like to use the log-in modal pop-up somewhere other than a course page, then you can do so by using the following shortcode:

Learndash Templates

You can place this shortcode onto a regular WordPress page, post, widget (for the sidebar), and it will display a Login link for visitors, and a Logout link for anyone who is logged-in.

When a visitor clicks on the Login link, the LearnDash login & registration modal will appear.

Using The Shortcode as a Menu Item

If you want to add the Login & Registration modal as a WordPress menu item then it is possible by adding a custom link to your menu.

  1. Navigate to APPEARANCE > MENUS
  2. Select the desired menu location
  3. At the top right of the screen, select the Screen Options tab
  4. Select all options under Show advanced menu properties
  5. Under the Add menu items section, select Custom Links
    — In the URL field, add #login
    — In the Link Text field, add “Login”
    NOTE: The Link Text is not what will be shown in the menu. That will be configured in Step #7.
  6. Click Add to Menu
  7. Expand the new menu item and add the following:
    — In the CSS Classes (optional) field, add ld-button
    — In the Description field, add [learndash_login login_label='Login' logout_label='Logout']
  8. Click Save Menu

Setting Up WordPress User Registration

In this webinar we will show you how to easily configure a better experience for your students. Whether you are using LearnDash or not, these tips will help you get your WordPress user registration just right!

If you are looking into customizing your User Registration process even further (i.e. making it more aesthetically pleasing, leveraging sign-ups for success, and even going as far as changing and updating your email notification options) here is a follow-up webinar that talks about Advanced User Registration with LearnDash.

FAQ & Troubleshooting

Learndash Wordpress

The login form is visible but the option to register is not available.
Follow the instructions in this FAQ to enable registration for your WordPress site.

Can I allow users to create a password at registration?
The registration fields are WordPress defaults and can be modified with code or a plugin. For example, this plugin is what is used on the LearnDash demo site to add the password prompt.

Learndash Wordpress Themes

Can I create a completely custom registration form with unique fields?
Only default WordPress supported fields are supported. If you need a completely custom registration form then you will need to use Gravity Forms.