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Plan Your Visit

Configuring Plan Your Visit

Set up the Plan Your Visit widget.

See the Quick Start Guide for tips on getting the Plan Your Visit widget up and running. If the shared script hasn't been added to your website, add it to the appropriate webpage, replacing "YOUR-BASE-MP-URL" with the base URL with your base MinistryPlatform URL.

<script id="MPWidgets" src="https://YOUR-BASE-MP-URL.com/widgets/dist/MPWidgets.js"></script>

Create or identify a page on your website where you want to display the widget. To add this widget to your church website, add the code you generate in the Widget Configurator widget (with the required attributes) in the body of your chosen website page.

Tip: While not mandatory, this snippet would typically be placed inside a <div> element with the class "container".

Widget Configuration

Required Attributes

Return URL
This is the URL of the webpage that has your Plan Your Visit widget. It is used by verification email to resume Plan Your Visit.
  • Attribute: returnurl
  • Valid Value: fully qualified URL
  • Example: 
    returnurl="https://example-church.com/visit"
Verification Email Template
The email that contains a validation link so people can proceed.
  • Attribute: verificationemailtemplateid
  • Valid Value: Message record ID (dp_Communications.Communication_ID)
    Tip: This attribute uses a Message ID to send the email. If you don't see your message in the list, you'll need to mark the message to show as an option. If you want to use an existing template, you'll need to convert it to a message first.
  • Example: 
    verificationemailtemplateid="141"
Church Notification Template
The email that notifies a designated point of contact.
  • Attribute: churchnotificationemailtemplateid
  • Valid Value: Message record ID (dp_Communications.Communication_ID)
    Tip: This attribute uses a Message ID to send the email. If you don't see your message in the list, you'll need to mark the message to show as an option. If you want to use an existing template, you'll need to convert it to a message first.
  • Example: 
    churchnotificationemailtemplateid="1"
Show/Hide Address
This determines whether the form will require an address. When disabled, these fields are hidden. ​
  • Attribute: collectaddress
  • Valid Value: true or false
  • Example: 
    collectaddress="true"
Milestone to Assign
This designates which milestone will be assigned to those who plan their visit.
  • Attribute: milestonetoassignid
  • Valid Value: Milestone ID
  • Example: 
    milestonetoassignid="15"
Milestone Program
This determines which program will be credited in the milestone assigned record.
  • Attribute: milestoneprogramid
  • Valid Value: Program ID
  • Example: 
    milestoneprogramid="5"

Attributes must be included before the opening widget tag is closed. Attributes may be listed in any order and should be separated by a space or other whitespace. An attribute's value should be wrapped in quotation marks.

<mpp-plan-your-visit returnurl="https://example-church.com/visit" verificationemailtemplateid="141" churchnotificationemailtemplateid="0" milestonetoassignid="15" milestoneprogramid="5" collectaddress="true"></mpp-plan-your-visit>

Configure Your Widget

Use the Widget Configurator widget to configure your widget:
  1. Go to your Widgets Library by appending "/widgets" to your system domain. For example, https://example-church.ministryplatform.net/widgets.
  2. Click the Navigate to... drop-down menu, and select Widget Configurator.
  3. Select the widget you want to configure, then customize your widget.
  4. Click Try it Out to see what your widget will look like!
  5. Copy the generated code from the Embed Code box.
  6. Add the code to the designated page on your website.

Platform Configuration

Milestones

You must create or update the milestone to assign when form is completed, as well as the program that to credit when the milestone is assigned.

Groups

Configure the necessary groups for the age and grade group group type. Groups with this group type that meet all of the following criteria will be available for registration:

  • The end date is after today's date or left blank.
  • The Available Online field is set to Yes.
  • The target size (if defined) has not been reached.
    Note: Age and grade groups associated with the selected congregation and the church-wide congregation will display.

Congregation Record

Designate a person for each congregation record. These people receive the message configured in the Church Notification Template attribute. Also, designate a Plan a Visit Template for each congregation record. This message sends to anyone who completes the Plan Your Visit form. You can tailor this message to each campus or parish. The campus a visitor selects in the widget determines the congregation record for the Plan a Visit User and Plan a Visit Template values.

Image displaying the Plan Your Visit widget showing the Visit Details section with options to select a campus and enter when you are visiting

Configuration Settings

Review the COMMON, defaultParticipantType configuration setting. This value assigns to participant records created by this widget.

Messages & Tokens

You can completely customize messages sent by the Plan Your Visit widget! You can incorporate certain tokens into the messages. See the required and optional tokens for the three relevant messages.

Verification Email Template
Plan Your Visit is a two-step widget, and this message requires a verification token for visitors to continue the form. Because there are no records for this person in MinistryPlatform, you can't use contact merge fields. Use tokens to personalize this message.
  • Required: Set the [mpp_verify_email_url] token as the value of a link somewhere in this message. Use the source view to set this link. For example, the link text displayed might be "click here" or "verify".
    <div>please continue to plan your visit by choosing <a href="[mpp_verify_email_url]">verify</a></div>
  • Optional: The [mpp_contact_first_name] and [mpp_contact_last_name] tokens will merge in the "First Name" and "Last Name" values provided on the form.
Church Notification Template
This message sends to the Plan Your Visit User specified for a congregation. Contact Merge Fields are not available for the recipient. This message also uses information provided by the visitor using optional tokens.
  • Optional: The tokens [mpp_contact_first_name],[mpp_contact_last_name], and [mpp_when_to_expect_you] will merge in the "First Name", "Last Name" and "When can we expect to see you" values respectively.
Plan a Visit Template
This message sends after all records are created for this visitor and uses standard contact merge fields. Configure this message for each campus or parish on the corresponding congregation record.

Mark a Message to Show as an Option

When configuring your widgets, there are fields where you can select an email template. To keep the list manageable, the messages that display as options must be marked as templates.

If the message you want does not display in the Widget Configurator, you can mark it as a template on the message record. (The Template field is hidden by default through System Setup > Field Management, so you'll need to unhide it first.)

  1. Confirm that the message you want is not an option in the Widget Configurator.
  2. In the navigation menu, click System Setup > Field Management.
  3. In the Field Name column, search for Template.
  4. In the Page column, search for Messages.
  5. Open the record, and click Edit Record.
  6. In the Hidden field, select No.
  7. Click Save.
  8. In the navigation menu, click Communications > Messages.
  9. Open the message you want to display as an option in the Widget Configurator, and click Edit Record.
  10. In the Template, select Yes.
  11. Click Save.
  12. Refresh the Widget Configurator if you had it open in your browser .

You can now select this message as an option when you configure the widget.

Convert a Template to a Message

Widgets use message IDs, not template IDs. You can use the Template Editor Tool to create the template you want, but you must turn the template into a message and use that ID in the widget. Here's how!

  1. Create and save your template using the Template Editor Tool. Make sure you can access the template.
  2. Open the New Message Tool, click Insert > Templates, and select your newly created template from the list. Click Send > Save as Draft.
  3. In the navigation menu, click Communications > Messages.
  4. Open the draft you just created.
  5. Click the subject line to open the message record. The Message ID is listed under the subject line.
  6. Use this ID for the Template ID attribute value when you configure the widget.

Customization

CSS: Every widget accepts the Custom CSS attribute. Include it before the closing of the opening widget tag to customize backgrounds, button colors, and more!

Application Labels: Call them congregations or sites instead of campuses? Have services on Saturdays AND Sundays? To make changes, go to System Setup > Application Labels and update the appropriate label(s). Note that you are responsible for all translations if the default is not used.

  • mpp-plan-your-visit.congregationLabel: The label for the congregation a visitor plans to attend. The default is "Select Campus".
  • mpp-plan-your-visit.congregationPlaceHolderText: The label for the drop-down value prompting congregation selection. The default is "Select Campus".
  • mpp-plan-your-visit.verificationDescription: The text that displays when requesting information from a first-time visitor. The default is "We are looking forward to meeting you on your first Sunday. Please fill out the information below so that we can make your experience special."
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Last updated: November 24, 2025

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