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WordPress Setup

Lantern integrates with WordPress to show the feedback widget to logged-in WordPress users. This is the recommended setup for WordPress agency clients.

#Installation options

There are two ways to install the widget on a WordPress site:

  1. WordPress plugin (recommended) — installs via the WordPress plugin admin, no code editing required
  2. Script tag — manually add the script to your theme or a custom plugin

The Lantern WordPress plugin handles the script tag installation for you and adds a settings screen inside WordPress admin.

See WordPress Plugin for full installation and configuration instructions.

#Option 2: Manual script tag

If you prefer not to use the plugin, you can add the script tag manually.

#Using functions.php

Add the following to your active theme's functions.php file:

php
function lantern_widget_script() {
    echo '<script src="https://lanternhq.app/widget.js" data-key="YOUR_EMBED_KEY_HERE" defer></script>';
}
add_action('wp_head', 'lantern_widget_script');

Replace YOUR_EMBED_KEY_HERE with your client's embed key from the Lantern workspace.

#Using a custom plugin

If you prefer not to modify theme files (safer for updates), create a small custom plugin:

php
<?php
/**
 * Plugin Name: Lantern Widget
 * Description: Loads the Lantern feedback widget.
 */

function lantern_widget_script() {
    echo '<script src="https://lanternhq.app/widget.js" data-key="YOUR_EMBED_KEY_HERE" defer></script>';
}
add_action('wp_head', 'lantern_widget_script');

Save this as lantern-widget.php in /wp-content/plugins/lantern-widget/, then activate it from the Plugins screen.

#How the WordPress gate works

The widget checks for the presence of the #wpadminbar element in the DOM. This element is only added by WordPress for logged-in users.

  • Logged-in WordPress users see the widget button
  • Logged-out visitors do not see anything

This means your client's regular site visitors will never see the widget — only their team members who are logged into WordPress.

#Testing the installation

  1. Log into the WordPress site as an admin or editor.
  2. Visit any page on the frontend (not the wp-admin area).
  3. You should see the Lantern widget button appear on the page.
  4. Click it, fill in the form, and submit a test issue.
  5. Check your Lantern workspace to confirm the issue appears under the correct client.
Lantern feedback widget open on a WordPress website

If the widget does not appear:

  • Confirm you are logged into WordPress (not just viewing the admin area)
  • Check that the embed key in the script tag matches the key in your Lantern workspace
  • Open the browser console and look for errors from widget.js
  • Confirm the #wpadminbar element is present in the page source (some themes hide it)

#Hiding the admin bar

Some WordPress setups hide the admin bar on the frontend using CSS (#wpadminbar { display: none; }). Even with CSS hiding, the element is still in the DOM, so the widget should still detect it. However, if the admin bar is removed entirely via add_filter('show_admin_bar', '__return_false'), the widget will not detect the logged-in state.

If you need the widget to show on a site where the admin bar is fully removed, contact support for alternative configuration options.

#Next steps