`benecaster_episode_editor_tabs`

Filter Free

Filters the tab configuration array used by the episode editor sidebar, allowing add-ons to declare custom tabs with fields that render automatically. The Benecaster admin app fetches this configuration at page load via GET /benecaster/v1/admin/extensions and renders any declared tabs alongside the built-in sidebar tabs.

Benecaster’s admin has two extension tiers. Tier 1 is declarative — you describe a tab and its fields as a PHP array and the Benecaster admin app renders them, saves them, and reloads them for you, with no JavaScript and no build step. Tier 2 is SlotFill — you register your own React component into a named slot and own the rendering yourself. Tier 1 covers structured data; Tier 2 covers anything interactive. They compose, and the usual pattern is to declare the tab shell in Tier 1 and fill its panel in Tier 2.

This filter is the Tier 1 surface, so you can declare field-only tabs without writing any JavaScript. Fields with meta: true are automatically saved as episode post meta using the field id as the meta key. Supported field types are text, textarea, select, toggle, number, url, and post_select. For tabs that need custom React components (live previews, third-party embeds, custom pickers), use the Tier 2 SlotFill approach: declare the tab shell here and fill BenecasterEpisodeEditorTab_{id} with your component. Benecaster tabs occupy the first positions in the sidebar; add-on tabs appear after them in the order they were appended to $tabs.

Parameters

Name	Type	Default	Description
`$tabs`	`array`	—	Array of tab declaration arrays. Required keys per tab: `id` (string — unique tab identifier; used as the React tab key and the SlotFill slot name suffix), `label` (string — tab label shown in the sidebar), `sections` (array — each section has `id`, `label`, and `fields`). Optional keys: `icon` (string — icon name from the Benecaster icon set, e.g. `'puzzle'`, `'star'`, `'settings'`), `add_on` (string — add-on slug, shown as a badge on the tab for discoverability). Each entry in `sections[].fields` accepts: `id` (string, required — meta key when `meta: true`, otherwise the React key), `type` (string, required — one of `text`, `textarea`, `select`, `toggle`, `number`, `url`, `post_select`), `label` (string, required — field label in the editor), `default` (mixed, optional — value shown before the episode is first saved), `meta` (bool, optional — when `true` the value is saved as episode post meta using `id` as the key), `options` (array of `{value, label}` objects, required for `select` type).

Returns: array

Examples

Add sponsorship tab with text field

add_filter( 'benecaster_episode_editor_tabs', function( $tabs ) {
    // Add a "Sponsorships" tab with a text field for the episode sponsor.
    $tabs[] = [
        'id'      => 'sponsorships',
        'label'   => 'Sponsorships',
        'icon'    => 'megaphone',
        'add_on'  => 'my-sponsorships-addon',
        'sections' => [
            [
                'id'     => 'main',
                'label'  => '',
                'fields' => [
                    [
                        'id'    => '_episode_sponsor',
                        'label' => 'Sponsor name',
                        'type'  => 'text',
                        'meta'  => true,
                    ],
                ],
            ],
        ],
    ];
    return $tabs;
} );

Tab with toggle and textarea fields

add_filter( 'benecaster_episode_editor_tabs', function ( array $tabs ): array {
    $tabs[] = [
        'id'       => 'my-addon',
        'label'    => __( 'My Add-on', 'my-addon' ),
        'icon'     => 'puzzle',
        'add_on'   => 'my-addon',
        'sections' => [
            [
                'id'     => 'my-settings',
                'label'  => __( 'Settings', 'my-addon' ),
                'fields' => [
                    [
                        'id'      => '_my_addon_feature_enabled',
                        'type'    => 'toggle',
                        'label'   => __( 'Enable feature for this episode', 'my-addon' ),
                        'default' => false,
                        'meta'    => true,
                    ],
                    [
                        'id'    => '_my_addon_note',
                        'type'  => 'textarea',
                        'label' => __( 'Internal production note', 'my-addon' ),
                        'meta'  => true,
                    ],
                ],
            ],
        ],
    ];

    return $tabs;
} );

Notes

This is the Tier 1 (PHP config) extension surface — no client-side JavaScript required for field-only tabs. For tabs that need custom React components, use the Tier 2 SlotFill approach: declare the tab shell here, then fill the BenecasterEpisodeEditorTab_{id} slot with your component. Benecaster tabs always appear first in the sidebar.

Related filters: benecaster_settings_pages — declare an add-on page in the show settings nav; benecaster_dashboard_cards — declare a card on the main Benecaster dashboard. See also: the add-episode-editor-tab-via-php recipe for a complete working example.

Affects

Episode Editor Sidebar

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