Cumulative Release Notes – Version 1.3.6
This release caps off the 1.x development cycle by rolling together every feature and improvement added across the series. Version 1.3.6 includes everything implemented today, along with numerous refinements from previous minor and patch releases.
Comprehensive Feature Set
Reporting Enhancements
- CSV export – Export the attendance dashboard to CSV for offline analysis.
- Updated At column – Each report shows when it was last edited, leaving a blank if never updated.
- Missing Reports list – District admins see which churches haven’t reported in the last 30 days.
- Overdue warnings – Church reporters and admins get a prominent yellow banner when their church’s attendance is overdue.
- Improved form labels – Categories are clearly labelled for average in‑person worship, online attendance, discipleship, and ACL counts.
- Date restrictions – Future dates are disallowed in attendance reporting.
- Dynamic headers – The reporting page greets users by name, shows their church, and displays the date of their last report (or notes that none has been submitted).
User & Account Management
- Mobile phone field – Added to user profiles to support notifications.
- Personal account page –
/my-account/allows users to update their email and phone number while viewing their church affiliation read‑only. - Menu flexibility – Administrators can choose where to link the My Account page via WordPress’s menu editor.
Notifications & Scheduling
- Automated weekly reminders – A background job sends attendance reminder messages. If a church lacks a reporter, it notifies the church admin; overdue churches trigger messages to both.
- Configurable reminder API key – Administrators can enter the key for the reminder service via Attendance Reports → Settings. Leaving it blank disables notifications.
- Admin tools for testing – An interface lets admins send a single test message or run the reminder job on demand.
Settings & Administrative Improvements
- Centralized settings page – All plugin options, including reminder API keys and form instructions, live under Attendance Reports → Settings.
- Organized submenus – Features like Reminders and Settings appear under the Attendance Reports custom post type, improving navigation.
- Reliable scheduling – Cron intervals are defined defensively to ensure weekly events are properly registered.
Map & Directory Fixes
- Cross‑browser map integration – The Church Finder map loads reliably in all modern browsers. Scripts are enqueued whenever the shortcode is present.
- Secure key storage – Map API keys are stored in settings rather than hard‑coded.
Miscellaneous Improvements
- Consistent styling – Buttons, alerts, and form fields adopt a unified aesthetic across the plugin.
- Automatic page creation – Required pages (e.g., My Account) are created on activation.
- Error handling – Better error reporting for network calls and more informative admin notices aid troubleshooting.
- Security and privacy – Removed embedded secret keys from the codebase; all sensitive values must be provided via settings.
What’s New in 1.3.6
- Reminder API Key field – A new setting lets administrators specify an API key for the attendance reminder service. If empty, reminders will not be sent.
- Removal of embedded secrets – The plugin no longer ships with hard‑coded API keys, enhancing security and compliance.
Upgrade Instructions
- Upload and activate the 1.3.6 plugin zip.
- Visit Attendance Reports → Settings to configure your reminder service API key and verify other options.
- Add the
/my-account/page to your navigation menu if desired. - Clear caches and reload your site to ensure the latest assets are used.
Thank you for using Church Attendance Reports. This cumulative release bundles every enhancement made during the 1.x cycle into a polished, secure, and user‑friendly package.