v1.6.2 — Fix ZIP upload naming

What's new

Fix: ZIP upload now installs correctly

Previous releases used GitHub's auto-generated source ZIP which names the folder google-reviews-cpt-main — causing WordPress to reject the upload with a conflict error because the installed plugin folder is google-reviews-cpt.

A GitHub Action now runs on every release and attaches a correctly named google-reviews-cpt.zip as a release asset. Uploading this ZIP via Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin will update without error.

The Plugin Update Checker auto-update path also uses this asset, so Plugins → Updates installs cleanly too.

v1.6.1 — Place ID search tool

What's new

Place ID lookup tool

A search tool is now built directly into the Google Place ID settings field.

• Type a business name (add city/country for better precision) and click Search
• Results show the business name, address, and Place ID
• Click any result to instantly fill the Place ID field
• Works for online businesses, service-area businesses, and any business without a physical map pin — not just those with a precise location on Google Maps

Uses the findplacefromtext API endpoint (included in the Places API, no extra billing setup needed).

v1.6.0 — Bug fixes, enhancements & cron health check

What's changed

Bug fixes

• Place ID NOT_FOUND error now detected specifically — plugin auto-refreshes the canonical ID via the Details API and retries the sync in the same run
• Fixed double instantiation on activation (all hooks were being registered twice)
• publicly_queryable set to false — reviews were accessible via direct front-end URLs
• user_ratings_total / userRatingCount were not being fetched in either API version; both restored
• All date() calls replaced with wp_date() to respect the WordPress timezone setting
• Unescaped admin_url() in form action fixed
• save_review_meta_data now guards on post type before running
• Deactivation uses wp_unschedule_hook() to clear all scheduled instances
• Rating column clamped to 1–5 stars
• Update checker scoped inside plugins_loaded closure (no global leak)

New features

• Place ID auto-refresh with admin notices on success and failure
• Cron health check — healthy / warning / critical status with overdue detection, next-run countdown, and pre-filled server cron setup instructions
• Masked API key field with Show/Hide toggle
• Minimum rating setting — configurable 1–5 (was hardcoded to 4)
• Sync failure email to admin (throttled to once per 24 hours)
• Sortable admin columns — Rating and Review Date
• [google_reviews] shortcode with count, min_rating, source, orderby, order attributes
• New vs. updated count shown separately in sync notices
• review_summary_label setting and update_summary_text() restored
• Performance: wp_insert_post uses meta_input; get_posts() uses cache/row-count hints

v1.5.3 — Fix CPT visibility for page builders

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue where the Google Reviews CPT was not discoverable in page builders (Greenshift, Elementor, etc.) due to publicly_queryable being set to false. Updated to true to allow builders to query the post type via WP_Query while keeping the CPT non-public on the front end.

v1.5.2 - Help submenu page, clean settings page

New Features:

Review Summary Text — New "Display Settings" section on the settings page with a customizable label (default: "Customer Reviews"). Outputs a ready-to-use string like 87 Customer Reviews stored in the option google_reviews_summary_text. Pull this into any page builder via Site Option.
Google Total Review Count — The plugin now fetches the real total review count from the Google Places API (user_ratings_total / userRatingCount) during each sync. If a client has 87 reviews on Google, the summary reflects 87 — not just the 10 stored locally.
Local Fallback — If the Google total hasn't been fetched yet, the summary falls back to counting locally stored reviews.
Settings Preview — The settings page shows a live preview of the summary text and displays both the Google total and local count for transparency.

Technical Details:

Legacy API now requests reviews,user_ratings_total fields (no additional API cost)
New API field mask updated to reviews,userRatingCount
Google total stored in option google_reviews_total_count
Summary text auto-updates after every successful sync

Upgrade Notes:

Run a manual sync after updating to populate the Google total count for the first time.

v1.5.0 - Review Source taxonomy, platform icons, private CPT, 4-star minimum filter

v1.5.0 — Review Sources, Platform Icons & Quality Filter
New Features:

• Review Source Taxonomy — Tag reviews by platform (Google, Facebook, Zillow, Yelp, HomeAdvisor, BBB, Thumbtack, TripAdvisor, Realtor.com, Angi)
• Bundled SVG Platform Icons — 10 lightweight inline icons, zero external dependencies
• Source Column in Admin — Platform icon displays in the reviews list
• Auto-tagging — API-synced reviews automatically tagged as "Google"
• PHP Helper — Google_Reviews_CPT::get_source_icon('slug') for theme/template use
• Custom Sources — Add your own platforms via the Sources taxonomy screen

Changes:

1. Reviews are now private — no public permalinks, no archive pages, excluded from search
2. 4-star minimum filter — only 4 and 5 star reviews are imported, lower ratings are skipped
3. Taxonomy also set to non-public (no frontend URLs)

Upgrade Notes:

• Existing reviews from v1.4 will not have a source assigned automatically. You can bulk-assign them to "Google" via Quick Edit in the admin list.
• Default source terms are created on first load after update.

v1.4.0 — Dual-Fetch, Overwrite Protection & Auto-Updates

What's New

🔄 Dual-Fetch for More Reviews

The Legacy API now makes two requests — one sorted by "most relevant" and one by "newest" — then deduplicates them. This captures up to 10 unique reviews per sync instead of the usual 5. Over time, as Google rotates results, your collection grows even further.

🔒 Manual Edits Are Now Safe

Syncs will never overwrite existing review text. Your team can freely add <span> tags, formatting, or any custom edits — only brand new reviews get their text set on first import.

📦 Auto-Updates from GitHub

The plugin now includes Plugin Update Checker — future updates will appear in your WordPress dashboard automatically, just like plugins from wordpress.org.

📊 Sync Status Logging

The settings page now shows the last sync result (success/error, timestamp, review count) so you can troubleshoot without digging through logs.

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All Changes

• NEW: Dual-fetch on Legacy API (most_relevant + newest) for up to 10 reviews
• NEW: Auto-update from GitHub via Plugin Update Checker
• NEW: Sync status logging with last sync time and error display
• NEW: Admin column showing review text excerpt
• CHANGED: Syncs no longer overwrite existing review text
• CHANGED: Default API version changed to Legacy for better review coverage
• FIXED: Cron scheduling — no longer resets on every page load
• FIXED: Registered weekly cron interval (not a WP default)
• FIXED: Added sanitize_callback to all registered settings
• FIXED: Duplicate detection now checks all post statuses
• FIXED: Robust review_id generation using API unique keys where available

Upgrade Instructions

Replace your existing google-reviews-cpt plugin folder with this release. Future updates will be automatic.

v1.0.1 - Auto-Update Support

🔄 Auto-Update Support Added

This version adds automatic update checking so users can update directly from their WordPress dashboard!

✨ What's New

• ✅ Automatic update notifications in WordPress
• ✅ One-click updates from admin dashboard
• ✅ No more manual downloads needed
• ✅ Plugin Update Checker v5.6 integrated

📦 Installation

New Installation:

1. Download google-reviews-cpt.zip below
2. Go to WordPress Admin → Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
3. Upload and activate
4. Go to Google Reviews → Settings to configure

Updating from v1.0.0:

• Simply replace the plugin folder with this version
• Future updates will be automatic!

⚙️ Configuration Required

After installation, you need:

• Google Places API Key (Get one here)
• Your Google Place ID (Find it here)

🎨 Page Builder Compatibility

Works perfectly with:

• Bricks Builder
• Elementor Pro
• Greenshift
• Oxygen Builder
• And any builder that supports Custom Post Types

📚 Documentation

See the README for detailed setup instructions.

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Full Changelog: CHANGELOG.md

v1.0.0 - Initial Release

🎉 Initial Release

WordPress plugin that fetches Google reviews and stores them as Custom Post Types.

✨ Features

• ✅ Google Places API integration
• ✅ Automated syncing with configurable frequency
• ✅ Compatible with Bricks, Elementor, Greenshift, Oxygen, and all page builders
• ✅ Beautiful admin interface with star ratings
• ✅ Manual sync option
• ✅ Duplicate review prevention

📋 Requirements

• WordPress 5.0+
• PHP 7.4+
• Google Places API key (billing must be enabled)

📦 Installation

1. Download google-reviews-cpt.zip below
2. Go to WordPress Admin → Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
3. Upload the zip file
4. Activate the plugin
5. Go to Google Reviews → Settings
6. Enter your API credentials
7. Click "Sync Reviews Now"

📚 Documentation

See the README for detailed setup instructions and page builder integration guides.

🐛 Found a Bug?

Please report issues on our GitHub Issues page.

v1.2.0 - Improved Data Storage & Builder Compatibility

This release introduces a significant architectural change to how review text is stored, resolving formatting issues often caused by the standard WordPress editor. It ensures better compatibility with page builders like Greenshift, Bricks, and Elementor.

🚀 What's New
Dedicated WYSIWYG Field: We have disabled the standard WordPress Content Editor for this Post Type and replaced it with a dedicated Review Content meta box.

New Data Structure: Review text is now saved to a custom field (review_full_text) instead of post_content. This prevents WordPress from automatically adding unwanted

tags or formatting quirks that break card layouts.

Updated Sync Logic: The fetcher now automatically saves incoming Google Reviews directly to the new review_full_text field.

🛠 Improvements
Better Page Builder Support: Added instructions in the Settings page for mapping the new review_full_text key in Bricks, Elementor, and Greenshift.

Cleaner UI: The edit screen for reviews is now simplified, focusing only on the data you need (Reviewer Name, Star Rating, Date, and Content).

⚠️ Important Upgrade Note
Action Required for Existing Users: Because the data location has changed from "Post Content" to a "Custom Field," your existing frontend grids may appear empty after updating. To fix this:

Update your Page Builder Template: Change the source of your text block from "Post Content" to Custom Field (Key: review_full_text).

Run a Manual Sync: Go to Google Reviews > Settings and click "Sync Reviews Now". This will populate the new field for your existing reviews.