Fictioneer 5.24.4

Maintenance update with an extension of developer options (thanks @iniznet). Additionally, a bug that forced all chapter list links into the ?={id} structure has been fixed. While that did not break anything, it was not ideal for search engines. Also, the site logo now has minimum and maximum height settings to improve scaling between desktop and mobile viewports.

Please consider supporting me on Ko-fi, Patreon, or GitHub Sponsors if you like the theme.

Release Notes

• Fixed: Permalinks in chapter lists respect the permalink structure again instead of using the ID
• Fixed: Self-deleting an account now also removes it from a multisite network (if any)
• Improved: Self-deleting an account will now reassign all remaining posts to a dummy user
• Improved: Removed useless backup meta fields for deleted comments
• New: Split logo height customizer setting into minimum and maximum
• Dev: Added fictioneer_filter_allowed_chapter_permalinks filter (@iniznet)
• Dev: Added fictioneer_filter_append_chapter_to_story_statuses filter (@iniznet)
• Dev: Added fictioneer_filter_get_story_data_indexed_chapter_statuses filter (@iniznet)
• Dev: Added fictioneer_filter_chapter_nav_buttons_allowed_statuses filter (@iniznet)
• Dev: Added fictioneer_filter_chapter_subscribe_button_statuses filter (@iniznet)
• Dev: Added fictioneer_filter_chapter_index_popup_menu_statuses filter (@iniznet)
• Dev: Added fictioneer_filter_chapter_media_buttons_statuses filter (@iniznet)
• Dev: Added fictioneer_filter_chapter_list_statuses filter (@iniznet)
• Dev: Added fictioneer_filter_verify_unpublish_access filter (@iniznet)
• Dev: Refactored fictioneer_delete_my_account() for efficiency and multisites
• Dev: Multiple chapter order/view toggles can no longer cancel each other out

Fictioneer 5.24.3 (Hotfix)

So apparently, the fix for the display bug in Chromium browsers did not work. So here you have another one that should work, at least as far as the people that suffered the issue reported. This is not an essential update, but if you notice the unfold button in chapter lists disappear sometimes, this is the solution. It is a really weird bug in the browser's render engine.

Release Notes

• Fixed: Chromium browsers should now always render the unfolding button in chapter lists

Fictioneer 5.24.2 (Hotfix)

Alright, fine, I messed up and here is a hotfix! But also some additional small improvement, so all is good, yes?

Release Notes

• Fixed: The custom [Edit Date] capability does no longer break posts if missing
• Improved: Further improved compatibility with Jetpack
• Improved: The horizontal padding of tag pills now adapts to the set border-radius

Fictioneer 5.24.1

Is this still a patch-level update? Alas, this one focuses heavily on performance and database optimization, removing unnecessary meta fields and making others obsolete. Depending on the amount of content, this could remove thousands of rows from your database. Additionally, the Discord hooks should now function properly again, new bulk edit fields will make managing large numbers of chapters easier, and sites with certain pre-installed plugins should no longer break (as they are now force-disabled).

If you’ve already installed a beta version of this update or if user-deleted comments are suddenly displaying incorrectly, run the database optimization action under Fictioneer > Tools (but be sure to make a database backup first). User-deleted comments are now stored as their own type instead of relying on a comment meta field. For those updating normally, the comments will be migrated automatically.

Please consider supporting me on Ko-fi, Patreon, or GitHub Sponsors if you like the theme.

Release Notes

• Fixed: Discord notifications about new chapters now reliably include the story again
• Fixed: Discord notifications about new private comments work again for guests
• Fixed: Hiding covers in the site settings modal now also targets list-type shortcodes
• Fixed: Chromium browsers sometimes did not render the chapter list unfolding button
• Fixed: Leading and trailing whitespaces no longer prevent BBCodes from working
• Fixed: Added missing hook on the index.php (sidebar will now be displayed again)
• Fixed: Circumvented CSS grid display bug in Safari (-.-)
• Fixed: Removed several style issues and inconsistencies
• Fixed: Jetpack comments should now work with the theme comments query
• Fixed: Jetpack comments should now respect the set comment page order
• Improved: Removed obsolete meta fields from the post meta database table
• Improved: The default chapter icon is no longer saved but rendered if the icon is missing
• Improved: Made Discord comment notifications fields more translatable
• Improved: The database optimization action now also removes orphaned post meta
• Improved: Added Transient caching to the taxonomy submenu
• Improved: Jetpack is now blocked from optimizing and breaking theme scripts
• Improved: The Page Optimizer plugin is automatically disabled due to compatibility issues
• Changed: Age ratings on chapter cards and in shortcodes now default to the story
• New: Added additional bulk edit fields for chapters (icon, text icon, prefix, and group)
• New: Added option to log all post updates (previously the default)
• New: Added option to disable the Transient caching for navigation menus
• New: Added only_protected shortcode parameter to query only posts with password
• Dev: Refactored the Discord message trigger memory handling and cleanup
• Dev: Refactored and extended validation of user permissions before save_post actions
• Dev: Default chapter icons are no longer stored in the database
• Dev: Hooked fictioneer_post_chapter_to_discord() action back to save_post to fix missing story ID
• Dev: Removed fictioneer_store_original_publish_date() and related post meta
• Dev: Obscured the log file name with a random hash
• Dev: Updated Sortable JS to 1.15.3
• Dev: Updated theme.json to v3
• Dev: Added FICTIONEER_DEFAULT_SITE_WIDTH constant (960)
• Dev: Use has_password query argument instead of fictioneer_exclude_protected_posts()
• Dev: Added additional CSS classes to the image header
• Dev: Replaced fictioneer_visibility_code comment meta with hash from comment date
• Dev: Replaced fictioneer_deleted_by_user comment meta with user_deleted comment type

Fictioneer 5.24.0

I once swore I would never add a slider. Anyway, here you have sliders and some more things. Special thanks goes to @c-cesar, who provided a translation into Brazilian Portuguese.

Version 5.22.1 introduced the anti-flicker script, which was enabled by default but could be turned off. I have since reconsidered and decided to make it opt-in instead, because it can cause undesirable behavior. If you want to turn it back on, you can find it under Fictioneer > Compatibility as before.

Please consider supporting me on Ko-fi, Patreon, or GitHub Sponsors if you like the theme.

Highlight: Sliders

Any shortcode with the new "splide" parameter can be turned into a slider. Splide is a flexible and lightweight slider that comes with many options for customization, although applying them may be challenging if you are not familiar with JSONs. You can see live examples on the demo shortcode overview page.

Highlight: Extended Showcase Shortcode

The original showcase shortcode was built for collections and thus always lagged behind the rest. This has been amended and you can now change the item size easily with the new "height", "min_width", and "aspect_ratio" parameters. Finally you can have that story grid to judge a book by its cover! Remember, not the story with the best plot and writing is deserving of attention, only the one with the most dazzling cover art! I’m being sarcastic, in case that was not clear.

Release Notes

• Fixed: Header images with shadow that are not inset do no longer have side margins
• Fixed: Missing https in your site address will no longer break scripts (but go fix this!)
• Fixed: The moderation meta box is displayed again on the comment edit screen
• Fixed: The token track for excluded authors in the advanced search form works again
• Fixed: Overly long tokens in the search form will no longer break the layout
• Fixed: Non-published chapters are no longer appended to stories or affect update dates
• Fixed: Unlisted chapters will no longer appear in the chapter index popup menu
• Fixed: Unlisted chapters will no longer display the chapter navigation buttons
• Fixed: The [fictioneer_showcase] shortcode will now also use the default cover
• Changed: Scroll direction detection thresholds are now 50px up and 10px down
• Changed: The anti-flicker script is no longer enabled by default (reset)
• Improved: Updated and extended helper modals on the general settings page
• Improved: The reading progress calculation now takes the full window height into account
• Improved: Use scrim gradient for showcase caption backgrounds
• New: Added Brazilian Portuguese translation (provided by @c-cesar)
• New: Added shortcode parameter "expanded" (false/true) parameter to [fictioneer_search]
• New: Added Author Index and Author Index Advanced page templates
• New: Fictioneer > Logs now also displays the WP debug log (if any)
• New: Added "splide" parameter to many shortcodes to turn them into sliders
• New: Added "height", "min_width", and "aspect_ratio" parameters to [fictioneer_showcase] shortcode
• New: Added "cache" parameter to most shortcodes, allowing to turn off the Transient caching
• Dev: Replaced FICTIONEER_CACHE_URL with fictioneer_get_theme_cache_uri()
• Dev: Replaced FICTIONEER_CACHE_DIR with fictioneer_get_theme_cache_dir()
• Dev: Added fictioneer_filter_word_count filter
• Dev: Added fictioneer_filter_story_word_count filter
• Dev: The content node of Storypath API responses now has content filters applied
• Dev: Replaced strtoupper() with mb_strtoupper() where necessary
• Dev: Replaced strlen() with mb_strlen() where necessary
• Dev: Added Transient caching strategy to index page templates
• Dev: The Fictioneer log now always uses UTC dates
• Dev: Added fictioneer_main_end action hook

Fictioneer 5.23.0

This update went off the rails. It was supposed to only refactor some legacy code, fix bugs, and improve performance. Then I made the mistake of checking how difficult it would be to add list-type shortcodes, and here we are. On the bright side, you can now customize shortcodes to a much higher degree without needing to use PHP filters.

Please consider supporting me on Ko-fi, Patreon, or GitHub Sponsors if you like the theme.

Highlight: List-type Shortcodes

For those who prefer lists over cards, you can now switch to a list layout using the type="list" parameter for the Latest Chapters, Latest Stories, and Latest Updates shortcodes. The lists are also affected by settings and parameters for seamless display, aspect ratio, content list style, and many new options introduced in this update. See documentation.

Release Notes

• Fixed: Smooth scrolling to anchors will now also work on numerical IDs
• Fixed: Paragraph tools do no longer trigger on links, buttons, inputs, and textareas
• Fixed: Cleaned up inconsistencies and missing customizations with border-radii
• Fixed: Word counts now account for non-Latin scripts (recalculated only on save, sorry)
• Fixed: Autoptimize works again for logged-in users
• Fixed: The content gate will no longer throw a warning if there is no post to gate
• Improved: Refined content and chapter list base font size and grow
• Improved: Added additional helper modals to selected options
• Changed: Increased default gap between chapter titles and meta row from 3px to 4px
• Changed: Renamed customizer setting "Chapter List Gap" to "Content List Gap" (reset)
• Changed: Small cards now show a maximum of 10 taxonomies (override with max_terms)
• New: Added customizer setting "Nested Border Radius Multiplier"
• New: Added customizer setting "Default Story Cover"
• New: Added shortcode parameters: footer, footer_words, footer_date, footer_comments, footer_status, footer_rating, footer_chapters, footer_author, date_format, nested_date_format, terms, max_terms (where it makes sense)
• New: Added "list" type to to Latest Chapters/Stories/Updates shortcodes
• New: Added warning box about potential issues to the theme settings page
• Dev: Renamed fictioneer_output_small_card_thumbnail() to fictioneer_render_thumbnail()
• Dev: Added optional $echo parameter to fictioneer_render_thumbnail()
• Dev: sanitize_css_aspect_ratio() does now work with fractional aspect ratios
• Dev: Added FICTIONEER_CACHE_DIR constant
• Dev: Added FICTIONEER_CACHE_URL constant
• Dev: Reduced redundancy in age rating translations
• Dev: fictioneer_purge_transients() will now always purge all shortcode Transients
• Dev: Refactored fictioneer_generate_card_tags() into fictioneer_get_term_nodes()
• Dev: Refactored how taxonomies are queried and rendered on cards
• Dev: Added fictioneer_get_bullet_separator() helper
• Dev: Added fictioneer_filter_bullet_separator filter
• Dev: Added fictioneer_filter_shortcode_{type}_terms filter
• Dev: Added fictioneer_filter_shortcode_{type}_list_meta filter
• Dev: Added fictioneer_filter_card_{type}_terms filter

Fictioneer 5.22.4 (Hotfix)

Fixed a critical bug in a truncate function that can break any non-latin language and spit out garbled text.

Release Notes

• Fixed: The fictioneer_truncate() function does no longer break multibyte languages

Fictioneer 5.22.3

Hopefully, this update will address the last remaining issues from version 5.22 and give me a break! Along with important fixes, this update introduces a new query result cache system for large and resource-intensive chapter queries (50+ posts). Tests have shown a 10-15 times increase in speed, which is especially noticeable on list pages. You can enable this feature under Fictioneer > General > Features. It should also work seamlessly with cache plugins.

Please consider supporting me on Ko-fi, Patreon, or GitHub Sponsors if you like the theme.

Release Notes

• Fixed: The ignore_protected shortcode parameter now also works on Latest Update chapters
• Fixed: AJAX comments are now loaded again on bypassed protected posts
• Fixed: The story card cache does now properly respect the cache limit
• Fixed: Story pages will no longer overflow on the top if the thumbnail is missing or hidden
• Fixed: The publish_posts capability is no longer the sole qualifier for having an author page
• Improved: Changing the story of a chapter will now remove the chapter from the old story
• Improved: The comment count on stories and story cards should now be more up-to-date
• Improved: Added display of active known cache plugins to settings page
• New: Added optional caching feature for large query results to speed up loading
• New: Added compatibility setting to allow REST requests to trigger save actions
• Dev: Added FICTIONEER_STORY_CARD_CHAPTER_LIMIT constant
• Dev: Added FICTIONEER_QUERY_RESULT_CACHE_THRESHOLD constant
• Dev: Added FICTIONEER_QUERY_RESULT_CACHE_LIMIT constant
• Dev: Reduced FICTIONEER_CARD_CACHE_LIMIT default from 50 to 40
• Dev: Increased FICTIONEER_QUERY_ID_ARRAY_LIMIT default from 100 to 1000
• Dev: Optimized fictioneer_get_stories_total_word_count() for better performance
• Dev: Refactored fictioneer_get_story_chapter_posts() and added $args and $full parameters
• Dev: fictioneer_get_story_chapter_posts() now returns reduced WP_Post objects
• Dev: Fixed the Transient key for the blog shortcode

Fictioneer 5.22.2

As expected, there are a few issues to iron out from the last release, but I have also added some new features and refinements. Most importantly, the entire page padding system has been replaced. If you have never touched the theme with custom code, this will not affect you. Skip ahead, be happy.

However, if you have made custom modifications, there is a slight chance (though I’m 99 percent sure it will be fine) that you may need to edit some of said customizations. This just had to be done.

Please consider supporting me on Ko-fi, Patreon, or GitHub Sponsors if you like the theme.

Release Notes

• Note: If you use the Minimalist child theme, you need to update it to 1.0.1 (+) as well
• Fixed: The password bypass feature does no longer disable caching for list templates
• Fixed: Disabling the sidebar on individual posts/pages should now always work
• Fixed: Extremely wide elements (like sliders) should no longer break the sidebar layout
• Fixed: The local no-covers setting is now applied on the Story Page template
• Fixed: The sidebar is now hidden in the chapter print layout
• Fixed: The info boxes on Latest Stories cards are no longer broken if taxonomies are hidden
• Fixed: Tooltips should now always wrap regarding of the element they are on
• Fixed: The border-radius for the story action buttons is now always applied correctly
• Improved: The hidden flag now sets the noindex meta rule on the Story Page template
• Improved: Further refined small card font size and grow factor for small widths
• Improved: Updated the shortcode documentation with the "lightbox" parameter
• Changed: The Canvas Page template does no longer remove the page padding by default
• New: Added meta field to disable the page padding on individual posts
• New: Added option to hide categories on posts
• New: Added feature to cache the HTML of story cards
• New: Added "infobox" parameter to shortcodes to hide the info boxes
• New: Added "source" parameter to Latest Stories/Updates shortcodes
• Dev: Fixed typo in action context parameter 'singular-ca[v]nas-page'
• Dev: Fixed typo in function context parameter 'devi[c]e_body_classes'
• Dev: Refactored the entire page padding system because it sucked

Fictioneer 5.22.1

Technically the second part of 5.22 that I pushed back to get some bug fixes out sooner. Never mind that this one is also full of bug fixes. Also, you get a new taxonomy submenu and the Minimalist child theme!

Please consider supporting me on Ko-fi, Patreon, or GitHub Sponsors if you like the theme.

Highlight: Taxonomy Submenu

You can now add a special submenu for a taxonomy of your choice to the desktop navigation bar. All you need to do is add a custom link with a trigger CSS class, as described in the documentation

Highlight: Minimalist Child Theme

This child theme is for people who struggle to make the main theme look pretty (which does require some art and effort) or just want a no-nonsense, plain reading platform. The child theme does not need any images to impress or a fancy landing page, the blog index works too. Meant to be used with a sidebar, but that is optional. Take a look at the demo site.

Release Notes

• Fixed: Whitespaces in excerpts should no longer vanish (built on save)
• Fixed: The chapter index popup menu can no longer end up below the comments
• Fixed: The quote and suggestion paragraph tools will no longer show up if unavailable
• Fixed: The hide option for the cover image position does work again
• Fixed: The sidebar gap is now applied correctly to chapter lists
• Fixed: The Gutenberg blocks setting in the setup screen is now saved
• Fixed: Button text colors are no longer overwritten in the sidebar
• Fixed: Resolved layout issues causing gaps and overflow under certain conditions
• Fixed: The excerpt length and read-more filters are no longer applied in the sidebar
• Fixed: Lists should now be rendered properly in widgets
• Fixed: The truncation on article cards can no longer overflow into hidden lines
• Fixed: Chapter actions are now collapsed if there is not enough space due to a sidebar
• Improved: You can no longer call the paragraph tools on empty paragraphs (clean up your content, guys!)
• Improved: Refined content list spacing for certain card styles
• Improved: The bullets on the Elementor swiper now use theme colors
• Improved: Headings in the sidebar now have sensible font size steps
• New: Added the trigger-term-menu-* menu CSS class to add specific taxonomy submenus
• New: Added customizer layout option to change the story cover width for non-overflow positions
• New: Added customizer layout option to hide the sidebar on mobile
• New: Added customizer layout option to change story page cover shadow
• New: Added anti-flicker script and option to turn it off
• New: Released Fictioneer Minimalist child theme