WPCalibrate Author Credits

Assign multiple existing WordPress users as credited authors of a post and display them with elegant avatars, interactive pill chips, and author archive links on the front end.

📖 About WPCalibrate Author Credits

By default, WordPress limits every post to a single author column (post_author in the wp_posts database table). Standard multi-author solutions often introduce heavyweight database architectures, create fake guest-author custom post types, bloat user taxonomies, or enforce massive vendor lock-in.

WPCalibrate Author Credits solves this with an ultra-lightweight, zero-bloat architecture:

• Native User Integration: Assign any existing WordPress users (administrator, editor, author, or custom roles with posting privileges) as co-authors without creating dummy accounts or redundant database tables.
• Deterministic Primary Author Synchronization: Index 0 of the credited authors array strictly synchronizes with native WordPress post_author. Core RSS feeds, REST endpoints, SEO plugins, sitemaps, and database queries continue to function seamlessly without modification.
• Render-Time User Resolution: User avatars and display names are resolved dynamically at render time. When a user updates their profile picture or display name, all author credit bylines reflect the change instantly.
• User Deletion Safety: Deleting a secondary user automatically removes them from all post credit lists. Deleting a primary author rebuilds the list around the newly reassigned author without leaving orphan data.
• Built-in GitHub Automated Dashboard Updater: Native 1-click update checks directly within your WordPress admin dashboard via GitHub Releases.

✨ Key Features

• Gutenberg Document Sidebar Panel: Modern React-based author manager embedded directly inside the WordPress Block Editor document settings panel. Reorder co-authors, switch primary authors, and search users in real time.
• Classic Editor & Meta Box Support: Clean, accessible drag-and-drop author selection for classic editing workflows.
• Dynamic Gutenberg Block (wpcalibrate-author-credits/credits): Insert author credits anywhere inside block content, page templates, or widget areas with customizable layouts, alignments, avatar toggles, and sizes.
• Configurable Shortcode ([wpcal_author_credits]): Drop author credits into any post, page, custom template, or builder with rich attribute overrides.
• PHP Theme API: Native helper functions (wpcal_ac_the_credits(), wpcal_ac_get_authors()) for child themes and custom template files.
• Professional Front-End Aesthetics:
  • Inline Layout: Formatted as modern rounded pill chips (border-radius: 9999px) with subtle card framing, soft shadow, and micro-animated hover lift.
  • Stacked Layout: Full-width author cards with refined padding and structural hierarchy.
  • Framed Circular Avatars: Perfectly circular geometry (border-radius: 50% !important) with dual-layer border rings and subtle hover scaling.
  • Dynamic Primary Author Badge: Displays an accessible Primary badge when multiple authors collaborate on a post.
  • Full Dark Mode & Theme Compatibility: Adaptive CSS custom properties with built-in dark theme support (@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) and .dark selectors).
• Privacy Boundary REST API: Author search requires authenticated capabilities (edit_post + edit_others_posts) and returns only id, display_name, and avatar_url. Never leaks user emails, logins, or password hashes.
• Zero External Dependencies: 100% standalone PHP 8.2+ codebase. Zero WooCommerce dependency, zero external frameworks.

🚀 Installation & Setup

1. Download the Plugin:
   • Download wpcalibrate-author-credits-1.0.0.zip from the Releases page.
2. Upload & Activate:
   • In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin.
   • Choose the ZIP file and click Install Now, then click Activate Plugin.
3. Configure Settings:
   • Go to WPCalibrate > Author Credits in your WordPress admin menu.
   • Set default placement (Before Content, After Content, or Manual via block/shortcode).
   • Configure avatar size (16px to 256px), default layout (Inline or Stacked), and alignment.
   • Choose supported post types (post, page, or registered custom post types).

🛠️ Usage Documentation

1. Gutenberg Block Editor

When editing any supported post type in the Gutenberg editor:

1. Open the Post Settings sidebar (right-hand panel).
2. Expand the Author Credits panel.
3. The primary post author is listed at the top.
4. Type 2 or more characters in the user search field to find and add co-authors.
5. Use the Make Primary, Move Up, Move Down, or Remove controls to manage authorship order.

2. Dynamic Gutenberg Block

To insert author credits inside your post layout:

1. Click + (Add Block) in the editor.
2. Search for Author Credits (wpcalibrate-author-credits/credits).
3. Customize block settings in the inspector controls:
   • Show Avatars: Toggle avatar visibility on/off.
   • Avatar Size: Adjust pixel dimensions (16px–256px).
   • Show Author Names: Toggle display names.
   • Link Names: Enable or disable links to author archives.
   • Layout: Switch between Inline and Stacked.
   • Alignment: Set Left, Center, or Right.
   • Custom Label: Override default byline label (e.g. Written by:, Co-authored by:).

3. Shortcode Documentation

Use [wpcal_author_credits] in your content or template widgets.

[wpcal_author_credits layout="inline" alignment="left" avatar="yes" size="48" link="yes" label="Written by:"]

Supported Shortcode Attributes

4. Developer PHP Theme API

You can call the public PHP API functions anywhere in your theme templates:

// Render author credits for the current post with default settings:
wpcal_ac_the_credits();

// Render with custom overrides:
wpcal_ac_the_credits( get_the_ID(), array(
    'layout'      => 'stacked',
    'alignment'   => 'center',
    'avatar_size' => 64,
    'label'       => 'Article Contributors:',
) );

// Retrieve array of author data objects for custom markup:
$authors = wpcal_ac_get_authors( get_the_ID(), 64 );
foreach ( $authors as $author ) {
    echo esc_html( $author['display_name'] );
    if ( $author['is_primary'] ) {
        echo ' (Lead Author)';
    }
}

🪝 Developer Action & Filter Hooks

Action Hooks

Filter Hooks

🏗️ Architecture & Primary Author Synchronization

flowchart TD
    A[WordPress Native wp_posts Table] -->|Single Integer Column: post_author| B[Primary Author index 0]
    C[Post Meta: _wpcal_ac_author_ids] -->|Ordered Array of User IDs| B
    C -->|Index 1, 2, ...| D[Secondary Co-Authors]

    E[Post Edit Save / Quick Edit] -->|Reconcile| F{Is post_author changed natively?}
    F -->|Yes| G[Reorder _wpcal_ac_author_ids to place post_author at index 0]
    F -->|No| H[Save author array & sync index 0 to post_author]

    I[User Deletion Event] -->|Hook deleted_user| J{Is user primary or secondary?}
    J -->|Secondary| K[Remove user ID from _wpcal_ac_author_ids arrays]
    J -->|Primary| L[Reassign to new author & rebuild list around new primary]

🔄 Built-in GitHub Automated Dashboard Updates

WPCalibrate Author Credits includes a native GitHubUpdater service. It connects directly with GitHub Releases for this repository (zeeshanraza-official/wpcalibrate-author-credits):

• Notifies site administrators when a new version is tagged on GitHub.
• Displays full release changelog details via the native WordPress "View version details" modal.
• Performs 1-click in-dashboard updates seamlessly without requiring third-party updater plugins.
• Automatically normalizes GitHub's release folder names so your plugin directory remains cleanly named wpcalibrate-author-credits.

📝 Changelog

[1.0.2] - 2026-10-16

• Enhanced: Complete redesign of front-end author credits presentation into modern rounded pill chips (inline layout) and structured cards (stacked layout).
• Enhanced: Enforced circular avatars (border-radius: 50% !important) with dual-layer border rings and subtle hover zoom.
• Enhanced: Dynamic primary author badge (.wpcal-ac__badge) for multi-author articles.
• Enhanced: HTML5 microdata attributes (rel="author" and data-author-id).
• Fixed: Guaranteed front-end stylesheet enqueueing across all display methods (pages, archives, shortcodes, blocks).
• Added: Built-in GitHub automated dashboard updater (GitHubUpdater) supporting 1-click updates from WordPress admin.
• Added: Added Update URI, GitHub Plugin URI, and Primary Branch headers in main plugin file.

[1.0.1] - 2026-10-16

• Fixed: Enforced strict 20x20px admin sidebar menu icon dimensions and dashboard-native opacity rules.
• Added: Implemented comprehensive Overview tab in Settings with hero banner, purpose breakdown, architecture details, and 5 interactive usage guides.

[1.0.0] - 2026-10-16

• Initial production release.
• Deterministic primary author synchronization with core post_author.
• Gutenberg sidebar panel and dynamic block (wpcalibrate-author-credits/credits).
• Shortcode [wpcal_author_credits] and public PHP API (wpcal_ac_the_credits()).
• Automated user deletion safety and REST privacy boundary.
• Full automated test suite (81 tests passing).

💼 Support & Commercial Contact

• Author: WPCalibrate
• Marketplace: https://marketplace.wpcalibrate.com/
• Direct Support: support@wpcalibrate.com
• WhatsApp Direct Line: +44 7474 795976
• License: GNU General Public License v2.0 or later (GPL-2.0-or-later)