Pathwise Badge Connect by Pathwise Solutions

Contributors: cvanderlinden, lxdintegral, pathwise
Tags: open-badge, badges, LearnDash
Requires at least: 5.8
Tested up to: 6.7
Requires PHP: 7.4
Stable tag: 0.3.2
License: GPLv2 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

Description

Pathwise Badge Connect by Pathwise Solutions integrates WordPress and LearnDash with Open Badge Factory, enabling the creation, issuance, and display of Open Badges directly within WordPress. The plugin provides powerful tools for badge synchronization, trigger-based badge issuance, and dynamic user badge displays through Gutenberg blocks or shortcodes.

Features Include:

• Badge Management: Sync badges with Open Badge Factory and display them dynamically on your WordPress site.
• Trigger-Based Issuance: Link badge issuance to LearnDash course completions, user registration, and other actions.
• Gutenberg and Shortcode Support: Easily display badges using blocks or shortcodes with customizable layouts.
• Admin Features: Activity logging, settings management, and admin notices for seamless control.

Installation

1. Download the plugin ZIP file (pathwise-badge-connect-pws.zip).
2. Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard.
3. Navigate to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin.
4. Select the ZIP file and click Install Now.
5. Once installed, click Activate to enable the plugin.
6. Navigate to the plugin settings page to configure the Open Badge Factory API credentials (client ID and secret).
7. Use the synchronization button to import badges from Open Badge Factory.

External Services

This plugin integrates with the Open Badge Factory API, which is used to create, issue, and manage digital badges. The API enables our plugin to manage your Open Badge Factory badges directly in WordPress.

Data Transmission: When you issue or update a badge, the plugin sends relevant badge details (such as badge title, description, criteria) over an HTTPS connection along with recipient information (email address) to the Open Badge Factory API. This transmission occurs only during badge operations, ensuring that data is exchanged exclusively for the purpose of managing your digital badges.

Service Provider Information: This API serivce is provided by Open Badge Factory. For further details on their policies, please review the following:

• Terms of Service: https://openbadgefactory.com/terms-of-service
• Privacy Policy: https://openbadgefactory.com/privacy-policy

Release Notes

v0.3.0 - Shortcode Integration and Enhanced Badge Display Options (2024-09-19)

What's New:

• Shortcode Integration:

  • Introduced the [user_badges] shortcode, allowing users to display their earned badges anywhere on their site without using the Gutenberg block.
  • Shortcode attributes match the Gutenberg block settings for consistent behavior:
    • layout: Choose between 'grid', 'table', or 'list' layouts (layout="grid" by default).
    • columns: Adjust the number of columns in the grid or table layout (columns="3" by default).
    • show_image: Toggle the display of badge images (show_image="1" by default).
    • show_name: Toggle the display of badge names (show_name="1" by default).
    • image_width and image_max_width: Control the badge image width and maximum width (image_width="100%" and image_max_width="450px" by default).
  • The shortcode seamlessly reuses the existing rendering logic of the Gutenberg block for a unified and efficient approach.

• Enhanced Table and List Layouts:

  • Improved the table layout to dynamically handle the specified number of columns, ensuring badges are displayed evenly and aesthetically.
  • The list layout now groups each badge and its name as a cohesive element, enhancing readability and organization.
  • Adjusted CSS to ensure that table layouts span the full width of the available space, providing a more polished display.

Enhancements:

• Consistent Badge Display Across Editor and Shortcode:

  • Unified rendering logic for badges across both Gutenberg blocks and shortcodes, reducing code duplication and maintenance.
  • Ensured that any customization made in the block editor is faithfully replicated when using the shortcode.

• Styling Improvements:

  • Updated CSS to ensure full-width display of table layouts and consistent centering of badge images and names across all layouts.
  • Enhanced flex and grid styles to ensure badges are visually balanced, regardless of the selected layout.

• Performance Optimizations:

  • Further optimized server-side rendering and caching for badge data to enhance performance, especially for larger badge sets.

Bug Fixes:

• Shortcode Attribute Handling:

  • Fixed issues with shortcode attribute handling to ensure that user-provided values are correctly processed and applied.

• Rendering Consistency:

  • Addressed inconsistencies between block and shortcode rendering, ensuring all badge display options are honored equally.

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v0.2.1 - User Badge Block and Frontend Enhancements (2024-09-18)

What's New:

• User Badges Block:

  • Added a new Gutenberg block allowing users to display badges they’ve earned from the Open Badge Factory on any page or post.
  • Block includes customizable display options:
    • Layout choices: Grid, Table, or List.
    • Ability to toggle the display of badge names and badge images.
    • Adjustable number of columns in grid view for optimal badge display.
  • Dynamic fetching of the logged-in user’s badges via the REST API and rendering on the front-end.
  • If no badges are available, a default message informs the user.

• Frontend Badge Display:

  • Implemented server-side rendering for the User Badges block on the front-end, ensuring badges are displayed properly for both logged-in users and visitors viewing public profiles.
  • Server-side caching enabled for badge data to enhance performance.
  • Badges are dynamically loaded on the front-end, ensuring users always see their latest badge achievements.

• REST API Enhancements:

  • Added the /wp-json/pathwise-badge-connect/v1/user-badges endpoint to retrieve a logged-in user’s badges.
  • Permissions check added to ensure only authorized users can access their badges.

Enhancements:

• Improved Block Experience:

  • Block customization settings allow for different display layouts and more flexible user interface options.
  • Integrated block controls in the editor with live previews to improve the editing experience for admins.

• Bug Fixes:

  • Fixed an issue where the badge block would not display any content on the front end after saving a post.
  • Corrected REST API path inconsistencies to ensure proper data fetching for the badge block.

• Code Refactoring and Cleanup:

  • Refactored the enqueue scripts to ensure both admin and front-end assets are correctly loaded, improving the plugin’s performance and user experience.

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v0.2.0 - Enhanced API Handling and Trigger Management (2024-09-17)

What's New:

• Improved API Response Handling:

  • Plain Text Response Support:
    • Updated the API client to correctly handle plain text responses from the Open Badge Factory API instead of assuming JSON.
    • Adjusted methods like make_request(), ping(), issue_badge(), get_badges(), and get_badge_by_id() to process API responses accurately.
  • Enhanced Error Handling:
    • Improved error handling in get_triggers() to correctly handle empty result sets without treating them as errors.
    • Added detailed logging for API requests and responses to facilitate debugging and troubleshooting.
  • Fixed Log Display Issues:
    • Resolved issues with the log display in the Log.vue component, ensuring that logs are correctly fetched and displayed without errors.
    • Corrected the REST API response structure to remove unnecessary nesting, simplifying the JSON response and improving frontend data handling.

• Restored and Improved Trigger Functionality:

  • Post Title Association:
    • Fixed an issue where fetching triggers lost associated post titles after refactoring, ensuring that triggers correctly include related post information.
  • Logging Enhancements:
    • Added logging using PBC_Log when triggers are created, updated, or deleted, enhancing transparency and auditability.
    • Ensured that trigger_id is included in log messages for better traceability.
  • Badge Issuance Tracking:
    • Added functionality to store issued badges in the pathwise_badge_connect_user_badges table after successful issuance via the API, enabling better tracking of user badges.

• Code Refactoring and Cleanup:

  • Type Corrections:
    • Corrected return types in functions to avoid fatal errors, improving code reliability.
  • Improved State Management:
    • Enhanced the trigger management system by ensuring that temporary triggers are properly handled, preventing duplication.
    • Added checks to prevent duplicate triggers from being added to the state and logic to update existing triggers in place.

Enhancements:

• Better Debug Logging:

  • Added logging throughout the codebase to track operations such as trigger creation, updates, deletions, and badge issuance, aiding in debugging and monitoring plugin activity.

• Frontend Improvements:

  • Improved the performance and reliability of the log display in the admin dashboard.
  • Enhanced the user experience by ensuring logs and triggers display accurate and up-to-date information.

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v0.1.0 - Initial Release (2024-08-28)

Features:

• Trigger Management:

  • Manage triggers for badge issuance, including adding, editing, and deleting triggers.
  • Triggers are linked to badges, extensions (e.g., WordPress, LearnDash), and specific actions like course completion and user creation.
  • View triggers in a dynamic card-style interface.
  • Each trigger has customizable fields: badge, extension, trigger action, and object (related post).

• Badge Synchronization:

  • Ability to sync badges with the Open Badge Factory (PBC) API.
  • Displays synced badges in a searchable and filterable interface.
  • Each badge displays key information such as name, description, image, category, available languages, and expiration details.
  • Added functionality to trigger the synchronization process manually.

• Admin Notices:

  • Admin notices system to display important notifications within the WordPress dashboard.
  • Notices can be dismissed or can link to specific actions (e.g., API connection issues, client ID/secret configuration).

• Activity Logging:

  • Logs activity related to badges and triggers, including user actions, badge issues, and trigger executions.
  • Log entries are searchable and paginated for easier management.
  • Each log displays details such as user, badge, type of action, message, and timestamp.

• Settings Page:

  • Settings page for configuring the Open Badge Factory API client ID and client secret.
  • Sync button to trigger badge synchronization manually.
  • Connection status indicator for the Open Badge Factory API.
  • Last synchronization date and time display.

Database Structure:

• Created several new database tables to manage badges, triggers, logs, and user-badge relationships:
  • pathwise_badge_connect_badges: Stores badge information synced from the PBC API.
  • pathwise_badge_connect_triggers: Stores trigger information that links actions to badge issuance.
  • pathwise_badge_connect_logs: Stores logs of activity related to badge issuance and trigger executions.
  • pathwise_badge_connect_user_badges: Stores which users have received which badges.
  • pathwise_badge_connect_notices: Stores notices to display in the admin interface.

REST API Endpoints:

• Added extensive custom REST API endpoints to interact with badges, triggers, settings, logs, and notices:
  • /wp-json/pathwise-badge-connect/v1/connection-status: Get the connection status with the Open Badge Factory API.
  • /wp-json/pathwise-badge-connect/v1/settings: Retrieve the current settings.
  • /wp-json/pathwise-badge-connect/v1/settings: Save settings (POST).
  • /wp-json/pathwise-badge-connect/v1/sync: Synchronize badges with the Open Badge Factory (POST).
  • /wp-json/pathwise-badge-connect/v1/last-sync: Get the last sync time.
  • /wp-json/pathwise-badge-connect/v1/badges: Retrieve all badges.
  • /wp-json/pathwise-badge-connect/v1/triggers: Get all triggers.
  • /wp-json/pathwise-badge-connect/v1/triggers/(?P<id>\d+): Get a single trigger by ID.
  • /wp-json/pathwise-badge-connect/v1/triggers: Save or update a trigger (POST).
  • /wp-json/pathwise-badge-connect/v1/triggers/(?P<id>\d+): Delete a trigger (DELETE).
  • /wp-json/pathwise-badge-connect/v1/posts-by-type: Get all posts by a specified post type.
  • /wp-json/pathwise-badge-connect/v1/logs: Retrieve activity logs.
  • /wp-json/pathwise-badge-connect/v1/notices: Get all active notices.
  • /wp-json/pathwise-badge-connect/v1/notices: Create a new notice (POST).
  • /wp-json/pathwise-badge-connect/v1/notices/(?P<id>\d+): Delete a notice (DELETE).

Known Issues:

• Triggers may appear twice when first created if the list is empty (resolved in v0.2.0).
• Some API connection errors may not provide detailed error messages (improved in future versions).