Last week we released an update to the Application Methods extension, by now you should already see an update notification in your wp-admin panel, if not then go to the wp-admin / Dashboard / Updates panel and click the “Check Again” button the update should show then.
The new release has a few important changes:
When the “Apply Online” button is disabled for a job, the application form is completely removed from the page HTML code, so now even bots scanning the website cannot submit it.
We added a backward compatibility option in the wp-admin / Settings (WPJB) / Application Methods panel, if enabled then the default job application method (as if the AM extension was not installed at all) will be used if no application methods are selected.
Updated Interface
This can be handy if you have already dozens of jobs on-site and are installing the AM extension now, you can enable this option and do not have to update the application methods manually for each job.
The Application Methods interface also got a small facelift so it takes a little less space now
Importing from CSV and XML
It is also now possible to import the application methods when importing from CSV or XML file (it used to be possible earlier as well but the application methods needed to be in a computer-readable mode which made it difficult for the users).
WPJobBoard 5.10.0 was just released and you should see an update notification in your wp-admin panel within 24 hours max.
If you don’t notice it then go to the wp-admin / Dashboard / Updates panel and click the “Check Again” button it should show then.
Improved Files Security
The main new feature in version 5.10 is new file security settings, you can find them in the wp-admin / Settings (WPJB) / Files Security.
It allows for hashing the file paths and moving the files to a location that is unavailable from the browser. These settings are especially used for websites that are using a server different than Apache (Apache server has a mod-rewrite module that secures the files automatically and we have been doing this automatically for the past 10 years or so).
That said even if you are on the Apache server you can enable the Files Security and customize the files security settings to your needs.
You can learn more about this new feature and how to use it in the knowledge base.
Other Changes
Aside from one big change in the file security we also have multiple minor bug fixes and small improvements
FEATURE: wp-admin / Settings (WPJB) / Files Security allows configuring additional file security features (especially for sites using Nginx and Lighttpd servers)
FEATURE: Additional tags in the Indeed XML feed.
FIXED: [wpjb_map] will not move to 0,0 coordinates when there are no search results to show on map.
FIXED: [wpjb_jobs_add] shortcode using incorrect form scheme when more than one job form scheme exists.
FIXED: More detailed error messages when a user without required capabilities will try accessing [wpjb_candidate_panel] or [wpjb_employer_panel]
FIXED: Added nofollow links to the buttons in the file upload.
FIXED: Type in the candidate membership configuration.
FIXED: Error when calculating membership usage in PHP8
FIXED: Removed files that are no longer being used.
API: wpjb_get_print_capability filter allows selecting who can print applications
API: wpjb_job_csv_import_column_unknown filter added to the job CSV import
API: wpjb_singular_job_application_methods allows customizing available application methods.
WPJobBoard 5.9.3 has been just released, this is a recommended update mainly with bug fixes and small improvements. If you won’t see an update notification in your wp-admin panel within 24 hours, go to the wp-admin / Dashboard / Updates panel and click the “Check Again” button.
Changes in version 5.9.3
Below you can see what we changed in the latest release:
FEATURE: In the wp-admin / Settings (WPJB) / Google APIs panel you can now enter Public and Private keys to protect your keys from unauthorized usage.
FIXED: Applications count showing incorrectly in [wpjb_employer_panel] when the “new” application status is not public.
FIXED: Calculating the number of membership uses left with PHP8+
FIXED: Job title and job_zip_code fields not searchable from the [wpjb_jobs_search] shortcode
FIXED: locations fields (country, state, zip code and city) not searchable in the [wpjb_resumes_search] shortcode.
FIXED: Suggestions not working in the wp-admin / Job Board / Applications panel when editing an application.
If you want to take advantage of the Public and Private Google API keys please check out the updated Google APIs documentation.
The knowledge base explains how to create keys from scratch, but if you are already using the Google integration, then most likely you already have one key (since it has been already exposed it is best use it as a Public key), in this case, you can only set restrictions for the Public key and only create the Private key.
We just released WPJB 5.9.2, you should see a notification in the wp-admin panel within 24 hours max, if you do not see it, please go to the wp-admin / Dashboard / Updates panel and click the “Check Again” button it should show then.
This is a small update with small improvements and new filters only, it is a recommended update for anyone using version 5.9.0 or newer.
Below you can find a list of changes
FEATURE: It is not possible to delete the category and job type even if it has jobs assigned.
FEATURE: Disable redirects to 3-rd party sites from the bookmark pages.
FEATURE: In the Job Alerts widget admin can allow users to select a frequency (daily or weekly) when creating a job alert and set a default frequency.
FIXED: Various warnings and notices shown in the frontend and backend.
FIXED: Job data submitted via REST API is now escaped before processing it.
FIXED: Job search by zip code.
FIXED: Phrases not marked for translation correctly.
API: action wpjb_resume_contact_form_sent run after submitting the contact form on the resume details page.
API: wpjb_api_job_post filter run after adding job via REST API
API: wpjb_imported_*_output filter run after “application”, “job”, “company”, and “resume” import.
API: wpjb_tpl_single_top filter added in the “job”, “company” and “resume” details templates.
We just released a new Analytics extension all users with active Business License can download it from the client panel.
As you may or may not know, Google will be disabling access to the Universal Analytics API (at least in a way we were using it for our Google Analytics integration). Because of this we are deprecating the Google Analytics integration and introducing our own Analytics plugin.
This is actually something we were already planning for some time but Google’s decision to disable the UA only speed it up. There are a few reasons why a “native” extension is the way to go forward:
All the analytics data will now be stored on your own server and only you as a website administrator will have full access to it.
No more complicated signing up for API keys (in fact the first version of our Analytics extension does not have any options at all)
It is not possible to collect and display analytics data in a way that is more useful to your users.
A new way to show the data
While the first two points are pretty self-expeditionary, the last one might require some additional information.
The Google Analytics integration allowed showing the number of job details page views, unique page views, and the number of applications.
With the new Analytics plugin, we can collect information about the number of views on the jobs list (that is in the [wpjb_jobs_list] and [wpjb_jobs_search]), the number of individual page views, and a number of job applications.
This is much more actionable data for the Employer, for example, if the job is being viewed on the jobs list but has few page views then maybe a title needs adjustment to get more page views. If it is getting few list views then maybe it needs some promotion?
Analytics extension admin chart
The above image shows how the data is presented on the chart, if you are familiar with our GA extension you most likely noticed the chart is pretty similar, the only difference is that the chart shows both list view and page views.
Note that since we are no longer relying on the Google APIs (and are not limited by the number of API calls we can make a day) in the [wpjb_employer_panel] the employers can see the same chart for their jobs and change the start and end dates.
If you are going to give this plugin a try (and I hope you will) i would appreciate if you would share your experience in the comments.
We just finished the first release of the year and you should see it within 24 hours max in your wp-admin / Plugins panel (if not then go to the wp-admin / Dashboard / Updates panel and click the “Check Again” button).
This is a maintenance release and it is recommended for everyone using version 5.9.0 or older.
Below you can find the list of changes:
FEATURE: Employers can now preview their Company profile even if the profile page is inactive (private).
FEATURE: Candidates can now preview their Resumes event if the resume page is inactive.
FEATURE: Link to the resume preview in the [wpjb_candidate_panel] page.
FEATURE: The XML importer is now running in a mode that allows importing huge XML files.
FIXED: Expiration date displaying incorrectly in the [wpjb_jobs_add] / Preview (when the expiration date is derived from the pricing).
FIXED: The option to delete all candidate applications when deleting the candidate not working properly.
FIXED: Fatal error in the Membership pricing when PHP8+ is enabled.
FIXED: XSS issue (not disclosing details to protect users who choose not to update).
We just released WPJobBoard 5.9, this is one of the biggest releases recently with changes that should make building and customizing the job board to your needs a lot easier.
You should see the update notification within 24 hours in your wp-admin panel, if not then go to the wp-admin / Dashboard / Updates panel and click the “Check Again” button it should allow you to update then.
New Features in WPJobBoard
Advanced search in wp-admin / Job Board / Applications panel
When browsing the job application in the administration panel you can now click the “More Filters” button to filter by name, email, Job, user ID, or application status.
You can also click the “Screen Options” button at the top right to add custom fields to the search and then filter by the custom fields as well.
See in the video below how it works
Import From RSS Feeds
Until now WPJB allowed importing jobs from Career Builder, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter, unfortunately, these services are either making it harder for users to be accepted into the publisher program or just disabling them completely.
This is why we are allowing importing from any RSS feed.
To schedule recurring imports from an RSS feed go to the wp-admin / Settings (WPJB) / Import and Export / Schedule New Import panel. In the Import From dropdown select “RSS Feed“, below enter the import URL, limit the import to new jobs only, select how many jobs per run you want to add, and click the Schedule button.
RSS Jobs import configuration.
The import will run once a day and import jobs to your database. When editing the scheduled import you can see the logs so you can at any time check if the import is running.
Custom image size in the shortcodes
In the list and search shortcodes (that is [wpjb_jobs_list], [wpjb_jobs_search], [wpjb_resumes_list], [wpjb_resumes_search], [wpjb_employers_list]) you can now change the default image size using “image” param.
The default size is 50×50 if you would like to make the images on the jobs list wider and higher you can use the [wpjb_jobs_list] as
[wpjb_jobs_list image="250x75"]
this will force the images to use 250px x 75px size.
Note you can use the “image” param as image=”none” then the image column will be hidden.
Additionally, you can pass the image_default_url param to change the default image shown when no logo or avatar is uploaded, the value should be a full URL starting with “http://” or “https://” pointing to an image.
Other Changes
FEATURE: Updated REST API to allow PUT and DELETE methods for the /jobs/ requests (also the example snippets were updated to show how using these methods will be possible).
FEATURE: The [wpjb_jobs_search] shortcode can be used with an “always_show_results” param, to show the search results on each page load (not only after a search).
FEATURE: Privacy update, in the [wpjb_employer_panel] / Applications / the View Resume button, will show only if the Resume owner allows viewing his resume.
FEATURE: <candidate_id> tag added to the <application> tag in the XML import allowing assign the applications to candidates on import.
FIXED: When exporting files to XML the “&” character is replaced with “-“.
FIXED: Jobs, companies, and resumes do not have user_id assigned correctly on import.
FIXED: Multiselect input not closing when clicking outside of if.
API: wpjb_taxer_tax_rate, wpjb_taxer_type, wpjb_taxer_enabled, wpjb_taxer_price and wpjb_taxer_discount filters allow modifying the user tax rate or price to pay on the fly – see below the code snippet explaining how to use it.
add_filter( "wpjb_taxer_tax_rate", function( $tax_rate, $pricing ) {
// New tax rate will be set to 10%
return 10;
}, 10, 2 );
We just released version 5.8.9 (this should be the last update before 5.9.0 with some cool new features), you should see the update notification in the wp-admin / Plugins panel.
If the notification will not show up within 24 hours go to the wp-admin / Dashboard / Updates panel, click the “Check Again” button and the update should show then.
Here is what was changed in the latest release:
FIXED: Rating input showing in the wp-admin / Job Board / Applications panel when editing an application (it is not needed there as the applications can be rated using the stars widget in the right sidebar).
FIXED: Sorting by rating in the wp-admin / Job Board / Applications panel not working correctly.
FIXED: When exporting the company to XML the company description is now wrapped in the CDATA.
FIXED: Export to XML is generating unwanted tags that are breaking the XML scheme.
FIXED: The expired jobs redirection option not firing.
FIXED: Warning in the Indeed XML when job type or category is not selected.
API: wpjb_singular_ignore_the_content filter allows disabling the default content renderer on the Job, Resume, and Company details pages, this might be sometimes helpful when building a website with a page builder (how to use this filter will be shown below).
Using the wpjb_singular_ignore_the_content filter.
This filter is useful when you are building the Job, Resume, or Company details pages with a page builder (like Brizy) and do not want the default WPJB page rendering as it is conflicting in some way with your page building plugin.
The below code snippet can be put in your (child) theme functions.php file and it will stop default rendering on the Job details pages (the Resumes and Companies details will still be rendered as previously)
add_filter( "wpjb_singular_ignore_the_content", function( $ignore, $type ) {
// $type is one of "job", "company", "resume"
if( $type == "job" ) {
return true;
}
}, 10, 2 );
If you want to apply the content ignoring to all details pages (Jobs, Resumes, and Companies) you can use the below code instead
Once you add the code you will need to use the [wpjb_single_job], [wpjb_single_resume], or [wpjb_single_company] shortcode in the template you are creating for the Job, Resume, or Company details page.
Version 5.8.8 was just released, you should see an update notification in the wp-admin / Plugins panel. If it will not show up within 24 hours go to the wp-admin / Dashboard / Updates panel and click the “Check Again” button.
Below you can find a list of updates in the latest release
FEATURE: When editing from wp-admin / Settings (WPJB) / Custom Fields panel a text field with validation rules set to Date you should see an option to enter a date range that will show in the date picker when entering a date. You can set either a fixed range for example “2000:2030” or a relative range for example “c-22:c+8” (which basically means “from the current year – 22 years to current year + 8 years”.
FEATURE: “URL Target” field shows in the Custom Fields panel only if the edited field is validated as an URL.
FEATURE: the wp-admin / Settings (WPJB) / Google For Jobs -> Fields Map field supports now the applicantLocationRequirements param.
FEATURE: from the wp-admin / Settings (WPJB) / reCAPTCHA panel you can now activate reCAPTCHA for the Job Alerts widget.
API: wpjb_form_init_password_change filter added to the Password Change form.
FIXED: wpjb_get_list_country filter not firing correctly.
FIXED: When a user activated the Jobeleon theme before activating WPJobBoard usually an error showed up, now it should not matter which one you activate first.
A new release with minor improvements and small bug fixes has just been released, you should see an update notification in your wp-admin panel within 24 hours.
If not then go to the wp-admin / Dashboard / Updates panel and click the “Check Again” button the update should show then.
The main focus of this release was making the plugin fully compatible with the PHP8, a PHP version that is much faster than version 7 and one that is getting increasingly more popular every month.
If you update to 5.8.7, then if your server has an option to change the PHP version (most of them do have it these days) it should be safe to switch your hosting control panel to PHP8.
Changes in version 5.8.7
FIXED: Compatibility with PHP8.
FIXED: Removed some files that are no longer being used.
FIXED: [wpjb_form_apply] incorrectly checking for the Employer email address.
FIXED: Multi select dropdown on load shows selected items values instead of labels.
FIXED: Warning message in the wp-admin / Settings (WPJB) / Job Board Options panel.
API: Added wpjb_shortcode_login filter to the [wpjb_jobs_add] shortcode
API: Upgraded Stripe library to the latest version.
We have just released a WPJB 5.8.5, if you have an active license you should see an update notification in the wp-admin / Plugins panel, this update contains mainly code improvements and bug fixes and is a recommended update for anyone using the 5.X version.
If you will not see an update notification within 24 hours please go to the wp-admin / Dashboard / Updates panel and click the “Check Again” button.
Below you will find a list of changes in the 5.8.5 version
FEATURE: Default description for the Stripe payments, which you can overwrite with your own description in the wp-admin / Settings (WPJB) / Stripe panel
FEATURE: In the wp-admin / Settings (WPJB) / Stripe panel you can enable “address requiring” for the payments when enabled users will need to fill in the whole address when making a payment with Stripe (this is helpful for the Indian international payments that cannot be validated without full billing address)
FEATURE: Multiselect input has been rewritten to load faster when there is a huge list of options
FIXED: URL validation (in the wp-admin / Settings (WPJB) / Custom Fields panel) randomly showing in builtin fields.
FIXED: Automatically re-schedule events (expiring jobs and email alerts sending) if WPJB detects they are unregistered
FIXED: deleted_user action that deletes user Company or Candidate profile is now run only when deleting the user from the wp-admin / Users panel (to avoid infinite loop)
Version 5.8.4 was just released and you should be able to see the update notification in your wp-admin / Plugins panel within 24 hours. If not then go to the wp-admin / Dashboard / Updates panel and click the “Check Again” button.
This is a release mainly with bug fixes and small changes so it is a recommended update for everyone using WPJB 5.8.0 or newer.
Please make sure to back up your website before running the update.
Below you can find the list of changes in the new update
FEATURE: When a Stripe payment returns an error there is now a “Retry” button show that allows the user to enter a payment (credit card) details again and try paying.
FEATURE: [wpjb_single_job] shortcode allows rendering the Job details page, useful when building a page template with a page builder (like Elementor, Beaver Builder, Divi or etc.)
FEATURE: [wpjb_single_resume] – as above but for the Resumes details pages.
FEATURE: [wpjb_single_company] – as above but for the Company details pages.
FEATURE: “router” param added to the [wpjb_jobs_add] shortcode, possible values are “permalinks” or “get” (the default is “permalinks”) you can use the “get” value when placing the [wpjb_jobs_add] shortcode on page different than defined in the wp-admin / Settings (WPJB) / Default Pages and URLs panel.
FIXED: Disallow users to purchase inactive memberships (by changing the URL in the [wpjb_membership_pricing] and [wpjb_candidate_membership] shortcodes).
FIXED: Passing page_id as a param to the [wpjb_jobs_list] search.
FIXED: Pricing is not assigned correctly to a recurring Stripe payment.
FIXED: Invalid {$category} variable removed from the notify_admin_new_job email template.
FIXED: Form scheme was not set correctly when posting a job from the [wpjb_jobs_add] page.
FIXED: id__not_in param in the [wpjb_jobs_list] shortcode.
Today we are releasing WPJB 5.8.3, you should see an update notification in your wp-admin panel, if it will not show up within 24 hours go to the wp-admin / Dashboard / Updates panel and click the “Check Again” button it should allow you to update to the latest version.
What’s new in the latest release?
REST API
We are making a REST API available to all users, actually using the API requires some programming knowledge and a bit of experience with REST APIs.
If you are not sure what a REST API is then you can think of it as some kind of interface that allows querying the job board and receiving “raw” data instead of HTML content.
You might use it to create your own frontend (ie. your frontend templates and it does not even need to use WordPress), import or export data, submit jobs and applications, etc. Pretty much everything you can do in the wp-admin panel you can also do via the REST API.
The job board options in the wp-admin / Settings (WPJB) / Job Board Options panel were rearranged in order to better group them by the functionality they apply to.
There was also a new option added, the “Show Expiration Date on the job details page.” checkbox allows displaying the job expiration date on the job details page (below the publication date).
If you enable entering the expiration date in the [wpjb_jobs_add] shortcode then the default value for this field will be set to the value you have entered in the “Default Duration” field.
Google Jobs baseSalary
The baseSalary field in the GoogleJobs was changed to adhere to new Google guidelines for this field. It now allows setting min/max salary, currency, and unit (hourly, weekly, monthly).
Jobeleon
Right now we are releasing an update for the WPJB only, but soon enough hopefully at the beginning of February, you can expect an update for the Jobeleon as well, when it’s available you will see a notification in your wp-admin panel (that is if you are using the Jobeleon theme of course).
We have just released WPJB 5.8.2, you should see the update notification in your wp-admin panel, if it will not show up within 24 hours go to the wp-admin / Dashboard / Updates panel and click the “Check Again” button it should show then.
This version includes mainly small improvements and bug fixes and it is a recommended update for all users using the 5.X version (of course as always it is also recommended to do a backup before updating).
Changes in 5.8.2
The calendar in the Education in the Experience section showed a dropdown that allowed selecting only 10 years in the past or in the future (ie the range in the dropdown was from 2011 to 2031), we changed that so the users can open the dropdown and scroll 100 years in the past (that is select year 1920).
In the wp-admin / Settings (WPJB) / Job Board Options panel, there is a new field “Redirect expired jobs” you can enter there an URL to the page where users should be redirected when they view some expired job details page.
Note that this option will work only if you have the “Allow visitors to view expired jobs details pages.” checkbox checked. It is also possible to customize the URL the user will be redirected to using a wpjb_front_redirect_expired filter.
Below is an example code that uses the wpjb_front_redirect_expired filter, you can place it in your theme functions.php file and customize to for example redirect users to other jobs in the same category.
We’ve added also the ability to disable setting cookies by WPJB, since disabling cookies is more of a feature for advanced users this is possible via the wpjb_transient_id filter only. Adding the code below in the theme functions.php file will do that
