Claps and the Reading List

Two things a reader can do with a member’s post:

• Clap to say it was worth reading. A member can clap a post up to 50 times, and the total is public.
• Save it to their private reading list to read later.

Following writers and topics is covered in Following and the Digest Email.

Turn it on

Claps and the reading list are on by default. Where their buttons appear is set separately.

1. Go to WB Plugins > Member Blog > Features.
2. Choose the features and the places they appear (table below).
3. Click Save Features.

Setting (Features tab)	What it does	Default
Claps	Lets readers applaud a post, up to fifty times	On
Reading list	Lets members save posts and browse what they saved	On
Clap and save under the article	Puts the buttons after the last paragraph of every single post (with the author box)	Off
Clap and save on post lists	Puts the buttons on post cards in lists, grids, writer profiles, topic hubs and member dashboards	On

The two placement switches need Claps or Reading list on; with both off they are disabled and say so. A switched-off feature is off everywhere: its button disappears from every page and its REST route stops accepting requests. Existing claps and saved posts are kept, and come back when you switch the feature on again.

On a site upgraded from 3.x, all of these start off.

What readers see

The plugin shows a control only to someone who is allowed to use it.

Reader	Under the article	On post cards
Signed-in member, someone else’s published post	Clap button with count, save button	Clap button with count, save button
The post’s own writer	Clap count only (you cannot clap your own post), save button	Same
Signed-out visitor	Clap count (when above zero) and a “Log in to clap and save” link	Clap count, when above zero
Anyone, on a post that is not published	Nothing	Nothing

The sign-in link under the article reads “Log in to clap” or “Log in to save this post” when only one of the two features is on, and signing in returns the visitor to the same post.

Claps

• Click the clap button once per clap. A burst of clicks is sent as one request.
• After a member claps, the button stays marked as clapped (accent border, filled hand, highlighted count), so they can see their clap registered.
• The button tells screen readers how many times the member has clapped. At 50 it says the member has given the most they can.
• The writer is notified the first time each reader claps a post, never once per clap. The notification respects the writer’s notification preferences.

The reading list

Saving a post adds it to the member’s reading list. Click the bookmark again to remove it.

A member finds their saved posts in:

• The Saved tab of their dashboard or profile Blog tab (shown while Reading list is on).
• Any page with the [bp-member-blog-reading-list] shortcode or the Reading List block.

Saved posts are shown as cards with excerpts. An empty list says “Nothing saved yet. Tap the bookmark on any post to read it later.”

A reading list is private. The shortcode shows the signed-in member their own list. Showing another member’s list with the user attribute works only for editors and administrators; for anyone else it renders nothing.

Add a reading list page

1. Create a page, for example “Saved”.
2. Add the Reading List block, or the shortcode [bp-member-blog-reading-list].
3. Publish it and add it to your menu.

A signed-out visitor sees “Your reading list” with a Log in button. Attributes are in the Shortcodes Reference.

For developers

Hook	Use
bpmb_max_claps	Filter. The most claps one member can give one post (default 50).
bpmb_engagement_enabled	Filter. Override a switch per request: receives the on/off value and claps, bookmarks, single or cards.
bpmb_single_engagement	Filter. Return false to hide the bar under the article, site-wide or for one post.

Related

• Following and the Digest Email
• Writer Profiles and the Author Box
• Features Screen