Advanced Settings

Technical settings for caching, debugging, and data management. Access at References > Settings > Advanced.

Settings Overview

Advanced settings tab

Cache Settings

Enable Citation Cache

Cache rendered citations and bibliographies for faster page loads.

Enabled (recommended):

Citations render once, then cache
Faster subsequent page views
Reduced server load

Disabled:

Citations render fresh each time
Useful when debugging
Higher server load

Cache Backend

Choose where to store cached data:

Backend	Description
Database	Default, works everywhere
Object Cache	Uses wp_cache (Redis/Memcached)
Transients	WordPress transients API

Recommendation: Use Object Cache if you have Redis/Memcached configured.

Cache Duration

How long cached citations remain valid:

Setting	Duration	Best For
Short	1 hour	Active editing
Medium	12 hours	Regular updates
Long	24 hours	Stable content
Very Long	7 days	Rarely changed

Cache by Post

Cache citations per-post (not globally):

More granular invalidation
Slightly more storage
Better for frequently updated posts

Clear All Cache

Button to immediately clear all citation caches. Use after:

Changing citation styles
Bulk updating references
Updating the plugin
Troubleshooting display issues

Auto-Clear Settings

Automatically clear cache when:

Reference is updated
Citation style changes
Plugin settings change

Usually all enabled.

Performance Settings

Lazy Load Citations

Load citations after page load via JavaScript:

Faster initial page load
Citations appear shortly after
May flash briefly

Async Bibliography

Generate bibliographies asynchronously:

Initial page loads faster
Bibliography loads separately
Good for long bibliographies

Batch Size

For bulk operations, process in batches:

Small (50) – Low memory use, slower
Medium (100) – Balanced
Large (250) – Fast, high memory

Reduce if you see memory errors.

API Settings

REST API Access

Control REST API availability:

Setting	Access Level
Disabled	No API access
Read Only	Get data only
Full Access	Read and write

API Rate Limiting

Limit API requests:

Per minute: 60 requests
Per hour: 1000 requests

Prevents abuse and overload.

API Authentication

Require authentication for API calls:

None – Public access
Cookie – Logged-in users
Application Password – WordPress app passwords
JWT – Token-based (requires plugin)

Database Settings

Database Table Prefix

Custom prefix for plugin tables:

Default: {wpprefix}abt
Custom: Change if conflicts exist

Warning: Don’t change after installation.

Optimize Tables

Button to optimize plugin database tables:

Improves query performance
Reclaims deleted row space
Run periodically

Cleanup Orphaned Data

Remove data without associated references:

Orphaned meta entries
Broken relationships
Unused cache entries

Review before cleaning.

Debug Settings

Enable Debug Mode

Turn on detailed logging:

Citation processing steps
API requests and responses
Cache operations
Errors with stack traces

Warning: Debug mode impacts performance. Disable after troubleshooting.

Log Location

Debug logs written to:

wp-content/debug.log

Requires WPDEBUGLOG in wp-config.php.

Log Retention

How long to keep log entries:

1 day
7 days
30 days
Forever (manual cleanup)

Debug Level

What to log:

Level	Logs
Error	Only errors
Warning	Errors + warnings
Info	Important operations
Debug	Everything

Production: Error or Warning Troubleshooting: Debug

Import/Export Settings

Import Batch Size

References processed per batch during import:

Smaller = slower but less memory
Larger = faster but more memory

Export Memory Limit

Increase PHP memory for large exports:

Uses WordPress’s WPMAXMEMORY_LIMIT
May need server configuration

Temporary Files

Where to store import/export files:

Default: wp-content/uploads/abt-temp/
Custom: Specify alternate path

Auto-Delete Temp Files

Remove temporary files after:

Immediately after use
1 hour
24 hours
Manual only

Uninstall Settings

Keep Data on Deactivation

When deactivating the plugin:

Yes – Data remains, can reactivate
No – Data deleted on deactivate

Recommendation: Yes (use uninstall for permanent removal)

Delete Data on Uninstall

When deleting the plugin:

Keep all data – References and settings remain
Delete plugin data only – Keep references, remove settings
Delete everything – Complete removal

Data to Remove

If deleting, specify what:

References (post type)
Categories and tags
Collections
User data (notes, reading status)
Settings
Cache

Maintenance

Health Check

Run diagnostics:

Database table status
File permissions
Server configuration
Plugin conflicts

Reset Settings

Restore default plugin settings:

Click Reset to Defaults
Confirm action
All settings reset (data remains)

Emergency Reset

If the plugin malfunctions:

Deactivate plugin
Run database repair
Reactivate
Check settings

Server Requirements

Minimum Requirements

PHP 8.0+
MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.3+
WordPress 6.0+
128MB PHP memory

Check Configuration

View server info:

PHP version
Memory limits
Installed extensions
WordPress configuration

Troubleshooting

Performance issues

Enable caching
Reduce batch sizes
Check server resources
Enable lazy loading

Memory errors

Reduce batch size
Increase PHP memory limit
Process fewer items at once

Cache not working

Verify cache is enabled
Check cache backend
Clear and rebuild cache

Debug log not writing

Enable WPDEBUGLOG in wp-config.php
Check file permissions
Verify log path exists

Best Practices

Enable caching in production
Disable debug when not troubleshooting
Regular backups before major changes
Monitor performance with tools
Keep updated for security and features

Next Steps

General Settings – Core configuration
REST API – API documentation
Troubleshooting – Common issues