Frontend Settings

Frontend Settings

Configure user-facing features like the dashboard, submission form, and public reference library. Access at References > Settings > Frontend.

Settings Overview

Frontend Settings

Frontend settings tab

User Dashboard

Enable Dashboard

Toggle the user dashboard feature:

  • Enabled – Users can access their personal reference dashboard
  • Disabled – No frontend dashboard available

Dashboard Page

Select which page hosts the dashboard:

  1. Create a page (e.g., “My References”)
  2. Select it from the dropdown
  3. The dashboard shortcode is added automatically

Or manually add: [abtuserdashboard]

Dashboard Features

Choose what appears on the dashboard:

FeatureDescription
My ReferencesList of user’s references
Reading StatusTrack reading progress
FavoritesStarred references
CollectionsPersonal collections
NotesPersonal notes view
SubmissionsPending submissions status

Dashboard Layout

Select dashboard appearance:

  • List – Traditional list view
  • Card – Reference cards
  • Compact – Dense, minimal spacing

Frontend Submission

Enable Submissions

Allow users to submit references from the frontend:

  • Enabled – Shows submission form
  • Disabled – No frontend submission

Submission Page

Page containing the submission form:

  1. Create a page (e.g., “Submit Reference”)
  2. Select from dropdown
  3. Form appears automatically

Or add: [abtsubmissionform]

Submission Access

Who can submit:

  • Logged-in users only – Requires account
  • Anyone – Guests can submit (with moderation)
  • Specific roles – Choose allowed roles

Require Moderation

Review submissions before publishing:

  • All submissions – Everything reviewed
  • Guest submissions only – Logged-in users publish directly
  • Based on role – Configure per role
  • None – All submissions publish immediately

Submission Fields

Configure which fields appear on the form:

Required fields: Select fields that must be filled:

  • Title (always required)
  • Author(s)
  • Year
  • Type

Optional fields: Additional fields to show:

  • Abstract
  • DOI
  • URL
  • Keywords
  • Category

Hidden fields: Fields not shown to submitters:

  • Internal notes
  • Status
  • Advanced metadata

Auto-Cite on Frontend

Enable Auto-Cite in the submission form:

  • Enabled – Users can fetch data from DOI/PMID/ISBN
  • Disabled – Manual entry only

Confirmation Message

Customize the post-submission message:

Thank you for your submission! Your reference has been received and will be reviewed shortly.

Redirect After Submission

Where to send users after submitting:

  • Same page – Show confirmation
  • Dashboard – Go to their dashboard
  • Custom URL – Specific page

Public Reference Library

Enable Public Archive

Make the reference library publicly visible:

  • Enabled – /references/ shows all references
  • Disabled – References only in admin/dashboard

Archive Page

Customize the archive:

  • Title – Page heading (default: “References”)
  • Description – Intro text
  • References per page – Pagination

Archive Layout

How references display:

  • List – Standard list
  • Card – Card layout
  • Table – Tabular view

Archive Filters

Show filter options on the archive:

  • Category filter
  • Type filter
  • Year filter
  • Search box

Single Reference Pages

Individual reference URLs (/reference/slug/):

  • Enabled – Each reference has a page
  • Disabled – No individual pages

Single Page Content

What appears on single reference pages:

  • Formatted citation
  • Abstract
  • Metadata (DOI, URL, etc.)
  • Related posts (where cited)
  • Categories and tags

Navigation

Add to Menu

Automatically add References to navigation:

  • Yes – Adds to primary menu
  • No – Manual menu setup required

Menu Location

Where References appears:

  • Primary navigation
  • Footer menu
  • Custom location

URL Structure

Reference Archive Slug

Customize the archive URL:

  • Default: /references/
  • Custom: /library/, /sources/, etc.

Single Reference Slug

Customize individual reference URLs:

  • Default: /reference/title-slug/
  • Custom: /source/title-slug/

Note: After changing slugs, visit Settings > Permalinks and save to refresh rewrite rules.

Shortcodes Reference

Dashboard

[abt_user_dashboard]

Shows the user dashboard.

Submission Form

[abt_submission_form]

Shows the reference submission form.

Reference List

[abt_reference_list category="research" limit="10"]

Displays a list of references.

Single Reference

[abt_reference id="123"]

Displays a specific reference.

Email Notifications

Submission Notifications

To admins:

  • New submission received
  • Daily digest of pending items

To users:

  • Submission received confirmation
  • Submission approved
  • Submission rejected

Configure Recipients

Enter email addresses to receive notifications:

admin@example.com, editor@example.com

Troubleshooting

Dashboard not showing

  • Check page is published
  • Verify shortcode is present
  • Check user is logged in
  • Verify role has access

Submission form empty

  • Check page has shortcode
  • Verify submissions are enabled
  • Check user has permission

References not public

  • Enable public archive
  • Check references are published (not draft)
  • Verify archive page exists

404 on reference pages

  • Resave permalinks (Settings > Permalinks > Save)
  • Check single pages are enabled
  • Verify reference is published

Next Steps

Last updated: January 31, 2026