=== Molongui Authorship – Author Boxes, Guest Authors & Co-Authors for WordPress ===
Contributors: molongui
Donate link: https://www.paypal.me/amitzy/
Tags: author box, author bio, guest author, co-authors, multiple authors
Requires PHP: 5.6.20
Requires at least: 5.2
Tested up to: 6.9
Stable tag: trunk
License: GPLv3 or later
License URI: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.txt

All-in-One Authorship Solution: Seamless Author Box, Guest Authors, and Co-Authors to enhance your site's authority, credibility, engagement, and SEO.

== Description ==

**Properly credit authors & contributors—quickly, easily, and hassle-free.**
_The all-in-one authorship plugin for WordPress: show bios, add co-authors, credit guests, and boost SEO._

Tired of jumping through hoops to properly attribute authors? **Molongui Authorship** makes it **effortless** to showcase contributors—whether they're registered users, guests, or co-authors.

✅ **Author Box** – Beautiful, customizable bios with social links
✅ **Guest Authors** – Credit guest writers **without creating user accounts**
✅ **Co-Authors** – Add **multiple authors** to a single post with seamless byline integration

🚀 **Switching from another plugin?** Import data in 1 click from _Co-Authors Plus_, _PublishPress Authors_, and _One User Avatar_.

✔️ Add author boxes with bios and social links
✔️ Credit guest authors without user accounts
✔️ Add co-authors to any post or page
✔️ Boost author credibility and SEO
✔️ Seamless 1-click migration from other plugins

= Key Features =

🛠 **Author Box – Your Authors, Elevated**
Transform how authors are presented with the most customizable, engagement-boosting author box for WordPress.

  > ✨ **Pixel-Perfect Customization**

  > - Multiple pre-designed templates
  > - Different layouts (boxed, minimalist, tabbed, inline)
  > - Live preview editor with real-time styling
  > - Mobile-optimized responsive design
  > - Custom CSS panel for unlimited tweaks

  > ✨ **Author Profiles That Engage**

  > - 90+ social icons (including emerging platforms)
  > - "Related Posts" section to boost engagement
  > - Guest and co-author compatibility

  > ✨ **Context-Smart Display**

  > - Automatic placement before/after content
  > - Customizable headings ("About the Author", "Meet the Expert", etc.)
  > - Schema markup for Google rich snippets and improved Google E-E-A-T
  > - AMP/RTL support for broader compatibility

  > ⚡ **Premium Advantages**

  > - Additional premium layouts
  > - Dynamic bios with rich text, media, HTML tags, and third party shortcodes support
  > - 30+ extra niche social icons
  > - Advanced conditional logic (user roles, tags, etc.)
  > - Custom post type support
  > - Shortcode to display the author box wherever

👥 **Guest Authors – Credit Contributors Without the Clutter**
Give proper attribution without creating unnecessary user accounts—ideal for one-time contributors, interviewees, or guest bloggers.

  > ✨ **Native WordPress Integration**

  > - Add guest authors as easily as regular users—no technical hassle
  > - Dropdown selection in the post editor—just pick a name and go
  > - Full profiles with bios, avatars, and social links (no Gravatar required)
  > - Custom fields for job titles, affiliations, or custom links

  > ✨ **Seamless Frontend Display**

  > - Auto-display in post bylines with linked names
  > - Author box compatibility—show guest bios alongside regular authors
  > - SEO-optimized: Updates `author` meta tags for accurate attribution

  > ⚡ **Premium Advantages**

  > - Guest author archive pages (boost credibility with dedicated profiles)
  > - 1-click user-to-guest conversion: Clean up unused accounts while preserving authorship
  > - Bulk edit & clone: Save time reusing guest profiles
  > - REST API support: Integrate guest data with third-party tools
  > - Import/Export tool for easy migrations

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 **Co-Authors – Flawless Multi-Author Attribution**
Credit every contributor fairly—whether it's joint articles, team projects, or collaborative content.

  > ✨ **Effortless Collaboration**

  > - Add unlimited co-authors via simple dropdown in the post editor
  > - Works seamlessly with both regular users and guest authors
  > - Drag-and-drop author ordering (control name display sequence)
  > - No taxonomy conflicts—cleaner than legacy plugins

  > ✨ **Automatic Frontend Display**

  > - Smart bylines auto-update with all author names (e.g., "By John, Lisa & Max")
  > - Each name links to author pages (guest authors included)
  > - Schema.org markup for proper multi-author SEO

  > ⚡ **Premium Advantages**

  > - Byline modifiers (add prefixes like "By" or suffixes like "et al.")
  > - REST API support for headless WordPress setups
  > - Shortcodes to display co-author lists anywhere

🚀 **1-Click Migration Tool – Switch Without Losing Data**
Switching from _Co-Authors Plus_, _PublishPress Authors_, or _One User Avatar_? **Import your existing author data with 1 click**! No manual work needed.

🔍 **Additional Premium Features**
Only available in [Molongui Authorship Pro](https://www.molongui.com/wordpress-plugin-post-authors "Click to explore all features").

  > - Author list. 4 different layouts, user role filter and [more](https://www.molongui.com/wordpress-plugin-post-authors/author-list/ "Learn more")
  > - List of posts by author. 5 different layouts, pagination and [more](https://www.molongui.com/help/molongui_author_posts/ "Learn more")
  > - Allow visitors to search content by author name. Learn [more](https://www.molongui.com/wordpress-plugin-post-authors/search-by-author-name/ "Learn more")
  > - Disable author pages for registered WordPress users
  > - Add a post byline anywhere via shortcode. Useful if your theme does not show a byline for your posts
  > - Retrieve author information via shortcode. Very useful to use with page builders. Learn more [here](https://www.molongui.com/help/molongui-authorship-available-shortcodes/ "Click to see available shortcodes")

💡 **Ready to enhance your authorship experience?**
Compare [Free vs Pro](https://www.molongui.com/#free-vs-pro "Features comparison") | [Try Pro](https://demos.molongui.com/test-drive-molongui-authorship-pro/ "Click to try the Molongui Authorship Pro") | [Get Support](https://www.molongui.com/help/support/ "Click to open a support ticket with us") | [Live Chat](https://www.tidiochat.com/chat/foioudbu7xqepgvwseufnvhcz6wkp7am "Click to live chat with us")

This plugin uses a third-party service to enable live chat communication with our support team, exclusively for administrators in the backend. You can disable this service via the plugin settings page. For more information about the live chat [service provider](https://www.tidio.com/) review their [privacy policy](https://www.tidio.com/privacy-policy/) and [terms](https://www.tidio.com/terms/).


== Screenshots ==

1. Author Box - Just a sample of the infinite looks you can design
2. Author Box - Yet another sample of a beautiful design for your author box
3. Author Box - You may want to hide author links and author meta
4. Author Box - You can play around with the box borders to design something different than what you see on other websites
5. Author Box - Optionally, add a header to the author box
6. Author Box - Tabbed layout. All styling is customizable
7. Author Box - Tabbed layout. Tabs placed on the left and social icons on the right
8. Author Box - Stacked layout showing related author posts at the same time
9. Author Box - Yet another example of how customizable is the author box. Isn't it awesome?
10. Author Box - Slim design. Make your author box look like a post byline!
11. Author Box - Display author's name acronym for those authors who doesn't have a profile image
12. Author Box - Just another example of another design you can do
13. Author Box - Go creative and design awesome author boxes with custom CSS
14. Author Box - Responsive view of the author box
15. Co-Authors - One post, multiple authors. See how post byline displays all authors name and how they link to their author pages
16. Co-Authors - The author box displays all post authors bio. You decide whether to display all of them in a single author box or in separate boxes
17. Co-Authors - Author pages display co-authored posts too
18. Guest Author - Add as many guest authors as you need without creating an account for them.
19. Guest Author - Adding an author for your posts is as easy as picking their name from a dropdown list in your edit post screen
20. Default WordPress author picker is replaced with an easy-to-use dropdown select. Pick as many authors as people worked in the post and order how they must be displayed just by drag and drop
21. [PRO feature] Display a beautiful author list. Different layouts, author filtering and pagination available
22. [PRO feature] Replace your boring bylines with a custom design that wow your readers
23. [PRO feature] Give visitors more relevant search results and a better user experience allowing them to search content by author display name
24. [PRO feature] 1-click user to guest author and guest author to user converter


== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= Will Molongui Authorship work with my theme? =

Yes. Molongui Authorship is compatible with any theme. You may face some issues though, like the author box not having a style you configured or the author pages not listing co-authored posts. In such cases, you can [open a support ticket](https://www.molongui.com/help/support/) with us and we will look into it to find a compatibility fix.

= Can I use Molongui Authorship with Elementor, Divi and other page builders? =

Yes.

= Where is the author box displayed? =

By default, the author box is added at the bottom of all your posts. However, Molongui Authorship provides you plenty of display options to change that. You can change the location to make it display at the top of the post content, hide it on some posts or disable the automatic display so you can decide on which handpicked posts it must be shown. The [Pro](https://www.molongui.com/wordpress-plugin-post-authors) version of the plugin allows you to hide the author box based on the post category.

= Can I display the author box on a page? =

Yes. Unlike other author box plugins, Molongui Authorship allows you to show the author box on both posts and pages. To be able to display the author box on pages, go to **Authors > Settings > Author Box** and find the **Display** panel. There you can configure Molongui Authorship to automatically display the author box on pages.

= Can I use Molongui Authorship on custom post types? =

Yes. You need the [Pro version](https://www.molongui.com/wordpress-plugin-post-authors "Molongui Authorship Pro") of the plugin to enjoy the features on custom post types.

= I have two author boxes. How can I hide one? =

The second author box might be a theme feature and you will need to turn it off from your theme's options screen, or hide it with custom CSS. Please refer to [this support article](https://www.molongui.com/help/the-author-box-shows-up-twice/) to know how to proceed. If that doesn't help, you can [open a support ticket](https://www.molongui.com/help/support/) with us so we can assist.

= Where are all the available social networks? I can't see them all... =

To avoid clutter the edit screen, some social networks are not displayed by default. To configure which networks to display, go to **Authors > Settings > More** and find the **Social Networks** panel. There you can pick the ones you need.

= Why some social media profiles are premium options? =

Those social media networks which are intended for business and professional networking are only available in the [Pro version](https://www.molongui.com/wordpress-plugin-post-authors "Molongui Authorship Pro") of the plugin.

= Where can I find documentation and user guides? =

For help setting up and configuring this plugin, please refer to our [documentation](https://www.molongui.com/help/authorship/).

= How do I get support? =

We're following the threads on this plugin public [Support Forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/molongui-authorship/) and based on them we always try to build up new and better implementations for the plugin.

To help us answer questions as quickly as possible please ensure you provide:

* A link to your site so we can view issues, especially important for issues around appearance of your website
* Screenshots
* Environment Report: This can give us a lot of very useful information. Navigate to **Authors > Help! and scroll down to the bottom of the page. There you will see a panel labeled as **System Status Report** System Status**, jsut press the **Send Report** button.

Paying Pro Customers

If you have purchased a Pro plugin at [molongui.com](https://www.molongui.com/), you can get help faster opening a support ticket using [this link](https://www.molongui.com/help/support/). As a Pro Customer, you get Premium Support which comes with priority over requests on this plugin public [Support Forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/molongui-authorship/).

= How can I say thanks? =

You can say thank you by leaving us a review [here](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/molongui-authorship/reviews/#new-post). Or you can give back by recommending this amazing plugin to your friends!



== Installation ==

= Automatic Plugin Installation =

To install this plugin using the built-in plugin installer:

1. Go to: Plugins > Add New
2. Type in **Molongui Authorship** in the Search box
3. Click on the **Install Now** button
4. The resulting installation screen will list the installation as successful or note any problems during the install
5. If successful, click **Activate Plugin** to activate it, or **Return to Plugin Installer** for further actions

= Manual Plugin Installation =

To install the plugin manually:

1. Download the plugin to your computer
2. Extract the plugin folder to your desktop
3. With your FTP program, upload the extracted plugin folder to the **wp-content/plugins/** folder in your WordPress directory
5. Go to **Plugins** screen and find the newly uploaded plugin in the list
6. Click on **Activate** link to activate it

If you need further assistance, please, read the [Installing Plugins](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/manage-plugins/#installing-plugins-1 "Installing Plugins") article on the WordPress documentation or write us an email so we can assist you.

= Requirements =

In order to run, Molongui Authorship requires:

* PHP version 5.6.20 or greater. Considering [Wordpress recommends](https://wordpress.org/about/requirements/ "Wordpress recommends") it to be 7.4 or greater, this should not be a problem.
* WordPress 5.2 or later.



== Changelog ==

<strong>Important</strong>: If you use a caching plugin, please clear your cache after updating any plugins.

= 5.2.3 (2025-12-10) =

* **Fixed**: Several bugs related to wrong author data retrieval.

= 5.2.2 (2025-12-09) =

* **Fixed**: Several PHP warnings.

= 5.2.1 (2025-12-09) =

* **Fixed**: Fatal error caused by an invalid callback name in a filter hook.

= 5.2.0 (2025-12-09) =

* **Added**: Option to stop all running background tasks related to the plugin.
* **Enhanced**: Refactored `Author` and `Authors` classes to reduce the number of queries and significantly improve performance.
* **Enhanced**: Added compatibility with the Pro theme.
* **Fixed**: Fatal error when displaying a single author box on multi-authored posts.
* **Fixed**: Missing default author selector when editing post types without authorship features enabled.
* **Fixed**: Undefined array key warning for `author_box_related_count` in PHP 8+.
* **Fixed**: Undefined variable warning for `$profile` in PHP 8+.
* **Fixed**: Guest author translation compatibility with Polylang.
* **Fixed**: Display issues in the author box editor preview.
* **Changed**: Updated framework files to v3.4.1.
* **Changed**: Added compatibility with WordPress 6.9.
* **Removed**: Usage of custom object cache for improved compatibility and maintainability.
* **Removed**: Deprecated functions and files that were marked as hard deprecated.
* **Removed**: Deprecated hooks that were marked as hard deprecated.

= 5.1.0 (2025-04-28) =

* **Added**: Setup wizard to guide users through initial configuration.
* **Added**: UI migration tool for transferring authors and authorship data from the Co-Authors Plus plugin.
* **Added**: UI migration tool for transferring authors and authorship data from the PublishPress Authors plugin.
* **Added**: UI migration tool for importing user avatars from the One User Avatar plugin.
* **Added**: WP-CLI command to migrate authors and authorship data from the Co-Authors Plus plugin.
* **Added**: WP-CLI command to migrate authors and authorship data from the PublishPress Authors plugin.
* **Added**: WP-CLI command to migrate user avatars from the One User Avatar plugin.
* **Added**: Filters to exclude registered users and guest authors from post author search results.
* **Fixed**: Post count updater now updates post counts correctly.
* **Changed**: Replaced `Add New` wording with `Add {Item}` in line with WordPress standards.
* **Changed**: Replaced `View All` wording with `View {Items}` in line with WordPress standards.
* **Changed**: Updated framework files to v3.4.0.
* **Changed**: Added compatibility with WordPress 6.8.
* **Changed**: Updated plugin description in `readme.txt`.

= 5.0.15 (2025-03-11) =

* Fixed: Co-authored posts are now listed when using Elementor's Posts widget with the author filter.
* Fixed: Fatal error caused by missing quotes when the Jetpack plugin was active.

= 5.0.14 (2025-02-11) =

* Added: Filter to customize attributes for the author avatar `<img>` element.

= 5.0.13 (2025-02-11) =

* Added: Threads as author social profile option.
* Added: Bluesky as author social profile option.
* Added: Strava as author social profile option.
* Added: Facebook Messenger as author social profile option.
* Added: Flipboard Messenger as author social profile option.
* Added: QQ as author social profile option.
* Added: IMDb as author social profile option.
* Fixed: Post byline now omits the co-authors count when configured not to display co-authors.
* Fixed: Required Block Editor scripts are now loaded exclusively on the edit post screen.

= 5.0.12 (2025-02-06) =

* Fixed: Incorrect author meta information displayed in the author box when profile fields are missing.

= 5.0.11 (2025-02-04) =

* Fixed: Post byline now shows additional co-authors count.

= 5.0.10 (2025-01-30) =

* Fixed: Author box now displayed when using custom Divi Builder templates for posts.
* Fixed: Co-authored posts are now listed on the author page when using Elementor's Loop Grid widget.

= 5.0.9 (2025-01-27) =

* Fixed: Error when updating post counters after changing a post's author.
* Fixed: Backend author list now displays post counts correctly.
* Fixed: Co-authors can now edit posts they are assigned to when using the Block Editor.
* Fixed: Author box no longer displays twice on certain themes.
* Fixed: Replaced deprecated filters with new equivalents to prevent warning messages.
* Deprecated: The `authorship/author/get_posts/args` filter. Scheduled for removal in version 5.2.0.
* Removed: Long-deprecated functions, actions, and filters.

= 5.0.8 (2025-01-21) =

* Fixed: Author box no longer shows draft posts as related posts.

= 5.0.7 (2025-01-18) =

* Fixed: Author box styling now appears correctly when using block themes.

= 5.0.6 (2025-01-17) =

* Fixed: Author search box not displaying all matching results.
* Changed: Optimized retrieval of post counts.

= 5.0.5 (2025-01-15) =

* Fixed: Non-static method `is_display_name_available()` called statically.
* Fixed: Unsupported operand types in `increment_counter`.
* Fixed: Unsupported operand types in `decrement_counter`.
* Fixed: Cannot use object of type stdClass as array in `increment_counter`.
* Fixed: Cannot use object of type stdClass as array in `decrement_counter`.

= 5.0.4 (2025-01-15) =

* Fixed: Author box not displaying on custom post templates by the Divi Builder.

= 5.0.3 (2025-01-14) =

* Fixed: Author box being displayed regardless of plugin configuration.
* Fixed: Incorrect post count computed for authors.

= 5.0.2 (2025-01-14) =

* Fixed: Default settings are now initialized upon plugin activation.

= 5.0.1 (2025-01-14) =

* Fixed: PHP warning for undefined array key `author_box_avatar_fallback`
* Fixed: PHP warning for undefined array key `guest_author_enabled`
* Fixed: PHP warning for undefined array key `guest_pages`

= 5.0.0 (2025-01-14) =

* Added: Ability to customize the order of social profiles.
* Added: Ready-to-use templates for the author box.
* Added: Dummy author data for author box preview.
* Added: Row action to update posts counts for users and guest authors.
* Added: Bulk action to update posts counts for selected users and guest authors.
* Added: Option to hide the author name on the author box.
* Added: Option to run custom PHP on the Dashboard.
* Added: Ability to customize the position and icon of the 'Authors' menu.
* Enhanced: Compatibility with the Newspaper theme.
* Enhanced: Compatibility with the Reusable Content Blocks plugin.
* Fixed: Custom CSS styles not loading correctly.
* Fixed: Incorrect query argument value.
* Fixed: Author search box could not find authors containing dots or spaces in their names.
* Fixed: Acronym author box avatars not displaying letters centered correctly.
* Changed: Redesigned plugin settings page.
* Changed: Replaced the author dropdown with a search-as-you-type input in the Author Box Editor.
* Changed: Switched the JavaScript library used for search-as-you-type suggestions.
* Changed: Improved responsiveness by using native CSS properties, removing JavaScript-based solutions.
* Changed: Updated framework files to version 3.3.0.
* Changed: Added compatibility with WordPress 6.7.
* Removed: The option to hide HTML elements on the frontend. Use 'Custom CSS' instead.
* Removed: The option to load plugin vendor assets from a remote CDN. To enable remote loading, use the 'authorship/assets/load_remote' filter.
* Dev: Major code refactor.
* Dev: Removed 'get_byline' helper function.
* Dev: Removed 'get_post_authors' helper function.

= 4.9.7 (2024-08-29) =

* Added filter to control the separator used before each author meta item
* Fixed PHP warning on undefined property
* Fixed issue with the Molongui Post Contributors plugin

= 4.9.6 (2024-08-01) =

* Editors can now quickly add guest authors from the post edit screen
* Fixed related posts toggle not showing when using the "slim" layout for the author box
* Enhanced compatibility with the jNews theme
* Updated framework files to version 3.1.0

= 4.9.5 (2024-07-09) =

* Fixed load time impact on the post list screen for installations with over 5,000 authors
* Added WordPress 6.6 compatibility

= 4.9.4 (2024-07-03) =

* Added 'WeChat' social network
* Fixed PHP warning regarding dynamic property

= 4.9.3 (2024-06-24) =

* Fixed users with the 'contributor' user role not being selectable as post author
* Removed the 'edit_posts' capability requirement to be eligible as post author
* Enhanced compatibility with the Molongui Post Contributors plugin

= 4.9.2 (2024-06-20) =

* The email field is not required any more for quick-adding guest authors from the edit-post screen
* Fixed javascript conflict when editing a post using the old/classic WordPress editor

= 4.9.1 (2024-06-17) =

* Fixed missing author bio on author pages
* Enhanced compatibility with the Jannah theme
* Updated framework files to version 3.0.3

= 4.9.0 (2024-06-13) =

* Reduced number of queries
* Redesigned post author selector
* Refactored some code
* Improved some messages readability

= 4.8.6 (2024-06-03) =

* Fixed some data sanitization
* Fixed misleading debug message
* Updated framework files to version 3.0.2

= 4.8.5 (2024-05-31) =

* Enhanced compatibility with the Avada theme
* Fixed issue with mailto links in the author box

= 4.8.4 (2024-05-20) =

* Fixed deprecated function returning void

= 4.8.3 (2024-05-20) =

* Fixed quick edit hanging on saving
* Fixed typo in constant name

= 4.8.2 (2024-05-15) =

* Fixed missing author validation

= 4.8.1 (2024-05-14) =

* Fixed debug messages showing in browser console

= 4.8.0 (2024-05-14) =

* Added option to allow non-privileged users to publish content on behalf of others
* Added option to disable guest author translations for Polylang
* Fixed issues with the authors assigned to a post
* Fixed email icons in the author box not working properly
* Fixed break line as separator for the author meta not working
* Fixed some PHP warnings
* Minor code refactor
* Updated plugin bootstrap
* Updated framework files to version 3.0.0
* Raised min PHP supported version to 5.6.20... come on
* Added WordPress 6.5 compatibility

See changelog for all versions [here](https://www.molongui.com/help/molongui-authorship-changelog/ "Full changelog").



== Upgrade Notice ==

= 1.3.0 =
This version fixes some bugs. Please update immediately.

= 1.3.5 =
Should you have customized author box using CSS code, please, read changelog notes.

= 2.0.0 =
Major update with multi-author feature. Make a backup of your database before updating!

= 2.1.0 =
New author box customizer with live-preview!

= 2.2.1 =
Fixes author box displaying unwanted tabs at the top. Please update immediately.

= 3.1.10 =
Fixes author box displaying (maybe) unwanted email icon. Go to author box settings and check "E-mail" social network to make it display again.

= 3.2.29 =
MANDATORY UPDATE to keep having Premium automatic updates. Please update immediately.

= 4.4.0 =
Major code refactor! Please don't update right ahead if you have custom code tied to this plugin. Check Trac first for recent code changes.

= 4.6.20 =
Fixes vulnerability. Please update immediately.

= 4.8.0 =
Minimum required PHP version raised to 5.6.20
Clear your cache after updating

= 4.8.3 =
Pro users: Please update the Pro plugin to the latest version before installing this update.

= 4.8.4 =
Pro users: Please update the Pro plugin to the latest version before installing this update.

= 5.0.0 =
This is a major update. Please clear your cache after updating.
