Updates and Release Notes
last updated September 03, 2024
Read all release notes if you are updating from older versions. There is important information about template updates and more.
If you do not read the release notes your blog could break after updating.
If you are at all concerned about updating by yourself, we can do it for you. Contact Scot's Scripts for help.
3.526 Sept, 2024 (download)
New:
Added option in Blog Social Settings to automatically use the first image of the post as the featured image.
Related posts auto-generate based on category and tags using a checkbox option at the bottom of the post
Optional auto-set auto related posts option for any post that does not have them.
-- Check the updated "content" template and uncomment the code in the AUTO GENERATE RELATED POSTS LIST comment.
Authors can set their own editor window width. Helps visualize the final product.
Added option to turn off auto sitemap creation and instead create sitemaps in the Scheduled Tasks.
-- If you are using scheduled tasks to auto publish then you can turn auto sitemaps off because sitemaps are automatically created during that process.
-- The setting is near the top of "Misc Settings" when editing a blog in the admin.
Simple utility to import SEO meta title and desc from a csv file (useful for importing seo data from wp)
Added private author notes.
Updated:
Category "Blog It!" UI cleaned up.
Blog custom home page now checks to see if URI already exists in miva URI system.
Fixed:
Data issue with basic related posts
Cleaned up "author" dropdown in the editor page (no more duplicate authors)
Current author is auto selected in a new post
Turning off ratings setting now works as expected. Also hides css/js so ajax can't be spidered.
Many small UI and performance updates.
3.525 Feb, 2024 (download)
Bug fix: Sometimes loading a list of posts includes information from previous posts
Bug fix: Blog-it for categories now works if there is only one blog
Updated wordpress json api import to handle some outliers
Editor updates with new font size, color, and family options
Added fb, google, schema validators/testers to information box
General UI and other updates
3.524 October, 2023 (download)
Added an editor setting to preserve tabs and spaces. Show code indentation without shortcodes.
Added a setting for editor window width - helps the display better represent the store page
Updated autosave to be less destructive, displays option to load autosaved version.
Updated various search routines for efficiency and speed
Moved "more options" collapsing sidebar into the tabs under the editor
Minor fixes and improvements.
3.522 October, 2023 (download)
Version 3.522 fixes an issue with RSS feeds, adds a way to make a totally custom blog home page link, and has other fixes and updates.
3.520 July, 2023 (download)
NEW:
Wordpress Import: Wordpress JSON API import support added. The easy way to import.
Category Blog-It: select products from a category to auto add to post
Added default visual editor settings that can be shared across blogs (convenience feature)
Tidy up checkbox actions for categories and tags
Split up meta, json ld, css, and js for ease of customization (requires simple main template updates)
Shortcode added to insert readytheme content
UPDATED:
In some cases page load speed has greatly increased
Added some hacking checks related to ratings (not a security risk, just an annoyance)
UI:
Cleaned up some click-to-edit template stuff
Updated to bootstrap 5.3.1
General polishing
Editor login screen login spinner added
SEO:
Added an SEO override blog name in the blog "general settings" section
Added option to turn off json/ld microdata for aggregate rating (already obsolete with new templates)
Added various category custom SEO meta data.
Added meta keywords seo for posts based on tags
FEED:
If an article does not have a synopsis the feed description is taken from the first 228 characters of the content.
PERMALINKS:
Option to use blank base blog url is operational again
EDITOR:
Small fixes and enhancements
Update to latest version of block editor
Fixed issue with json.mvc CSS call in editor settings.
ADMIN:
Hide new template/click-to-edit post if there are no click to edit templates
BUG FIXES:
Scheduled Task publishing/un-publishing fixes
Manual sorting for category posts
Categories with drafts loading correct number of posts issue
Fixed rare issue in the json/ld microdata
Search posts and content on main admin page fixed
TEMPLATE UPDATES:
New page items note:
If you use one you must use all - both head and foot code.
Only update if you need to customize meta and related page data.
>>> Head Tag:
<mvt:item name="scotsblogger" param="head()" />
<mvt:item name="scotsblogger" param="meta_head()" />
replaces
<mvt:item name="scotsblogger" param="head" />
>>> Footer: Find the "foot" scotsblogger page item and add the json/ld entities above it:
&mvt:scotsblogger:metadata:jsonld:blog;
&mvt:scotsblogger:metadata:jsonld:blogroll;
&mvt:scotsblogger:metadata:jsonld:post;
<mvt:comment> # # Contains required js and related # </mvt:comment>
<mvt:item name="scotsblogger" param="foot" />
3.504 October 27, 2021
- Template updates: No updates necessary.
- Updated: Display tags in alpha order
- Bug fix: Next/Previous article button (new feature in 3.5) was loading articles from different blog
- Bug fix: Issue in the preview links where sometimes it would not preview using the right template
- Bug fix: Adding new tags to the tag list was broken
3.503 August 21, 2021
- Added Admin-side comments manager
- Added lazy loading option for images. Turn on in blog "misc settings" section.
- Added previous and next article link data to message data structure. Includes all basic
message data. Look for "PREVIOUS and NEXT ARTICLE LINKS" in the most recent content template for
code and usage.
- Updated comment system to help control spam bots
- Updated comment notification email: fixed post link, added more commenter information
- Fixed issue where some old template code was not being supported
- Fixed an issue with the code editor
- Fixed image tag issues
3.502 August 10, 2021
- Added a new editor that leverages the CSS grid and layout system of your store.
- Posts in the last year will come up with the last editor used (code or previous WYSIWYG editor).
- New and very old posts will come up with the new editor. Change the editor type at the bottom of the "more options" sidebar when editing.
- Check the installation docs section 7 to download settings for the new editor that work with your store.
- Added sorting for sidebar categories. The current function call in the sidebar
get_blog_cat_list(...) can be replaced with:
<mvt:do file="g.smr_libpath $ 'cats.mvc'" name="l.settings:scotsblogger:categories" value="get_blog_cat_list_sorted('orderx','ASC')" />
- Added shortcode to use page items from readytheme content and anything else the template can use. In the content template replace this line:
<mvt:do file="g.smr_libpath $ 'bloggums.mvc'" name="l.ok" value="runtime_message_load_id(g.scotsblogger_postid,l.settings:scotsblogger:currentpost)" />- with:
<mvt:item name="scotsblogger" param="runtime_message_load_id(g.scotsblogger_postid)" />
- It's recommended to do this replacement in your template regardless.
- Check shortcodes reference at bottom of editor area (red links) to see how to use page items in posts.
- Update: Completely new tag system. Super fast, less resources used.
- Update: Major speed enhancements when saving/loading posts for editing
- Template Updates for Tags: Gets rid of the long url for tag search. Optional but cleaner.
- Look for the tags loop around line 385 in the stock Elements Content Template and replace the link with:
<a class="c-button c-button--small c-button--hollow" href="&mvte:global:scotsblogger_search_url;?_scotsblogger_search=tag:&mvte:tag;">&mvt:tag;</a>
- Template Updates for Ratings:
- Find the ratings section in the Content template, around line 363 in the stock template.
- Enclose the ratings block (inside the
mvt:if) with <div id="ratings">.. ratings code ..</div>
- Previous templates had the id="ratings" block by itself wrapped in mvt:if - the following code can be deleted:
- <mvt:if expr="l.settings:scotsblogger:currentpost:rating:votes GT 0">
<div id="ratings" style="text-align: right;"></div>
</mvt:if>
- Template Updates for Image ALT Tag:
- Find:
<mvt:elseif expr="l.settings:scotsblogger:currentpost:image:src">
- Under this line change:
alt="&mvt:scotsblogger:currentpost:image:alt;" to alt="&mvt:scotsblogger:currentpost:title;"
- Fixed: Image alt tags and other issues related to images, featherlight, and image links.
3.300 July 12, 2021
- added a shortcode to load page items. For example, <mvt:item name="hdft" param="header"/> can be loaded using [sb mvt:item name="hdft" param="header"/]
- added support for SMT page items such as readytheme content, etc.. The code editor (switch in the bottom of the "more options" section in the editor) must be used when using SMT code to load page items.
- added drafts: When saving published content it saves as a draft until you publish updates.
- REQUIRES TEMPLATE UPDATES
- added one level of multi thread comments
- added page item
- this will use the store g.search field and create a results array in
- l.all_settings:scotsblogger:searchresults
- that can be added, inserted, mixed, whatever, into the regular store search results using SMT.
- added some tag management utilities - click the "Utilities" tab to see
- edit tag (for one post or all)
- delete tag for post
- delete tag globally
- tag search
- added edit button to force code editor to come up when editing in case the WYSIWYG editor crashes from wordpress import or other malformed content.
- added shortcodes to skip or add content based on whether or not it's being displayed in an amp page. Easy way to filter out content that is breaking AMP validation.
- added a new page item that can load up blog posts based on a store search:
-
<mvt:item name="scotsblogger" param="search g.search" />
- Loads data into: l.settings:scotsblogger:search_results
- scotsblogger page item must be assigned
- updated tag logic so that saving and loading posts with lots of tags is dramatically faster
- updated honeypot to use new internal mivascript hostname function (faster, always works)
- updated editor to latest version
- updated editor UI, small updates to clean up page and make more balanced
- updated Elements template to be slightly more modern
- fixed annoyances with setting up and configuring publisher/author/moderator accounts
- fixed issue where drag and drop images were being put into wrong directory if there is more than one blog
- note that all old images and links are not touched
- fixed preview link from quicklist
- fixed search link in AMP template. Find the search form (around line 600) and change the action to:
- &mvt:global:scotsblogger_search_url;
3.218 Feb 18, 2021
- fixed blog url sometimes not showing up in json/ld microdata
- fixed a possible issue with sorting posts in category blog roll display
- fixed a comment section typo in the "content" templates. You must update the template manually.
change this line:
<mvt:if expr="l.can_comment EQ 'c' OR l.can_comment EQ 1">
to this line:
<mvt:if expr="l.can_comment EQ 'c' OR l.can_comment EQ 1 OR l.can_comment EQ 'a'">
3.217 Dec, 2020
- added uri system support
- 1. put possible links in the custom seo section of editor window for a post
2. put same links in the URI system and point to the blog page.
- added support for ganalytics4 (google analytics 4 module) to track blog categories and posts
- updated wysiwyg editor
- fixed install error
- fixed issue with wysiwyg editor sometimes not coming up correctly
- UI and performance improvements
3.214 Dec 16, 2020
- Added URI system support so that you can assign any links you want to a blog post (be careful of conflicts with store uris.)
- Added support for Google Analytics 4 and Scot's Scripts Ganalytics 4 module.
- WYSIWYG editor updates and fixed.
- Fixed install errors.
- Fixed issue with WYSIWYG editor sometimes not coming up on a new post.
- UI and performance improvements.
3.212 June 10, 2020
- added tags (keywords) to new json-ld microdata - you must turn this on in blog settings and then update the template to remove old microdata
- added checkboxes to content list in editor area for publishing selected drafts (multi publish)
- updated google analytics code to fix a possible issue with canonical urls
- fixed a possible issue with mysql strict and drag and drop images
3.211 April 13, 2020
- updated templates to use json-ld microdata schema. If you want to use this clean out all references to itemscope, itemprop, and itemtype (and the url that follows it) from your blog templates and then turn on the json-ld option in
the blog admin "misc settings"
- Rebuilt the click-to-edit template system. See the template editing support pages for details. The update makes template creation more flexible and easier to use.
- other minor fixes and improvements
3.210 March 6, 2020
If you updated to v3.2 prior to v3.209 please update to v3.210 now
- fixed delete bug in author's portal (content tab red X brought up the editor instead of deleting)
- fixed possible missing db field bug in upgrades from v2 and v3.1
- ui and speed enhancements
- fixed history dropdown so loading a post doesn't change the blog id
3.208 February 28, 2020
- Fixed issue with search results returning drafts as well as published articles
- Sped up search results considerably
- Added delete links to the quick list
3.207 February 27, 2020
- Fixed a typo in a couple database fields.
- added feature to optionally allow authors to edit any post in the blog.
- added filters and max results to the quick list
- added quick list to main module admin
- fixed bug where selecting post from "recent content" dropdown in main module admin sometimes opens post in a different blog
3.203 February 25, 2020
UPDATE NOTE: module update may take a few moment if you have a lot of posts
- added import wordpress native xml export - easiest way yet
- added simple search and replace option to remove shortcodes (wordpress and scot's blogger)
- added a template system for click to edit landing pages and more
- added scheduled tasks option for auto publishing
- added drag and drop file uploads for attaching files to posts
- added a www/https optional settings for permalinks
- added line numbers to editor source view
- added facebook share button to editor screen
- added drag and drop action to set featured blog and post images
- added bypass lightbox on images with links by adding "scotsblogger-link" as a class to the image.
- added a post/content search on the main module screen
- added blog setting to turn AMP off for all posts
- added URL searching to editor search filter
- added "closed" setting to comments. Needs template update to work.
- added option to force sitemap update when saving content
- added button to recreate a blog sitemap in the "misc settings" on blog edit page
- added filters, max results, wordpress shortcode stripping, and other features to search and replace
- speed improvements in admin and editor
- layout improvements for mobile editing
- updated licensing routines, bug fixes
- updated editor with fixes, UI polish, and other enhancements
- updated quick list in editor window: much much faster display
store template updates:
- add new page item to handle new click-to-edit template system
- remove ratings schema if there is no rating
- add/adjust convenience links for authors who are logged in
- fixed some issues with "blog it" product blog posts feature
- fixed search and replace
- fixed some meta data issues
Template Updates: There are quite a few minor template updates. Check the installation page and download the new templates for details and/or to use them.
Click-to-Edit Template System Notes:
If you are going to use the click to edit template system, then the following line must be added near the top of the "main" blog template.
<mvt:item name="scotsblogger" param="template" />
It should look like this:
<mvt:item name="scotsblogger" param="amp" />
<mvt:item name="scotsblogger" param="feed" />
<mvt:item name="scotsblogger" param="template" />
Check the installation and download the new templates for details and/or to use them.
3.105 August 19, 2019
- added simple "import via url" wordpress import utility
- added a quick article list to the editor (very fast for long content lists)
- added option to specify loation for project honeypot php file in case access is being blocked by miva merchant path security (try this out if comments don't work)
- added link/affiliate shortcode list reference to editor
- added collapsible tag list if there are more than 20 tags for cleaner editor experience
- added option to change editor for a post from WYSIWYG to textarea so MVT coding can be used in content.
- added shortcode to display post contents within a post using the slug (use this feature to create code blocks and other repetitive content that can then be inserted into posts or used
basically anywhere)
- updated tag search to not include drafts in results
- update search results so phrase is first then word by word
- update: improved editor load speed
- updated search and replace utility for speed and bug fixes
- editor updates and enhancements
- UI and performance improvements
- fixed a few more mysql strict related issues
- fixed issue related to a "view called messages" already open
- fixed: made "make top level htaccess rule" setting stick when updating the permalink blog settings
- fixed "archives all" messing up sidebar post lists (including showig drafts)
- to fix in older templates, add this to top of sidebar:
<mvt:assign name="g.scotsblogger_archives" value="''"/>
- fixed "slash" issue in permalink settings. Update htaccess settings if using "slash" as the extension
- fixed import issue with | symbols in the import data
- fixed issue with "update article totals" utility
3.103 May 29, 2019
- fixes related to importing wordpress posts
- fixed issue with lightbox not turning off correctly
- fixed issue with some image filenames having issues with the lightbox
- fixed issue with "new blog" not working if not already on blogs tab
- fixed issue with tracking total blog/category articles when deleting an article
- fixed issues with tracking category totals and sub categories when deleting a category
- updates related to miva's new strict mysql db policy
- added new shortcode for store search
- added new shortcode for post search
- added new shortcode for tag search
- added "switch blog workspace" option when moving a post from one blog to another
- faster content list loads in the admin
- faster article loading
- various other fixes, udpates, and improvements
3.102 May 13, 2019
- Bug fixes
- Utility fixed for deleting posts without titles (rare)
- Minor template update for the "recent posts" in the sidebar (if they don't show up for some reason.) Ask support or check the new templates (see installation guide for template downloads.)
- speed improvements in many places when a system has a lot of posts
3.1 April 26, 2019
- added archive pagination and "all" archives link (needs htaccess update)
- added new editor/author management screen, big time saver for multiple blogs
- added search and replace to db utilities: search title, subtitle, synopsis, content
- added author's name to content backup history list
- added utility to refresh archives
- added shortcodes for & mvta, & mvtj, and & mvts (& mvt and & mvte already supported), br, and tab (for formatting code display)
- added post:featured_image:canonical to a post structure
- added "canonical category" to post options so posts with multiple categories can have one assigned for the post canonical URL.
- added simple way to change author of post
- added way to create any author name for a post
- added simple ratings editor to deal with spam and other rating issues
- added automatic style stripper for AMP content
- added blog setting "inheritance" which lets you set a "parent" blog where certain settings will be inherited from the parent. Not blog specific settings, but publishers, js, other "global" style settings.
- added more article import fields: comment control, permalink
- updated archive "more" list, requires htaccess update
- updated templates to handle featured video in blog roll and when viewing a post
- updated tag list display so it's organized better
- updated search routine so phrases can be searched if they enclosed in double quotes
- updated pagination so pagination urls are like /blogcode/page/02/ (needs htaccess update) Note that you will need to update your template for this to work.
- updated the template to handle filtering blog categories (see https://www.scotsscripts.com/blog/updating-from-version-2-to-version-3.html )
for template change details
- updated permalink settings to be less confusing
- updated editor UI for more simplicity
- updated editor JS for bug fixes esp when copy/pasting content
- removed license code from copyright message on editor page
- fixed issue with some AMP page content
- fixed a rare issue where blog roll would not show up when browsing to main blog page
- fixed issue with loading archive blog roll for archives on the last day of the month
- fixed issue with editor blog/post relationship when logged in as other than the global admin
- fixed archive issue when changing published date (and other archive issues)
- fixed issue with default image classes not being added when featherlight lightbox is deactivated
- fixed UI bug in featured image section of the editor
- fixed UI bugs relating to permalink extensions in the blog settings
- fixed bugs in comment permissions
- fixed issue where dropdown "recent content" didn't always match what was selected
- fixed issues with image tag parsing that would break the featherlight lightbox.
- fixed max number of search results setting bug
- fixed issue with auto making a slug so that it defaults to lower case (will not affect existing slugs)
- fixed issue with tag search, requires template update (and htaccess update if prev version is before 3.005)
- fixed no extension and custom extension in the blog setup would sometmes conflict
- fixed slugs were sometimes being corrupted
- fixed incorrect display of total drafts in module admin
- fixed sometimes the test import would display cached import data
- fixed sitemaps were writing posts from other blogs instead of current blog
- fixed RSS feed was not picking up on the current blog
3.002 Dec 3, 2018
- bug fix: no extension and custom extension in the blog setup would sometmes conflict
- bug fix: slugs were sometimes being corrupted
- bug fix: fixed incorrect display of total drafts in module admin
- bug fix: sometimes the test import would display cached import data
- bug fix: sitemaps were writing posts from other blogs instead of current blog
- bug fix: RSS feed was not picking up on the current blog
- added more article import fields: comment control, permalink
- user experience enhancements
3.000 November 14, 2018
- Create Multiple Blogs
- Each blog has it's own unique base URL
- Import Utility - CSV import
- Major UI Updates
- Editor Updates and Fixes
- Bug fixes
