This morning I released v0.87 of the Google Forms plugin. This update includes a new check when saving a form definition. The check scans the HTML from the form to ensure it has the proper HTML structure the plugin expects.
The new version of Google Forms is not supported by the plugin so this check ensures that a user is notified that the form isn’t of the expected format.
You can find this updated on your WordPress Dashboard or in the WordPress plugin repository.
A week ago (July 19th) I was contacted by WordPress regarding a potential security flaw in Email Users. Email Users was “closed” (which is why it doesn’t show up at WordPress.org) until the security flaw was addressed and a new version of the plugin was tagged and release.
Due to some work issues, I did not have a chance to work on the plugin until this past weekend. I have resolved the security concerns, committed all of the changes, and tagged a new release. On July 26th (Sunday) I notified WordPress.org that everything (I know of) has been addressed. At this point, I am waiting for the plugin to be opened again or notified that I’ve missed something.
I’ve uploaded v4.84. to my web site in the event anyone wants to download the update before WordPress.org makes it live again.
Email Users (1527 downloads )I have been toying with idea of moving development of my Google Forms plugin over to GitHUb for a while and I finally did it. Using the process outlined here, Google Forms development can now be found here. I’ve already made a few changes and pushed them into the WordPress Subversion repository from GitHub.
I’ve started looking at supporting the new version of Google Forms. What Google has done is so significantly different than prior versions that I am not if it will be possible. Google has stopped using standard HTML input elements and instead is using DIV elements with CSS classes and Javascript to handle the form. I can’t think of a technical benefit for Google to do what they did but it is their product and they can do as they see fit.
If someone wants to fork Google Forms and work on this, you are welcome to do so.
Last night I released Email Users 4.8.2. This version addresses the use of several WordPress deprecated function messages, support for custom email headers and footers, and adds a feature to allow the admin to hide the Email Users menus from non-admin users. Full details can be found in the Change Log.
Building on the beta-2 feedback, I have released what I hope to be the final beta release of Email Users 4.8.2.
Email Users 4.8.2-beta-3 adds the following:
Please report any issues and I’ll do my best to get them fixed quickly and get this release out.
Email Users Beta (5479 downloads )It has been quite a while since I’ve updated Email Users. There have been a couple of enhancement requests that I’ve wanted to add and some deprecated notices I wanted to resolve.
Email Users 4.8.2-beta-2 adds the following:
Please report any issues and I’ll do my best to get them fixed quickly and get this release out.
Email Users Beta (5479 downloads )Google has moved the “Running Man” icon which I had been recommending to downgrade a new Google Form to the prior version required by the Google Forms plugin. Initially it looked like Google had removed the option which I was worried about. The option to downgrade a form is now in the lower right hand corner for the form editor under the question mark (?) icon.
As I noted in a post last week, Google has a new version of Forms on the horizon and it doesn’t currently work with the Google Forms plugin.
For the time being, it looks like Google has provided the ability to opt out of the new version of Google Forms which means you can still create forms which work with the Google Forms plugin.
When creating a new form, look for the small running man icon in the lower left corner of the form editor as shown below.
Clicking on this icon will revert the form the older version which works with the Google Forms plugin.
I still plan to look at supporting the new version as questions have already started to come in. I am just not sure when I will have a solution IF I can.
Earlier today I was alerted to the possibility of Google changing Google Forms again. Based on my reading, I think it is more than a possibility, it looks like a done deal to me. This is a major change.
That doesn’t look very good. Not only does it not look very good, it doesn’t work either. I have no idea when Google will roll this out. Almost certainly before I can update the plugin. Based on my quick look at the HTML of the new form, it is very different than what Google has been generating for a number of years.
The biggest change is Google appears to be using their own custom DIV elements instead of real HTML INPUT elements for things like radio buttons and checkboxes. I can’t think of why this could/would be a good thing but I am sure there is some rationale behind it. These news forms require Javascript from Google to work and it looks like the actual form submission process is also different.
So … it looks like a lot to figure out at a time when I am really busy at work. I am hoping this isn’t wide spread for a while as I don’t expect to have much free time until the Christmas holidays arrive and work will slow down a bit.
Earlier today I released Email Users v4.7.10 which is the formal release of a number of fixes I’ve had in the queue. Now that it is out, I’ve moved on to the first real new functionality in a while which is why this will be v4.8.x.
Recently there was a 1 Star rated review of Email Users which had a comment about not being able to search for a user in a list of potential recipients. As you can see in the comments, I didn’t disagree with the user although what they wanted to do was sort of possible.
I’ve used the jQuery Chosen plugin a couple times and it works great for making SELECT elements much more user friendly. I decided to add it to Email Users to make finding users, particularly for sites which have lots of users, much easier. If you used WooCommerce, you’re familiar with Chosen as that is what WooCommerce uses for SELECT elements as well.
The v4.8.0-beta-1 release is the first implementation of Email Users with the jQuery Chosen plugin integration. Please download it, try it out, and report any issues or concerns.
Implementing Chosen allows for easy search and selection as noted in these images.
From the Send to User(s) page
From the Send to Group(s) page
From the Send to Group(s) page after entering “au” to do some filtering