CREA Board Data API Directory for WordPress

Important

This project is not affiliated with CREA. Please do not contact them for support related to issues with this plugin.

A WordPress plugin that displays a comprehensive, searchable directory of office locations using the CREA Board Data API.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Benefits
• Installation
• Usage
• Configuration
• Technical Highlights
• License

Features

• Responsive Office Directory: Displays offices in a grid of interactive cards, each showing essential information such as name, address, phone, email, and website.
• Advanced Search: Users can search for offices by name, address, phone number, or email with instant feedback thanks to client-side filtering and debounce optimization.
• Infinite Scroll: Offices are loaded automatically as users scroll, enhancing the user experience without traditional pagination.
• Automated Data Sync: Full and incremental synchronization with the CREA Board Data API to keep office data current, including handling of inactive records.
• Custom Database Storage: Utilizes a custom WordPress database table for efficient storage and retrieval, optimized for large datasets.
• User-Friendly Admin Interface: Intuitive settings page for configuring API access, synchronization intervals, and managing data directly from the WordPress admin dashboard.

Benefits

For Website Visitors

• Enhanced User Experience: Easily find and contact the nearest office with an intuitive and responsive interface.
• Quick Access to Information: Advanced search functionality reduces the time needed to locate specific offices.

For Administrators

• Operational Efficiency: Automates the updating of office information, reducing manual workload and minimizing errors.
• Accurate Data: Ensures the directory reflects the most current office statuses and details.
• Scalable Solution: Designed to handle growth as more offices are added without significant redevelopment.

Installation

1. Install Plugin:
   • Option A: Download the latest plugin zip file from the Releases Page and install it through the WordPress Plugins -> Add New Plugin screen directly.
   • Option B: Upload the crea-api folder from the repository to the /wp-content/plugins directory on your WordPress installation, then install the dependencies (see Development Setup below).
2. Activate Plugin: Activate the plugin through the Plugins -> Installed Plugins screen in WordPress.

Development Setup

If you chose Option B and are setting up the plugin for development purposes, from the crea-api folder:

3. Install Dependencies:
   • Run composer install to set up autoloading.
   • Run npm install to install Node.js dependencies.
   • Run npm run build to build the block editor scripts.

Usage

1. Configure Plugin Settings:
   • Navigate to Settings -> CREA API in the WordPress admin dashboard.
   • Client ID and Secret: Enter your CREA Board Data API access credentials.
   • Sync Interval: Set how often (in hours) to perform incremental syncs. Default is every 24 hours.
   • OfficeAOR Filter: (Optional) Add additional query parameters for API requests.
2. Data Synchronization:
   • Click the Full Sync button to initiate the initial data synchronization.
   • The plugin will automatically perform incremental syncs based on the configured interval.
3. Add Office Directory to Pages or Posts:
   • In the WordPress block editor, add the CREA Office List block to your page or post.
   • Customize the block settings in the editor sidebar to adjust the number of columns and rows.
4. Manage Data and Cache:
   • You can manually clear the cache if needed from the settings page.

Configuration

API Access

• Client ID and Secret: Required. Obtain this from CREA by emailing support.
  • Refer to the Bridge API Explorer and Documentation for more information on obtaining an access token and available datasets.
• OfficeAOR Filter: Optional. Add additional query parameters to filter the data fetched from the API.

Sync Settings

• Sync Interval: Optional. Set the interval (in hours) for automatic incremental synchronization. Default is 24 hours.
• Advanced Query Filter: Optional. Add custom query parameters to refine the data fetched from the API.

Display Settings

• Columns and Rows: Customize the number of columns and rows in the directory grid via the block editor settings.

Technical Highlights

• Integration with CREA Board Data API:
  • Real-time data fetching ensures accurate and up-to-date information.
  • Selective data retrieval optimizes performance and reduces data transfer.
• Modern Development Practices:
  • Object-oriented programming (OOP) enhances code maintainability and scalability.
  • Uses namespaces and PSR-4 autoloading via Composer.
  • Adheres to WordPress coding standards for compatibility and reliability.
• Performance Optimization:
  • Debounce implementation improves search performance by minimizing unnecessary server requests.
  • Client-side filtering reduces server load by handling search within the user's browser.
  • Custom database table optimizes data storage and retrieval speeds for large datasets.
• Security Measures:
  • Data sanitization of all user inputs to prevent vulnerabilities.
  • Nonce verification for AJAX requests and form submissions to prevent unauthorized access.
  • Prepared statements for database queries to prevent SQL injection attacks.

License

The code in this repository is licensed under the GPLv2 License - see the LICENSE file for details.