Dashboard Overview

The WordPress Admin Dashboard is the central control panel for EatDrinkPlay. Access it by navigating to /wp-admin and logging in with your administrator account.

Dashboard Widgets

Widget	Purpose
At a Glance	Quick count of posts, pages, venues, events, and user counts
Activity	Recently published and scheduled content
Quick Draft	Create a new draft post directly from the dashboard
WordPress Events & News	Official WordPress community updates

Left Sidebar Navigation

The admin sidebar provides access to all content management areas:

• Posts - Blog posts and articles (Sydney/Melbourne specific)
• Media - Image and file library
• Pages - Static pages (About, Contact, etc.)
• Comments - Reader comments moderation
• Venues - Venue listing management (base_venue CPT)
• Events - What's On event management
• Appearance - Menus, Widgets, Theme Customizer
• Plugins - Installed plugin management
• Users - User account management
• Settings - Site configuration

User Management

Manage all registered users from WordPress Admin → Users → All Users.

Approving a Venue Lister

When a new DP Venue Lister completes registration, email verification, and payment, their account enters review_pending status. An admin must approve them before they can publish listings.

1. Navigate to Users

   Go to WordPress Admin → Users → All Users. Filter by role DP Venue Lister to see pending listers.

2. Identify Pending Listers

   Listers awaiting approval will have their edp_lister_status meta set to review_pending. Look for users who registered recently.

3. Review the Lister's Profile

   Click Edit on the user to view their details - name, email, and business information.

4. Update Lister Status

   Scroll to the custom fields section. Change the Lister Status field from review_pending to active (approve) or rejected (reject). Save the user profile.

5. Notify the Lister

   Send a notification email to inform the lister of approval or rejection with next steps. Inferred

Lister Status Values

Status	Meaning	Admin Action
email_pending	Registered but hasn't verified email	No action needed; user must verify
review_pending	Payment complete, awaiting admin approval	Review and approve/reject
active	Fully approved, can publish listings	Monitor subscription expiry
rejected	Application rejected	Communicate reason to user
expired	Subscription expired	Prompt renewal or deactivate listings

Managing EDP Readers

Reader accounts are created automatically upon registration and require no approval. Admins can:

• View all readers at Users → All Users filtered by role EDP Reader
• Edit reader profiles (name, email)
• Reset passwords on behalf of users
• Delete accounts if required
• View the edp_saved_venues meta to see their saved venues Inferred

Roles & Permissions Reference

Capability	Admin	EDP Reader	DP Venue Lister
Access WordPress Admin	✅	❌	❌
Manage all venues	✅	❌	❌
Create/edit own venues	✅	❌	✅ (when active)
Upload media	✅	❌	✅
Access Member Dashboard	N/A	✅	✅
Save wishlists	N/A	✅	✅
Manage all users	✅	❌	❌
View Offers & Perks	✅	✅	✅
Manage site settings	✅	❌	❌
Install plugins	✅	❌	❌

Venue Management

Venues are the core content type of EatDrinkPlay. They are managed via the Venues custom post type in WordPress Admin.

Location: WordPress Admin → Venues

Creating a New Venue

1. Navigate to Venues

   Go to WordPress Admin → Venues → Add New.

2. Enter Venue Title

   Type the venue's full name in the title field at the top of the editor.

3. Write Description

   Use the block editor or Classic Editor to write the venue description. Include the editorial "why we love it" narrative.

4. Set Featured Image

   Click Set featured image in the right sidebar and upload or select the hero image for the venue.

5. Assign Taxonomies

   In the right sidebar, assign the venue to the relevant Venue Category (e.g., Eat, Drink, Play), Venue Type (e.g., Cocktail Bar), Occasion, and Vibe tags.

6. Fill In Meta Fields

   Scroll down to the MetaBox panels and complete all venue details (address, suburb, city, phone, website, hours, social links, etc.). See Venue Meta Fields for the full reference.

7. Upload Banner Gallery

   In the Banner Images metabox, upload up to 10 photos for the venue detail page gallery carousel.

8. Publish

   Click Publish to make the venue live, or Save Draft to save for later. Use Preview to check appearance before publishing.

Editing a Venue

1. Find the Venue

   Go to Venues → All Venues. Use the search bar or filter by city, status, or category to locate the venue.

2. Open the Editor

   Click the venue name or hover and click Edit to open the venue editor.

3. Make Changes

   Update any fields - text, meta, images, categories - as required.

4. Update

   Click the Update button to save changes. Changes are live immediately.

Venue Meta Fields Reference

Venue metadata is stored using the MetaBox plugin. The following fields are available in the venue editor:

Core Details

Field	Description	Required
Address	Street address of the venue	Yes
Address URL	Google Maps link for directions	Recommended
Suburb	Suburb or area (e.g., Surry Hills, Fitzroy)	Yes
City	Sydney or Melbourne	Yes
State	NSW or VIC	Yes
Postcode	Australian postcode	Recommended
Phone	Contact phone number	Optional
Website	Venue's official website URL	Recommended
Price Range	$ / $$ / $$$ / $$$$ price indicator	Recommended
Cuisine	Cuisine type (for Eat venues)	Optional
Neighbourhood	Editorial neighbourhood label	Optional

Editorial Fields

Field	Description
Featured	Mark venue as featured (shows badge on listings)
Why We Love It	Short editorial quote/teaser shown on listing cards
Our Pick - Eat	Recommended food item or dish
Our Pick - Drink	Recommended drink or cocktail
Our Pick - Play	Recommended activity or experience
Listing Type	Sponsored or Editorial (affects display badge)
Show on What's On	Tick to feature this venue in the What's On weekly section
Coming Soon	Mark as coming soon (shows special badge, hides details)

Social & Booking

Field	Description
Reserve URL	Online reservation / booking link (e.g., OpenTable, Resy)
Instagram URL	Venue's Instagram profile URL
Facebook URL	Venue's Facebook page URL
Maps URL	Direct Google Maps link (if different from Address URL)

Hours & Opening Times

Opening hours are entered in the Hours Detail field using a specific text format. The system parses this to display open/closed status in real time.

Offers

Up to 6 promotional offers can be attached to a venue. Each offer includes:

• Image - Offer thumbnail
• Title - Offer headline
• Description - Offer details / terms
• Supplier - Partner or supplier name

Advertisement Unit

Each venue listing can carry one advertisement unit. The ad is displayed only on Free Listings (not Sponsored or Editorial listings). It appears as a banner-style block within the venue detail page and is managed directly from the venue's WordPress admin edit screen.

Where to find it

1. Go to WordPress Admin → Venues.
2. Open (or create) the venue you want to advertise on.
3. Scroll down to the Advertisement Unit meta box (below the main content editor).

Fields

Field	Type	Description
Image	Image upload (max 1)	The advertisement banner image. Must be exactly 480 px wide. Height is flexible but a landscape ratio (e.g. 480 × 160 or 480 × 240) works best. Upload via the media library - only one image is accepted.
Expiry Date	Date & time picker	The date and time when the advertisement stops showing. Once this moment passes the ad is automatically hidden on the front end - no manual action is needed. Leave blank to run the ad indefinitely.
Link	Text (URL)	The destination URL the ad clicks through to (e.g. the advertiser's website or a booking page). Enter the full URL including https://.

How to add or update an advertisement

1. Open the venue in the WordPress admin editor (Admin → Venues → edit the venue).
2. Scroll to the Advertisement Unit meta box and click Add Media under the Image field. Select or upload an image that is exactly 480 px wide.
3. Click the Expiry Date field and pick the date and time the ad should stop running. The time defaults to midnight if left unchanged - adjust it if needed.
4. Paste the advertiser's destination URL into the Link field (must start with https://).
5. Click Update to save the venue. The ad is now live on the Free Listing page.

How expiry works

The expiry date is compared against the current server time on every page load. When the current time is past the stored expiry timestamp the advertisement block is not rendered - there is no cron job or manual step required. The image, link, and expiry value remain saved in the database so the ad can be re-activated by simply updating the expiry date to a future time.

Removing an advertisement

To remove an ad immediately, either:

• Set the Expiry Date to a past date/time and click Update, or
• Delete the image from the Image field and click Update - no image means no ad is displayed.

Gallery & Images

Each venue supports two image areas:

Image Type	Field Name	Max Images	Usage
Banner Gallery	Banner Images	10	Hero carousel on venue detail page
General Gallery	Gallery Images	5	Additional image gallery
Featured Image	WordPress Feature Image	1	Thumbnail on listing cards, OG image

Event Management

Events power the What's On section of the site. Manage events at WordPress Admin → Events.

Creating an Event

1. Go to Events → Add New

   Navigate to WordPress Admin → Events → Add New.

2. Enter Event Title & Description

   Write an engaging title and a full description of the event in the editor.

3. Fill In Event Meta

   Complete the event meta fields: Date, City, Location, Price, Booking URL, Button Text, Free checkbox, Featured checkbox, Tickets Remaining.

4. Set Featured Image & Categories

   Upload a featured image and assign to the relevant event category and tags.

5. Publish

   Publish to make it live on the What's On page.

Event Meta Fields

Field	Description
Event Date	Date and time of the event
City	Sydney or Melbourne
Location	Venue name or address
Price	Price string (e.g., "$35", "From $20")
Free	Checkbox - marks event as free, hides price
Booking URL	Link to book or buy tickets
Button Text	Label for booking button (default: "Book →")
Tickets Remaining	Number of available tickets
Featured	Marks event as featured on listings
Year Established	For recurring annual events

When the event date expires, it will be automatically marked as draft and the event will be deactivated.

Categories & Taxonomies

EatDrinkPlay uses a rich taxonomy system to organise venues and events.

Location: WordPress Admin → Venues → [Taxonomy Name]

Venue Taxonomies

Taxonomy	Type	Examples
Venue Category	Hierarchical	Eat, Drink, Play
Venue Type	Flat tags	Cocktail Bar, Wine Bar, Pub, Restaurant
Occasion	Flat tags	Date Night, After Work, Groups, Solo
Vibe	Flat tags	Hidden Gem, Intimate, Casual, Upscale

Adding a New Venue Category

1. Navigate to Venue Categories

   Go to WordPress Admin → Venues → Venue Categories.

2. Enter Category Details

   Fill in the Name, Slug, Parent Category (if a subcategory), and Description.

3. Set Category Icon

   Each venue category supports a custom Icon field (Font Awesome icon class or SVG). This appears in navigation and filter bars.

4. Add New Category

   Click Add New Category to save.

Content Management

Posts & Articles

Blog posts and editorial articles are managed via WordPress Admin → Posts. Posts are city-specific and can be tagged with a linked venue.

Post Types (City-Specific)

Post Type	City	Purpose
Sydney Posts (base_sydney)	Sydney	Sydney editorial articles, reviews, guides
Melbourne Posts (base_melbourne)	Melbourne	Melbourne editorial articles, reviews, guides

Linking a Post to a Venue

In the post editor, scroll to the Venue Link metabox. Type the venue name in the autocomplete field to link the post to a venue. This enables the "View Venue" link on the article.

Essential Guides

Guides are editorial content accessed via What's On → Essential Guides on the front end. They are created as regular Posts with specific categories assigned.

Homepage

New In Town

Frontend: Listings with an Established Date within the last 3 months (including today) will automatically appear in the New In Town section on the homepage.

Backend setting: Set the Established Date for the Venues

Essential Guide

Frontend: Listings Sydney post

Backend setting: Check Featured Post on Homepage

What's On

Backend setting: Check Select an End Date for event Display Expiration

Coming Soon

Frontend: Items will appear under "Coming Soon" if the current date is before their scheduled date. They will automatically be removed once the specified end date has passed.

Backend setting: Set the Established Date for the Venues

What's On

The What's On section aggregates Events and Venues flagged with Show on What's On. To feature a venue in this week's What's On:

1. Edit the venue
2. Tick Show on What's On in the venue metabox
3. Update the venue

Navigation Menus

Location: WordPress Admin → Appearance → Menus

EatDrinkPlay uses three navigation menus:

Menu Name	Location	Managed Via
Main Menu	Primary site navigation (top)	Appearance → Menus → Main Menu
Quick Menu	Utility navigation bar	Appearance → Menus → Secondary Menu
Footer Menu	Footer navigation links	Appearance → Menus → Footer Menu

Editing the Main Menu

1. Open Menus

   Go to Appearance → Menus and select Main Menu from the dropdown.

2. Add Menu Items

   From the left panel, add Pages, Posts, Custom Links, Categories, or Venue Categories to the menu. Click Add to Menu.

3. Arrange & Nest

   Drag items to reorder. Drag an item slightly to the right under another item to create a dropdown submenu. The mega menu template handles the display.

4. Save Menu

   Click Save Menu.

Settings & Configuration

General Settings

Location: WordPress Admin → Settings → General

• Site Title and Tagline
• WordPress & Site Address URLs
• Admin Email
• Timezone (important for venue hours calculations)
• Date and Time formats

⚠️

Timezone Setting is Critical The venue open/closed status calculator uses the WordPress timezone setting. Ensure this is set to Australia/Sydney or Australia/Melbourne as appropriate.

Payments & Stripe

Venue Lister subscriptions are processed via Stripe. Configuration is managed in the theme code.

💳

Developer Configuration Required Stripe API keys (publishable and secret) are stored in the WordPress configuration or as constants. Changes to payment settings should be made by a developer. Keys should never be committed to version control.

Subscription Expiry

Subscription expiry is tracked via the edp_lister_expiry user meta (Unix timestamp). A WP-Cron job runs periodically to check for expired subscriptions and update lister status to expired automatically.

Plugin Management

Location: WordPress Admin → Plugins

Plugin	Purpose	Critical
Meta Box + Group	All custom metaboxes and fields for venues, events, team	Yes
Contact Form 7	Contact page form handling	Yes
Yoast SEO	SEO meta, sitemap, breadcrumbs	Yes
Classic Editor	Legacy WordPress post editor interface	Recommended
Classic Widgets	Legacy WordPress widgets interface	Recommended
WonderPlugin Popup	Popup/modal functionality	Optional
Meta Box Geolocation	Geographic coordinate support for venues	Optional
Duplicate Page	Quickly duplicate posts/pages	Optional

⚠️

Do Not Deactivate Critical Plugins Deactivating Meta Box, Relevanssi, or Contact Form 7 will break venue display, search, and contact forms respectively. Always test on a staging site before deactivating any plugin.

Permissions Reference

Summary of what each admin can configure and access:

Area	How to Access	Notes
All Content	Posts, Venues, Events, Pages in WP Admin sidebar	Full read/write/delete
All Users	Users → All Users	Can edit roles, reset passwords, delete accounts
Site Settings	Settings menu	Full access
Theme Files	Appearance → Theme Editor (not recommended in production)	Use FTP/SSH or local dev instead
Plugin Management	Plugins → Installed Plugins	Activate/deactivate/delete
Database	Accessible via phpMyAdmin or Adminer in local environment	Handle with extreme care
File System	Via FTP, SSH, or local development environment	Required for theme/plugin code changes