Post Publish Scheduler

Schedule posts to automatically unpublish and republish at specified dates. Perfect for seasonal content, time-limited offers, and recurring announcements. Uses WordPress cron for reliable scheduling.

Single File v1.0.1 Updated 3 days ago

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YT Post Publish Scheduler

A single-file WordPress plugin that automatically schedules posts to unpublish and republish at specified dates. Perfect for seasonal content, time-limited offers, and recurring announcements. Built following WordPress Coding Standards (WPCS).

Features

Automatic Scheduling: Set unpublish and republish dates for any post type
WordPress Cron: Uses built-in WP-Cron for reliable scheduling
Activity Logging: Track all scheduling actions in a dedicated database table
Email Notifications: Get notified when posts are unpublished/republished
Flexible Post Types: Enable scheduling for posts, pages, and custom post types
Admin Columns: See schedule information directly in the post list
Meta Box UI: Easy-to-use datetime picker in the post editor
Settings Page: Comprehensive admin settings with scheduled posts overview
WPCS Compliant: Follows WordPress Coding Standards
Secure: Proper sanitization, validation, escaping, and nonce verification
Translation Ready: Full i18n/l10n support
Single File: All code in one ~1055-line PHP file

Installation

Download class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php
Upload to /wp-content/plugins/ directory
Activate through the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress
Navigate to Settings → Publish Scheduler to configure

Quick Start

Basic Usage

Edit any post (or enabled post type)
Find the "Publish Schedule" meta box in the sidebar
Set an Unpublish Date (when the post should be hidden)
Optionally set a Republish Date (when it should go live again)
Save/Update the post

The plugin will automatically handle the rest using WordPress cron!

Settings Configuration

Navigate to Settings → Publish Scheduler to configure:

Enabled Post Types: Choose which post types support scheduling
Unpublish Status: Select status for unpublished posts (draft, pending, private)
Email Notifications: Enable/disable and set notification recipient
Activity Logging: Track all scheduling actions
Past Dates: Allow or prevent scheduling in the past (useful for testing)
Timezone Display: Show dates in site timezone or UTC

Use Cases

Seasonal Content

Blog Post: "Summer Sale 2025"
├─ Unpublish Date: 2025-09-01 00:00
└─ Republish Date: 2026-06-01 00:00

Perfect for holiday content, seasonal promotions, or recurring events.

Time-Limited Offers

Landing Page: "Black Friday Deal"
├─ Unpublish Date: 2025-11-30 23:59
└─ Republish Date: (leave empty)

Automatically hide expired offers without manual intervention.

Content Rotation

Featured Post: "Monthly Spotlight"
├─ Unpublish Date: 2025-02-01 00:00
└─ Republish Date: 2025-03-01 00:00

Rotate featured content or announcements automatically.

File Structure

class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php    # Main plugin file (all code)
README.md                              # This documentation

Plugin Architecture

Constants Defined

YT_PPS_VERSION  // Plugin version: 1.0.0
YT_PPS_BASENAME // Plugin basename
YT_PPS_PATH     // Plugin directory path
YT_PPS_URL      // Plugin directory URL

Database Structure

Creates table: wp_pps_logs

Column	Type	Description
id	bigint(20)	Primary key
post_id	bigint(20)	Post ID
action	varchar(20)	unpublish or republish
old_status	varchar(20)	Previous post status
new_status	varchar(20)	New post status
scheduled_date	datetime	When action was scheduled
executed_date	datetime	When action was executed
success	tinyint(1)	Success flag
message	text	Optional error/info

Post Meta Keys

_yt_pps_unpublish_date - Stores unpublish datetime (MySQL format)
_yt_pps_republish_date - Stores republish datetime (MySQL format)

Cron Hooks

yt_pps_unpublish_post - Triggered when unpublish date arrives
yt_pps_republish_post - Triggered when republish date arrives

Main Class Methods

Core Methods

get_instance() - Singleton instance retrieval (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:56)
__construct() - Initialize plugin (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:66)
init_hooks() - Register WordPress hooks (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:92)
load_textdomain() - Load translations (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:222)

Lifecycle Methods

activate() - Create database table and default settings (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:129)
deactivate() - Clear all scheduled events (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:155)
create_log_table() - Create activity log table (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:165)
clear_all_schedules() - Remove all cron events (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:194)

Admin UI Methods

add_settings_page() - Add settings page to menu (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:290)
render_settings_page() - Display settings page (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:343)
register_settings() - Register plugin options (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:303)
sanitize_options() - Sanitize user input (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:320)
enqueue_admin_assets() - Load CSS/JS on admin pages (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:235)

Meta Box Methods

add_meta_box() - Register meta box for enabled post types (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:598)
render_meta_box() - Display scheduling UI in post editor (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:616)
save_meta_box() - Save scheduling data and register cron events (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:684)

Scheduling Methods

unpublish_post() - Change post status to configured unpublish status (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:754)
republish_post() - Change post status back to publish (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:795)
log_action() - Record action in database log (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:840)
send_notification() - Send email notification (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:869)

Display Methods

add_admin_columns() - Add schedule column to post list (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:919)
render_admin_columns() - Display schedule info in column (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:930)
render_scheduled_posts_table() - Show all scheduled posts (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:475)
render_activity_log() - Show recent activity log (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:515)

AJAX Handlers

ajax_clear_schedule() - Clear scheduling via AJAX (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:988)
ajax_get_scheduled_posts() - Fetch scheduled posts via AJAX (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:1015)

Utility Methods

format_date() - Format datetime for display (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:905)
get_scheduled_posts() - Query all posts with schedules (class-yt-post-publish-scheduler.php:574)

Admin Interface

Settings Page

Located at Settings → Publish Scheduler

Configuration Options:

Select enabled post types
Choose unpublish status (draft/pending/private)
Configure email notifications
Enable/disable activity logging
Allow past dates for testing
Set timezone display preference

Overview Sections:

Scheduled Posts Table: View all posts with active schedules
Recent Activity Log: See last 50 scheduling actions (if logging enabled)

Post Editor Meta Box

Located in the sidebar of the post editor (for enabled post types).

Fields:

Unpublish Date: datetime-local input
Republish Date: datetime-local input
Clear Schedule: Button to remove scheduling

Shows current schedule status with clock icons.

Admin Columns

A new "Schedule" column appears in the post list showing:

↓ Unpublish date (down arrow)
↑ Republish date (up arrow)

Security Features

✅ Implemented Security Measures:

Direct file access prevention (ABSPATH check)
Capability checks (manage_options, edit_post)
Nonce verification for form submissions and AJAX
Input sanitization (sanitize_text_field(), sanitize_email(), sanitize_key())
Output escaping (esc_html(), esc_attr(), esc_url())
SQL injection prevention (proper $wpdb usage with types)
AJAX nonce verification
Post type validation

Developer Hooks

Actions

// Before unpublishing (custom hook - add to plugin if needed)
do_action( 'yt_pps_before_unpublish', $post_id );

// Before republishing (custom hook - add to plugin if needed)
do_action( 'yt_pps_before_republish', $post_id );

Filters

// Modify unpublish status
add_filter( 'yt_pps_unpublish_status', function( $status, $post_id ) {
    return 'private'; // Force private instead of draft
}, 10, 2 );

// Modify notification email
add_filter( 'yt_pps_notification_email', function( $email, $post_id, $action ) {
    return 'custom@example.com';
}, 10, 3 );

Programmatic Access

// Get plugin instance
$scheduler = YT_Post_Publish_Scheduler::get_instance();

// Schedule a post programmatically
$post_id = 123;
update_post_meta( $post_id, '_yt_pps_unpublish_date', '2025-12-31 23:59:59' );
update_post_meta( $post_id, '_yt_pps_republish_date', '2026-01-01 00:00:00' );

$unpublish_timestamp = strtotime( get_gmt_from_date( '2025-12-31 23:59:59' ) );
$republish_timestamp = strtotime( get_gmt_from_date( '2026-01-01 00:00:00' ) );

wp_schedule_single_event( $unpublish_timestamp, 'yt_pps_unpublish_post', array( $post_id ) );
wp_schedule_single_event( $republish_timestamp, 'yt_pps_republish_post', array( $post_id ) );

// Clear a schedule
wp_clear_scheduled_hook( 'yt_pps_unpublish_post', array( $post_id ) );
wp_clear_scheduled_hook( 'yt_pps_republish_post', array( $post_id ) );
delete_post_meta( $post_id, '_yt_pps_unpublish_date' );
delete_post_meta( $post_id, '_yt_pps_republish_date' );

Troubleshooting

Scheduled Posts Not Executing

Problem: Posts aren't unpublishing/republishing at the scheduled time.

Solutions:

Check WP-Cron: WordPress cron requires site traffic or a real cron job

# Add to system cron (recommended for production)
*/15 * * * * wget -q -O - https://yoursite.com/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron

Disable WP-Cron and use system cron in wp-config.php:
```
define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true);
```
Check scheduled events using a plugin like "WP Crontrol"
Verify server timezone matches WordPress timezone

Past Dates Not Working

Problem: Can't select dates in the past.

Solution: Enable "Allow Past Dates" in Settings → Publish Scheduler. This is disabled by default to prevent accidental backdating.

Email Notifications Not Sending

Problem: Not receiving email notifications.