Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 7.8.4

* **[IMPROVED and FIXED in Pro] Content Management >> Custom Content Types >> Custom Field Groups**:
* **Added frontend submission form via shortcode**. [Documentation](https://www.wpase.com/documentation/custom-field-types/#functions-shortcodes) has been added. Please test and open a support ticket if you find any issue / bug.
* **Added `insert_post_cf()` to create a new post and set custom field values**. [Documentation](https://www.wpase.com/documentation/custom-field-types/#functions-shortcodes) has been added.
* **Enable updating repeater field value with `update_cf()`**. [Documentation](https://www.wpase.com/documentation/custom-field-types/#functions-shortcodes) has been added.
* **Improved `update_cf()` function to accommodate more data formats** for various field types, including ability to use externally hosted files/images for the file and gallery fields. More info in the [documentation](https://www.wpase.com/documentation/custom-field-types/#functions-shortcodes). As of this v7.8.4, this can be considered stable enough for production sites. That said, please open a support ticket if you discover any issues / bugs.
* **Added Output Format option for Date, Time, Radio, Select and Checkbox fields**. This can be overridden by manually setting an output format in `get_cf()`, `the_cf()` or the `[cf]` shortcode.
* **`get_cf()` in 'default' output mode** will now properly return the frontend display format set in the settings for Date, Time, Radio, Select and Checkbox fields, including when these fields are sub-fields of a repeater field. Props to Ingo R. for prompting this improvement.
* **Added mininum height to WYSIWYG field** to fix the occasional rendering issue where a click was needed to trigger the field to be at it's proper height.

* **[IMPROVED in Free and Pro] Security >> Limit Login Attempts**: added a limit of 1,000 latest entries that will be kept in the database. This should prevent the failed login attempts database table from growing too large. Props to @rodgeir for suggesting this.

* **[IMPROVED and FIXED in Pro] Content Management >> Custom Content Types >> Custom Field Groups**:
* **Added the update_cf() function to programmatically update the value of one or more custom fields**. [Documentation](https://www.wpase.com/documentation/custom-field-types/#functions-shortcodes) has been added as well. Props to Rajeev A., Edwin L. and @zquadmin for prompting this improvement.
* **Added support for nested repeaters in Bricks**. You can now use nested query loops in Bricks to get data from ASE nested (parent-child) repeaters and their sub-fields. Props to Jason L. for prompting this improvement.
* **Added empty choice** in the time selection dropdown with the label "Choose one". This should allow for empty value, i.e. none is selected.
* **Nested repeater body now has a white background** to better differentiate it with the parent repeater body.
* **Fixed PHP fatal error** when using Bricks template to render a related post's gallery field. Props to Aleš S. for reporting this and facilitating the troubleshooting process.
* **Fixed PHP warning** related to options pages that occurs in certain scenarios.
* **Fixed padding issue** when a hyperlink field is inside a repeater.

* **[IMPROVED in Pro] Content Management >> Content Duplication**: will now properly duplicate ASE custom fields values, including values of sub-fields in a nested repeater. Props to Mareck, Richard W. and Thomas B. for prompting this improvement.

* **[ADDED in Free and Pro] Disable Components >> Disable Smaller Components**: added an option to disable the Application Passwords feature in WordPress. Props to [DJABHipHop](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pressthemes1/) for [suggesting this](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/add-options-to-disable-wp_is_application_passwords_available/).

* **[IMPROVED in Pro] Optimizations >> Image Upload Control**: add an option to disable generation of intermediate sizes. Props to Wilbert S., [@visedfaq](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/feature-suggestion-remove-image-sizes/), [@bradhazel](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/feature-request-i-have-two/), Stijn V., Jake H. and [@luislu](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/add-function-to-disable-thumbnail-size/) for suggesting this feature.

* **[IMPROVED in Pro] Content Management >> Custom Content Types >> Custom Field Groups**:
* **Added a new field type: time**. This has been integrated with Oxygen (classic), Bricks, Breakdance and Elementor. [Documentation](https://www.wpase.com/documentation/custom-field-types/) has also been updated. Props to Jim R. and Rlaf L. for prompting this imprvement.
* **Improved color field**. Color picker now supports transparency, which outputs the color in RGBA format, e.g. rgba(108, 19, 135, 0.9). Non-transparent color will be in HEX format, e.g. #333333.
* **Improved UI for relationship field**. Posts are now categorized under the post type label, and the post type label preppended on the selected posts. This is especially useful if you have multiple post types enabled. Props to @yankiara for suggesting this improvement.
* **Improved UI for term field**. Terms are now categorized under the taxonomy label, and the taxonomy label preppended on the selected terms.
* **Improved UI for user field**. Will now include display name and email address. This makes it easier to search / filter users.

* **[CHANGED and IMPROVED in Pro] Admin Interface >> Admin Columns Manager**:
* **Added rendering of column values for the new time field in ASE** custom field groups.
* Added "!important" for the "overflow-y:hidden" attribute for the #list-table-wrapper div, to **better guarantee horizontal scrolling will work** when other CSS rules try to override this attribute.

* **[FIXED and IMPROVED in Pro] Utilities >> Form Builder**:
* **Added option to not save form submissions** in the database. This may be useful for scenarios where privacy is of a concern. Props to Marcellus J. for suggesting this.
* **Added option to set which field of each form to use for previewing entries** on the Entries listing page. This should make the Entries page more useful.
* **Added #page_url tag as possible default value of hidden field** which will be replaced by the permalink of the page where the form is being displayed on. This is useful for when you need to track where form submission is coming from. Props to Ralf L. for suggesting this improvement.
* **Fixed an issue where Screen Options panel is gone** from all admin pages when Form Builder is enabled. Props to Susanne R. for reporting the issue.

* **[FIXED in Pro] Security >> CAPTCHA Protection**: fixed PHP warning related to displaying CAPTCHA widgets on the comment form as reported by @betaplus.

* **[FIXED in Pro] Admin Interface >> Admin Menu Organizer**: fixed a PHP fatal error when clicking on Yootheme menu icon, which uncommonly, links to an AJAX call URL. Props to Àlex M. for reporting the error with the complete error stack trace and facilitating the troubleshooting process.

* **[FIXED in Pro] Content Management >> Content Order**: fixed a PHP error that breaks AJAX-filtering using JetSmartFilters. Props to Stijn V. for reporting the issue and facilitating the troubleshooting process.

no change log for this version

* **[IMPROVED in Pro] Security >> CAPTCHA Protection**: when CAPTCHA Protection is enabled on WooCommerce login form, also enable on the login form in WooCommerce checkout page. Ensure that after successful login, the customer/user is redirected back to the checkout page. This will override the settings added to the Redirect After Login module. Props to @betaplus for prompting this improvement.

* **[IMPROVED in Free and Pro] Disable Components >> Disable REST API**:
* ASE Pro: **CAPTCHA Protection >> ALTCHA widget** now works properly when Disable REST API is turned on. Props to Ivan C.d.A. for reporting the issue.
* ASE Free and Pro: **Contact Form 7** now works properlywhen Disable REST API is turned on. Props to Ivan C.d.A. for reporting the issue.
* ASE Pro: **Added an option to exclude certain routes** from being disabled.

* **[IMPROVED in Pro] Log In/Out | Register >> Login Page Customizer**:
* Added a link to the [haikei app](https://haikei.app/generators/) when choosing 'Pattern' as the login page background. This is where you can **generate your own pattern** with a color scheme that match the branding of the site you are working on. Props to Wence W. for prompting this improvement.
* **The link to the privacy policy page** will now have the same color as registration and password reset links. Props to Wence W. for prompting this improvement.
* **Added an option to choose login button color**. Button hover color and button text color will automatically adjust to the chosen color. You can always customize in detail with the Custom CSS option. Props to Wence W. for prompting this improvement.

* **[FIXED in Pro] Admin Interface >> Admin Columns Manager**: fix PHP warning in a certain scenario. Props to Dave C. for reporting the issue in detail and even suggesting the code fix as well, which has been tested and implemented.

* **[FIXED in Pro] Content Management >> Content Order**: fix an issue where custom order is not being applied on taxonomy term archive page using the (WP) core Query Loop block. Props to Greg F. for reporting the issue in detail and working together to find a fix for it. Much appreciated!

* **[ADDED in Pro] Utilities >> Form Builder**: Enable the creation of various types of forms on the frontend to collect information from site visitors or users or members. This module should be stable enough but please perform some tests before using it on production sites or mission critical tasks. If you find any bugs / issues, please open a support ticket for it.

* **[IMPROVED in Free and Pro] Security >> Limit Login Attempts**: improved mechanism to validate IP addresses. Props to Ivan C.d.A. and [@denisgomesfranco](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/seemingly-weird-behavior-with-limit-login-attempts/) for prompting this improvement.

* **[FIXED in Free and Pro] Log In/Out | Register >> Login ID Type**: when login ID type is set to "email address only", logging in with an email address that contains an uppercase does not work. This is fixed now. Props to Martin H. for noticing the issue and reporting it.

* **[FIXED in Pro] Admin Interface >> Admin Columns Manager**: fix a fatal error in a certain scenario when displaying the default Date column. Props to Alberto P. for reporting the issue with the error stack trace.

* **[FIXED in Pro] Content Management >> Content Order**: fix PHP warning that occurs in a certain scenario. Props to Dominik K., Simon S., Benjamin O., Sander d.V. for reporting the issue along with the relevant error/debug log entry.

* **[ADDED in Pro] Security >> CAPTCHA Protection**: add CAPTCHA protection to WordPress default login, password reset, registration and comment forms and WooCommerce login, password reset and registration forms. Support [ALTCHA](https://altcha.org/) self-hosted version (GDPR-compliant, open source, free), Google reCaptcha v2 and v3, and Cloudflare Turnstile.

* **[IMPROVED in Free and Pro] Admin Interface >> Hide Admin Notices**: fix for notices still showing on Hash Form form builder screen.

* **[IMPROVED in Pro] Utilities >> Maintenance Mode**: added an option to exclude certain URLs from the maintenance mode. This could be useful if you have a custom login page created outside of ASE. Props to Miriam M. and Julian S. for prompting this improvement.

* **[IMPROVED amd FOXED in Pro] Admin Interface >> Admin Columns Manager**:
* **improved mechanism to load original column title** when an applicable column is set as such.
* **fixed a conflict with PublishPress Revisions** plugin causing fatal error when viewing the revisions queue page. Props to Adam for reporting the issue with a screenshot and the error stack trace, which helped in quickly resolving the issue.

* **[IMPROVED in Pro] Log In/Out | Register >> Login Page Customizer**:
* Changed logo image options to site icon, media library (image) or external (image) URL. Should work with your existing settings.
* Added automatic image dimension detection and image ratio preserver when using media library image. Props to Max Z. for prompting this improvement.
* Added links to external tools to get image dimension and calculate smaller dimension when using external image URL.

* **[IMPROVED in Pro] Optimizations >> Image Upload Control**: add an option to set the JPG quality during conversion/upload of BMP, PNG and JPG files. Props to John D. for prompting this improvement.

* **[FIXED in Free and Pro] Security >> Limit Login Attempts**: fix IPv6 addresses not being properly detected. Props to Mathijs v.d.B. and Jon B. for reporting the issue.

* **[FIXED in Pro] Content Management >> Content Order**: fixed an issue where adjacent posts navigation (Previous / Next) is not being displayed when the Content Order module is enabled for post types that does not include the post type where such navigation is added to. Props to Glenn W. for reporting the issue in detail and facilitated the troubleshooting process.

* **[FIXED in Pro] Admin Interface >> Admin Logo**: fix admin bar logo link not linking to the homepage as it should when viewed in the backend / wp-admin. Props to Max Z. for reporting the issue.

* **[IMPROVED in Free and Pro] Admin Interface >> Hide Admin Notices**: the notices counter in the admin bar will now be updated as you clear notices from inside the notices drawer. There will be a slight delay, about 2 seconds, to compensate for the various ways different plugins clear their notices and how long that might take. Props to Elmira T. for prompting this improvement.

* **[IMPROVED and FIXED in Pro] Admin Interface >> Admin Columns Manager**:
* add an option to **use a column as the default sort (ascending / descending)**, so that when visiting the View All Posts/Pages/CPT posts, the list table will be sorted accordingly. Props to Justin B., Matt B., Lynette C. and Patrick K. for prompting this improvement. Your patience is also appreciated.
* add an option to **disable horizontal scrolling**, which might be useful in certain scnearios where another plugin is not expecting the `.wp-list-table` to be wrapped in a `div`. Props to Klemen T. for reporting a related issue that prompted this improvement.
* enable **custom date time format for the default 'Date' column**. Props to Julian W. for prompting this improvement.
* fixed **WPML's language column not showing the correct language flag** when switching language in the admin bar. Props to S. H. for reporting the issue in detail and facilitating the troubleshooting process.

* **[FIXED in Free and Pro] Admin Interface >> Various Admin UI Enhancements >> Display Active Plugins First**: fix a PHP error in a certain scenario. Props to betaplus for reporting the issue along with the error call stack, which helps with troubleshooting.

* **[FIXED in Free and Pro] Disable Components >> Disable Gutenberg**: fix for frontend block styles / CSS files not being properly disabled. Props to Stijn V. for reporting the issue and facilitating the troubleshooting process.

* **[FIXED in Pro] Utilities >> Email Delivery**: fix an issue that may cause fatal error in some scenario when trying to log email deliveries. Props to Martin H. for reporting the issue in details (with an error stack trace).

* **[FIXED in Pro] Admin Interface >> Admin Menu Organizer**: fix an issue where in Gravity Forms main dashboard, menu item(s) that are set to always be hidden for all user roles are not being properly hidden. Props to Robert D. for reporting the issue in detail and facilitating the troubleshooting process.

* **[IMPROVED in Free and Pro] Content Management >> Content Order**:
* **when WPML plugin is active**, the content ordering page will now only show posts from the chosen language. Props to Stijn V. for prompting this improvement.
* **added 'Order' button in posts list tables** of post types where Content Order module is enabled for. Useful for when the 'Order' submenu can not be added to the parent menu that contains the link to the post type list table, e.g. LearnDash courses.

* **[IMPROVED in Pro] Security >> Email Address Obfuscator**: added a 'text' parameter to the obfuscator shortcode that allows for showing a custom text instead of the human-readable email address. This, combined with the 'link' and 'class' parameter, allows for showing the obfuscated and linked email address as, for example, a "Contact Us" button. Props to Antoine L. for suggesting this improvement.

* **[IMPROVED in Pro] Admin Interface >> Admin Columns Manager**: improv rendering of the post list table when this module is enabled. Props to Jake K. for prompting this improvement.

* **[FIXED in Pro] Custom Code >> Code Snippets Manager**: fix styling issues when select2 JS and CSS files are also loaded by LearnDash and Hash Form plugins on the snippet creation and editing screens.

* **[SECURITY FIX in Free and Pro]:
* **Security >> Limit Login Attempts**: fix Bypass via IP Spoofing vulnerability as responsibly disclosed by Bob, a security researcher for WPScan and Jetpack.
* **Utilities >> Password Protection**: fix Password Protection Bypass vulnerability as responsibly disclosed by Bob, a security researcher for WPScan and Jetpack.

* **[CHANGED in Free] Security >> Limit Login Attempts**: IP detection from a preferred header, e.g. `HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR`, is now also available in the free version of ASE.

* **[FIXED in Free and Pro] Content Management >> External Permalinks**: fixed a compatibility issue that causes BeTheme template builder failing to load on singular template of post types that has External Permalinks enabled for. Props to PJ for reporting the issue and facilitating the troubleshooting process.

* **[CHANGED in Pro] Admin Interface >> Admin Logo**: Admin bar logo link will no longer open in new browser tab by default. Props to Henry R. for suggesting this change.

* **[FIXED in Pro] Custom Code >> Code Snippets Manager**: fix an issue where in a particular scenario, code snippets are not being properly stored as files to load/execute from. Props to Jhay B. for reporting the issue and facilitating the troubleshooting.

* **[IMPROVED in Free and Pro] Security >> Disable XML-RPC**: added additional things being disabled related to XML-RPC, namely, the 'X-Pingback' header in HTTP response headers, closing pings and pre-emptively remove several XML-RPC methods. Props to David M. for prompting this improvement.

* **[IMPROVED in Pro] Custom Code >> Code Snippets Manager**: added the missing Pages as part of selection in the "Single Page/Post/CPT" conditional for loading CSS/JS/HTML snippets on the frontend. Props to Killian H. for reporting the issue.

* **[FIXED in Free and Pro] Utilities >> View Admin as Role**: fix PHP fatal error in a certain scenario. Props to Dale R. for reporting the issue in detail along with the error log entry.

* **[FIXED in Free and Pro] Content Management >> Media Replacement**:
- added mechanism to prevent browser cache busting URL parameter being added twice when performing replacements.
- fix an issue where in the grid view, media replacement is not working properly in Firefox / Zen browsers. Props to Justin for reporting the issue in detail and facilitating the troubleshooting process.

* **[FIXED in Pro] Admin Interface >> Admin Columns Manager**: fix date column showing 1 day difference with frontend displayed date. Props to Jonathan J. for reporting the issue and facilitating the troubleshooting process.

* **[FIXED in Pro] Admin Interface >> Admin Menu Organizer**: fix an issue where submenu item's Hide / Options is not toggling the sub-options when clicked. Props to Christian for reporting the issue and facilitating the troubleshooting process.

* **[FIXED in Pro] Content Management >> Content Order**: fix an issue with LearnDash where enabling content ordering for Courses will not add the 'Order' submenu item. Props to Bas B. for reporting the issue and facilitating the troubleshooting process.