Auto-Close v3.0.0: Rebuilt with Modern PHP and WordPress Standards
After nearly three years, I’m excited to unveil Auto-Close v3.0.0 — the most significant and boldest update yet to the plugin that powers automated comment and ping management on your WordPress site. This release is more than a version bump. It’s a complete rewrite and a modern WordPress plugin through and through.
What’s New in v3.0.0?
1. Codebase Overhaul & Modern Standards
- Fully refactored with PHP 7.4+ features.
- Modular, object-oriented architecture under the
WebberZone\AutoClosenamespace. - Fully compliant with the latest WordPress PHP coding standards.
- Efficient class loading with a dedicated autoloader.
2. Revamped Settings Experience
- The admin UI was rebuilt with the latest version of the WebberZone Settings API.
- Improved admin notices and error handling.
- New settings to block self-pings and custom URLs (see below).
3. New feature: Block Pings
As you can see in the screenshot above, I’ve added two new settings:
- Block Self-Pings: This feature stops WordPress from sending pingbacks to your site when you make internal links between posts or pages. Eliminating unnecessary self-referential pingbacks helps keep your comments section tidy.
- Block Ping URLs: Specify the URLs of sites from which you wish to block pingbacks. This feature allows you to generally maintain open pingbacks while creating a disallowed list for specific domains, offering better control over incoming pingbacks.
4. New: Post-Level Scheduling for Comment and Ping Closure
A new meta box now appears on the post edit screen, giving you granular control over when to close comments and pingbacks/trackbacks for each post.
- You’ll find two fields — one to schedule the closure of comments and another for pings.
- If you set a future date/time, Auto-Close will schedule a WP Cron event to handle it at the specified moment.
- If the selected date/time is past, the plugin instantly closes comments or pings when you save the post.
This feature gives you precise, per-post control — perfect for timed discussions or managing pings from external sources.
How to Upgrade
You can update directly from your WordPress dashboard by navigating to the ‘Plugins’ section and clicking ‘Update’ next to Auto-Close, or you can download it from WordPress.org and install it like any other plugin.
Thank You
Thanks to everyone who provided feedback, bug reports, and feature suggestions. Your support keeps AutoClose evolving.
Got questions or need help? Visit the support forum or drop me a message.