User Dashboard Addon

The User Dashboard Addon is a powerful tool designed to create a personalized experience for your attendees and organizers. It provides a dedicated profile page where users can manage their purchased tickets, track registered events, view financial reports, and edit their personal information. By integrating this addon, you offer a seamless way for users to log in, buy tickets, and stay organized within your event ecosystem.

Initial Setup

To begin using the User Dashboard, ensure your environment meets the necessary requirements and follow these installation steps:

Requirements

• MEC Pro or Lite: While the addon works with both, certain features like the Ticket section and booking-related tools are exclusive to MEC Pro.
• Activation: Ensure both Modern Events Calendar and the User Dashboard Addon are installed and activated on your WordPress site.

Step-by-Step Installation

1. Generate the Shortcode: Navigate to MEC Settings > General Settings. Locate the new User Dashboard menu and copy the shortcode:

[MEC_user_dashboard]

2. Create the Dashboard Page: Create a new page in WordPress (preferably a full-height layout) and paste the [MEC_user_dashboard] shortcode into the content area.

3. Link the Page in Settings: Go to MEC Settings > User Dashboard. From the User Dashboard Page dropdown menu, select the page you just created.

4. Save and Refresh: Click Save Changes. If you have just created the page, refresh it to ensure all settings are correctly applied.

Configuring Your Dashboard

Once the initial setup is complete, you can customize how the dashboard functions and what information is displayed to your users.

Date and Time Formatting

You can specify how dates and times appear on the dashboard’s modules to match your site’s regional settings.

• Date Format: Define the specific date display format for the dashboard.

• Time Format: Set the 12-hour or 24-hour time display for the dashboard.

Managing Visible Sections

The User Dashboard Sections setting allows you to toggle specific tabs on or off based on what your users need. You can enable or disable:

• Edit Profile: Allows users to update personal details.
• Tickets: Displays purchased tickets.
• Waiting list: Shows the user’s status on event waiting lists (Only appears if the Waiting List Addon is active).
• RSVPs: Displays event response data (Only appears if the RSVP Addon is active).
• Events: Shows registered or submitted events.
• Organizers/Speakers: Provides access for assigned organizers and speakers to edit their info.
• Reports: Displays sales data and financial graphs.

The Dashboard Management Hub

The user interface is divided into functional zones that allow users to navigate their data easily.

Dashboard Layout Overview

• Box A (Navigation): This sidebar provides quick access to the different sections you enabled in the settings (e.g., Profile, Tickets, Reports).
• Box B (Activity): This area redirects users specifically to their active Tickets and Events sections.
• Box C (Profile Management): In this area, users can update their email, website, first name, last name, and profile image.

The Ticket Section

In this hub, attendees can manage their bookings with the following actions:

• Status & Date: Check the current status of a booking and the event date.
• Downloads: Download invoices directly from the dashboard.
• Navigation: Access Google Maps Street View and directions if the event has a set location.
• Attendee List: View and export the list of other attendees for that event.
• Cancellations: Cancel purchased tickets if allowed.

The Waiting List Section

When the Waiting List Addon is active and enabled in settings, users gain a view of their pending registrations.

• Confirmation Status: Users can check if their spot on the waiting list has been “Confirmed” or “Verified”.
• Actionable Tasks: Provides a quick view of event dates and specific actions allowed for waiting list entries.

The RSVP Section

When the RSVP Addon is active and enabled in settings, users can manage their responses in this dedicated hub.

• Response Tracking: Users can see if they responded “Yes” to an event and view the number of attendees they registered.
• Status & Expiry: Monitor whether an RSVP is still “Active” or has “Expired”.

The Event Section

For users with permission to manage events, this section offers:

• Add New Event: Access the Front-end Event Submission (FES) form to create new listings.
• Edit & Delete: Modify or remove events, provided the administrator has not hidden these links in Events Sections Settings.

The Report Section

Organizers can view critical data regarding their events:

• Sales Data: View the total number of tickets sold and total revenue earned.

• Visual Analytics: Review two interactive graphs for Sales and Payment Gateways, which can be filtered by specific dates.

User Access & Permissions

Controlling who can see the dashboard and what they can do is essential for security and site management.

Requiring Login to Book

To ensure users are logged in before they can purchase tickets:

1. Navigate to MEC Settings > Booking > Advanced.

2. Enable the option Display Booking section only for Logged in users on the single event page.

3. Per-Event Control: Alternatively, you can enable this for specific events by going to the event’s Limitation for Users tab within the Booking section.

4. Per-Shortcode Control: Alternatively, you can enable this for specific shortcodes by going to your desired shortcode’s page and enabling the option to require user login to view the shortcode

Assigning Speakers and Organizers

To give a user permission to edit their Speaker or Organizer profile:

1. Go to the Speaker or Organizer sub-menu in MEC.
2. Create a new profile or edit an existing one.
3. Search for the existing WordPress user and assign them to that profile.

Once assigned, the selected user will be able to access and edit their own Speaker or Organizer information via the User Dashboard Addon.

Important:

If you need to change the user assigned to a Speaker or Organizer profile, you must return to the same profile where the user was originally assigned and remove (unset) the current user first. After that, you can assign a different user to that profile.

Integrations & Customization

Addon Synergy (RSVP & Waiting List)

The User Dashboard dynamically expands its functionality when combined with other MEC addons. If the RSVP Addon or Waiting List Addon are installed and active, their respective management menus automatically become available in the User Dashboard Sections settings.

WooCommerce Integration

If you are using WooCommerce, the User Dashboard Addon can integrate directly with the WooCommerce My Account page. This allows users to view their MEC tickets, events, and reports alongside their standard WooCommerce order history.

Use Cases (When This Addon is Useful)

• Membership & Subscription Sites: Perfect for sites that require users to have a dedicated profile to track their ongoing event registrations and history.
• Multi-Organizer Marketplaces: Ideal for platforms where multiple organizers submit their own events and need a “Report” hub to track their sales and revenue.
• Large-Scale Events with FES: Useful when you want to allow VIP attendees or partners to submit and manage their own event listings from the front end.
• Events with High Demand: When used with the Waiting List Addon, it allows users to monitor their status for sold-out events directly from their profile.
• RSVP-Driven Events: When used with the RSVP Addon, it provides a central hub for users to manage their event responses and attendance status

Situations This Addon May Not Be Ideal

• Simple One-Time Events: If you are hosting a single event where attendees do not need to log in or track history, the dashboard may add unnecessary complexity.
• Non-WordPress Environments: This addon is built specifically for WordPress and requires Modern Events Calendar.
• Advanced Multi-Step Payment Workflows: While it displays payment gateway graphs, it is not designed to handle complex, multi-currency accounting outside of the MEC ecosystem.

Troubleshooting for Beginners

• Dashboard is Empty: Ensure you have actually placed the [MEC_user_dashboard] shortcode on the page and that you are logged in with a user account that has purchased tickets or submitted events.
• Missing Tabs (RSVP/Waiting List): If you cannot see the RSVPs or Waiting list options, ensure the corresponding addons are installed and active on your site.
• Missing Tabs: If you cannot see the “Reports” or “Tickets” tab, go to MEC Settings > User Dashboard and verify that those sections are enabled under User Dashboard Sections.
• Edit Links Not Visible: If organizers cannot edit their events, check the Events Sections Settings to ensure the “Hide edit link” option is not accidentally enabled.
• Permissions Issues: Ensure users have the correct WordPress roles (Subscriber, Contributor, etc.) to perform actions like event submission.

FAQ

1: What are the requirements for using the User Dashboard Addon?

You need to have both MEC (Modern Events Calendar) and the User Dashboard Addon installed and activated. You also need MEC Pro.

2: What is the purpose of the User Dashboard Addon?

The User Dashboard Addon allows you to create a specific page for each user that contains information about their purchased tickets, registered events, and more. Users can log in to buy tickets and manage their information.

3: Where can I find the User Dashboard Addon shortcode?

After activating the addon, go to the General Settings section of MEC, where a new menu option will appear. Copy the shortcode from there. The shortcode is [MEC_user_dashboard].

4: Where do I place the User Dashboard shortcode?

The shortcode [MEC_user_dashboard] should be placed on a page, preferably one that is full height. Then, you must select this page from the User Dashboard Page dropdown in the MEC settings. This is how users can access their dashboard.

5: How do I specify the date and time format on the user dashboard page?

In the User Dashboard settings, you can specify both the date format and the time format that will be displayed on the dashboard page.

6: What can users see in their User Dashboard?

Users can see information about their purchased tickets, registered events, and more. They can also access sections for editing their profile, viewing tickets, managing events, and reports.

7: Can users edit their profile information in the dashboard?

Yes, users can enter and edit general profile information, such as website, email, first name, last name, and profile image.

8: Can I customize the sections visible to users in their dashboards?

Yes, you can manage which sections (e.g., Edit Profile, Tickets, Events, Organizers, Speakers, Reports) are accessible to users by configuring the settings in MEC Settings > User Dashboard. 

9: How do I display events to the organizer who published them?

In the User Dashboard settings, enable the “Show events to organizer” option to display the events to the organizer who has published them.

10: Can users edit events through the dashboard?

Yes, if they have the necessary permissions, users can edit events by selecting “Edit Event” in the Events section of the dashboard. They must also have the appropriate WordPress role with sufficient access rights.

11: Can users delete events through the dashboard?

Yes, users can delete events by selecting “Remove Event” in the Events section of the dashboard. Administrators can hide the edit and delete links in the Events section through the User Dashboard settings if needed.

12: What actions can users perform in the Ticket section?

In the Ticket section, users can cancel purchased tickets, use Google’s Map, download invoices, view the list of attendees, check booked ticket status and date, and visit the event’s page.

13: How can users cancel their bookings?

Users can cancel their bookings through a link in their confirmation email or through their booked tickets in the user dashboard.

14: Can users see their booking history?

Yes, the user dashboard displays the tickets and events purchased by the logged-in user.

15: How do I assign a user as an organizer or speaker?

Navigate to the Organizers or Speakers submenu in MEC, create a new organizer or speaker (or edit an existing one), and assign the desired user by searching for their username. 

16: Can assigned speakers or organizers edit their information?

Yes, users assigned as speakers or organizers can edit their information on the organizer/speaker tab of their dashboard.

17: Is it possible to require users to log in before booking events?

You can enable the “Display Booking section only for Logged-in users in single event page” option in MEC Settings > Booking > Advanced tab, or in the specific event’s settings under the Limitation for Users tab.

18: How can a user submit a new event through the dashboard?

In the Event section, users can add new events if they have been given permission, similar to Front-end Events Submission.

19: What kind of reports are available in the dashboard?

The Reports section provides users with data on total tickets sold and revenue earned from ticket sales. Users can filter this information by event name and date, and view graphs displaying sales and payment gateway distributions.

20: How does the User Dashboard Addon integrate with WooCommerce?

When using WooCommerce, the User Dashboard Addon can display user profiles, tickets, events, and reports within the WooCommerce “My Account” page, providing a seamless experience for users.