FluentBoards Developers

# What is FluentBoards?

FluentBoards Core Basic

FluentBoards is a Project Management Plugin designed to facilitate collaborative work among team members. It offers the ability to showcase your team’s workflow directly on your WordPress site, eliminating the need for additional tools.

With FluentBoards, you can display your boards within the WordPress backend or on the front-end portal of your website. Packed with essential features, FluentBoards ensures seamless project planning and execution.

# What You Can Really Do / Extend

FluentBoards is a developer powerhouse. Think of these as capability lanes you can mix & match:

🧭

Custom Menus & UI Surfaces

Add global navigation items, per‑board menu drawers, modal panels or extra task tabs without touching core.

fluent_boards/menu_items fluent_boards/board_menu_items fluent_boards/task_tabs
🧪

Data Validation & Transformation

Enforce business rules, inject defaults, or reshape payloads before they persist to the database.

fluent_boards/before_task_create fluent_boards/before_create_board fluent_boards/uploaded_file_name_prefix
⚡️

Reactive Automations

Listen to lifecycle events & trigger notifications, syncing, scoring or downstream processes.

fluent_boards/task_created fluent_boards/stage_updated fluent_boards/task_due_date_changed
🌐

Headless / External Apps

Build dashboards, reporting layers or mobile apps over REST & Webhooks. Perfect for multi‑site orchestration.

GET /boards POST /tasks webhooks
🎨

Branding & UX Polish

Adjust email header/footer, add priorities, reorder tabs, change logos, tailor copy & micro‑interactions.

fluent_boards/email_header fluent_boards/task_priorities fluent_boards/email_footer
🚀

Scale with Confidence

Move from a 5‑line hook to full multi‑module integrations safely—keep everything in a separate add‑on plugin.

Hooks API Helper Functions Services

No core edits. Clean upgrade path. Compose capabilities like building blocks.

Notes

The FluentBoards Developer Docs are the powerhouse for customization and extension of the FluentBoards app: one unified source for UI injections, data shaping, workflow automation, and cross‑platform integrations built on stable hooks, helper APIs, and a modern REST layer.

1. Explore the Data Model

Start with the Database Schema & learn how boards, stages and tasks relate to each other.

2. Try the REST API

Use the REST API to fetch or create tasks from external services and automate workflows.

3. Extend via Hooks

Tap into Action & Filter hooks to modify default behavior cleanly.

4. Use Helper Functions

Speed up development with ready helpers & APIs listed under Global Functions.

# Requirements

Component Recommended Minimum
PHP 8.1+ 7.4
WordPress 6.4+ 5.9
MySQL 5.7+ / MariaDB 10.3+ 5.6
Web Server Nginx / Apache (mod_rewrite) *

Ensure WP_DEBUG is enabled on development sites for better error visibility.

# Install (Developer Flow)

  1. Install the public plugin (Core or Pro) through the WP dashboard or by placing it into wp-content/plugins/.
  2. Activate it in Plugins → Installed Plugins.
  3. (Optional) For local development run build tools inside a clone of the plugin repository (if contributing core code).
  4. Create a custom integration plugin (recommended) rather than editing core.

# Minimal Add‑On Boilerplate

<?php
/**
 * Plugin Name: FluentBoards Dev Sample
 * Description: Demo extension showing how to hook into task creation.
 */

add_action('plugins_loaded', function() {
	// Safety: only run if FluentBoards is active
	if(!defined('FLUENT_BOARDS')) {
		return; 
	}

	// Example: append a suffix to every new task title
	add_action('fluent_boards/task_created', function($task){
		// $task is an Eloquent-like model instance
		$task->title = $task->title . ' ✅';
		$task->save();
	});
});
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Drop that file in its own directory under wp-content/plugins/fluentboards-dev-sample/fluentboards-dev-sample.php and activate.

# FluentBoards Versions

FluentBoards comes in different versions:

FluentBoards Core is a free WordPress plugin. A Board serves as a centralized hub for organizing workflow-related information. Whether you’re initiating a new project, planning, or managing ongoing tasks, the board provides a comprehensive overview of your team’s progress..

FluentBoards Pro is a paid version that adds a number of advanced features and options not found in the free version. It includes additional features such as: adding attachments to tasks, subtasks, custom fields, and more.

# Core Entities (Glossary)

Entity Description Key Attributes
Board Top level container for workflow id, title, statuses, visibility
Stage A column / pipeline step within a board id, board_id, position
Task Work item that moves across stages id, board_id, stage_id, assignees, status
Label Color coded tag for grouping tasks id, name, color
Comment Discussion entry on a task id, task_id, user_id, content
Webhook Outbound event trigger id, event, url

Understanding these first reduces debugging time later.

# Directory Structure

├── app
│   ├── Api         # contains PHP API Utility classes
│   └── Functions   # contains global functions
│   └── Hooks       # actions and filters handlers
│   └── Http        # REST API routes, controllers, policies
│   └── Models      # Database Molders
│   └── Services    # Module Services
│   └── views       # php view files
│   └── App.php
│
├── assets          # contains css,js, media files
├── boot            # [internal] contains plugin boot files
├── config          # [internal] contains plugin framework top level config
├── database        # [internal] Database migration files
├── includes        # [internal] Old Framework deprecated classes
├── language        # [internal] Language Files
├── vendor          # [internal] Core Framework Files
│
└── fluent-boards.php  # Plugin entry File
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# Development Environment (Short List)

Need Recommended
Code Editor VS Code / PhpStorm
Local Site wp-env, Lando, DDEV, Laravel Herd, Valet, or any AMP stack
Debug WP_DEBUG + (optional) Xdebug
API Tests curl / Postman / Bruno
Versioning Git (keep add‑ons separate)

TIP

Keep custom code in a separate plugin so updates never overwrite your work.

# Community & Support

Need something else? Open a support ticket or propose an idea in the community portal.

# When to Use What

  • User-facing configuration question → User Docs
  • Building / extending via code → Developer Docs & Hooks sections
  • Suspected bug → Reproduce on clean install, then open issue / ticket
  • Integration idea / enhancement → Feature request channel

# Contributing Improvements

Small wording fixes, examples, and missing hook docs are welcome. Use the "Edit this page" link to submit a PR. Keep examples minimal & runnable.

# REST API Authentication

By default endpoints are namespaced under: /wp-json/fluent-boards/v1/.

Use one of:

  1. Cookie + Nonce (browser / WP admin context) – send X-WP-Nonce header.
  2. Application Passwords (Basic Auth) – for server-to-server integrations.
  3. OAuth / JWT (custom) – implement your own auth layer via hooks if needed.

Example (Application Password) request:

curl -u user:app_password \
	https://example.com/wp-json/fluent-boards/v1/boards
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# Create a Task (Examples)

# Via REST

curl -u user:app_password \
	-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
	-d '{
				"board_id": 12,
				"stage_id": 45,
				"title": "Research API Endpoints",
				"description": "Collect requirements and draft spec"
			}' \
	https://example.com/wp-json/fluent-boards/v1/tasks
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# Via PHP (Inside Your Add‑On)

use FluentBoards\App\Models\Task;

$task = Task::create([
		'board_id'    => 12,
		'stage_id'    => 45,
		'title'       => 'Research API Endpoints',
		'description' => 'Collect requirements and draft spec',
		'created_by'  => get_current_user_id(),
]);
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# Debug Tips

  • Enable query log: define FB_DEBUG_SQL true (if available) or use standard WP SAVEQUERIES.
  • Use the browser network panel to inspect REST payloads your own UI triggers.
  • Log hook payloads: error_log(print_r($task->toArray(), true));

Need something not covered here? Open an issue or PR via the Edit link at the top of the page.