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Lantern Span People Directory

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Lantern Span People Directory

by lanternspansoftware

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Description

Lantern Span People Directory provides a straightforward way to publish a professional people directory on WordPress.

Add each person from the WordPress administration area, upload a profile photo, enter contact information, and publish. Visitors can browse responsive horizontal cards, search by name, email, or phone number, and open a complete profile with the person’s address and biography.

The plugin is useful for churches, businesses, nonprofits, clubs, schools, associations, volunteer groups, boards, teams, and other organizations that need a simple photo and contact directory.

Directory features

  • Person name
  • Profile photo using the WordPress Media Library
  • Role or title
  • Email address
  • Phone number
  • Address
  • Long-form biography or additional information
  • Search by name, email address, or phone number
  • Email and phone displayed directly on directory cards
  • Responsive horizontal cards
  • Two cards per row on wide screens with automatic responsive fallbacks
  • Optional A-Z navigation and visible letter section headings
  • Alphabetical ordering by last name or first name
  • Individual profile views
  • Logged-in-only or public directory access
  • Lantern Span People Directory block
  • [lantern_span_people_directory] shortcode
  • Automatic Directory page creation during activation
  • Search-engine noindex directives on directory pages

Profiles are stored as a private WordPress custom post type. They are displayed through the directory page and are not directly queryable as public WordPress posts.

Lantern Span People Directory is fully functional on its own. Its directory features do not require payment, a subscription, a license, or a Freemius account. The optional Freemius connection provides upgrade, account, licensing, and product-update services.

Privacy

The default access setting is “Logged-in WordPress users only.” Administrators can switch the directory to public access under People Directory > Settings.

Public mode displays the saved information for every published profile, including the email address and phone number shown on each directory card. Only enter and publish personal information that your organization is authorized to share. The free edition does not provide field-by-field privacy controls.

Profile photos are ordinary WordPress Media Library files. Restricting the directory page to logged-in users does not make the underlying media-file URLs private.

Directory profiles and photos remain in the site’s WordPress database and Media Library. They are not sent to Freemius.

Lantern Span People Directory Pro

Lantern Span People Directory Pro is a separately distributed commercial add-on with households, stronger privacy controls, logged-in profile-update approvals, reusable directories, spreadsheet imports, PDF tools, and reporting.

The free plugin does not contain locked premium code or usage limits. Choosing an upgrade or trial opens the Freemius purchase and licensing flow; Pro code is delivered separately to licensed customers.

External Services

This plugin includes the Freemius SDK to provide optional product opt-in, upgrade and pricing pages, checkout, licensing, account management, update delivery, and deactivation feedback.

The free directory works without connecting to Freemius. Freemius may receive site, administrator, WordPress environment, and plugin-usage information only after an administrator explicitly opts in, or information needed to fulfill an administrator’s direct interaction with upgrade, checkout, trial, licensing, account, update, or deactivation-feedback features. Directory profile fields, contact details, biographies, and photos are not sent to Freemius.

This service is provided by Freemius, Inc. See the Freemius website, privacy policy, and terms of service:

  • https://freemius.com/
  • https://freemius.com/privacy/
  • https://freemius.com/terms/
  1. Upload the lantern-span-people-directory folder to /wp-content/plugins/, or install the ZIP through Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin.
  2. Activate Lantern Span People Directory.
  3. Open People Directory > Add New and create a profile.
  4. Enter the person’s name, directory information, biography, and profile photo.
  5. Publish the profile.
  6. Open the Directory page created during activation.
  7. Review People Directory > Settings to choose directory access, first-name or last-name alphabetization, optional A-Z organization, and profiles per page.

The directory can also be added to another page with the Lantern Span People Directory block or this shortcode:

[lantern_span_people_directory]

Optional shortcode example:

[lantern_span_people_directory per_page="36" sort_by="last_name"]

Supported per-page values are 12, 24, 36, and 48. The optional sort_by value can be last_name or first_name.

  1. A clean, searchable people directory with profile photographs and contact information.

    A clean, searchable people directory with profile photographs and contact information.

  2. An individual profile with contact details, role, and biography.

    An individual profile with contact details, role, and biography.

  3. Manage directory members from the WordPress administration area.

    Manage directory members from the WordPress administration area.

  4. Add or edit a person using the detailed profile editor.

    Add or edit a person using the detailed profile editor.

  5. Customize directory sorting and display options from the settings page.

    Customize directory sorting and display options from the settings page.

What information appears on the main directory page?

Each published card shows a square profile photo with the name, role or title, email address, phone number, and View Profile link. Two cards appear per row on wide screens, with responsive layouts for smaller screens.

What fields can visitors search?

The search box matches names, email addresses, and phone numbers. Phone searches ignore common punctuation, so a digits-only search can match a formatted number.

Can the directory be alphabetized by first name or last name?

Yes. Choose Last name or First name under People Directory > Settings. The selection controls card order and, when A-Z organization is enabled, the navigation and visible letter headings. Names continue to display exactly as entered.

Can I hide the A-Z navigation and letter headings?

Yes. Turn off A-Z organization under People Directory > Settings. Profiles remain sorted, but they appear in one continuous grid without the alphabet bar or section headings.

How does the plugin identify a last name?

It uses the final meaningful word of a normal full name and ignores common suffixes such as Jr., Sr., II, and III. Names entered in Last, First form use the text before the comma as the last name. The original displayed name is not changed.

Can I enter a long biography?

Yes. The biography uses the WordPress editor and has no plugin character limit. Biography content is formatted without recursively applying the page’s complete content-filter stack.

Can visitors view the directory without signing in?

Yes. The default is logged-in users only, but an administrator can select public access under People Directory > Settings.

Does this version connect people into families or households?

No. The free edition is an individual photo and contact directory. Family and household relationships are available in Lantern Span People Directory Pro.

Can people edit their own profiles?

No. WordPress administrators manage directory profiles in this version.

Does this version require payment, a subscription, or an external account?

No. All free directory features work without payment, a subscription, license activation, or a Freemius account. A Freemius account and license are used only when an administrator chooses a Pro purchase or trial.

Does the plugin send information to another website?

The directory itself is local and does not send profile or photo data elsewhere. The bundled Freemius SDK communicates with Freemius when an administrator explicitly opts in or uses upgrade, checkout, trial, licensing, account, update, or deactivation-feedback features. See External Services for details.

What happens to my directory if I remove the plugin?

Profiles, photos, and settings are preserved during uninstall to reduce the risk of accidental data loss. Reinstalling the plugin restores access to those records. Delete profiles manually before uninstalling if permanent removal is required.

Can I place the directory on more than one page?

Yes. Add the Lantern Span People Directory block or [lantern_span_people_directory] shortcode to any page. The selected Directory Page setting is used for profile links and the default directory location.

Why are directory pages marked noindex?

Directories can contain personal information. The plugin asks search engines not to index, follow, or archive directory pages. Access controls remain the primary privacy protection.

1.0.1

  • Added optional Freemius upgrade, account, licensing, and Pro update integration.
  • Added coordinated Free and Pro activation using the official WordPress.org and premium plugin slugs.
  • Documented the Freemius external service and data handling.
  • Preserved every free directory feature without usage limits.

1.0.0

  • Initial public release.
  • Added private directory profiles with photos, contact information, addresses, and long-form biographies.
  • Added responsive horizontal cards, individual profile views, and two-column desktop layouts.
  • Added search by name, email address, and phone number.
  • Added optional A-Z navigation and first-name or last-name ordering.
  • Added logged-in-only and public access settings.
  • Added a dynamic directory block, shortcode, and automatically created Directory page.
  • Added search-engine noindex directives for directory pages.
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