upskill-event-manager/wordpress-dev/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/hvac-community-events/docs/dashboard-improvements.md

Dashboard UI & UX Improvements

This document details the improvements made to the Trainer Dashboard UI and UX functionality.

Summary of Improvements

1. Stats Section Layout Enhancement

   • Changed from column layout to row layout
   • Improved visual balance and space utilization
   • Responsive design that adapts to different screen sizes

2. Dynamic Event Filtering

   • Added AJAX-based filtering without page reload
   • Improved user experience when filtering events
   • Added loading indicators for better feedback
   • Maintained URL parameters for direct linking to filtered views

Technical Implementation

Row Layout for Stats Section

The stats section previously used a column-based grid layout that did not effectively utilize horizontal space. The updated design:

• Uses flexbox row layout for better horizontal distribution
• Maintains consistent card height and spacing
• Scales appropriately on different screen sizes
• Wraps to multiple rows on mobile devices

.hvac-stats-row {
    display: flex;
    flex-direction: row;
    flex-wrap: wrap;
    margin: -10px;
    justify-content: space-between;
    align-items: stretch;
}

.hvac-stat-col {
    flex: 1;
    min-width: 160px;
    padding: 10px;
}

Dynamic Event Filtering

Events table filtering previously required a full page reload when changing filters. The new implementation:

1. Uses JavaScript to intercept filter button clicks
2. Makes AJAX requests to the server for filtered data
3. Updates the table DOM with the new data
4. Updates the URL using the History API for bookmarking

// On filter button click
$('.hvac-event-filters a').on('click', function(e) {
    e.preventDefault();
    // Get filter status from data attribute
    const status = $(this).data('status');
    
    // Display loading indicator
    $('.hvac-events-table-wrapper').append('<div class="hvac-loading">Filtering events...</div>');
    
    // AJAX request to get filtered events
    $.ajax({
        url: hvac_dashboard.ajax_url,
        type: 'POST',
        data: {
            action: 'hvac_filter_events',
            status: status,
            nonce: hvac_dashboard.nonce
        },
        success: function(response) {
            // Update table with filtered data
            $('.hvac-events-table-wrapper').html(response.data.html);
            
            // Update URL for bookmarking
            updateUrl(status);
        }
    });
});

Server-Side Handler

A PHP handler was implemented to process AJAX requests:

add_action('wp_ajax_hvac_filter_events', 'hvac_filter_events_handler');

function hvac_filter_events_handler() {
    // Verify nonce and user permissions
    
    // Get filtered events data
    $events = get_filtered_events(get_current_user_id(), $_POST['status']);
    
    // Generate HTML for response
    $html = generate_events_table_html($events);
    
    // Send JSON response
    wp_send_json_success(['html' => $html]);
}

Testing

Automated Tests

The dashboard improvements are verified by Playwright E2E tests that confirm:

1. Stats are displayed in a row layout
2. Filter buttons update the event table dynamically
3. URL parameters are updated correctly
4. All filter statuses work as expected

// Test stats row layout
test('Stats section should display in a row layout', async ({ page }) => {
    await expect(page.locator('.hvac-stats-row')).toBeVisible();
    const columnCount = await page.locator('.hvac-stat-col').count();
    expect(columnCount).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(4);
});

// Test dynamic filtering
test('Event filters should dynamically update events table without page reload', async ({ page }) => {
    await page.click('a:has-text("Draft")');
    // Check filter is working without reload
    // ...
});

Manual Testing

Manual testing verified:

• Visual appearance on multiple screen sizes
• Smooth interaction when filtering
• No flicker during table updates
• Proper loading indicators
• Browser back button functionality

Benefits

1. Improved User Experience

   • No page reloads when filtering events
   • Better visual organization of statistics
   • More responsive interface

2. Performance Improvements

   • Reduced server load from fewer full page requests
   • Faster filtering operations
   • Only the necessary data is transferred

3. Maintainability

   • Better separation of concerns (PHP/JS)
   • More maintainable CSS using flexbox
   • Unit tests to prevent regressions

Future Improvements

1. Adding animation transitions for filter changes
2. Implementing server-side caching for filtered data
3. Adding sort functionality to the events table