upskill-event-manager/wordpress-dev/MASTER-TRAINER-FIXES-2025-06-17.md

Master Trainer Permission & Navigation Fixes

Date: June 17, 2025
Developer: Ben Reed (ben@tealmaker.com)

Overview

This document summarizes the fixes applied to resolve Master Trainer permission issues, AJAX errors, and navigation problems reported by the user.

Issues Fixed

1. Master Dashboard AJAX 400 Error ✅

Problem: Master dashboard was making AJAX call to hvac_master_dashboard_events but no handler existed.

Solution:

• Added missing AJAX handler registration in includes/class-hvac-community-events.php
• Added ajax_master_dashboard_events() method to handle the AJAX request
• The handler properly checks permissions and returns events table data

Files Modified:

• includes/class-hvac-community-events.php

2. Google Sheets Folder Verification JSON Error ✅

Problem: AJAX call returned "JSON.parse: unexpected character" error.

Solution:

• Fixed incorrect file path in ajax_verify_folder_structure() method
• Added error handling and output buffering
• Temporarily returns mock data until Google Sheets auth is configured
• Prevents PHP errors from breaking JSON response

Files Modified:

• includes/google-sheets/class-google-sheets-admin.php

3. Certificate Reports Permission Error ✅

Problem: Master trainers saw "You do not have permission to view certificate reports."

Solution:

• Fixed capability check from current_user_can('hvac_trainer') to current_user_can('manage_hvac_events')
• Master trainers have the manage_hvac_events capability

Files Modified:

• includes/class-hvac-community-events.php

4. Navigation Links to Old URLs ✅

Problem: Links throughout the plugin pointed to old URLs like /hvac-dashboard/ instead of new hierarchical URLs.

Solution:

• Updated 44+ URL references in template files
• Updated all URLs in includes directory
• Fixed hardcoded links
• Implemented proper URL mapping:
  • /hvac-dashboard/ → /trainer/dashboard/
  • /certificate-reports/ → /trainer/certificate-reports/
  • /generate-certificates/ → /trainer/generate-certificates/
  • And many more...

Files Modified:

• All template files in templates/ directory
• Multiple files in includes/ directory
• clear-test-certificates.php

5. Duplicate/Legacy WordPress Pages ✅

Problem: Multiple duplicate pages existed with old slugs causing confusion.

Solution:

• Deleted 11 duplicate pages (IDs: 5297, 5298, 5299, 5300, 5502, 5503, 5504, 5505, 5517, 5518, 5519)
• Kept only the properly structured hierarchical pages
• Legacy redirect system handles old URLs automatically

6. Google Sheets Redirect Loop ✅

Problem: /master-trainer/google-sheets/ was causing infinite redirect loop.

Solution:

• Added redirect loop prevention in hvac_ce_handle_legacy_redirects() function
• Checks if already on target path before redirecting
• Fixed OAuth callback redirect URLs

Files Modified:

• hvac-community-events.php
• includes/google-sheets/class-google-sheets-auth.php

7. Profile Edit Link ✅

Problem: "Edit Profile" button opened wp-admin in new tab.

Solution:

• Removed target="_blank" from edit profile link
• Now opens in same tab for better UX

Files Modified:

• templates/template-trainer-profile.php

8. Master Dashboard Template Rendering ✅

Problem: Master dashboard had jQuery undefined errors and Quirks Mode.

Solution:

• Added missing get_header() call for authenticated users
• Fixed template structure to include proper WordPress header

Files Modified:

• templates/template-hvac-master-dashboard.php

Technical Details

AJAX Handler Implementation

public function ajax_master_dashboard_events() {
    check_ajax_referer('hvac_master_dashboard_nonce', 'nonce');
    
    if (!current_user_can('view_master_dashboard')) {
        wp_die('Insufficient permissions');
    }
    
    // Load master dashboard data class
    if (!class_exists('HVAC_Master_Dashboard_Data')) {
        require_once HVAC_CE_PLUGIN_DIR . 'includes/class-hvac-master-dashboard-data.php';
    }
    
    $dashboard_data = new HVAC_Master_Dashboard_Data();
    $data = $dashboard_data->get_events_table_data($args);
    
    wp_send_json_success($data);
}

Redirect Loop Prevention

// Get current URL path to prevent redirect loops
$current_path = trim(parse_url($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'], PHP_URL_PATH), '/');
$target_path = $legacy_redirects[$current_slug];

// Skip redirect if we are already on the target path
if ($current_path === $target_path) {
    return;
}

Testing Recommendations

1. Master Dashboard: Verify events table loads without AJAX errors
2. Google Sheets: Check that folder verification shows appropriate message
3. Certificate Reports: Confirm master trainers can access reports
4. Navigation: Test all navigation links go to correct hierarchical URLs
5. Legacy URLs: Verify old URLs redirect properly to new ones

Pending Issues

1. Trainer Documentation Login: Still showing "Please log in to access the documentation" - may need further investigation
2. Google Sheets Authentication: Full folder verification will work once OAuth is configured

Deployment Notes

• All changes are live on staging server
• WordPress cache has been flushed
• No database schema changes required
• Backward compatibility maintained through redirect system