XenCustomize Events Manager 2.3.8 Released!​

This update introduces a new “Rating options” control, allowing administrators to fully manage how ratings and reviews work across the site — including the ability to completely disable them if desired.

It also brings a range of visual and functional enhancements, including new Ended labels and ribbons, improved event status logic, and a refreshed default event image for better consistency with look and feel.

Thanks for valuable feedback and suggestions that inspired several improvements in this release! For full details, please check the changelog and documentation threads.

• Added a new admin option: Rating options → Allow event ratings.
• When enabled, users with the appropriate permissions can submit ratings and reviews.
• When disabled, the rating feature is completely turned off, including hiding rating-related options in event create/edit forms and preventing rating submissions globally.
• Note: the global Allow event ratings option works together with user-group permissions — to fully disable ratings and reviews you must also set all rating/review permissions for relevant user groups to No.

• Require a review when rating events – Users must submit a review when rating an event.
• Prevent ratings before event starts – Users cannot rate or review events before they begin.
• These options are not new but are now nested under the Rating options toggle to simplify configuration.

• Ratings open and Require RSVP for Rating options now only appear when Allow event ratings is enabled.
• If Allow event ratings is unchecked, these options are removed for a cleaner form and to prevent accidental ratings.

• The canRate() method now respects the global Allow event ratings setting.
• Users cannot rate events if ratings are disabled, and an appropriate error message is returned: xcu_evm_event_ratings_disabled.

• Reorganized all admin options into tabbed sections for easier navigation:
  • General options
  • Event options
  • Calendar options
  • Location options
  • RSVP options
  • Reviews options
  • Extra. options

• Improved logic for event status indicators — Active status now only displays if the event is active and not in the past.
• Added a new “Ended” label on event list display mode for completed events.
• Added a “Ended” meta part on event grid display mode (shown alongside attendees count, active, repeating, private, rating, and review info).
• Added a “Ended” folded corner ribbon with overlay effect on the event card grid display mode.
• Added a “Ended” label on event page header area (where Ongoing, Featured, and other labels appear).
• Updated and recolored the default event image for better consistency with the addon’s branding.

• Enhanced default image handling — now automatically used wherever an event image is missing, including:
• Event card grid display mode
• Event list display mode
• Event page header area

• Updated controller and templates to reflect the new nested rating option structure.
• Simplified the logic for preventing ratings before event start by checking the dependent option under new Rating options.
• Minor code refactoring for consistency.

Tabbed admin options interface

Event view - Ended label

Event grid - “Ended” folded corner ribbon & default event image

Event list - Ended ribbon

Screenshots of the new "Rating options".

List display mode - event image

Event view - Default event image

Events Manager v2.3.7.1 is here!​

This maintenance release focuses on improving the installation experience for new users. It resolves a few critical issues that prevented a smooth and complete setup of the new rating and review features introduced in v2.3.7. We strongly recommend all new and existing users update to this version for the best performance and stability.

Bug Fixes​

• Improved the installation process to ensure all required tables for the new rating and review system are correctly created.
• Ensured the review count column is properly added to the user table during new installations.

XenCustomize Events Manager 2.3.7 is a major release focused on delivering a complete and robust event rating and review system. This long-awaited feature, which was months in development, is fully integrated into XenForo's core functionality, enabling users to leave detailed feedback with star ratings, text reviews, image uploads, and custom titles. The update also introduces a new custom fields system specifically for reviews and enhances the event experience with a recommendation feature that includes visual summaries of recent recommenders.

Beyond user-facing features, this release provides administrators with powerful new tools for moderation and control. Reviews are fully integrated with XenForo's moderation queue and support a wide range of permissions, from controlling who can rate an event to managing review content. With new options to require RSVPs or limit submissions until an event has started, 2.3.7 not only boosts community engagement and interaction but also gives you a more informative and trustworthy platform for your events.

Please see the changelog below and visit the provided links for detailed documentation, including screenshots of each new feature.

• Introduced a full-fledged rating and review system, allowing users to submit 5-star ratings and detailed text reviews.
• Reviews are fully integrated with core XenForo features, including Approval Queue, Alerts, Warnings, Inline Moderation, Search Results, Attachments, Content Voting, Edit History, Embed Resolver, Moderator Log, News Feed & Latest Activity, Reports, and the Reactions System.
• New Admin Options:
  • Reviews per page: Controls the number of reviews displayed per page.
  • Review title options: Controls whether users can add titles to reviews, and if a title is required.
  • Require a review when rating events: Forces users to write a text review with their star rating.
  • Minimum event review length: Sets the minimum character count for reviews.
  • Maximum review length: Defines the maximum character limit for reviews.
• New User Group Permissions:
  • View reviews: Allows viewing event ratings and reviews.
  • Rate/Review events: Allows submitting new ratings and reviews.
  • Rate/Review own events: Allows rating/reviewing self-organized events.
  • Submit reviews without approval: Allows bypassing moderation queues.
  • Review events multiple times: Allows submitting more than one review per event.

• Introduced the ability for users to add a title to each rating and review, providing greater context and readability. Titles are displayed with the review on event pages.
• Added a new Review title options admin setting that provides three choices:
  • Optional: The title field is displayed but not required.
  • Title required: The title field is mandatory for all reviews.
  • Disable review titles: The title field is completely hidden from the review form.

• Added a new custom field system specifically for event reviews, enabling you to create additional fields to collect specific information.
• Supports all standard XenForo custom field features, including different field types (text, radio, checkboxes, etc.), and advanced display options.
• Custom fields can be configured to appear in one of two display locations: "Above review" or "Below review."
• Fields can be associated with specific event categories, allowing for unique review fields per category.

• Added a new public navigation link, "Latest reviews", leading to a dedicated page (/events/latest-reviews). This page displays all latest reviews and allows users to quickly upvote/downvote.
• Integrated event rating averages and review counts on the Events Index page for both List and Card Grid display modes, showing (stars with avg numbers e.g., 4.75) and (reviews count e.g., 6 Reviews) linked to the event's reviews tab.

• Introduced configurable voting (upvoting/downvoting) for event reviews, controlled via admin options and user group permissions.
• New Admin Option:
  • Allow review voting: Determines if upvoting/downvoting, upvoting only, or no voting are enabled.
• New User Group Permissions:
  • Vote on event reviews: Allows upvoting/downvoting reviews.

• Introduced standard XenForo reactions for event reviews, controlled via user group permission.
• New User Group Permission:
  • React to reviews: Allows using standard XenForo reactions.

• Enabled attachments for event reviews, allowing users to upload images and videos.
• New Admin Options:
  • Allowed review attachment file extensions: Defines acceptable file types.
  • Maximum review attachment file size (KB): Sets the size limit for attachments.
• New User Group Permissions:
  • View review attachments: Allows viewing attachments in reviews.
  • Upload attachments to reviews: Allows uploading general files.
  • Upload videos to reviews: Allows uploading video files.

• Added the ability for users to mark events as "recommended" when submitting a review.
• Implemented a public recommendation statistic displayed on event pages (e.g., "X% of reviewers recommend this event").
• Introduced a visual summary of the most recent recommenders, displaying up to 5 user avatars.
• Added an overlay that shows the full list of all members who recommended the event, accessible by clicking the "and X others" link.
• New Admin Option:
  • Enable event recommendations: Controls visibility of the recommendation option and statistic.
• New User Group Permission:
  • Include recommendation with reviews: Allows users to use the recommendation option.

• Added an admin option ("Prevent ratings before event starts") to restrict event rating and review submissions for events that have not yet begun, ensuring feedback is based on actual participation.
• New Admin Option:
  • Prevent ratings before event starts: Prevents reviews for future events (defaults to enabled).

• Implemented an event-level option ("Ratings open") to individually enable or disable new rating and review submissions for any specific event. This option defaults to enabled for existing events upon upgrade.

• Added an event-level option ("Require RSVP for Rating") to restrict rating and review submissions exclusively to users who have RSVP'd as 'Attending' or 'Maybe' for that event. This option defaults to disabled for existing events upon upgrade.

• Introduced user-level capabilities for editing and deleting their own submitted reviews, with a configurable time limit.
• New Admin Option:
  • Time limit on editing/deleting own reviews (minutes): Sets the duration users can edit/delete their reviews.
• New User Group Permissions:
  • Edit own review: Allows editing personal reviews.
  • Delete own review: Allows deleting personal reviews.

• Added extensive moderator tools for comprehensive review control, including inline moderation, dedicated approval and deletion queues, and the ability to approve/unapprove, edit, delete, undelete, hard delete, and issue warnings on any review.
• New Admin Option:
  • Recent event reviews count: Controls the number of recent reviews displayed (e.g., in widgets).
• New User Group Permissions:
  • Use inline moderation on reviews: Grants access to inline moderation.
  • View unapproved reviews: Allows viewing reviews in the approval queue.
  • View deleted reviews: Allows viewing soft-deleted reviews.
  • Approve / unapprove reviews: Allows changing review approval status.
  • Edit any review: Allows editing any review.
  • Delete any review: Allows soft-deleting any review.
  • Undelete reviews: Allows restoring soft-deleted reviews.
  • Hard delete any review: Allows permanent deletion of reviews.
  • Give warnings on reviews: Allows issuing warnings from reviews.

• Minor code refactoring and adjustments for better structure and maintainability. More extensive refactoring is planned for future updates.

Event view page showing "Latest reviews", "Recommendations stats & summary" and "Ratings" block in sidebar.

Event reviews within the Reviews tab.

Event Rating and Reviews: List display mode.

Event Rating and Reviews: Grid display mode.

Dive deeper into the specific features of our new Event Ratings & Reviews system with these dedicated documentation threads:

1. Event Ratings & Reviews System!
2. Event Recommendations
3. Event Review Attachments
4. Event Review Voting
5. Event Review Reactions
6. Event Review Custom Fields
7. Event Rating Timing Control
8. Event-Level Rating Control
9. Require RSVP for Event Rating
10. Advanced Review Management & Moderation

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