Far more than a simple notification dropdown, this release delivers a complete real-time notification platform powered by dedicated REST APIs, intelligent caching, integrated follow search, lazy loading, and numerous performance optimizations designed to scale efficiently for large Manga and Novel communities.
Notification Bell Dropdown
Version 2.7.1 introduces a brand-new notification bell directly into the site header.
Opening the dropdown immediately displays followed manga that have unread chapters. The content is loaded dynamically through REST API requests and rendered inside a responsive UIkit dropdown without requiring a page refresh.
Live Unread Badge
The notification bell includes a live unread badge generated directly by the server.
The badge automatically reflects the number of followed series containing unread chapters and disappears completely once every unread chapter has been read, keeping the interface clean and always up to date.
Dedicated REST API Endpoints
Notification Center is powered by two dedicated authenticated REST endpoints.
The unread-followed-manga endpoint returns followed series with unread chapters, sorted by the latest chapter activity and supporting configurable pagination.
The new following-search endpoint performs keyword searches across every followed entity—including Manga, Teams, and Users—providing a unified search experience within a single interface.
Optimized Query Layer and Intelligent Caching
To maximize performance, Init Manga introduces a dedicated query layer through init_manga_get_unread_followed_manga().
Results are cached using WordPress Object Cache for up to ten minutes and indexed by user ID and request size. Cache entries are automatically invalidated whenever a chapter is marked as read or a follow relationship changes, ensuring the notification badge and dropdown always remain synchronized.
Lazy Fetch Architecture
Notification data is loaded only when users open the dropdown for the first time.
A loading spinner appears immediately while data is fetched from the server. After the initial request completes, the results are stored in browser memory and instantly restored during subsequent openings, significantly reducing unnecessary REST requests.
Inline Follow Search
A built-in search field has been integrated directly into the Notification Center.
Readers can instantly search across all followed Manga, Teams, and Users using a debounced search engine with AbortController support to cancel outdated requests. Pressing Escape immediately restores the original unread list without closing the dropdown.
Keyboard-Friendly Navigation
Notification Center has been carefully designed for keyboard accessibility.
Users can navigate search results using the arrow keys, open the highlighted result with Enter, and clear searches with Escape, creating a smooth browsing experience without requiring a mouse.
Unified Search Templates
Version 2.7.1 introduces the new item-search.php template for rendering search results.
The template supports all three follow types—Manga, Teams, and Users—displaying optimized information for each entity, including covers, avatars, latest chapters, manga counts, follower counts, and mutual-follow indicators where appropriate.
Zero Overhead for Guests
Notification Center is initialized exclusively for authenticated users.
When visitors are not logged in, the entire JavaScript module, REST requests, and related frontend logic are skipped completely, ensuring absolutely no additional processing overhead for guest traffic.
A Major Step Forward for Community Features
Init Manga v2.7.1 is far more than a notification bell. It introduces a fully integrated Notification Center built upon modern REST architecture, intelligent caching, real-time search, and highly optimized frontend behavior to create a faster and more engaging reading experience.
For Manga and Novel websites with active communities, Notification Center helps readers stay connected with every new chapter while reinforcing Init Manga’s commitment to building a modern, responsive, and community-focused publishing platform for WordPress.
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