Timeline Post Timing

Timeline Post Timing does two related things: members can schedule a timeline post for later, and permitted users can correct the timestamp on posts and reviews that are already published.

Overview

Timeline posts publish the moment they're written. That's usually right, but it means a business can't line up announcements in advance, and nobody can fix a review that was imported or entered on the wrong day.

This function adds a scheduling option to the composer and a clock button to published posts, with permissions controlling who gets either.

Key Features

• Schedule a timeline post for a future date and time from the composer
• Scheduled posts publish automatically in the background
• Review or cancel a scheduled post before it goes live
• A clock button on published posts opens a date and time picker
• Permissions by administrator, post owner, role, membership plan or listing plan
• Configured separately for timeline posts and for reviews
• Edits can only move a post backwards in time

Setup Instructions

Step 1: Enable the Function

1. Navigate to Voxel Toolkit → Functions
2. Find Timeline Post Timing and toggle it on

Step 2: Set Who Can Edit Times

The settings hold two separate permission sets — one for timeline posts, one for reviews — because they are rarely the same answer. Letting an author adjust their own timeline post is routine; letting them adjust their own review is not.

For each, choose any combination of:

• Administrators
• The post owner
• Specific user roles
• Specific membership plans
• Specific listing plans

Scheduling a Post

In the timeline composer, choose a future date and time instead of posting immediately. The post is held and published in the background when its time arrives. Before then it can be reviewed or cancelled.

Editing a Published Time

Permitted users see a clock button on the post. It opens a date and time picker, and the new time is applied to the post.

Backwards only

A post's time can be moved earlier, never later. Future-dating a published post would let it sit at the top of every feed indefinitely, so it is blocked.

Troubleshooting

The Clock Button Isn't There

The button only renders for users the permissions allow. Check the permission set for that content type — posts and reviews are configured separately, so access to one does not grant the other.

A Scheduled Post Didn't Publish

Scheduled posts publish on a background task, which on WordPress depends on the site's cron. On a quiet site cron can lag until the next visitor arrives. If publishing is consistently late, a real system cron is the fix.

The Picker Won't Accept a Date

It will refuse a time in the future. That's deliberate — see above.

Requirements

• Voxel theme with the timeline enabled
• Working WordPress cron, for scheduled posts to publish on time