Getting Started with Manifyst

Manifyst gives every active event its own signup page. You create an event, add shifts, appointment times, items to bring, or a mix, and Manifyst handles the rest — capacity limits, waitlists, confirmation emails, and a signup list you can export. Attendees sign up with a name and an email; no account is required unless you choose to require one.

The Manifyst menu #

After activating the plugin, look for Manifyst in your WordPress admin sidebar.

1. The menu holds Settings, Events, Add Event, Categories, and Activity Log. The Settings screen opens on its Dashboard tab; slots and signups are reached through an event rather than from the sidebar.
2. The stat tiles give you a running count of events and signups across the site.
3. Get ready for your first signup is a saved-progress checklist. Each open step has a link that takes you directly to the next screen.

Follow the setup checklist #

Site administrators see eight steps:

1. Activate the license.
2. Verify outgoing email by successfully sending a test message.
3. Create an event.
4. Add at least one slot or item.
5. Add optional signup questions, or choose Skip for now.
6. Preview the attendee experience.
7. Activate the event and copy its public link.
8. Complete a test signup.

The checklist reads saved Manifyst data each time the Dashboard loads. A completed step stays visible with a Complete badge, and the square dots in the checklist header track your overall progress. If a later step is not ready yet, its link takes you to the prerequisite—for example, creating or activating the event first.

Event Managers and Event Organizers see the same event journey in the front-end management console, scoped to events they can manage. They do not see the site-wide license and email settings steps.

The public event link is the normal way to preview and share a signup sheet. A shortcode is optional when you want to embed an event in another page; see Displaying Events on Your Site.

General settings #

Go to Manifyst → Settings. The screen is split into tabs; General covers the defaults every new event inherits.

1. Tabs: Dashboard, General, Email, Display, Front-End Manager, and Licenses.
2. Default Slot Capacity is the number pre-filled when you add a new slot. It is only a starting value — you can change the capacity on any slot.
3. Allow Guest Signups lets people sign up without a WordPress account. Leave this on unless you want every participant to log in first. (Individual events can also require login on their own.)
4. Event URL Base chooses the first part of every event address, such as /events/ or /signups/. If another plugin already owns the selected path, Manifyst warns you and links back here to choose a conflict-free base. Old event-base links redirect after a change.
5. Show "Powered by Manifyst" Credit controls the small credit line under public event pages.
6. Delete All Data on Uninstall is off by default, so deleting the plugin leaves your events and signups in the database. Turn it on only if you want them removed for good.

Display settings #

The Display tab controls how dates and availability appear on the front end.

1. Date Format and Time Format are menus of ready-made formats, each shown as a real example. Site default follows your site's own WordPress settings, and Custom… accepts any PHP date format when you need something the presets don't cover.
2. The Preview box under the menus shows your next upcoming slot in the formats you pick, updating as you change either menu.
3. Show Remaining Spots puts a "5 spots available" badge on each slot. Turn it off if you would rather not advertise how empty a shift is.

What to do next #

1. Activate your license and send a test email.
2. Finish the Manager Page if coordinators will work outside the
   WordPress dashboard.
3. Create an event with a title and description; schedule it now, mark the date TBD, or omit the date.
4. Add time slots with capacity limits, items to bring for a potluck, or both.
5. Ask extra questions if your coordinators need more information.
6. Activate the event, preview its attendee page, and copy the public link.
7. Complete one signup yourself, then manage the signups as they arrive.