Why do I need this?

As mentioned above, themes or even other plugins (like my Field Editor) can add custom fields to WP Job Manager, and when these fields are added, they can potentially be optional fields (OR if you create/save from the admin area, regardless of whether they are optional or not).

If they are optional (or you enter no value from admin area), when WP Job Manager saves a listing it will save that meta value regardless of what the value is (even when it’s empty).  By using this plugin when the listing is saved or updated, it will automatically remove those empty meta values.

Supported Listing Types

• Job Listings
• Resumes (Resume Manager addon)
• Cariera Theme Companies
• Company Manager
• MAS Company Manager
• Techbrise/Astoundify Company Listings

Where can I get a copy?

You can find this for free on the WordPress plugin repository (just search from Plugins > Add New on your site), or at the link below:
https://wordpress.org/plugins/empty-meta-cleanup-for-wp-job-manager/

Empty Meta Cleanup for WP Job Manager

The entire codebase (besides existing cleanup) is open source, and you can report bugs or issues on the GitHub project:
https://github.com/tripflex/wp-job-manager-empty-meta-cleanup

How do I set it up?

There is pretty much no real setup required for this, besides activating it for whatever listing types you want to.

First step is to get a copy of the plugin as mentioned above, and after you activate the plugin you will see a new Meta tab in the associated settings area.

You can see an example of this in the screenshots below.  You can enable or disable the automatic removal for any associated listing type that you would like, and the plugin includes support for Resumes and Companies as well!

Enable/Disable in Job Settings Area

Enable/Disable in Company Settings Area

Enable/Disable in Resume Settings Area

What about existing meta?

If you have an active Field Editor license (version 1.12.2 or newer), there is custom integration included that will scan your entire database for any of these empty meta values, provide you with a list of found values, and then you can confirm to remove them if you wish.

When you have the Field Editor plugin active on your site (version 1.12.2 or newer), when visiting the Meta tab in the associated settings page (Job/Resume/Company), instead of seeing just a checkbox to enable/disable the meta cleaner on save/update, you will also see integration to scan the database for existing empty values.

YOU CAN ALSO ADD CUSTOM KEYS TO SEARCH … just manually enter in the key you want to search for, and then click on it in the dropdown to add to the list to scan for.

You can see an example of this in the screenshots below:

Existing Empty Meta Removal Scan

Empty Meta Removal Results

Requires Field Editor 1.12.2+
Support will be included in the next release of the Search and Filtering plugin as well (TBD)

What else can I do to speed up and optimize my WP Job Manager site?

Install the Index WP MySQL for Speed plugin!!  WordPress natively is not meant for the type of searching and handling required by some large (or even smaller) sites.  Use this plugin to help add indexes and speed up your site:

Index WP MySQL For Speed

As always before using this plugin PLEASE make sure you take a full site and database backup, and PLEASE test on a non-production site to make sure the plugin works the way you want!  

There are numerous filters available if you have specific meta keys you want to omit from the auto removal, check the github project for more details.

1. You should NOT be testing this on a live production site!  This should ONLY be used on development environments!
2. If you are using the Capstone theme (version 1.7.2 or OLDER), there are some required file modifications until the theme developer makes changes to his theme to use the native WP Job Manager get_job_manager_template_part function instead of just get_template_part.Instructions on how you can do this yourself, can be found here:
   https://plugins.smyl.es/docs-kb/capstone-theme-changes-for-search-and-filtering-compatibility/
3. Automatic installation of default search and filtering fields is not included in the beta plugin yet, you MUST download the Default JSON Import Files ZIP and then import the JSON file for your theme (or just the default one if there is no specific one for the theme you’re using).
   Search_and_Filtering_Default_JSON_Files

Finally, by joining the program you agree to the Beta Terms and Conditions

Specifically — after 90 days the beta version will deactivate itself, so you must keep the plugin updated for it to keep working!

Please also join the chat server at https://chat.smyl.es to discuss issues and problems and provide feedback on the Search and Filtering beta!

To join the beta program, sign up here:

https://plugins.smyl.es/wp-job-manager-search-and-filtering

Overview Video:

Importing JSON Files:

Building Default Search/Filters Form:

Overview Video

Signup

If you would like to join the beta program and be notified when it is available, you can do so at the link below:

Search and Filtering Beta Signup