admin-announcement-billboard

Version 1.0.1

This webtrees module displays an admin-controlled announcement billboard on each member's personal page when they log in. Only the administrator can configure and control the billboard settings — regular members can see the billboard but cannot modify it in any way. It is ideal for private family tree sites where the administrator needs to communicate important notices — such as privacy reminders, site updates, or family news — directly to all members.

Example

When a member visits their personal page, they will see a clearly visible announcement box displayed as a block, containing whatever message the administrator has written. The box appearance is fully customizable by the admin.

Features

• ✅ Enable or disable the billboard with a single checkbox
• ✅ Optional announcement title with customizable color
• ✅ Announcement text area supporting basic HTML formatting
• ✅ Adjustable font size
• ✅ Adjustable box height
• ✅ Live preview in the settings page
• ✅ No core Webtrees files modified — update safe!

Compatibility

webtrees 2.2

This module is developed and tested with webtrees 2.2.6 running under PHP 8.4.

Installation Instructions

1. Download the zip archive of this repository from GitHub.
2. Unzip the archive.
3. Place the entire Admin-Announcement-Billboard folder into the modules_v4 directory on your server.
4. That's it! Webtrees will automatically detect and load the module.

Configuration

1. Go to the Control Panel.
2. Under the Modules section, find the Home page subsection.
3. Click Blocks.
4. Find Admin Announcement Billboard in the list and click the wrench icon next to it to access the settings page.

Settings Explained

Billboard Status Check this box to show the billboard to all members. Uncheck it to hide the billboard without losing your announcement text.

Announcement Title Enter a short title for your announcement. This will appear at the top of the billboard in bold text. Leave blank if you do not want a title.

Title Color Choose a color for the announcement title text from the dropdown menu. Available colors are Dark Red (default), Dark Blue, Dark Green, Dark Orange, and Black.

⚠️ Note: If you are using the JustLight or Primer themes with a dark color palette, dark title colors such as Dark Blue and Black may be difficult to read, or not visible at all. We recommend using Dark Red, Dark Green, or Dark Orange with those theme/palette combinations.

Announcement Text Enter the full text of your announcement. Basic HTML formatting is supported, such as the following, or use no HTML at all. It is your choice:

• <strong>bold text</strong>
• <em>italic text</em>
• <a href="...">links</a>

Text Font Size Choose from Small, Medium (default), Large, or Extra Large.

Billboard Box Height Choose from:

• Auto (recommended) — adjusts to fit your text automatically
• Small (60px)
• Medium (100px)
• Large (150px)
• Extra Large (200px)

Preview

The settings page includes a live preview section so you can see roughly how your billboard will appear before saving your settings.

Adding The Billboard To Member Pages

For New Users

The billboard block will automatically appear on the personal page of any new user created after the module is installed, provided the administrator has added it to the default blocks for new users.

To set this up:

1. Go to the Control Panel.
2. Under the Users section, click Set the default blocks for new users.
3. On that page, find Admin Announcement Billboard in the list of optional blocks at the bottom.
4. Drag it up into either the left (main) column or the right (side) column in the upper section of the page.
5. Click Save.

For Existing Users (Including The Administrator)

Existing users must add the block to their own personal page manually:

1. Go to My page.
2. Click the Customize this page button.
3. Add Admin Announcement Billboard to either the left (main) column or the right (side) column. We recommend the left column, as it is wider and produces a longer, shorter billboard, pushing the blocks below it down less than if it were placed in the narrower right column.
4. Click Save.

💡 Important note for administrators: Existing members will not automatically see the billboard until they have added it to their personal page. Since they have no way of knowing it exists, we strongly recommend notifying them through the Webtrees internal messaging system or any other communication channel you normally use, letting them know they need to add the Admin Announcement Billboard block to their personal page by following the steps above.

Known Limitations

• When placed in a column alongside other blocks of different heights, a small amount of vertical misalignment between block tops and bottoms is normal. This is standard Webtrees block behavior and affects all block modules equally.
• On the JustLight and Primer themes with dark color palettes, dark title colors may have reduced contrast, or not be visible at all. See the Title Color note above.

Upgrade Safety

This module operates entirely within the Webtrees block system. No core Webtrees files are modified. Your announcement settings are stored safely in the Webtrees database and will not be affected by upgrades.

Privacy, Telemetry, Tracking

Privacy: yes. Tracking: no.

The module will check for the latest available version whenever the Webtrees Control Panel is opened. It checks a URL on github.com only.

Credits

Developed by Bill Kochman with assistance from Claude (Anthropic).

License

Copyright (C) 2026 Bill Kochman.

This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

Warranty

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/