Title: MapArc LMS Author: bobstanleygardner Published: September 17, 2026 Last modified: September 17, 2026 --- Search plugins ![](https://ps.w.org/maparc-lms/assets/banner-772x250.png?rev=3700430) ![](https://ps.w.org/maparc-lms/assets/icon-256x256.png?rev=3699696) # MapArc LMS By [bobstanleygardner](https://profiles.wordpress.org/bobstanleygardner/) [Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/maparc-lms.0.9.64.zip) * [Details](https://wordpress.org/plugins/maparc-lms/#description) * [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/plugins/maparc-lms/#reviews) * [Installation](https://wordpress.org/plugins/maparc-lms/#installation) * [Development](https://wordpress.org/plugins/maparc-lms/#developers) [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/maparc-lms/) ## Description MapArc LMS is a lightweight WordPress learning management system originally created by **Bob Stanley Gardner** in 2026. It provides a focused course-delivery experience without requiring an external LMS service. Site owners can use their own institutional branding across the learner experience. Current functionality includes: * Courses, modules, lessons, and assessments * Dedicated course builder * YouTube lesson delivery * Student registration and login * Course enrollment and learner management * Lesson and assessment progress tracking * Certificate completion rules * Configurable certificate signatories * Public certificate verification * Self-paced courses, scheduled cohorts, and enrollment-relative drip * Multilingual course/lesson/assessment variants with shared progress * Public enrollment and completion statistics * CSV learner export * White-label institution branding * WordPress personal-data export/erasure integration and configurable certificate retention ### External Services MapArc LMS itself does not require an external LMS service. Optional course content can, however, connect a visitor’s browser to third-party services when a course author deliberately configures that content. #### YouTube When a course author adds a YouTube video URL, MapArc LMS may request a video thumbnail from `i.ytimg.com` and may load an embedded YouTube player from YouTube or `youtube- nocookie.com` when the visitor chooses to play the video. In those circumstances the visitor’s browser communicates directly with Google/YouTube and data such as the visitor’s IP address and browser/device information may be processed by that service according to its policies. MapArc LMS does not send learner enrollment, assessment, certificate, or profile records to YouTube. YouTube Terms of Service: https://www.youtube.com/t/terms Google Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy YouTube integration is optional and is used only when a site/course author supplies YouTube-hosted content. ### Source Code and Build Process MapArc LMS ships its human-readable source code directly in the plugin package. No JavaScript or CSS build/minification step is required to recreate the distributed assets. * `assets/js/admin.js` is the editable administrator JavaScript source. * `assets/js/maparc-lms.js` is the editable learner-facing JavaScript source. * Files in `assets/css/` are the editable stylesheet sources used directly by WordPress. * The plugin does not bundle third-party JavaScript or CSS libraries. It uses WordPress- provided dependencies such as jQuery and the WordPress media library where needed. * No npm, webpack, Vite, Rollup, Gulp, Grunt, Composer, or other asset compilation process is required for the distributed plugin. The JavaScript and CSS files shipped with MapArc LMS are the human-readable editable source. No separate compilation or minification step is required, and the plugin does not bundle third-party JavaScript or CSS libraries. ### Credits * Bob Stanley Gardner — Original Creator and Lead Developer. * Shalomin Gardner — Contributor. ## Installation 1. Upload the `maparc-lms` folder to `/wp-content/plugins/`, or install the plugin ZIP through **Plugins Add New Upload Plugin**. 2. Activate **MapArc LMS**. 3. Follow the MapArc LMS setup screen. 4. Create a course from **MapArc LMS Add Course**. 5. Configure learner registration, branding, scheduling, certificate requirements, and signatories as needed. MapArc LMS creates and manages its learner-facing system routes automatically. ## FAQ ### Who created MapArc LMS? MapArc LMS was originally created by Bob Stanley Gardner in 2026. ### Does MapArc LMS require an external LMS service? No. MapArc LMS runs inside WordPress. ### Can I use my own institution logo and colors? Yes. Learner-facing branding can follow the WordPress Site Identity or custom LMS branding settings. ### Can certificates have physical signatures? Yes. Certificate signatories can be configured with Name, Position, Affiliation, and an optional signature image. Leaving the signature image blank supports physical signing workflows. ### Is MapArc LMS open source? Yes. MapArc LMS is licensed under GPL-2.0-or-later. ## Reviews There are no reviews for this plugin. ## Contributors & Developers “MapArc LMS” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin. Contributors * [ bobstanleygardner ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/bobstanleygardner/) [Translate “MapArc LMS” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/maparc-lms) ### Interested in development? [Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/maparc-lms/), check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/maparc-lms/), or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/maparc-lms/) by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/maparc-lms/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss). ## Changelog #### 0.9.64 * Reviewer-hardening pass: normalized remaining scalar request inputs with wp_unslash() plus context-appropriate sanitization/validation. * Tightened read-only query flags and numeric request handling without changing plugin behavior or persisted data. * Preserved nonce/capability boundaries, MapArc Core integration, and multi-role- safe authorization. #### 0.9.60 * Reviewer-compliance release: tightened late output escaping for generated branding, educator, admin, certificate, progress, thumbnail, and shortcode HTML. * Applied explicit KSES allow-list sanitization at remaining generated HTML output boundaries. * No schema, account architecture, enrollment, progress, or MapArc Core API changes. #### 0.9.59 * Hardened reviewer-identified nested POST arrays with immediate type-appropriate sanitization. * Validated assessment JSON decoding before sanitizing and storing each supported question field. * Tightened course translation, module translation, signatory, language and quiz- answer input boundaries. * No database schema, MapArc Core API, enrollment, progress or multi-role authorization changes. #### 0.9.58 * Moved public account creation, login and password recovery to WordPress or optional MapArc Core account flows. * Changed educator onboarding to an application-only flow for an existing authenticated account; administrator approval is always required before LMS educator capabilities are granted. * Preserved multi-role-safe LMS authorization, existing user IDs, courses, enrollments, progress, certificates and standalone operation. * Tightened reviewer-requested input validation, nested-array sanitization and late output escaping. #### 0.9.56 * Scoped the one-time legacy identifier migration database exceptions so Plugin Check does not report expected non-cacheable schema/content migration writes. * No functional, authorization, course, enrollment, or branding behavior changes. #### 0.9.55 * Standardized internal plugin identifiers on the `maparc_` / `MAPARC_` prefix, including classes, hooks, shortcodes, roles, capabilities, post types, metadata, options, assets and custom database tables. * Added a one-time compatibility migration for existing pre-MapArc test/install data so courses, users, settings, educator authorization, enrollment, progress, quiz attempts and certificates are preserved. * Preserved multi-role-safe educator authorization and the WordPress.org reviewer compliance/security fixes. #### 0.9.54 * Replaced the previous honeycomb/book product mark with the new MapArc connected- arcs-and-nodes identity. * Updated the administrator/menu and in-product MapArc marks consistently. * Confirmed the package declares Bob Stanley Gardner with https://mappingaround. in/ as Author URI and does not declare a Plugin URI or any legacy ownership URLs. * No database schema, stored LMS data, authorization, course, enrollment, progress, or certificate behavior changes. #### 0.9.53 * Renamed the plugin and public ecosystem branding to MapArc LMS. * Updated the WordPress.org-facing slug/text-domain identity to `maparc-lms`. * Confirmed Bob Stanley Gardner as author with https://mappingaround.in/ as the Author URI; no Plugin URI is declared. * Preserved the established `maparc_*` persisted data model and reviewer-driven security/compliance fixes. #### 0.9.51 * Made educator approval, rejection, suspension, restoration, and access removal multi-role safe. * MapArc LMS now changes only its own `maparc_educator*` roles/state and preserves unrelated WordPress/product roles and capabilities. * Active educator authorization is capability- and MapArc-state-based. * Educator suspension/pending/rejection no longer blocks the user’s global WordPress authentication. * Standardized live ecosystem/service/export identifiers on MapArc naming while preserving the established `maparc_*` persisted data model. * Preserved all reviewer-driven nonce, capability, escaping, sanitization, prepared- SQL, source-code, and Plugin Check compliance work. * No database schema, course, enrollment, progress, certificate, setting, post/ meta key, or stored ID migration is performed. #### 0.9.50 * Completed the MapArc brand-namespace migration without renaming the established` maparc_*` data model. * New access-provider resources, privacy groups, asset handles, export formats, and export filenames now use MapArc LMS identifiers. * Existing courses, lessons, assessments, users, enrollments, progress, certificates, settings, post/meta keys, custom tables, and IDs are not copied or renamed. * Cleaned stale branding references from the readme and interface text. #### 0.9.49 * Corrected the final dashboard PHPCS database-scope directives so they are parsed inside PHP rather than emitted as template text. * Targeted the last two Plugin Check direct-query/no-cache warning locations without changing dashboard behavior. * No database schema or stored LMS data was changed. #### 0.9.48 * Completed the final Plugin Check warning-cleanup pass. * Replaced scattered per-line database annotations with narrow file-scoped PHPCS controls for only the two justified custom-table sniffs: direct-query and no- cache. * Kept all SQL preparation, nonce, capability, escaping, and other WordPress security checks fully enabled. * No database schema, stored LMS data, or user-facing LMS behavior was changed. #### 0.9.47 * Fixed Plugin Check placeholder-count warnings by passing each enrollment-query replacement explicitly to `$wpdb->prepare()`. * Repositioned remaining justified direct-database/no-cache annotations to the exact custom-table call sites reported by Plugin Check. * No database schema or stored LMS data was changed. #### 0.9.46 * Aligned the MapArc LMS WordPress admin-menu icon using the same fixed 20×20 visual box and centered menu-image container used by standard admin icons. * Replaced dynamic enrollment WHERE/ORDER SQL fragments with fixed prepared queries and explicit optional-filter placeholders. * Removed the three remaining Plugin Check SQL-construction ERROR patterns from the enrollment list/count paths. * No database schema or stored LMS data was changed. #### 0.9.45 * Added a dedicated, better-proportioned MapArc LMS admin-menu icon with extra internal padding. * Reworked the two remaining dynamic enrollment SQL reads so `$wpdb->prepare()` is directly visible to Plugin Check. * Corrected placement of narrowly scoped direct-database/no-cache annotations at the actual MapArc custom-table call sites. * No database schema or stored LMS data was changed. #### 0.9.44 * Updated the WordPress admin-menu icon for the MapArc LMS product identity. * Completed the remaining Plugin Check database cleanup with narrowly scoped documentation for justified MapArc custom-table operations. * Documented the two dynamic enrollment queries whose identifiers and runtime values are prepared safely but cannot be fully inferred by static analysis. * No database schema or stored LMS data was changed. #### 0.9.43 * Hardened custom-table SELECT queries using WordPress `%i` identifier placeholders and `$wpdb->prepare()`. * Prepared certificate, quiz-attempt, enrollment, progress, privacy, portability, and reporting queries without concatenating table identifiers into SQL. * Hardened dynamic enrollment list/count queries so identifiers, values, and limits are prepared together. * No database schema or stored LMS data was changed. #### 0.9.42 * Completed the Plugin Check database-warning classification pass. * Documented intentional direct database access used by MapArc LMS custom tables instead of replacing valid LMS-table operations with unrelated WordPress APIs. * Documented intentional WordPress metadata relationship/status queries flagged as potential slow-query patterns. * No database schema or stored LMS data was changed in this release. #### 0.9.41 * Completed the Plugin Check nonce-warning cleanup pass. * Documented read-only GET/query parameters used for routing, filters, notices, language selection, and public lookup forms so they are not mistaken for unprotected state-changing requests. * Retained existing nonce and capability verification on state-changing admin, account, enrollment, course, quiz, progress, import/export, and settings actions. #### 0.9.40 * Removed unexpected SOURCE.md and CONTRIBUTORS.md files from the production package for WordPress.org Plugin Check compliance. * Preserved source/build compliance information in readme.txt. * Preserved Shalomin Gardner contributor credit in readme.txt and the in-plugin About/Credits screen. #### 0.9.39 * Documented the human-readable JavaScript and CSS source shipped with the plugin. * Added `SOURCE.md` with source locations, dependency notes, and build/reproduction information. * Verified the package contains no minified asset variants, source maps, bundled third-party JavaScript/CSS libraries, or required external build process. #### 0.9.38 * Completed an output-escaping hardening pass across frontend templates and administrator screens. * Added context-appropriate escaping for dynamic classes, numeric values, option values, generated media markup, and profile/avatar output. * Corrected the internal MAPARC_VERSION constant to match the published plugin version. #### 0.9.37 * Completed a nonce/capability audit across request handlers. * Hardened course-builder authorization ordering and quiz duplication with target- specific edit permissions. * Verify enrollment nonces before both authenticated enrollment and guest registration redirects. * Normalized enrollment-status request sanitization. #### 0.9.36 * Removed direct inline JavaScript redirect fallbacks from educator authentication flows. Redirects now use WordPress safe redirects with an HTML meta-refresh and explicit continuation link only when headers have already been sent. #### 0.9.35 * Credits Shalomin Gardner as a project contributor. * No database schema or stored LMS data changes. #### 0.9.33 * Rebrands the plugin as MapArc LMS while preserving legacy MAPARC data identifiers for upgrade compatibility. * Removes automatic deactivation of duplicate/legacy LMS plugins; plugin state remains under explicit administrator control. * Keeps the existing database schema and stored LMS data unchanged. #### 0.9.32 * Stop MapArc LMS from globally replacing WordPress registration when LMS is active. * Keep LMS-owned course/enrollment registration routed through the LMS registration resolver. * Generic WordPress, Library, and Quiz registration can now remain owned by WordPress/ Core rather than LMS. * No database schema changes. #### 0.9.31 * Legacy learner registration routes redirect to Core Create Account when the experimental Core account helper is available. * Shared WordPress login is used when Core account UX is available; no second credential system is introduced. * Existing LMS users, enrollments, progress, profile metadata, and certificate- name fallback remain unchanged. * Preserves course enrollment intent when a new Core account is created from an LMS course. * No database schema changes. #### 0.9.30 * Registers a Courses section when the experimental Core account-section API is available. * Courses remain fully owned and rendered by MapArc LMS using the current learner and existing LMS access/progress APIs. * No database schema changes. #### 0.9.29 * No database schema changes. #### 0.9.28 * Updated WordPress compatibility metadata to Tested up to 7.1 for Plugin Directory submission. #### 0.9.27 * Fixes a developer translator comment that could appear visibly in the Educator Workspace. * No functional or database schema changes. #### 0.9.26 * WordPress.org submission header correction. * No functional or database schema changes. #### 0.9.25 * WordPress.org submission build. * Removes forced public-facing “Powered by MapArc LMS” attribution. * Keeps institutional white-label branding without requiring public credits. * Trims historical release notes from the directory readme. * No database schema changes. #### 0.9.24 * WordPress.org submission candidate based on Plugin Check compliance work. * Preserves working authentication and LMS behavior while retaining justified database/ performance recommendations for review. ## Meta * Version **0.9.64** * Last updated **13 hours ago** * Active installations **Fewer than 10** * WordPress version ** 6.4 or higher ** * Tested up to **7.1** * PHP version ** 7.4 or higher ** * Tags * [certificates](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/certificates/)[courses](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/courses/) [education](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/education/)[lms](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/lms/) [quizzes](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/quizzes/) * [Advanced View](https://wordpress.org/plugins/maparc-lms/advanced/) ## Ratings No reviews have been submitted yet. [Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/maparc-lms/reviews/#new-post) [See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/maparc-lms/reviews/) ## Contributors * [ bobstanleygardner ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/bobstanleygardner/) ## Support Got something to say? Need help? [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/maparc-lms/)