MainWP Pro Reports Extension
Turn child site activity into branded PDF client reports and email them on a schedule or on demand.
Send branded PDF client reports on a schedule
The MainWP Pro Reports Extension is a Pro MainWP add-on that turns recorded child site activity into branded PDF client reports and emails them daily, weekly, monthly or on demand. The free MainWP Child Reports plugin logs updates, posts and other changes on each site. Pro Reports on your MainWP Dashboard builds the report with your logo and colors, fills in each client’s details with tokens like [client.name], and sends each client their own copy using [client.email] as the recipient.
The reporting work it removes
A client report done by hand means collecting update history, content changes and uptime for each site, then formatting the report and emailing it yourself. The MainWP Pro Reports Extension does that work from one report setup: you choose the sites and sections once, and it builds the PDF from recorded activity and sends it on a daily, weekly or monthly schedule.
Features
The MainWP Pro Reports Extension controls what each report covers, how it looks and who receives it.
| Feature | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Recurring and one-time reports | Schedule a report daily, weekly or monthly with the date range set for you, or pick a start and end date for a one-time report and click Send Now. |
| Report sections you control | On the Report Data tab, set each section to Show, Hide or Hide if empty: WordPress, plugin and theme updates, posts, pages, users, comments and uptime, plus data from compatible add-ons active on your Dashboard, such as backups, analytics, monitoring, security, performance and maintenance. |
| Custom branding | Upload your logo and an optional first-page header image, and set the first-page background, page background, text, accent, link and table colors to match your brand. |
| Custom content and titles | Set the first-page heading and write the introduction and closing message in the visual editor. All three accept tokens. Rename or translate report titles, subtitles and table headings for each report. |
| Tokens | Client, section, data and counter tokens, such as [client.name], [section.plugins.installed], [plugin.name] and [plugin.installed.count], fill in each report with that client’s details and activity. Set client details once per client or on each site; the site value wins when both exist. |
| Email delivery | Set the sender, recipient, reply-to address, subject, message, email template, BCC and extra attachments. The PDF is attached to the email, or you can send HTML-only reports. Use [client.email] as the recipient to send each client their own report. |
| Custom PHP templates | Copy a built-in template, edit its PHP and HTML, upload it to /wp-content/uploads/mainwp/report-templates/ on your Dashboard site, and pick it from the Report template dropdown. |
| Child Reports Dashboard | See every child site with MainWP Child Reports, its plugin version, when its last report was sent and its reports database size. Red rows need the plugin activated and yellow rows have an update, with bulk Activate, Update, Hide and Unhide actions. |
Requirements
The MainWP Pro Reports Extension runs on your MainWP Dashboard and reads the activity that the free MainWP Child Reports plugin records on each child site.
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| License | MainWP Pro |
| MainWP Dashboard | The MainWP Pro Reports Extension installed on your Dashboard site |
| Child sites | The free MainWP Child Reports plugin, available from the WordPress.org plugin repository, installed on each child site you report on |
| PHP on child sites | 7.4 or higher for MainWP Child Reports |
| Recorded activity | A few days of activity recorded by MainWP Child Reports before your first report. Records are kept for 100 days by default. |
| Add-on data (optional) | The matching add-on active on your Dashboard for each add-on section, for example a supported backup add-on or API Backups for the Backups section |
Setup: plugins, client details, first report
Setting up the MainWP Pro Reports Extension has three parts: the plugins, your client details and your first report, which can be recurring or one-time.
Install the plugins
- Install the MainWP Child Reports plugin on all your child sites.
- Install the MainWP Pro Reports Extension on your MainWP Dashboard.
- Sync your sites so your Dashboard can detect which sites have MainWP Child Reports.
- Give MainWP Child Reports a few days to record updates, posts and other changes before you send a real report.
Add client details
- Go to Sites > Manage Sites and click Edit on a site.
- In the Pro Reports Tokens section, enter values for the tokens you plan to use.
- Click Save Settings. To set details once for several sites, use the Clients feature and assign the sites to a client instead.
Create a recurring report
- Go to Add-ons > Pro Reports > Create Report.
- Enter a Report title, choose Recurring, set the schedule (Daily, Weekly or Monthly) and the day to send, and pick a Report Template.
- Use the Custom Content, Report Data, Custom Branding and Custom Titles tabs to set what the report says and how it looks.
- Fill in the email settings.
- Select sites in the right-hand box, preview the report as HTML or download the PDF, then click Schedule Report. Save Draft keeps it without scheduling.
Send a one-time report
- Go to Add-ons > Pro Reports > Create Report.
- Enter a Report title, choose One-time, and set the report date range.
- Set the content, design and email settings the same way as for a recurring report.
- Select sites, preview the report, and click Send Now.
Full instructions, templates and the token list: MainWP Pro Reports Extension documentation.
Where the report data comes from
The MainWP Pro Reports Extension builds each report from the activity that MainWP Child Reports records on each child site. Pro Reports on your MainWP Dashboard gathers that data, adds sections from compatible add-ons active on your Dashboard, builds the report, and saves the PDFs on your Dashboard site in /wp-content/uploads/mainwp_pro_reports/.
Pro Reports FAQ
Can each client get their own report automatically?
Yes, the MainWP Pro Reports Extension sends each client their own report: set client details on each site or with the Clients feature, put [client.email] in the Send email to field, and schedule a recurring report.
How long before my first report shows activity?
Give MainWP Child Reports several days after installation to record updates, posts and other changes, because Pro Reports fills each report section from that recorded activity. Send your first real report after those days.
Which backup add-ons can fill the Backups section?
The Pro Reports Backups section appears when a selected site uses API Backups, or when one of these backup add-ons is active on your MainWP Dashboard: BackWPup, BackupWordPress, Solid Backups, UpdraftPlus, WP Time Capsule or WPvivid Backup.
How do I get a child site into the Child Reports Dashboard?
Sync your sites, and the Pro Reports Child Reports Dashboard lists every child site that has MainWP Child Reports installed. Your MainWP Dashboard learns which sites have the plugin during a sync.