DEV – WSC

External Link Cleaner

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WSC External Link Cleaner – Documentation

Customer Documentation

Overview

WSC External Link Cleaner is a WordPress plugin that removes external hyperlinks from your
posts and pages while keeping the text content intact. It’s ideal for cleaning up imported content or removing
unwanted external references without breaking the flow of your text.

Key Features

  • ✅ Removes external links while preserving visible text
  • ✅ Smart citation handling ([1], [2], etc.)
  • ✅ Keeps internal links untouched
  • ✅ Works via AJAX (no full page reload)
  • ✅ Simple, focused interface
  • ✅ Detailed processing reports

Requirements

  • WordPress: 5.0 or higher
  • PHP: 7.4 or higher
  • Classic Editor plugin: required (must be installed and active)

Installation

  1. Download the plugin files.
  2. Upload the folder to /wp-content/plugins/wsc-external-link-cleaner/.
  3. Activate the plugin through the WordPress admin.
  4. Install and activate the Classic Editor plugin if not already installed.

How to Use

Step 1: Edit Your Post/Page

  • Go to Posts → Edit or Pages → Edit.
  • Make sure you’re using the Classic Editor (not the Block Editor).

Step 2: Locate the WSC Widget

  • In the right sidebar, look for the “WSC” meta box.
  • This box contains the external link cleaning controls.

Step 3: Choose Citation Handling

  • Remove citations completely – Deletes citation numbers/text entirely.
  • Keep citation text – Removes the link but keeps the citation number in brackets.

Step 4: Clean External Links

  • Click the “Clean External URLs” button.
  • Wait for processing (usually 1–2 seconds).
  • Review the success message to see what was removed or converted.

Examples

Before Cleaning:

This is important information from [external source](https://example.com)
and research shows [1](https://research.com) that this works.

After Cleaning (Remove citations completely):

This is important information from external source
and research shows that this works.

After Cleaning (Keep citation text):

This is important information from external source
and research shows [1] that this works.

What Gets Removed

  • ✅ External http:// and https:// links
  • ✅ Citation links (e.g. [1], [2], (1), (2))
  • ✅ Reference-style links (e.g. ref1, note1) when configured

What Stays Untouched

  • ✅ Internal links (same domain)
  • ✅ Relative links (e.g. /page, /category)
  • ✅ Anchor links (e.g. #section)
  • ✅ Email links (mailto:)
  • ✅ Phone links (tel:)

Troubleshooting

“Classic Editor Required” Error

Problem: The plugin shows an error about Classic Editor.

Solution:

  1. Install the “Classic Editor” plugin.
  2. Activate it.
  3. Make sure you’re editing in Classic mode (not the Block Editor).

“No Content Found” Error

Problem: The plugin says no content was found.

Solution:

  1. Add some content to your post/page first.
  2. Confirm you are in Classic Editor mode.
  3. Try switching between the Visual and Text tabs, then run the cleaner again.

Links Not Being Removed

Problem: Some external links remain after cleaning.

Solution:

  1. Check whether those links are truly external (different domain).
  2. Verify that Classic Editor is active for that post.
  3. Run the cleaning process a second time if needed.

Support & Updates

Feature Summary

✅ Core Features Implemented:

  1. Main Admin Page – Bulk cleaning interface.
  2. Meta Box Integration – Individual post/page cleaning.
  3. Citation Detection – Smart identification of citation links.
  4. Preview Functionality – Test changes before applying.
  5. AJAX Processing – Smooth, no‑reload user experience.
  6. Security – Proper nonce verification and capability checks.
  7. Multi-content Support – Posts, pages and media descriptions.

✅ Citation Handling Options:

  • Remove – Delete citation links entirely.
  • Keep – Preserve citation text unchanged.
  • Convert – Transform links into plain text (no hyperlink).

✅ Advanced Features:

  • Domain whitelist support.
  • Real-time link detection in the meta box.
  • Auto-refresh (or preview) after cleaning.
  • Comprehensive error handling.
  • Visual citation badges.
  • Domain statistics.

✅ Technical Implementation:

  • Clean OOP structure.
  • Proper WordPress action & filter hooks.
  • Secure AJAX endpoints.
  • Responsive admin interface.
  • Cross-browser compatibility.

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Contact the WSC External Link Cleaner team

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