Creating Custom Reports

LearnDash Dashboard provides a unified reports architecture since version 7.5.0. You can create custom table reports and Chart.js charts that integrate with the REST API, DataTables, and access control system.

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Report Types

Type	Base Class	Output
Table	LD_Dashboard_Report_Base	DataTable with CSV/Excel export
Chart	LD_Dashboard_Chart_Base	Chart.js visualization

LD_Dashboard_Chart_Base extends LD_Dashboard_Report_Base. Charts inherit all caching, permission, and REST API infrastructure.

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LD_Dashboard_Report_Base

Located at includes/reports/class-ld-dashboard-report-base.php.

Abstract Methods (required)

Method	Return	Description
get_id(): string	string	Unique identifier (e.g., my-revenue-report). Used for REST endpoint and cache keys.
get_title(): string	string	Human-readable translated title.
get_columns(): array	array	DataTables column definitions.
fetch_data( array $args ): array	array	Raw data fetch. Do not apply role filtering here.

Override Methods (optional)

Method	Default	Description
get_type(): string	'table'	Report type identifier.
filter_data_by_role( array $data, int $user_id ): array	Returns data unchanged	Apply role-based row filtering.
user_can_view( int $user_id = 0 ): bool	Checks LD_Dashboard_REST_Permissions	Custom permission logic.
get_cache_duration(): int	HOUR_IN_SECONDS	Transient cache TTL in seconds.
get_export_formats(): array	['csv', 'excel']	Supported export formats.
get_allowed_roles(): array	['administrator', 'ld_instructor', 'group_leader']	Roles that can access this report.
get_rest_args(): array	Standard filter params	REST API parameter schema.
get_meta(): array	Report ID and type	Additional metadata in the response.

Built-in Infrastructure

The base class handles automatically:

• Caching — get_cached_data() stores results in WordPress transients. Cache key includes report ID, user ID, and a hash of the query args.
• Role scoping — get_accessible_course_ids() and get_accessible_user_ids() return ID arrays restricted by role (admin gets empty = no restriction).
• REST callback — rest_callback( WP_REST_Request $request ) enforces permissions, extracts args, and returns a WP_REST_Response.
• Student scoping — Students are automatically scoped to user_id = current_user_id in the REST callback.

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LD_Dashboard_Chart_Base

Located at includes/reports/class-ld-dashboard-chart-base.php.

Extends LD_Dashboard_Report_Base. Override get_type() returns 'chart' automatically.

Additional Abstract Methods

Method	Return	Description
get_chart_type(): string	string	Chart.js type: 'bar', 'pie', 'doughnut', or 'line'.

Additional Override Methods

Method	Default	Description
format_chart_data( array $data ): array	Expects labels and values keys	Transform raw data to Chart.js dataset format.
get_chart_options(): array	Responsive, legend top	Chart.js configuration options.
get_filter_options(): array	year, month, week	Time period filter options for the frontend.
get_export_formats(): array	[]	Charts do not export by default.

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Registering Reports

Register your report class using LD_Dashboard_Report_Registry::register() inside the ld_dashboard_register_reports or ld_dashboard_register_charts action hook.

add_action( 'ld_dashboard_register_reports', function( $registry ) {
    LD_Dashboard_Report_Registry::register( 'course-revenue', 'My_Course_Revenue_Report' );
} );

add_action( 'ld_dashboard_register_charts', function( $registry ) {
    LD_Dashboard_Report_Registry::register( 'revenue-trend', 'My_Revenue_Trend_Chart' );
} );

register() instantiates your class and validates it extends the correct base. If the class does not exist or extends an incorrect base, it calls _doing_it_wrong().

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REST API Auto-Registration

When you register a report, the REST endpoint is automatically created:

GET  /wp-json/ld-dashboard/v2/reports/course-revenue
POST /wp-json/ld-dashboard/v2/reports/course-revenue
DELETE /wp-json/ld-dashboard/v2/reports/course-revenue/cache

Your report’s get_rest_args() defines the accepted parameters. The cache clearing endpoint requires administrator access.

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JavaScript Auto-Initialization

Render a report container in PHP templates using the registry helpers:

// Table report
echo LD_Dashboard_Report_Registry::render_table( 'course-revenue', array( 'course_id' => 123 ) );

// Chart
echo LD_Dashboard_Report_Registry::render_chart( 'revenue-trend', array( 'filter' => 'month' ) );

// Global function aliases
echo ld_dashboard_render_table( 'course-revenue' );
echo ld_dashboard_render_chart( 'revenue-trend' );

The rendered HTML uses data-ld-report or data-ld-chart attributes for JavaScript auto-initialization:

<!-- Table -->
<div class="ld-dashboard-report-table-wrapper">
    <table id="ld-report-table-course-revenue"
           class="ld-dashboard-table display ld-dashboard-datatable"
           data-ld-report="course-revenue"
           data-options='{"course_id":123}'
           cellspacing="0" width="100%">
    </table>
</div>

<!-- Chart -->
<div class="ld-dashboard-chart-wrapper">
    <div id="ld-report-chart-revenue-trend"
         class="ld-dashboard-chart-js"
         data-ld-chart="revenue-trend"
         data-options='{}'>
    </div>
</div>

The LDReportManager JavaScript module detects these attributes and initializes DataTables or Chart.js automatically.

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Complete Example: Course Revenue Report

<?php
/**
 * Custom Course Revenue Report.
 *
 * @since 1.0.0
 */
class My_Course_Revenue_Report extends LD_Dashboard_Report_Base {

    /**
     * Get report ID.
     *
     * @since 1.0.0
     * @return string
     */
    public function get_id(): string {
        return 'course-revenue';
    }

    /**
     * Get report title.
     *
     * @since 1.0.0
     * @return string
     */
    public function get_title(): string {
        return __( 'Course Revenue', 'my-plugin' );
    }

    /**
     * Get column definitions.
     *
     * @since 1.0.0
     * @return array
     */
    protected function get_columns(): array {
        return array(
            array(
                'data'      => 'course_name',
                'title'     => __( 'Course', 'my-plugin' ),
                'visible'   => true,
                'orderable' => true,
            ),
            array(
                'data'      => 'sales',
                'title'     => __( 'Sales', 'my-plugin' ),
                'visible'   => true,
                'orderable' => true,
            ),
            array(
                'data'      => 'revenue',
                'title'     => __( 'Revenue', 'my-plugin' ),
                'visible'   => true,
                'orderable' => true,
            ),
        );
    }

    /**
     * Fetch revenue data.
     *
     * @since 1.0.0
     * @param array $args Query arguments.
     * @return array
     */
    protected function fetch_data( array $args ): array {
        global $wpdb;

        $course_id = isset( $args['course_id'] ) ? absint( $args['course_id'] ) : 0;

        // Example: join commission logs to course data.
        $query = $wpdb->prepare(
            "SELECT
                p.post_title AS course_name,
                COUNT(*) AS sales,
                SUM(l.course_price) AS revenue
            FROM {$wpdb->prefix}ld_dashboard_instructor_commission_logs l
            INNER JOIN {$wpdb->posts} p ON p.ID = l.course_id
            WHERE p.post_status = 'publish'
            " . ( $course_id ? $wpdb->prepare( 'AND l.course_id = %d', $course_id ) : '' ) . "
            GROUP BY l.course_id
            ORDER BY revenue DESC",
            // Note: prepare() args are only needed if course_id filter is active.
            ...( $course_id ? array( $course_id ) : array() )
        );

        return $wpdb->get_results( $query, ARRAY_A ) ?: array();
    }

    /**
     * Filter data by role — instructors see only their own courses.
     *
     * @since 1.0.0
     * @param array $data    Raw data.
     * @param int   $user_id User ID.
     * @return array
     */
    protected function filter_data_by_role( array $data, int $user_id ): array {
        // Admins see all.
        if ( learndash_is_admin_user( $user_id ) ) {
            return $data;
        }

        $accessible_ids = $this->get_accessible_course_ids( $user_id );

        if ( empty( $accessible_ids ) ) {
            return array();
        }

        return array_filter(
            $data,
            fn( $row ) => in_array( $row['course_id'], $accessible_ids, true )
        );
    }

    /**
     * Override cache duration to 30 minutes.
     *
     * @since 1.0.0
     * @return int
     */
    protected function get_cache_duration(): int {
        return 30 * MINUTE_IN_SECONDS;
    }
}

// Register the report.
add_action( 'ld_dashboard_register_reports', function() {
    LD_Dashboard_Report_Registry::register( 'course-revenue', 'My_Course_Revenue_Report' );
} );

Then render in a template:

// Render in a tab template or custom page.
echo ld_dashboard_render_table( 'course-revenue', array( 'course_id' => 0 ) );

Access the data via REST:

GET /wp-json/ld-dashboard/v2/reports/course-revenue?course_id=123

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Filtering Report Data

Use the ld_dashboard_report_data filter to modify any report’s data after role filtering:

add_filter( 'ld_dashboard_report_data', function( $data, $report_id, $args ) {
    if ( 'course-revenue' === $report_id ) {
        // Format revenue as currency.
        foreach ( $data as &$row ) {
            $row['revenue'] = '$' . number_format( (float) $row['revenue'], 2 );
        }
    }
    return $data;
}, 10, 3 );

Use the report-specific filter for targeted changes:

add_filter( 'ld_dashboard_report_course-revenue_data', function( $response, $args ) {
    // Modify the full response array (columns, data, meta, etc.)
    return $response;
}, 10, 2 );