Documentation

Before buying

For Impressum Plus we do not offer a separate trial version that can be installed and tried before buying. If you still want to test the plugin to try out the features or the compatibility with other plugins and themes, you can simply fall back on our free plugin Impressum. Impressum cannot be used for all legal forms and does not have all the features of Impressum Plus, but should give you a good first impression.

System Requirements

WordPress: Version 5.2 or newer
PHP: Version 5.6 or newer

Installation

After buying Impressum Plus you will receive a download link to the plugin file and a license key.

Installation through the backend

You can uploaded the downloaded .zip file directly in your WordPress backend. You will need a user account with administrator permissions (or super administrator permissions in multisite installations). As soon as you’re logged in, you can find the entry Plugins > Install in the menu. You can upload the .zip file on this page by clicking on the button “Upload plugin” alongside the headline.

Installation through FTP

To install the downloaded .zip file through (S)FTP, you first need to extract it and upload the files and folders with an FTP program of your choice onto your website.
After the upload, they should be found in wp-content/plugins/impressum.

Setup

After installing the plugin you can find the entry Impressum Plus in the plugin overview – in Plugins menu entry of the WordPress backend. You can activate the plugin through this entry.

Switch from Impressum to Impressum Plus

If you have already used our free plugin Impressum in your WordPress installation, you don’t have to set most of the settings again, they will be applied automatically. However, we recommend to review all settings thoroughly and check for correctness.
After activating Impressum Plus you can deactivate and delete Impressum.

Configuration

After activating Impressum Plus, you will get a notification asking you to complete your imprint. You can click on the link to the settings page directly in the notification or find it via the admin menu of your backend under Settings > Impressum.

License

Make sure to add the license data you received after purchase in Settings > Impressum > License to be able to update the plugin. Use your email address you’ve registered on our site while making the purchase and the license key provided via email.

IMPRESSUM_PLUS_LICENSE_EMAIL and IMPRESSUM_PLUS_LICENSE_KEY

Since version 2.10.0, you can define the constants IMPRESSUM_PLUS_LICENSE_EMAIL and IMPRESSUM_PLUS_LICENSE_KEY in your wp-config.php to manage the license credentials here.

IMPRESSUM_PLUS_SKIP_REWRITE_RULES

Since version 1.1.0 there is a constant IMPRESSUM_PLUS_SKIP_REWRITE_RULES, which can be set (for instance in the file wp-config.php), so that Impressum Plus doesn’t add rewrite rules inside the .htaccess.

define( 'IMPRESSUM_PLUS_SKIP_REWRITE_RULES', true );Code language: PHP (php)

Output the imprint

After entering all relevant information, Impressum Plus can generate and output your imprint. For this we use either the corresponding block in the Gutenberg editor (since version 2.0.0) or a so-called shortcode. Shortcodes are recognized by WordPress and replaced by other content, in our case a complete imprint, when visitors request the page.

Gutenberg Block (since version 2.0.0)

Create a new block and select “Imprint” from the block inserter.

If you don’t want to output the whole imprint and instead only a part of it you can configure this in the block sidebar.

Shortcode

Copy the shortcode [impressum] to the desired place(s) on your page and save it. Usually, you should use a separate page for that, e.g. “Imprint”.

If you don’t want to output the whole imprint and instead only a part of it, you can extend your shortcode with the sections= attribute. Every value from your imprint can be entered separately or you can enter multiply values comma-separated.

[​impressum sections="email"​] just outputs the email address, [​impressum sections="email,phone"​]email address and phone number. The following values are available for sections:

addressAddress
address_alternativeAlternative adress
coverageCoverage of the imprint
countryCountry
emailEmail address
faxFax number
free_textFree text field
legal_entityLegal Entity
nameName
phonePhone number
press_law_personResponsible person for the content
vat_idVAT ID
inspecting_authorityInspecting authority
registerRegister
business_idRegister number
representativeRepresentative(s)
capital_stockCapital stock
professional_associationProfessional association
legal_job_titleLegal job title
professional_regulationsProfessional regulations

If you want to output your imprint without any HTML, which are provided by Impressum Plus by default, you can extend the shortcode with a markup="false". The shortcode looks then like this: [​impressum markup="false​"] and only outputs an unformatted text block.

Since version 2.0.0: If you want to output imprint data without their according field title, extend the shortcode with a titles="false".

Output the privacy policy

If you also added all information to create a privacy policy, Impressum Plus can output it though an own block or shortcode.

Gutenberg Block (since version 2.0.0)

Create a new block and select “Privacy Policy” from the block inserter.

Shortcode

Copy the shortcode [impressum_privacy] to the desired place on your page. If you add it directly below your imprint, make sure to link to the page, e.g. in your footer, clearly as “Imprint and Privacy Policy” so that your visitors know that they can be found the privacy policy on this page as well.

Data transfer for updates/license activation

While searching updates for Impressum Plus or while activating the license, requests to our severs will be sent. These contain the following data:

  • The website URL
  • The IP address of the server your WordPress is running on
  • The WordPress version
  • The PHP version
  • The license data
  • The language of your WordPress website

At no time individually entered data of your imprint or other input will be sent to our server.

Changelog

Version 2.10.2

November 28, 2024

  • We fixed an issue that could make updating Impressum Plus nearly impossible.

Version 2.10.1

November 21, 2024

  • We improved support with WordPress 6.7 by loading the translation files in the init hook instead of the plugins_loaded hook.

Version 2.10.0

October 21, 2024

  • We introduced a WP-CLI integration.
  • You can now define the license via configuration constants IMPRESSUM_PLUS_LICENSE_EMAIL and IMPRESSUM_PLUS_LICENSE_KEY.
  • We added support for Polylang for the contact form page.
  • We made it more clear that you can use various blocks instead of shortcodes to output the imprint and privacy policy.
  • The namespace \epiphyt\Impressum is now considered deprecated and has been replaced by \epiphyt\Impressum_Plus.
  • We fixed various issues regarding activating/deactivating a license and made the process more reliable.

Version 2.9.0

July 26, 2024

  • We added the Omnisend newsletter provider.
  • We added the Mollie payment provider.

Version 2.8.1

May 3, 2024

  • We fixed the check for a valid imprint in the admin notice.
  • We fixed a potential PHP warning if the country has not yet been set.

Version 2.8.0

April 22, 2024

  • We added an alternative select for a contact form page instead of entering a phone number.
  • We added the “Company purpose” field for Austrians.
  • We introduced JavaScript functionality for the tabs to improve navigation speed in the settings.
  • We made the changelog in the plugin list dynamically.
  • We added a check for the official VG WORT METIS plugin.
  • We removed an information regarding to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF) from the privacy policy due to potentially misleading interpretations.

You can found more information regarding the biggest new features in the blog post for this release.

Version 2.7.1

October 16, 2023

  • We fixed an issue regarding the automatic update mechanism.

Version 2.7.0

October 15, 2023

  • We added an information regarding to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF) to the privacy policy.
  • We added support for Spotify.
  • We added support for CleanTalk.
  • We have added buttons to the customer account and the “Lost License” page below the form for the license credentials.
  • We renamed Facebook Pixel to Meta Pixel.
  • We fixed a potential PHP warning in the system check.

Version 2.6.1

July 15, 2023

  • We added the missing parts to replace the privacy policy content of Embed Privacy and Google reCAPTCHA.
  • We renamed the newsletter provider Newsletter2Go to Brevo/Sendinblue/Newsletter2Go.
  • We fixed the appearance of the default option “Please select” for the privacy policy replacement part to be the first option, not the last.
  • We fixed an error appearing while adding the block without having set any imprint settings yet.
  • We fixed an check in the editor to display an information if there is no imprint field available yet.
  • We fixed displaying the field “Inspecting Authority” in the backend for legal entity GbR.

Version 2.6.0

June 25, 2023

  • You can now manually override parts of the privacy policy (or the whole privacy policy) under Settings > Privacy Replacements.
  • We added the legal entity “eG”.

Version 2.5.2

June 6, 2023

  • We updated parts of Sendinblue (formerly Newsletter2Go) since they have been renamed to Brevo.

Version 2.5.1

May 8, 2023

  • We fixed an issue while outputting the imprint.

Version 2.5.0

May 8, 2023

  • We added the possibility for manual sorting the fields in the block editor.
  • We replaced the the multi select for active fields with a form token field to improve its usability.
  • We updated parts of MailPoet since they have been aquired by Automattic.
  • We fixed a potential error while retrieving the last (faulty) API response.

Version 2.4.0

March 12, 2023

  • We added an input for a Mastodon profile page.
  • We fixed a deprecation notice in PHP 8.0.
  • We fixed a deprecation notice in PHP 8.2.
  • We fixed a scrolling issue in Chrome in the active fields select of the imprint block.
  • We improved the code under the hood.

Version 2.3.0

September 26, 2022

  • We added an option to link to an online dispute resolution as well as giving you the possibility to select whether you participate in an online dispute resolution process.
  • Custom titles can now be retrieved via REST API. Visit the documentation for more information.
  • Custom titles can now be send from your WordPress installation via API settings. You can select the data type “Field Titles” to do so.
  • We improved handling of medical freelancers by giving them a separate option on the legal entity field.
  • We fixed a potential PHP warning for resetting custom titles.
  • We fixed sending imprint data via API to another WordPress installation.

Version 2.2.0

March 28, 2022

  • We fully translated the privacy policy to English and added proper difference between German formal and informal version.
  • You can now change the field titles to your liking.
  • We added the field “professional liability insurance”.
  • We added a privacy policy system check for the WooCommerce PayPal Payments plugin.
  • The register field is now a textarea.
  • We improved the imprint container name to prevent adblocker from blocking the content.
  • We fixed an issue where the fields selection in the imprint block may disappear.
  • We fixed an issue that result in using the settings of the primary site in the network options.

Version 2.1.2

February 7, 2022

  • We changed the name of Facebook Inc. to Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd. according to their company renaming.
  • We fixed an issue that prevents the plugin from work in PHP versions < 7.3.

Version 2.1.1

August 28, 2021

  • We fixed the system check for Embed Privacy, which would result in an error if you disable Embed Privacy.

Version 2.1.0

June 25, 2021

  • We added support for additional services in the privacy policy:
  • We added a placeholder to the imprint block if there is no imprint data set yet.
  • We added support for basic HTML in free text field (a, strong, b, em, i, h1–h6, p).
  • We added support for automatic updates.
  • We unified some parts of the privacy policy.
  • We improved displaying outstanding plugin updates more reliable.
  • We fixed checking for an active license on the plugins page in multisites.

Version 2.0.3

May 16, 2021

  • We improved formatting of responsible person and data protection officer in privacy policy to be identical.
  • We fixed displaying field “Responsible for content” in the backend of German users.

Version 2.0.2

March 20, 2021

  • Impressum Plus is now officially tested in WordPress 5.7.
  • Shoutout to Florian Brinkmann for fixing a problem in combination with application passwords.
  • We added prefixes to email and phone of the data protection officer and display them now the same way on both the imprint and privacy policy page.
  • We fixed the filter name for DHL privacy text.

Version 2.0.1

December 17, 2020

  • We fixed an error while trying to deactivate a license.
  • We fixed an problem where MailPoet won’t be displayed as newsletter provider in the privacy policy.

Version 2.0.0

December 7, 2020

  • We added Gutenberg Blocks for the imprint and privacy policy.
  • The code structure has been changed and modernized completely. It’s now easier than ever to extend or filter the functionality of Impressum Plus. Visit the migration guide for more information.
  • We improved the imprint generator for an even better experience.
  • Impressum Plus now detects the country according to the used browser language.
  • For non-Germans, the field Business ID is now hidden as they have no such information.
  • We added the legal entity “Partnership”.
  • We added a proper changelog to the information modal.
  • You can now output the imprint without titles by using titles="false".
  • It is now allowed to add + and * in the VAT ID field to allow VAT IDs of the Netherlands.
  • We added privacy policy content for Google reCAPTCHA, Cloudflare and StackPath (MaxCDN/BootstrapCDN).
  • We added privacy policy content for PayPal, Stripe and DHL.
  • We added Mailpoet as a newsletter provider.
  • License checks are now handled differently to not cause hundreds of requests on large multisites.
  • The update notice now displays if your WordPress version is supported.
  • We added the headline number to the filters in the privacy policy.
  • We added a filter to the output of the imprint.
  • We added a filter to Privacy::has_content().
  • We removed the “according to § 55 paragraph 2 RStV” since it doesn’t apply anymore.
  • We fixed the email field output of the data protection officer. It no longer starts with http://.

Version 1.1.2

June 12, 2020

  • We improved and fixed the sorting of some privacy policy parts.
  • A typo has been fixed in the privacy policy text.
  • A potential error in the privacy policy system check has been fixed.

Version 1.1.1

May 23, 2020

  • An notice will be displayed on different pages if your license is expired and thus an update is impossible.
  • A typo has been fixed in the privacy policy text.
  • Impressum Plus now also sends PHP information and the used language to the update server.
  • We improved the German translation so that its style fit the WordPress style.

Version 1.1.0

May 13, 2020

  • Impressum Plus can now also generate a privacy policy.
  • All data from Impressum Plus can now be accessed and written via REST API. This way you can synchronize your imprint data between multiple websites or use a CRM to create imprints.
  • More than 40 new filters have been added to modify the interface and output.
  • A field to add the chamber has been added.
  • Additional fields for social media fields have been added.
  • Checks for the legal entity has been improved.
  • Handling optional fields has been improved.
  • A problem with a wrong prefix has been fixed for email addresses.
  • Managing of license data has been improved.

Version 1.0.2

March 9, 2019

  • We removed the check for a VAT ID. This information is based on revenue, not on a legal entity.
  • On uninstalling Impressum Plus the license information will now also be removed.
  • Handling the legal entity GbR has been improved.
  • A missing translation has been added.
  • After adding a new site to a multisite a check was missing if there are already imprint data for this new site.
  • An error has been fixed on opening the update information of the plugin.
  • The update server will now be requested only once instead of multiple times while searching for updates.
  • The fields “Coverage” and “Free Text” are now also displayed for individuals and self-employed persons.
  • While checking for all required fields network-wide imprint settings had been ignored. This is fixed now.
  • The Impressum Plus icon will now be displayed on the update screen.

Version 1.0.1

November 1, 2018

  • A PHP error has been fixed if Impressum and Impressum Plus have been enabled simultaneously. Now, Impressum will be disabled automatically.
  • If only defined in the network options, single information could not be displayed via the sections parameter.
  • Line breaks will now automatically be transformed to commata on output without markup.

Version 1.0.0

October 31, 2018

  • First release

Table of Contents

  1. Before buying
  2. System Requirements
  3. Installation
    1. Installation through the backend
    2. Installation through FTP
  4. Setup
    1. Switch from Impressum to Impressum Plus
    2. Configuration
    3. License
    4. Output the imprint
      1. Gutenberg Block
      2. Shortcode
    5. Output the privacy policy
      1. Gutenberg Block
      2. Shortcode
  5. Data transfer for updates/license activation
  6. Changelog