{"id":2774,"date":"2026-10-08T20:55:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T18:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.molongui.com\/help\/?p=2774"},"modified":"2026-10-09T10:42:50","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T08:42:50","slug":"understanding-main-authors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.molongui.com\/help\/understanding-main-authors\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding the Main Author in Molongui Authorship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Molongui Authorship lets you assign one or more authors to your WordPress posts, including registered WordPress users and Guest Authors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When multiple authors are assigned to a post, one of them must be designated as the <strong>Main Author<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This guide explains what the Main Author is, how Molongui automatically assigns it, and when you need to select one manually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Is the Main Author?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Main Author is the primary author credited for a post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A post can have:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>One Main Author:<\/strong> The primary person credited for the content.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>One or more Co-authors:<\/strong> Additional people who contributed to the content.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The Main Author can be a registered WordPress user or a Guest Author.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the author selector, the Main Author is identified by a <strong>MAIN<\/strong> label. Other assigned authors have a star icon that lets you designate them as Main.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Main Author is also shown in the <strong>Author<\/strong> column of the WordPress posts list. Additional authors appear in the <strong>Co-authors<\/strong> column when co-author support is enabled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Is the Main Author Assigned Automatically?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Starting with Molongui Authorship 5.3.2, the plugin automatically handles several common situations to reduce unnecessary manual steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Creating a New Post<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When you create a new post, your WordPress user is normally assigned as its author and marked as Main.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If your site has a different default author configured, that default may be used instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You don&#8217;t need to select the Main Author manually unless you want to change it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Adding an Author to an Empty List<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If a post has no authors and you add one, the new author automatically becomes Main.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This also applies when you remove all existing authors before adding a replacement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Adding Co-authors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When a post already has a Main Author, adding another author does not change the Main.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>John \u2014 MAIN<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sarah \u2014 Co-author<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Adding Michael produces:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>John \u2014 MAIN<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sarah \u2014 Co-author<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Michael \u2014 Co-author<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>John remains the Main Author unless you explicitly select someone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Removing the Main Author When Only One Author Remains<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If a post has exactly two authors and you remove the Main Author, the remaining author automatically becomes Main.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Before removal:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>John \u2014 MAIN<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sarah \u2014 Co-author<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>After removing John:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Sarah \u2014 MAIN<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Since only one author remains, Molongui can safely assign Main without requiring another action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Removing the Main Author When Multiple Authors Remain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If removing the Main Author leaves two or more authors, Molongui does not automatically choose a replacement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Before removal:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>John \u2014 MAIN<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sarah \u2014 Co-author<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Michael \u2014 Co-author<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>After removing John:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Sarah \u2014 No Main assigned<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Michael \u2014 No Main assigned<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A warning appears asking you to select a Main Author.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This prevents the plugin from arbitrarily assigning primary credit to the wrong contributor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Editing a Post That Already Has No Main Author<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If an existing post has authors assigned but no Main Author, Molongui preserves that unresolved state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Adding another co-author does not automatically fix it. Neither does removing authors until only one remains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You must explicitly designate one of the existing authors as Main using the star icon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This prevents unintended authorship changes when editing older or incomplete posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Select or Change the Main Author Manually<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You can designate any assigned author as Main:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Open the post editor.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Locate the <strong>Authors<\/strong> panel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Find the author you want to designate as Main.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click the empty star icon next to that author.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Confirm that the <strong>MAIN<\/strong> label appears.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Save or update the post.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>The newly selected Main Author moves to the primary position in the author list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reordering co-authors does not change the Main Author. Use the star icon whenever you want to change primary authorship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Which Editing Screens Support These Rules?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The same automatic assignment rules apply to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Block Editor (Gutenberg):<\/strong> Use the Authors panel in the editor sidebar.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Classic Editor:<\/strong> Use the Molongui Authors metabox.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Quick Edit:<\/strong> Manage authors directly from the WordPress posts list.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bulk Edit:<\/strong> Define an author selection to apply to multiple posts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Important for Bulk Edit:<\/strong> An empty author selection means <em>No Change<\/em>. It does not remove authors from the selected posts. Once you add an author to the Bulk Edit selector, that author automatically becomes Main for the new selection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can I Save a Post Without a Main Author?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, but only in workflow states that do not require a Main Author.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, you can save a Draft without resolving its authorship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, a valid Main Author is required when publishing, scheduling, or updating a published post. Private posts and other public publication statuses also require valid authorship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If the post does not have a valid Main Author, Molongui prevents the publication or invalid update and displays an error.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This ensures that published content has a clearly identified primary author.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Find Posts Without a Main Author<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Go to <strong>Posts &gt; All Posts<\/strong> and select the <strong>No Main Author<\/strong> view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This view helps you find posts that have been explicitly marked as missing a Main Author.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Open an affected post, select the appropriate author using the star icon, and save your changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The view focuses on posts with an explicitly unresolved Main Author. Older posts that rely on legacy author information may not appear in this list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key Takeaway<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Molongui automatically assigns the Main Author whenever the correct choice is unambiguous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When multiple authors could reasonably be selected, the plugin leaves the decision to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This approach keeps author management convenient while ensuring accurate attribution for published content.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Molongui Authorship lets you assign one or more authors to your WordPress posts, including registered WordPress users and Guest Authors. When multiple authors are assigned to a post, one of them must be designated as the Main Author. This guide explains what the Main Author is, how Molongui automatically assigns it, and when you need [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,1],"tags":[31,28,63],"class_list":["post-2774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-authorship","category-doc","tag-co-authors","tag-first-steps","tag-main-author"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.molongui.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.molongui.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.molongui.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.molongui.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.molongui.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2774"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.molongui.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2774\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2775,"href":"https:\/\/www.molongui.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2774\/revisions\/2775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.molongui.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.molongui.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.molongui.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}