=== News Ticker, Read Time & Voice Reader ===
Contributors: tapplaza
Tags: news ticker, reading time, voice reader, scroll progress bar, back to top
Requires at least: 6.0
Tested up to: 6.8
Requires PHP: 8.0
Stable tag: 2.3.3
License: GPLv2 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

News ticker, reading time & voice reader — plus scroll progress bar, view counter, trending engine, back-to-top button & analytics. Every feature is a standalone module. Free forever with optional Pro upgrade. By Tapplaza.

== Description ==

**News Ticker, Read Time & Voice Reader** is a lightweight, modular WordPress plugin that adds useful reader engagement features to your site. Install it once and enable only what you need — nothing loads unless it's turned on.

**Free features:**

* ⏱ **Reading Time** — Shows estimated reading time on posts (Badge template)
* 📰 **News Ticker** — Scrolling headline bar with Classic template, marquee animation and single color
* 📜 **Scroll Progress Bar** — Solid reading progress bar, top position
* ⬆ **Back-to-Top Button** — Round style, fully customizable colors and position

**Pro features (upgrade at [tapplaza.com](https://tapplaza.com/news-ticker-read-time-voice/)):**

* 🔊 **Voice Reader** — Full text-to-speech player, 3 templates, gender preference, 18 language options
* 📰 **Advanced Ticker** — Glass & Bold templates, gradient/radiant backgrounds, sticky ticker, Slide & Fade animations, multi-color cycling headlines
* 👁 **View Counter** — Anti-bot article view tracking with 6 display templates
* 🔥 **Trending Engine** — Real-time trending posts via shortcode, widget and template tag
* 📊 **Analytics Dashboard** — 14-day sparkline chart, live visitor count, most-viewed posts
* ⬆ **Back-to-Top Styles** — Square, Pill, Arrow, Pulse button styles
* 📜 **Scroll Bar Pro** — Gradient & glow styles, left/right position, live percentage display
* ⏱ **Reading Time Templates** — Pill, Inline, Card, Strip and Outline templates

Pro features are shown inside your admin dashboard so you can see exactly what you'll get before upgrading.

**Key features:**

* Module-based — only enabled features load on the frontend
* Zero jQuery dependency — vanilla JavaScript only
* Transient-cached ticker queries — no DB hit on every page load
* Fully translatable — all strings use the `news-ticker-read-time-voice` text domain
* GDPR-friendly — no cookies, no tracking, no external requests on the frontend
* WordPress Coding Standards compliant
* Per-post feature override via post editor metabox

**Shortcodes:**

* `[smart_news_ticker]` — Place the news ticker anywhere (when position set to Shortcode)
* `[srt_trending]` — Display trending posts anywhere (Pro)

**Links:**

* [tapplaza.com](https://tapplaza.com/)
* [Plugin page & Pro upgrade](https://tapplaza.com/news-ticker-read-time-voice/)
* [Support](https://tapplaza.com/support/)

== Installation ==

1. Upload the `news-ticker-read-time-voice` folder to `/wp-content/plugins/`
2. Activate the plugin through the **Plugins** menu in WordPress
3. Go to **News Ticker, Read Time & Voice Reader** in your admin sidebar to configure settings
4. To unlock Pro features, visit [tapplaza.com/news-ticker-read-time-voice](https://tapplaza.com/news-ticker-read-time-voice/) to purchase a license, then enter your key under **News Ticker, Read Time & Voice Reader → License**

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= Is this plugin really free? =
Yes. The free version includes Reading Time, News Ticker (Classic template), Scroll Progress Bar and Back-to-Top button. These are free forever with no time limits.

= What do I get with Pro? =
Voice Reader, advanced ticker templates, view counter, trending engine, analytics dashboard, and more styling options. See the full list on the [plugin page](https://tapplaza.com/news-ticker-read-time-voice/).

= Does the voice reader need an API key or subscription? =
No. The Voice Reader (Pro) uses the Web Speech Synthesis API built into your visitor's browser. There is no third-party service, no API key, and no ongoing cost.

= Does this plugin slow down my site? =
No. Every feature is a standalone module — if you don't enable it, it doesn't load. The ticker uses a 5-minute transient cache so it never runs a database query on page load after the first visit.

= Can I use the ticker shortcode in page builders? =
Yes. Use `[smart_news_ticker]` in any widget, page builder block, or editor that supports shortcodes. Set the Ticker Position to "Shortcode only" in settings first.

= Does the free version show ads or "powered by" links? =
No. There are no ads, no forced "Powered by" badges, and no frontend branding of any kind.

= Does the plugin phone home? =
The plugin makes two optional external requests, both admin-only and never on the frontend:
1. **License verification** — when you enter a Pro license key, it contacts `active.tapplaza.com` to verify it. This only runs in wp-admin, uses a 24-hour cache, and never runs on your site's frontend.
2. **Price display** — the admin settings page fetches current pricing from `tapplaza.com` once every 24 hours using a transient. This is purely informational and fails gracefully if unavailable.
No visitor data is ever sent anywhere.

= Is this plugin compatible with caching plugins? =
Yes. All frontend output is static HTML — there is nothing dynamic that would break with full-page caching.

= Where can I get support? =
Free support is available at [tapplaza.com/support](https://tapplaza.com/support/). Pro customers receive priority support.

= How does license activation work? =
A Pro license key is tied to one domain by default. You enter the key under News Ticker, Read Time & Voice Reader → License and it activates instantly. If you need to move the license to a different domain, deactivate it first from the License page — this frees the domain on the license server.

= Can one license cover multiple sites? =
Yes, depending on the license tier you purchase. Tapplaza offers single-site, 3-site, 5-site and 10-site licenses. Check [tapplaza.com/news-ticker-read-time-voice](https://tapplaza.com/news-ticker-read-time-voice/) for current options.

== Privacy Policy ==

This plugin does not set cookies, collect personal data, or send any visitor information to external servers.

**Admin-only external requests:**
- License verification: POST to `https://active.tapplaza.com/wp-json/taplicense/v1/verify` — only when a license key is entered or re-verified. Contains: license key, product slug, domain name. Cached for 24 hours.
- Pricing display: GET from `https://tapplaza.com/wp-json/tapplaza/v1/plugin-info` — fetches current pricing to display in the admin upgrade prompt. Contains no personal data. Cached for 24 hours.

These requests only occur in the WordPress admin dashboard and are never triggered by site visitors.

== Screenshots ==

1. Plugin dashboard — Reading Time and News Ticker settings with free/Pro labels
2. News Ticker settings — Bar height, Top Offset slider and all configuration options
3. Voice Reader settings (Pro) — template, gender preference and language selection
4. License activation page — enter your Pro key to unlock all features
5. Scroll Progress Bar (free) and Article View Counter Pro showcase
6. Frontend live view — news ticker, view counter, reading time badge and voice player

== Changelog ==

= 2.3.3 =
* New: Top offset setting — adjust ticker position per-theme from admin panel
* Fix: Stable tag aligned with plugin version
* Fix: Inline script tags moved to wp_add_inline_script()
* Fix: Transient clearing on save_post now uses wpdb->prepare()
* Fix: Admin menu labels cleaned up for WordPress.org compliance
* Fix: uninstall.php added to remove all plugin data on deletion
* Improvement: Tested up to WordPress 6.8

= 2.2.0 =
* New: Freemium model — free features available on WordPress.org, Pro features unlocked via license key
* New: License activation system connecting to active.tapplaza.com
* New: In-admin Pro feature showcase — free users see full dimmed previews of Pro features
* New: Auto-fetched pricing from tapplaza.com (24-hour cache, zero frontend cost)
* New: Dedicated License page under News Ticker, Read Time & Voice Reader → License
* New: Back-to-Top module — Round style free, Square/Pill/Arrow/Pulse in Pro
* Improved: Modular architecture — includes/functions.php, includes/license.php, includes/admin.php
* Improved: Author updated to Tapplaza with links to tapplaza.com
* Improved: All strings wrapped in translation functions

= 2.1.0 =
* New: Analytics dashboard with 14-day sparkline chart and live visitor count
* New: Trending Content Engine module with shortcode, widget and template tag
* New: Article View Counter module with anti-bot transient protection
* New: Scroll Progress Bar with gradient and glow styles

= 2.0.0 =
* New: Voice Reader with text-to-speech, progress bar, gender and language preference
* New: Multiple ticker templates — Classic, Minimal, Glass, Bold
* New: Ticker background styles — Solid, Gradient, Radiant
* New: Multi-color headline cycling
* New: Sticky ticker option
* New: Per-post feature override metabox in post editor

= 1.3.2 =
* Fix: Ticker Top/Bottom position option restored
* New: Configurable play button text
* New: Ticker scroll animations — Marquee, Slide, Fade

= 1.3.0 =
* New: Multiple templates for Reading Time (Badge/Pill/Inline)
* New: Multiple templates for News Ticker (Classic/Minimal/Glass/Bold)
* New: Multiple templates for Voice Player (Card/Minimal/Glass)

= 1.2.0 =
* New: Voice Reader category scope — limit to selected categories
* New: Mini player with progress bar and restart
* New: Resume playback from last position using localStorage

= 1.0.0 =
* Initial release — Reading Time and News Ticker

== Upgrade Notice ==

= 2.2.0 =
Major update: freemium model with Pro license activation. All your existing settings are preserved. Free features continue to work exactly as before.
