readme.txt

=== Rate my Post - WP Rating System ===
Contributors: blazk
Donate link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=HJH3AS8TP8FEC&source=url
Tags: Rating System, Rate Post, Rate Page, Star Rating, Post Rating, Post Feedback, Page Feedback, Responsive Star Rating, Lightweight Post Rating, Ajax Post Rating, Post Rating Analytics, Post Rating, Rich Snippet
Requires at least: 4.7.0
Tested up to: 6.1
Stable tag: 3.3.7
Requires PHP: 5.3
License: GPLv3
License URI: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

== Description ==

Rate my Post - WP Rating System allows you to easily add rating functionality to your WordPress website. Visitors can rate your posts/pages and send you private feedback after rating. Functionality to create custom rating widgets that work independently of posts and pages is available in the [PRO version](https://blazzdev.com/products/rate-my-post-pro/).

What sets Rate my Post apart from other WordPress rating plugins is its simplicity, performance and impact on engagement. It works with any page cache plugin and is probably the most customizable free WordPress rating plugin.

= Highlights =

* Lightweight, responsive and free
* Add rating functionality to your website automatically or use shortcodes - no coding required!
* Option to show ratings visually before the content of each post (so-called results widget)
* Stats section where you can see how many votes each post/page received and what is its average rating.
* Analytics section with detailed information about each rating such as time, IP (optionally), username, title, time spent on page before rating etc.
* Easily change ratings in the admin panel
* Supports structured data for rich snippets according to the latest [Google guidelines](https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2019/09/making-review-rich-results-more-helpful.html)
* GDPR compliant
* Top rated posts widget
* Custom templates for complete customization
* Works with infinite scroll plugins and popups (implementation requred)

= Developers =

While the plugin does not require any coding, it is perfect for developers as well because it comes with neat hooks and is based on the [WordPress Plugin boilerplate](https://github.com/DevinVinson/WordPress-Plugin-Boilerplate) for a standardized, organized and object-oriented codebase. Since version 3, Webpack is used as a module bundler and Gulp as a task runner.

See:

* **[Documentation](https://blazzdev.com/documentation/rate-my-post-documentation/)**

* **[GitHub](https://github.com/blaz-blazer/rate-my-post)**

= Shortcodes =

[ratemypost] - embeds rating widget

[ratemypost-result] - embeds results widget

It is also possible to embed a rating of whichever post by passing the id of the post to the shortcode.

[ratemypost id="1"] - embeds rating widget for the post with the id of 1

[ratemypost-result id="1"] - embeds results widget for the post with the id of 1

= PRO Version =

Rate my Post PRO comes with advanced schema selector which allows you to select schema type directly in the post editor for each post and supports custom rating widgets. Read more about [Rate my Post PRO](https://blazzdev.com/products/rate-my-post-pro/).

= Components =

The plugin includes five components; rating widget, results widget, social widget, feedback widget and top rated posts widget.

**Rating Widget Features:**

*Rating widget adds the basic rating functionality to your website*

1. Choose between different types of rating widget: Stars, Thumbs, Hearts, Smileys and Trophies

2. Add rating widget to any page/post with shortcode: [ratemypost]

3. Add rating widget to all posts or pages with one click in the settings

4. Option to automatically include rating widget to custom post types

5. Exclude rating widget from certain pages and posts - such as About Us page etc.

6. All texts and colors can be easily changed in the settings

7. Option to add structured data for Rich Snippets to be displayed in search engines

8. Option to get email when a post is rated

9. Option to prevent accidental votes

10. Prevent double votes with cookies

11. Option to hide average rating and vote count

12. Option to show descriptive ratings while a user hovers over rating icons

13. Google Analytics integration

14. Option to enable reCAPTCHA v3 protection

15. Option to show results (visual rating) on archive pages

16. Option to allow only logged in users to vote

17. Option to prevent double votes via IP addresses

**Results Widget Features:**

*Results widget is similar to the rating widget, but is not interactive - it only displays rating visually.*

1. Optional feature - you can enable it or disable it

2. Add results widget to any page/post with shortcode: [ratemypost-result]

3. Add results widget to all posts or pages with one click in the settings

4. Option to automatically include results widget to custom post types

**Feedback Widget Features:**

*Feedback widget enables visitors to leave you anonymous feedback*

1. Optional feature - you can enable it or disable it

2. After a negative rating (you define what is a negative rating in the settings), displays the feedback widget

3. Users who give you negative rating can help you improve your post

4. Feedback is not posted publicly - only you can see it

5. Option to get an email if somebody leaves you feedback

**Social Widget Features:**

*Social widget displays social follow or social share links after the rating has been submitted*

1. Optional feature - you can enable it or disable it

2. Shows social follow/share links after a positive rating (you define what is a positive rating in the settings)

**Top Rated Posts Widget:**

*Displays top rated posts on your website*

1. Optional feature - you can enable it under Appearance - Widgets

2. Select how many posts to show

3. Select minimum average rating required

3. Select minimum vote count required

4. Option to show featured image

5. Option to show visual rating

= Why use Rate my Post? =

1. Increase engagement

2. Get feedback and improve your content

3. Get more followers on social media

4. It's responsive, lightweight and simple to use

5. It's probably the most customizable free WordPress rating plugin

6. It uses AJAX and thus works super fast

7. It's compatible with caching plugins

8. It supports structured data for rich snippets

9. It works with multilingual websites

10. AMP compatibility

11. reCAPTCHA v3 protection

12. Migration tools - easily migrate from kk Star Ratings, YASR or WP-PostRatings

= Translations: =

*Please help translate the plugin to your language [here](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/rate-my-post/). The plugin also comes with POT file if you prefer using software such as [Poedit](https://poedit.net/).*

1. German translations thanks to the great German community [see contributors](https://translate.wordpress.org/locale/de/default/wp-plugins/rate-my-post/)

2. Portuguese (Brazil) translations thanks to Douglas [douglasferraz89](https://profiles.wordpress.org/douglasferraz89/)

3. Spanish (Costa Rica) translations thanks to Mario [marbaque](https://profiles.wordpress.org/marbaque/)

4. Spanish (Spain) translations thanks to Javier Esteban [nobnob](https://wordpress.org/support/users/nobnob/)

5. Chinese (China) translations thanks to [lufffy](https://profiles.wordpress.org/lufffy/)

6. Russian translations thanks to Mikhail Alferov [malferov](https://profiles.wordpress.org/malferov/)

== Installation ==

**From the Dashboard (Recommended)**:
1. Navigate to Dashboard -> Plugins -> Add New
2. Search for Rate my Post
3. Click Install
4. Click Activate
5. Click Rate my Post -> Settings in the main menu and configure the plugin
6. Add shortcode [ratemypost] to your posts or embed rating widgets automatically in the Settings

**Manual Installation**:
1. Unzip downloaded archive and upload rate-my-post folder under your /wp-content/plugins/ directory
2. Navigate to Dashboard -> Plugins
3. Click Activate
4. Click Rate my Post -> Settings in the main menu and configure the plugin
5. Add shortcode [ratemypost] to your posts or embed rating widgets automatically in the Settings

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= Support? =
For support use the support forum, but please do read the guidelines and [documentation](https://blazzdev.com/documentation/rate-my-post-documentation/) before posting.
= Does it work with caching plugins? =
Rate my Post works with all caching plugins. If you are using caching plugin other than WP Super Cache, LiteSpeed Cache, WP Fastest Cache, WP Rocket or SG Optimizer, you should enable AJAX load results in the advanced settings.
= What can be rated? =
The plugin allows visitors to rate posts, pages and custom post types. It is not possible to rate archives (categories etc.) as the ratings are stored in the post meta. Nevertheless, custom rating widgets are coming soon.
= The rating widget is displayed multiple times =
This typically happens with various "page builder" themes. In such cases it's best to include the rating widget with the shortcode [ratemypost] instead of using the automatic option. If that's too much work, you can add it directly to the template of your theme. See the procedure in the [documentation](https://blazzdev.com/documentation/rate-my-post-documentation/) under Troubleshooting -> The “Add rating widget to all posts” feature is not working.
= Can I have more than one rating widget on a single web page? =
Yes, it's possible to have multiple rating widgets on a single web page (posts, pages etc.). Nevertheless, this feature only works if ajax load results is disabled.
= Where do I find the documentation =
The documentation is available [here](https://blazzdev.com/documentation/rate-my-post-documentation/).
= The vote count and average rating are not correct on page load =
Such issues typically appear due to caching. If you are encountering such issues enable Ajax load results in the advanced settings.
= The plugin stopped working after the update =
If you encounter problems with the plugin after the update, first clear the cache (page cache, minify cache, CDN cache such as CloudFlare etc.). Then open an incognito window and see if the problem has been solved. In case it hasn't don't hesitate to contact me via the support forum.
= I can't save the settings =
If you have trouble saving the settings, clear your browser cache. Such problems typically appear after the update because the browser is still serving old files from cache.
= Does it work with multilingual websites? =
Yes, the plugin is fully compatible with multilingual websites. If you are using the plugin on a multilingual website enable Multilingual website compatibility mode in the advanced settings and then translate strings through your plugin for translations.
= Do I have to translate the plugin if my website uses language other than English? =
Not necessarily because the plugin allows you to customize all frontend strings in the settings. However, backend strings can only be translated with translation files.
= Does this plugin show rich snippets? =
The plugin adds structured data for rich snippets, if you choose structured data type in the settings. Note that since September 2019 Google Shows aggregate rating rich snippets only for the following structured data types: Product, Book, Course, CreativeWorkSeason, CreativeWorkSeries, Episode, Game, LocalBusiness, MediaObject, Movie, MusicPlaylist, MusicRecording, Organization, Recipe, HowTo, SoftwareApplication and Event. The plugin supports all these structured data types except HowTo, SoftwareApplication and Event. SoftwareApplication and Event structured data types are available in the [PRO version](https://blazzdev.com/products/rate-my-post-pro/). HowTO is at the moment not supported.
= Which structured data type should I choose? =
You should choose structured data type that fits your blog posts. If your blog posts are recipes than choose Recipe; if they are courses select Course etc. In case your blog posts don't fit any structured data type, then you are according to Google Guidelines not eligible for rich snippets. Learn more about this [here](https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2019/09/making-review-rich-results-more-helpful.html). If you are in doubt about which structured data type to choose (if any) ask for advice on [Google Help Community](https://support.google.com/websearch/community?hl=en). They will provide you with better answers than I can.
= Optional fields for rich snippets are missing =
Optional fields are not required for rich snippets to show. Hence, the plugin in some structured data types (for example product) skips the optional fields. The [PRO version](https://blazzdev.com/products/rate-my-post-pro/) of the plugin supports optional fields for all structured data types and provides search engines with a more complete information about pages on your website.
= Rich snippets are not showing =
If rich snippets are not showing check that the structured data is valid [here](https://search.google.com/structured-data/testing-tool). If it's valid than search engines probably don't trust your website enough to show rich snippets. You can fix that by producing high-quality content.
= Where can I see the feedback? =
You can see the feedback for each post in the post editor at the bottom (meta box). There you can also manipulate ratings and see to which rating the feedback belongs. You can find more info about the rating in the analytics section.
= How to fix invalid WP token error? =
The invalid WP token error (refers to WP nonce) appears if a page is cached for more than 24 hours because WordPress nonces are valid for 24 hours. If you get invalid nonce error after rating a post, decrease page cache expiry. Most caching plugins have page cache expiry set to less than 24 hours. Therefore, this problem typically occurs on websites that use multiple page caching solutions. If that's the case on your website try disabling plugins until the error disappears, so you figure out what is causing the issue. You can read more about how to fix this problem [here](https://blazzdev.com/documentation/rate-my-post-documentation/#nonce-info).

== Screenshots ==

1. Ratings in posts/pages
2. After vote, if feedback is enabled
3. After vote, if social is enabled
4. Plugin Settings
5. Plugin Customization
6. Plugin Stats
7. Manipulate Votes

== Changelog ==

= 3.3.7 =
* Fixed issues with Mutex on some server configurations - thanks to [Thomas Wünsche](https://github.com/bzrk)

= 3.3.6 =
* Fixed PHP 8 deprecated features

= 3.3.5 =
* Security improvements

= 3.3.4 =
* Amp style improvements - thanks to [milindmore22](https://github.com/milindmore22)
* Top rated posts widget now uses smaller image size
* Added filter for image size in top rated posts widget

= 3.3.3 =
* Preload fonts
* Full compatibility with WP 5.8

= 3.3.2 =
* Style fix: Fix empty spaces added by CSS changes in WP 5.7
* Compatibility with WP 5.7

= 3.3.1 =
* Bug fix: Properly encode social media share links
* Improvement: Added fallback image for schema
* Compatibility with WP 5.5

= 3.3.0 =
* Improvement: AMP Compatibility mode is no longer BETA and comes with style
* Improvement: Ratings on archive pages are no longer shown for excluded posts
* Improvement: Ratings on archive pages have an additional class if post hasn't been rated yet
* Improvement: Added admin notices if additional configuration is required
* Other small improvements

= 3.2.1 =
* Removed several PRO version templates which were added in the latest release (not used by the free version)
* Updated migration tools - it now works with the latest release of YASR
* TTF font is no longer used
* Fixed compatibility with Messenger Customer Chat by Facebook plugin

= 3.2.0 =
* Bug Fix: Some rating widget strings could not be translated in the multilingual compatibility mode
* New feature: Added option to re-init rating widgets for compatibility with infinite scroll plugins, popups etc.
* New feature: Danger Zone allows deleting all plugin data except the settings
* Improvement: Social media links now have rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" attribute
* Improvement: Added a filter to top rated posts query - it is now possible to only display top rated posts within a category
* Improvement: RTL compatibility
* Improvement: Better handling of feedback tokens
* Updated NPM packages

= 3.1.0 =
* Fixed issues with feedback token on some server configurations
* Added double vote protection via user id (applies to logged in users but not admins)

= 3.0.0 =
* [READ BEFORE UPDATING!!!](https://blazzdev.com/rate-my-post-version-3/)
* Renamed to Rate my Post - WP Rating System
* Code refactor, many parts have been rewritten
* Shortcode accepts post id parameter
* Average rating is now stored in post meta
* Allows multiple rating/results widgets on a single web page
* Possible to change max rating - for example to 10-star rating system
* Allows overriding templates for complete customization
* AMP Compatibility is now stable
* New hooks
* Better performance
* Simplified settings
* Some features have been discontinued (read above)

= 2.10.3 =
* Bug fix: Post titles were not shown in the analytics section for websites with many posts
* Added installation instructions

= 2.10.2 =
* The plugin is now compatible with Divi theme

= 2.10.1 =
* Improvement: Strings in emails are now internationalized
* Bug fix: Custom results text feature didn't work unless "ajax load results" was enabled
* Bug fix: Fixed some warnings for older versions of PHP
* Bug fix: Better compatibility with wpautop

= 2.10.0 =
* Improvement: Ajax is no longer used on page load unless enabled in the advanced settings. You SHOULD ENABLE Ajax Load if you are using caching plugin OTHER THAN: WP Super Cache, LiteSpeed Cache, WP Fastest Cache, WP Rocket or SG Optimizer
* Improvement: Prevent accidental votes now applies also to non-touch devices (see documentation to apply only to mobile)
* Improvement: Filters for email subjects and texts
* Improvement: Uses custom font for better performance (before FontAwesome was used)
* Improvement: Modernizr is no longer used
* Updated js-cookie library to version 2.2.1
* Added link to the documentation in the about section

= 2.9.2 =
* Fix: Included the supported structured data types for rich snippets
* Fix: Some strings were not translatable
* Improvement: Filter for email
* Improvement: Hooks were added to AMP template
* Improvement: Option to also show results on the front page or main blog page

= 2.9.1 =
* Bug fix: Migration from KK star ratings did not work with KK star ratings version 3.x.x
* Added LinkedIn social share icon

= 2.9.0 =
* Bug fix: Archive pages stars appeared also in widgets and such
* New feature: Option to prevent double votes via IP

= 2.8.1 =
* Bug fix: Saving settings did not work on some installations
* Bug fix: Don't show rating/results widget on AMP pages unless AMP compatibility is enabled
* Bug fix: Escape html for structured data
* Updated POT file

= 2.8.0 =
* New feature: Analytics submenu - see details about each vote
* Improvement: Define minimum votes for the top rated posts widget
* Improvement: Stats have been moved into submenu
* Improvement: About plugin section
* Other minor improvements and bug fixes

= 2.7.0 =
* Improvement: Redesigned feedback functionality
* New feature: Delete each feedback
* New feature: Migration tools for YASR and WP-PostRatings
* Other minor improvements and bug fixes

= 2.6.0 =
* Bug Fix: Feedback widget not working with social share icons enabled
* Developer feature: Hooks in social widget and feedback widget
* Developer feature: Rating icon class filter
* Developer feature: Function to output the stars for any post
* Developer feature: Function to get top rated posts
* Improvement: Queries use less memory
* Improvement: Support for half stars on category pages
* New feature: Option to align the rating widget
* New feature: Trending posts widget

= 2.5.0 =
* New feature: Option to show ratings on archive pages
* New feature: Option to allow only logged in users to vote
* New feature: Option to add social share links instead of social follow links
* Bug Fix: Backslashes in texts
* Functions for developers and new hooks
* Improved code

= 2.4.0 =
* New feature: Set who can manipulate votes
* New feature: Option to enable reCAPTCHA v3 protection
* New feature: Migration tool for kk StarRatings
* Bug Fix: Do not revert ratings on post update
* Bug fix: Rich snippet was added to AMP
* Other minor bug fixes

= 2.3.0 =
* New feature: AMP compatibility (BETA)
* New feature: New types of rating widget (smileys and trophies)
* New feature: Filters for strings in all widgets
* Improvement: Enhanced security
* Improvement: Prevent cache issues on save settings
* Other minor improvements and bug fixes

= 2.2.1 =
* Bug fix: Different handling of cookies as current implementation in rare cases (server configurations) caused errors in case that too many cookies were present in user's browser
* Bug fix: Modernizr library is optional as it conflicts with some themes
* Other minor bug fixes

= 2.2.0 =
* New feature: Automatically add rating and/or result widget to custom post types
* New feature: Option to only count negative votes if feedback is left
* New feature: Option to prevent accidental votes on mobile (button to confirm rating)
* New feature: Event tracking via Matomo thanks to smik2002
* Improvement: Feedback can be easily deleted by clicking a button in meta box
* Improvement: Better compatibility with older browsers such as IE
* New feature: Option to delete all plugin data on uninstall
* Improvement: Added non-minified js and css for developers - not used by the plugin
* User request: Add class to rating widget if cookie is present
* Portuguese (Brazil) translations thanks to douglasferraz89

= 2.1.3 =
* Bug fix: iOS requires double tap if hover texts are enabled
* Bug fix: Custom hover color does not disappear after the click if custom rated color is not inserted
* User request: Append class to the main div after rating so that the whole widget can be easily hidden after vote
* Improvement: Stars stay highlighted only until the response from server is sent back (if highlight the stars feature is enabled)
* Improvement: Improved stats section - search and sorting
* Minor bug fixes

= 2.1.2 =
* Improvement: Vote count and links to posts in emails
* Improvement: Option to not load FontAwesome
* Improvement: Compatibility with FontAwesome autoreplace (icons to SVGs)
* Improvement: Better compatibility with various themes
* Improvement: Event tracking with Google Analytics (tested with GA Google Analytics, MonsterInsights and Google Analytics by ShareThis plugins)
* Bug fix: On mobile hover-color of stars does not disappear after vote until user taps somewhere else
* German translations thanks to Stefan (smik2002)

= 2.1.1 =
* Fix: Added missing POT file for translations
* Fix: Support for multilingual websites
* Improvement: Custom thank you text is displayed after vote
* Improvement: Interaction with the rating widget is not possible after vote
* Improvement: Stars stay highlighted after vote (only if "color the stars in rating widget" option is disabled)
* Improvement: Option to disable headings in rating widget
* Improvement: Option to display descriptive rating under the stars on hover (tooltips have been discontinued)

= 2.1.0 =
* Improvement: Rewritten frontend ajax
* New feature: Recalculate vote count and average rating after vote (enabled by default, but can be disabled)
* New feature: Set border color, border radius, border width, background color and stars spacing
* New feature: Customizable vote count and average rating text
* New feature: Supports half stars
* Minor improvements

= 2.0.2 =
* Minor improvements
* Bug fix: On some websites the rating widget did not show

= 2.0.1 =
* Bug fix: Plugin crashed on some server configurations

= 2.0.0 =
* Rewritten in OOP for easier scalability
* New feature: In addition to stars, supports thumbs and hearts
* New feature: Change stars, thumbs or hearts size
* New feature: Change stars, thumbs or hearts color
* New feature: Option to not show the results in rating widget
* New feature: Define what is negative and what is positive rating

= 1.1.6 =
* Bug fix: Option to color the stars in rating widget works only if results widget is enabled

= 1.1.5 =
* Option to color the stars in rating widget according to the post rating

= 1.1.4 =
* Structured data for rich snippets
* Results widget (shortcode or automatically before every post's content)
* Security improvements

= 1.1.3 =
* Compatibility with custom post types

= 1.1.2 =
* Does not allow to submit empty feedback
* Custom notice if the feedback is empty
* Allows you to reset ratings

= 1.1.1 =
* Fixed "division by zero" warning

= 1.1.0 =
* Customize section allows you to customize plugin to your liking (strings, font size, margin etc.)
* Exclude from feature allows you to exclude ratings from certain pages and posts
* Disable cookie feature
* Supports Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin
* Other minor improvements

= 1.0 =
* Initial release