=== News Ticker – Floating Headlines & Sticky Alerts  ===
Contributors: awordpresslife, razipathhan, hanif0991, muhammadshahid, fkfaisalkhan007, sharikkhan007, zishlife, FARAZFRANK
Tags: news ticker, breaking news, sticky bar, alerts, news header
Requires at least: 5.8
Tested up to: 7.1
Stable tag: 1.3.4
Requires PHP: 5.6
License: GPLv2 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

A high-performance floating news ticker for WordPress featuring smooth CSS animations, a modern React dashboard, and complete customization.

== Description ==

Need a fast **News Ticker** for your WordPress site? You found it. This plugin adds a clean **sticky bar** to your pages. It shows **breaking news**, custom **alerts**, or your latest posts easily. It is built to grab attention instantly without slowing down your website.

### Add a News Header in Minutes

Adding a **news header** is very easy. You get a modern admin dashboard built with React. It lets you build a scrolling bar without writing any code. We made the setup process simple for everyone.

* **Live Preview:** See your design changes right away as you type.
* **Fast Code:** Runs on pure JavaScript. It completely removes bulky jQuery dependencies.
* **Smart Cache:** Uses WordPress Transients to keep your site fast. It saves database queries automatically.
* **Easy Migration:** Upgrading from old versions? Your settings move over automatically.
* **Mobile Ready:** The ticker adapts to phones, tablets, and desktop screens flawlessly.

**Pro Version Details -  <a href="https://awplife.com/wordpress-plugins/floating-news-headline-pro/">Floating News Headline Pro</a>**

**Pro version Live Demo <a href="https://awplife.com/demo/floating-news-headline-pro/">Floating News Headline Pro Demo</a>**

### Free vs Pro Features

Here is a quick breakdown of what you get in the free version versus what is unlocked in the Pro version.

**Free Version Features:**
* **Live Dashboard Preview:** See your design changes right away as you type.
* **3 Premium Themes:** Corporate Classic, Dark Night, and Floating Pill.
* **Content Sources:** Pull headlines from your latest posts, manually select specific posts, or create custom alerts.
* **Custom Labels:** Change the prefix text easily (e.g., "Trending Now" or "Breaking News").
* **Animation Controls:** Adjust scroll speed and control the gaps between your headlines.
* **Infinite Looping:** Text scrolls forever without awkward blank spaces.
* **Pause Button:** Users can pause the ticker to read comfortably.
* **Display Placement:** Automatically stick to the top of your site or use a shortcode anywhere.
* **Scroll Behavior:** Make the ticker stay fixed, or hide it cleanly when users scroll down.
* **Visibility Rules:** Show it everywhere, or restrict it to just the homepage.
* **Smart Caching:** Uses WordPress Transients to keep your site fast and save database queries.
* **Vanilla JavaScript:** High-performance code with zero jQuery dependencies.
* **Responsive Layouts:** Looks great and works flawlessly on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.

**Pro Version Exclusive Features:**
* **17 Additional Premium Themes:** Unlock advanced designs including Glassmorphism, Brutalist, Cyberpunk, Neumorphic, Retro, Terminal, Organic, and more!
* **RSS Feeds & WooCommerce Integration:** Pull scrolling news directly from external RSS feeds, or display WooCommerce products with "On Sale" filters and price tags.
* **Advanced Filtering & Ordering:** Filter your post headlines by specific Categories, Tags, and Authors. Sort them by Date, Title, or Custom Order.
* **Multi-Alert Support:** Add multiple custom alerts in a single ticker instead of just one.
* **Custom Reviews Showcase:** Manually create and display beautiful customer reviews with author names, photos, and 5-star ratings.
* **Advanced Display Controls:** Enable RTL (Right-to-Left) direction, add a "Close" button for users to dismiss the ticker, and inject Custom CSS.
* **Scheduling:** Set exact Start and End dates to run promotional tickers automatically during sales or events.
* **Advanced Visibility Rules:** Target specific pages, post types, or categories with multiple visibility conditions.
* **Higher Limits:** Display up to 50 headlines at once (compared to 20 in the free version).
* **Metadata Controls:** Hide author names and categories for a cleaner look.
* **Analytics & Statistics:** Track impressions and performance directly from a dedicated dashboard.
* **Backup & Migration:** Drag-and-drop JSON import/export dashboard to move your settings easily.
* **Priority Support:** Get direct assistance through our integrated Help Hub.

### Style Your Floating Headlines

Your **Floating Headlines** should look great and match your brand. That is why we include three ready-to-use themes. You can pick a style with just one click.

* **Corporate Classic:** Clean and sharp indigo design. Includes post thumbnails and a document icon. Great for business sites.
* **Dark Night:** High contrast dark slate design. Features sleek dividers and green pulses. Perfect for tech blogs.
* **Floating Pill:** Rounded edges with a modern glass blur effect. Best for creative sites and startups.
* **Custom Labels:** Change the prefix text easily. Use phrases like "Trending Now" or "Breaking News".

### Smart Features for Breaking News

Take full control of your **breaking news** content and animations. You can decide exactly what your visitors see.

* **Pick your source:** Show your most recent posts automatically. You can also pick specific posts by hand.
* **Custom text:** Type your own messages. Link them to any page or external site.
* **Change the speed:** Use an intuitive slider. You can make text move fast or very slow.
* **Control the gaps:** Add more space between your headlines easily. Make it dense or spread out.
* **Infinite loop:** Text scrolls forever. It duplicates items automatically to prevent awkward blank spaces.
* **Pause button:** Users can stop the scrolling text at any time to read comfortably.

### Place Your Sticky Alerts Anywhere

You decide exactly where your **Sticky Alerts** appear. We give you full flexibility over the layout.

* **Top of the page:** The bar sticks to the top automatically using standard WordPress hooks.
* **Scroll settings:** Make it stay fixed, or hide it cleanly when users scroll down.
* **Page rules:** Show it everywhere, or restrict it to just the homepage.
* **Shortcodes:** Put a **news header** exactly where you want it. Paste it inside posts, pages, or widgets.
* **High Security:** Only admins can change settings. We sanitize all inputs to keep your site safe.

== Installation ==

= Automatic Installation =

1. Go to **Plugins → Add New** in your WordPress admin.
2. Search for **"Floating News Headline"**.
3. Click **Install Now**, then **Activate**.
4. Navigate to **News Headlines** in your admin sidebar to configure your ticker.

= Manual Installation =

1. Download the plugin ZIP from WordPress.org.
2. Go to **Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin**.
3. Upload the ZIP file and click **Install Now**.
4. Activate the plugin through the **Plugins** menu.

= From Source (Developers) =

1. Clone the repository into `/wp-content/plugins/floating-news-headline`.
2. Run `npm install` to install dependencies.
3. Run `npm run build` to compile the React admin and frontend assets.
4. Activate the plugin in WordPress.

= After Activation =

* The ticker will automatically appear at the **top of your site** if "Sticky Top" placement is selected (default).
* To place it manually, use the shortcode `[fnh_ticker]` or `[floating_news_headline_ticker]` in any post, page, or widget.

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= How do I enable or disable the News Ticker? =
Go to the admin menu. Use the toggle switch in the dashboard. This turns the **News Ticker** on or off globally.

= Can I use it as a shortcode? =
Yes! You can put a **news header** anywhere using `[fnh_ticker]`. Just set the placement to "Shortcode" in the settings.

= Does it support custom post types? =
The free version shows standard posts. The Pro version can show products, reviews, and other **Floating Headlines**.

= Can I show the sticky bar only on the homepage? =
Yes. Go to the Visibility tab. Set it to show on "Homepage Only". The **sticky bar** will hide on other pages.

= How do I change the speed of my breaking news? =
Go to the Animation tab. Use the slider. You can make your **breaking news** scroll fast or slow.

= How do I change the label text? =
Go to the Content tab. You can change the label to say "Breaking News", "Latest Updates", or anything else.

= Will it slow down my website? =
No. It uses pure JavaScript and GPU animations. It is very light and fast.

= Does it conflict with my theme? =
Very unlikely. It uses unique class names. Your theme CSS will not break it.

= Can I display custom alerts instead of posts? =
Yes. You can select "Custom Alert" in the settings. Then, type your text to show special **Sticky Alerts** with a link.

= How does caching work? =
The plugin caches data for 10 minutes. This saves database queries and keeps your **alerts** loading fast.

= Is the plugin translatable? =
Yes. You can translate all user-facing text easily.

= What hooks and filters are available? =
Developers can use the `floating_news_headline_items` filter. This lets you change the items before they show on the screen.

== Screenshots ==

1. The modern React-based admin dashboard with instant live preview and tabbed settings.
2. Corporate Classic template — professional Indigo design with post thumbnails and metadata.
3. Dark Night template — high-contrast Slate design with emerald status pulses.
4. Floating Pill template — translucent blur effects with bubble-style rounded corners.
5. Content settings panel showing source selection, manual post picker, and custom alerts.
6. Animation settings panel with speed slider and item spacing control.

== Changelog ==
 
 = 1.3.4 — 2026-06-06 =
 * **New Feature:** Added a floating "Pro Live Demo" button in the plugin dashboard pointing to the Pro live demo page.
 * **Fix:** Removed underlines from the "Get Pro Now" and "Contact Support" buttons in the admin dashboard for a cleaner, modern design.
 * **Fix:** Synchronized the maximum Headline Gap ("item_spacing") sanitization limit to 300px to perfectly match the settings UI range.

 = 1.3.3 — 2026-04-10 =
 * **Fix:** Resolved URL truncation issue in Custom Alert when typing rapidly (added debounce to preview).
 * **Fix:** Ensure dashboard preview updates instantly when selecting posts in Manual Selection mode without needing to save first.
 * **Compliance Update:** Removed artificial 5-post limit on Manual Post Picker to follow WordPress.org Guideline 5.
 * **Feature Enhancement:** Manual Selection now supports unlimited posts in the free version.
 * **Maintenance:** Updated admin UI and documentation to match current capabilities.

 = 1.3.2 — 2026-04-01 =
 * **New:** Dedicated "Shortcode" documentation tab in the admin dashboard for easier manual placement reference.
 * **Fix:** Synchronized Dashboard Preview height and theme icons (Corporate Classic document icon) with the live site.
 * **Fix:** Synchronized scroll speed logic between the admin preview and the frontend for a matching experience.
 * **Enhancement:** Decoupled shortcode visibility from site-wide targeting rules — shortcodes now work on any page regardless of "Display On" settings.

 = 1.3.1 — 2026-03-31 =
* **New:** "Scroll Behavior" setting in Visibility tab — Choose how the headline bar behaves on page scroll.
* **New:** "Fixed" mode — Visible at top, hides after scroll (Default).
* **New:** "Sticky on Scroll" mode — Always visible at the top, stays sticky while you scroll down.
* **Enhancement:** Flattened design for all ticker themes (Corporate, Dark) and Admin UI for a modern sharp look.
* **Enhancement:** Emerald Floating Pill theme updated with a flat bar but kept rounded label for a unique look.
* **Fix:** Resolved double caret icons in admin dropdowns (Display Target Pages).
* **Fix:** Solid background for Corporate Classic template to prevent transparency when sticky.
* **Optimization:** Added rAF-throttled scroll listener for performance.

= 1.3.0 — 2026-03-31 =
* **Complete Architectural Rebuild** — Entire plugin rewritten from scratch with modern PHP (namespaced, PSR-4 autoloaded) and a React-based admin dashboard.
* **New:** High-fidelity React admin dashboard with instant live preview
* **New:** 3 premium themes — Corporate Classic, Dark Night, Floating Pill
* **New:** GPU-accelerated CSS marquee animation using `transform: translateX()`
* **New:** BEM CSS architecture for zero theme conflicts
* **New:** WordPress Transient caching with versioned cache keys for performance
* **New:** REST API powered settings with full sanitization and nonce verification
* **New:** Manual Post Picker with search UI
* **New:** Custom Alert source with link support
* **New:** Page targeting (all pages or homepage only)
* **New:** Configurable speed (5s–100s) and item spacing (0px–200px)
* **New:** Play/Pause toggle button with accessible ARIA labels
* **New:** Seamless infinite loop with short content protection
* **New:** Settings migration from legacy `fnh_settings` option key
* **New:** Developer filter `floating_news_headline_items`
* **New:** Get Pro sub-menu page with upgrade information
* **Security:** All inputs sanitized, all outputs escaped, capability checks on all REST routes
* **Performance:** Under 40KB frontend footprint, no jQuery dependency, no CDN resources

= 1.2.0 =
* Fix: Synchronized REST API namespaces for better stability.
* Optimization: Removed redundant character decoding in data adapter.
* Compliance: Updated readme and license headers for WP.org.

= 1.1.0 =
* Initial beta architecture with basic ticker functionality.

= 1.0.0 =
* Initial release.

== Upgrade Notice ==

= 1.3.0 =
Major architectural upgrade. Complete rebuild with React dashboard, 3 premium themes, GPU-accelerated animations, and enhanced security. Settings are automatically migrated from previous versions.