=== Yet Another Featured Posts Plugin (YAFPP) ===
Contributors: JonRaasch
Author: JonRaasch (Jon Raasch)
Author URI: http://jonraasch.com/
Plugin URI: http://jonraasch.com/blog/yet-another-featured-posts-plugin
Donate link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=4URDTZYUNPV3J&lc=US&item_name=Jon%20Raasch&currency_code=USD&bn=PP%2dDonationsBF%3abtn_donate_LG%2egif%3aNonHosted
Tags: featured posts, featured, highlight, starred, star, highlight posts, interface, feature
Requires at least: 2.8.4
Tested up to: 2.8.5
Stable tag: 1.2

Yet Another Featured Posts Plugin provides an easy interface for featuring and unfeaturing posts.  Click the "featured stars" for each post in WordPress' post listing.

== Description ==

Yet Another Featured Posts Plugin (YAFPP) provides an easy interface to feature and unfeature posts in your WordPress blog. Simply check the 'featured stars' associated with each post in WordPress' post listing screen.  The plugin will post this info immediately with AJAX.

YAFPP also provides a number of output options for developers - you can echo out or return an HTML formatted string of featured posts, return an array of featured post data or manipulate WordPress' The_Loop.

Read the [complete documentation](http://dev.jonraasch.com/yafpp/docs "Read the complete documentation")

== Installation ==

= Basic installation of YAFPP is simple: =

1. Upload the folder `yet-another-featured-posts-plugin` into the `/wp-content/plugins/` directory

2. Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress

3. Select featured posts by clicking the 'featured stars' within the post listing in 'Posts > Edit'

4. Place `<?php get_featured_posts(); ?>` wherever you want a list of featured posts in your templates

= Output options =

For more advanced users there are a number of output options.  Simply pass an option array: `<?php get_featured_posts(array( 'method' => 'return' ); ?>`.  In this example `<?php get_featured_posts(); ?>` would return the formatted string of data instead of echoing it.

Output options include:

* `echo`     : (Default) Echoes an HTML formatted string of featured posts
* `return`   : Returns an HTML formatted string of featured posts
* `arr`      : Returns a PHP array of data related to the featured posts
* `the_loop` : Alters the query for WordPress' [The_Loop](http://codex.wordpress.org/The_Loop "WordPress' The_Loop")

See the FAQs for more info on output options.

Read the [complete documentation](http://dev.jonraasch.com/yafpp/docs "Read the complete documentation")

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= What data is returned when using the `arr` output method? =

YAFPP returns an array in this format:

`<?php array(
    'id'      => '', // id of the post
    'title'   => '', // title of the post
    'excerpt' => '', // excerpt of the post
    'url'     => '', // the post permalink
    'image'   => '', // an array of data for a YAPB image, if it exists
    'author' =>  '', // the post's author
); ?>`

= How do I use the `the_loop` output method? =

When using `the_loop` output method, YAFPP alters the next instance of The_Loop to contain only the featured posts.  To call these featured posts, call The_Loop:

`<?php
get_featured_posts(array('method' => 'the_loop'));

 while (have_posts()) : the_post();
//whatever you want in here
endwhile;
?>`

It should be noted that the original query is still preserved when using this method.  Thus if you want to call the original query for a given page, just call The_Loop a second time:

`<?php
get_featured_posts(array('method' => 'the_loop'));

 while (have_posts()) : the_post();
//whatever you want to do with the featured posts
endwhile;

 while (have_posts()) : the_post();
//whatever you want to do with the original loop
endwhile;
?>`

== Screenshots ==

1. Settings page for YAFPP - unfeature already featured posts, edit display and permission settings
2. Featuring posts from the post listing page - just click each posts 'featured star'

== Changelog ==

= 1.2 =
* URL and descriptions bug fixed
* Cleaning up bugs in YAPB support and better photo output

= 1.1 =
* Fixing errors in documentation

= 1.0 =
* First major release of YAFPP

== License ==

Copyright 2009 Jon Raasch - Released under the FreeBSD License - [License details](http://dev.jonraasch.com/yafpp/docs#licensing)