== Announcement Notification Bar - Notification Top Bar & Sticky Call to Action Banner ===
Contributors: mathewt
Tags: announcement bar, notification bar, sticky header, scrolling text, floating bar
Requires at least: 5.0
Tested up to: 7.0
Requires PHP: 7.4
Stable tag: 1.0.2
License: GPLv2 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

Boost sales & engagement with a customizable Announcement Bar, Floating Bar, Sticky Header, or Scrolling Text. Mobile-friendly & fast.

== Description ==

The **Announcement Notification Bar** is your go-to solution for creating effective **announcement bars**, **notification banners**, and **sticky headers** on any WordPress site. If you are struggling to get visitors to notice your promotions or important updates, this **WordPress top bar plugin** provides a simple, high-visibility area that grabs attention without ruining the user experience.

Unlike aggressive popups that can annoy users, a **floating bar** or **footer notification** offers a polite way to highlight **discount codes**, **shipping policies**, or **maintenance alerts**. It sits efficiently at the top or bottom of the screen, ensuring your key messages—like a **Black Friday deal** or a **new feature launch**—are always visible, helping you reduce bounce rates and improve conversions.

== Use Cases ==

This versatile **message bar** adapts to various needs across different industries:

*   **Retail & E-Commerce**: Run a **free shipping bar** or a **flash sale countdown** message to encourage instant purchases. A **sticky promo bar** ensures the offer stays in view as customers scroll.
*   **Bloggers & Publishers**: Drive consistent traffic to your newest articles or affiliate partners with a **scrolling news ticker** or a catchy headline in a **fixed header bar**.
*   **Business & Corporate**: Inform clients about **holiday operating hours**, **service outages**, or vital company news using a clear, professional **alert banner**.
*   **Events & Webinars**: Build hype for upcoming live streams or workshops by placing a clickable **event notification** right where every visitor looks first.

= Why Choose This Notification Bar? =

We built this plugin to be both powerful for developers and easy for beginners. You don't need to touch a single line of code to get a professional-looking **marketing bar** up and running. From the **live preview** in the dashboard to the **smart targeting rules** that let you show specific messages on your **homepage** versus your blog, every feature is designed to save you time.

*   **Boost Sales**: Highlight discount codes, flash sales, and special offers in a **promo bar**.
*   **Increase Engagement**: Use emojis and animated **scrolling text** (running line) to catch eyeballs.
*   **Inform Users**: Post important updates, maintenance alerts, or holiday hours in a clear **top bar**.
*   **Responsive & Lightweight**: Designed for speed and looks effective on all mobile devices.

= Key Features =

*   **Multiple Display Styles**: Choose from **Simple Text**, **Running Line** (Marquee/Ticker), or **Carousel** (Rotating Slider) styles.
*   **Flexible Positioning**: Place your **sticky bar** at the **Top** or **Bottom** of the page; keep it fixed or let it scroll.
*   **Full Customization**: Control colors, fonts, and heights to match your brand identity perfectly.
*   **Emoji Support**: Add emojis directly to your message for a friendly, modern touch 🎉.
*   **Advanced Call-to-Action (CTA)**: Add a **button**, make the whole bar clickable, or keep it as simple text.
*   **Smart Display Logic**: Target your **notification bar** to the Homepage, Blog, or specific Posts/Pages.
*   **User-Friendly Controls**: Includes a dismiss/close button so users can hide the bar (cookie support included).
*   **Mobile Responsive**: Looks great on all devices (iPhone, Android, Tablet).
*   **Performance Optimized**: Lightweight code ensuring fast page load times.

= Display Styles =

* **Simple**: Clean and straightforward display
* **Running Line**: Scrolling text animation for attention-grabbing messages
* **Carousel**: Rotate between multiple messages automatically

= Call-to-Action Options =

* No call-to-action for simple announcements
* Add a button with custom text and link
* Make the entire announcement notification bar clickable

= Display Control =

Choose exactly where your announcement notification bar appears:
* Homepage
* Blog page
* Individual post types (Posts, Pages, Custom Post Types)
* Automatic detection of public custom post types

== Installation ==

1. Upload the plugin files to the `/wp-content/plugins/announcement-notification-bar` directory, or install the plugin through the WordPress plugins screen directly.
2. Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' screen in WordPress.
3. Go to Settings > Announcement Notification Bar to configure your announcement.
4. Customize your announcement notification bar settings and save.
5. Visit your website to see the announcement notification bar in action!

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= How do I create multiple rotating messages? =

For the Carousel style, separate your messages with " | " (pipe symbol with spaces). For example: "First message | Second message | Third message"

= Can I use emojis in my announcement? =

Yes! The plugin fully supports emojis. Just paste them directly into the announcement text field. 😊

= Will this work with my theme? =

Announcement Notification Bar is designed to work with any properly coded WordPress theme. The announcement notification bar uses fixed positioning and shouldn't interfere with your theme's layout.

= Can visitors close the announcement notification bar? =

Yes, you can enable the close button option in the settings. When visitors close the announcement notification bar, it won't show again during their current session.

= Does it work on mobile devices? =

Absolutely! The announcement notification bar is fully responsive and adapts to different screen sizes automatically.

= Can I choose which pages show the announcement notification bar? =

Yes, you have full control over where the announcement notification bar appears. You can choose homepage, blog page, and select specific post types.

= Can I position the announcement notification bar at the bottom of the page? =

Yes! You can choose to display the announcement notification bar at either the top or bottom of your website. You can also enable sticky positioning to make it stay visible when scrolling.

= Does the announcement notification bar affect my site's performance? =

No! The plugin is highly optimized and uses minimal resources. It only loads its assets when the announcement notification bar is enabled and displayed.

== Screenshots ==

1. Simple Announcement notification bar preview
2. Running text announcment notification bar preview
3. Carousel style announcment notification bar preview
4. Plugin settings page with all customization options
5. Plugin settings page 2 with all customization options

== Changelog ==

= 1.0.2 =
* Updated settings page
* WordPress 7.0 support added

= 1.0.0 =
* Initial release
* Multiple display styles (Simple, Running Line, Carousel)
* Full customization options (colors, size, text)
* Emoji support
* Call-to-action options (None, Button, Clickable)
* Display control for different post types and pages
* Optional close button
* Mobile responsive design
* Live preview in admin
* Performance optimized
* Top and bottom positioning options
* Sticky and non-sticky modes

== Privacy Policy ==

This plugin includes an optional deactivation feedback form. If you choose to submit feedback when deactivating the plugin, the following data is collected and transmitted to the plugin developer:

* Plugin name and version
* WordPress version
* Site name and URL
* The deactivation reason you select
* Any optional text you enter in the feedback field
* Your email address (only if you tick "You may contact me to help resolve the issue")

**Purpose:** This data is used solely to improve the plugin. It is never sold, shared with third parties, or used for any other purpose.

**Retention:** All submitted feedback is permanently deleted within 7 days of receipt.

**Opt-out:** Submitting feedback is entirely optional. You can click "Skip & Deactivate" at any time to deactivate without sending any data. Site owners can also disable the feedback form entirely by adding the following to their theme's functions.php or a custom plugin:

    add_filter( 'anb_enable_feedback_collection', '__return_false' );

== Upgrade Notice ==

= 1.0.0 =
Initial release of Announcement Notification Bar with full feature set.