=== AppointPax – Conversational Appointment Scheduling ===
Contributors: bedebanks
Tags: appointments, booking, scheduler, reservations, chatbot
Requires at least: 6.2
Tested up to: 7.0
Requires PHP: 7.4
Stable tag: 1.8.6
License: GPLv2 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

Conversational appointment scheduling for WordPress with chat-style booking, services, locations and notifications.

== Description ==

AppointPax is a clean conversational appointment scheduling plugin for WordPress. It helps visitors request appointments through a guided chat-style interface instead of a long traditional form.

The plugin includes a floating booking assistant, an embeddable shortcode, service management, location management, time slot generation, booking records, customer details collection, email notifications, and a modern WordPress-inspired dashboard.

AppointPax is ideal for clinics, consultants, schools, salons, service businesses, agencies, repair centers, training providers, and any website that needs a simple appointment request workflow.

= Key Features =

* Floating chat-style booking assistant
* Shortcode support with `[appointpax]`
* Unlimited free services
* Unlimited free locations
* Service-to-location linking
* Date and time slot generation
* Booking request management
* Customer details collection
* Admin and customer email notifications
* Location-specific notification email support
* Booking status updates
* CSV booking export
* Mobile-first frontend booking experience
* WordPress-inspired admin dashboard
* Clean settings sections for General, Appearance, Booking Flow, Time Slots and Emails

= Why Use AppointPax? =

AppointPax turns appointment scheduling into a guided conversation. Instead of asking visitors to navigate complex forms, it walks them through choosing a location, selecting a service, picking an available date and time, and submitting their details.

The admin dashboard gives site owners a straightforward way to create services, manage locations, generate slots, review bookings, update statuses, and send notifications.

= Pro Features =

AppointPax Pro is a separate companion plugin available from Entitude. The free plugin remains fully functional as a standalone appointment booking plugin.

Optional Pro extensions may include language translation, payment gateway integrations, PDF booking confirmations, frontend business portal, advanced display rules and white-label options.

Learn more: https://plugins.entitude.com/plugins/appointpax

= External Services =

AppointPax Free does not send booking data to external services by default. All core appointment data remains stored locally within WordPress.

= Shortcode =

Use this shortcode on any page or post:

`[appointpax]`


The shortcode displays a centered chat booking frame. The floating widget can also be enabled from the plugin settings.

== Installation ==

1. Upload the `appointpax-conversational-appointment-scheduling` folder to the `/wp-content/plugins/` directory, or install the ZIP file through Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin.
2. Activate AppointPax from the Plugins screen.
3. Follow the first-time setup wizard.
4. Create your services and locations.
5. Generate time slots from Settings > Time Slots.
6. Add `[appointpax]` to a page or enable the floating widget.

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= Can I create multiple services? =

Yes. AppointPax Free supports unlimited free services.

= Can I create multiple locations? =

Yes. AppointPax Free supports unlimited locations, and each location can have its own notification email address.

= Can I link services to specific locations? =

Yes. Services can be linked to one or more locations so customers only see relevant services after choosing a location.

= Does AppointPax support a floating booking widget? =

Yes. You can display AppointPax as a floating booking assistant or embed it with the `[appointpax]` shortcode.

= Does the free version include online payments? =

AppointPax can record optional service pricing locally for reference. Online payment gateway processing is available through a separate companion plugin.

= Does AppointPax send email notifications? =

Yes. AppointPax can send booking notifications to the site admin, the customer, and the selected location email address.

= Does AppointPax work on mobile? =

Yes. The frontend booking assistant and admin interface are designed to be responsive and mobile-friendly.

= Is there a Pro version? =

Yes. AppointPax Pro is a separate companion plugin with optional advanced features. The free plugin is fully functional as its own standalone plugin.

== Screenshots ==

1. Frontend chat booking assistant.
2. Admin dashboard overview.
3. General and appearance settings page.
4. Analytics page.
5. Time slots and email notification settings.

== Changelog ==

= 1.8.6 =
* Fixed WordPress.org attribution concern by hiding frontend and email AppointPax credit by default.
* Added explicit admin opt-in controls for frontend and email attribution.
* Removed default customer-facing AppointPax email footer text and cleans old default footer during migration.



= 1.7.6 =
* Removed all local feature gating and edition checks from the WordPress.org/free package.
* Fully enabled included analytics and service pricing functionality in the free package.
* Removed remaining legacy legacy shortcode alias to keep AppointPax branding consistent.
* Cleaned payment-gateway references so free code remains a standalone local booking plugin.

= 1.7.4 =
* Updated plugin display name to AppointPax - Chat-styled Appointment Booking.

= 1.7.2 =
* Prepared free/core plugin for WordPress.org submission.
* Removed payment gateway runtime code from the free plugin and kept all included local functionality fully usable.
* Removed commercial runtime mechanisms from the free plugin code path.
* Improved readme.txt metadata, description, FAQs and screenshot descriptions.
* Verified PHP syntax, JavaScript syntax and ZIP integrity.
* Kept Pro information banners as informational links only.

= 1.6.8 =
* Updated all free upgrade links to the AppointPax product page.

== Upgrade Notice ==

= 1.7.2 =
WordPress.org-ready maintenance release for the free/core plugin.


= 1.8.2 =
* Fixed admin dashboard critical error caused by missing edition helper after WordPress.org compliance cleanup.
