=== Dotes Author Booster ===
Contributors: dotes
Tags: author box, author bio, author page, schema, multi-author
Requires at least: 5.9
Tested up to: 7.1
Requires PHP: 7.4
Stable tag: 1.3.4
License: GPLv2 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

Author boxes, richer author pages and Person/Article structured data for multi-author sites.

== Description ==

Dotes Author Booster helps multi-author sites present who wrote each piece of content.

**Author signature (author box)**

* Card, line and minimal layouts.
* Shown before or after the content, both, or placed manually with the `[dotes_author_signature]` shortcode.
* Per-post override of the layout and of the signed author.
* Professional profile fields on the user screen: job title, company, specialty, location, credentials, contact details, extended bio and more than 30 social and professional networks.

**Author pages**

* Custom author archive template with breadcrumbs and the author's posts (classic themes; block themes keep their own author template).

**Structured data**

* Person and Article JSON-LD for authors and posts.
* Can be switched off in the settings, and is off by default when Yoast SEO or Rank Math is active, to avoid duplicated schema.

**For developers**

The plugin exposes filters and actions prefixed with `dotes_ab_` (signature layouts, templates, profile fields, schema, admin tabs and settings fields, author page sections) so it can be extended without editing its files.

= Third-party libraries =

* Font Awesome Free 6.7.2 is bundled in `assets/vendor/fontawesome` (icons CC BY 4.0, fonts SIL OFL 1.1, code MIT). It is served from your own site.

== External services ==

This plugin can load fonts from **Google Fonts**, a service by Google LLC. Nothing is requested from Google by default.

* What it is used for: showing the signatures and author pages with a Google font.
* When: only if you choose a Google font in the plugin settings (Settings > Visual customization). With the default "Inherit from theme" (or "System") font, no request is made.
* What is sent: when a visitor opens a page that shows a signature or an author page, the visitor's browser requests the stylesheet and font files from `fonts.googleapis.com` and `fonts.gstatic.com`. As with any web request, this shares the visitor's IP address and browser user agent with Google, plus the name and weights of the chosen font.
* Service provider: Google Fonts, [Terms of Service](https://developers.google.com/fonts/terms) and [Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy).

The plugin makes no other request to external services and sends no data to the plugin authors.

== Installation ==

1. Upload the `dotes-author-booster` folder to `/wp-content/plugins/`, or install it from the Plugins screen.
2. Activate the plugin.
3. Go to **Author Booster** in the admin menu to choose the signature layout and position.
4. Fill in the professional profile under **Users > Profile**.

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= How do I place the signature manually? =

Set the position to "manual" in the settings and add `[dotes_author_signature]` to the content, or `[dotes_author_signature post_id="123"]` to show the authors of another post.

= Will it duplicate the schema printed by my SEO plugin? =

No. When Yoast SEO or Rank Math is active the plugin does not print its own JSON-LD. Developers can change this with the `dotes_ab_output_schema` filter.

= Where are the author pages? =

Author pages use the normal WordPress author URL (`/author/name/`). A page listing every author is part of the Pro add-on.

= Does the author page work with block themes? =

With a classic theme the plugin can replace the author archive with its own template (hero, filters and posts list). Block themes build the author archive from their own template (Appearance > Editor), so the plugin keeps it; signatures and structured data work the same with any theme.

= Can a post have more than one author? =

Co-authorship (several authors per post, each with a signature) is part of the Pro add-on. Without it, the post shows the signature of its main author.

== Screenshots ==

1. Author signature in the card layout below a post.
2. Author profile fields on the user screen, with a live preview of the signature.
3. Signature layouts: card, line and minimal.

== Changelog ==

= 1.3.4 =
* Fixed: the admin notice shown when the database table cannot be created now includes the database error (it was cleared by the table check).

= 1.3.3 =
* Removed: the hidden "custom stylesheet URL" setting kept from old versions. A URL saved there is added as an @import at the top of the theme's Additional CSS during the update. The never-used "custom CSS" values of the visual settings are dropped.
* The author JSON-LD is printed with wp_print_inline_script_tag().
* Profile, preview and settings forms read only their own fields, sanitized; the dotes_ab_profile_save_data and dotes_ab_settings_save_values filters receive sanitized input instead of the raw request.
* Database: updated_at no longer uses a CURRENT_TIMESTAMP default (MySQL 5.5 support); if the table cannot be created, an admin notice explains it and the plugin tries again later.
* Translations come from translate.wordpress.org; the bundled language files were removed.
* Updated Font Awesome Free to 6.7.2.

= 1.3.2 =
* New: standardized "Pro support" sub-tab, first in the Support tab. Pro subscribers send their request to the Dotes team from there (the form comes from the Pro add-on and checks the license); without Pro it shows what Pro support includes. The free plugin sends nothing by itself. The forum and FAQ links of the old "Help" sub-tab moved into it.

= 1.3.1 =
* All admin and front-end texts (settings, badges, author page scripts) are now translatable.

= 1.3.0 =
* New author page hero: the author's cover image as a full-width banner, avatar, role, location, bio (long bios collapse with "Read more") and stats. The "Hero style" setting (full, simple, minimal) now works.
* Signatures redesigned with a single stylesheet; the card layout shows the author cover as a banner. The settings preview now matches the front end and uses the theme content width.
* New author profile block: collapsible sections, signature preview, cover and photo picked from the media library (kept by attachment ID, so they survive domain changes) and the main social networks first.
* Fixed: saving the profile erased the author's social links.
* The signature now uses the short bio (WordPress "Biographical Info") and the custom author photo; the full bio is used on the author page.
* Settings that were ignored now work: show bio/avatar/social links, posts per page, AJAX loading (numbered pagination when off), category/tag filters and post counts.
* List layout of the author posts fixed: image on the left, text on the right.
* Front-end styles scoped to the plugin pages (nothing leaks into the theme anymore) and animation names prefixed.
* Removed: Customizer panel (colors are set in the plugin settings), cache dashboard, unused settings and placeholder features.
* Fixed JavaScript errors on the author page, the post editor and the settings page; admin notices are no longer hidden behind the plugin header.
* The author page scripts no longer expose the plugin settings to visitors.
* The page listing all authors moved to the Pro add-on. A page created by older versions for it (holding only the [dotes_authors_page] shortcode) is moved to the trash.
* Co-authorship moved to the Pro add-on. Existing co-authors are kept in the database and come back when the Pro add-on is active.
* The settings screen has a sticky save bar, menu icons matching the tabs and a Pro tab describing the add-on.
* New settings header with the Dotes logo and the version/Pro status; tabs switch with a fade.
* Support tab: FAQ rewritten for the current features and help links that work.
* New developer hooks: dotes_ab_author_posts_query_args, dotes_ab_author_post_count, dotes_ab_signature_container_before and dotes_ab_signature_layout_visual.

= 1.2.2 =
* Settings unified in a single option and connected to the front end.
* The co-author display options (contribution type, participation percentage and role) now control what the signature shows.
* Security hardening: capability checks, nonces, escaping and private storage for uploaded files.
* Privacy: personal data exporter and eraser, privacy policy suggestion.
* Removed the licensing code, test and debug tools, the asset minifier and the query optimizer.
* E-E-A-T analysis, author recruitment and the masonry, timeline and hero carousel templates are no longer part of this plugin.
* Font Awesome bundled locally; Google Fonts only on explicit opt-in.
* Front-end assets load only where the plugin outputs content.
* New developer hooks (`dotes_ab_*`).

== Upgrade Notice ==

= 1.3.0 =
The "Custom biography" moves to the WordPress biographical info when that one is empty. Colors set in the Customizer are no longer used: review them in Settings. The authors listing page and co-authorship now belong to the Pro add-on.

= 1.2.2 =
Settings are migrated automatically to a single option. Review the signature position after updating.
