=== FFA-Links Badge ===
Contributors: pan21
Tags: directory, backlink, listing, badge, registration
Requires at least: 6.4
Tested up to: 7.0
Requires PHP: 7.4
Stable tag: 1.0.1
License: GPLv2 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

Register your site with the FFA-Links directory and embed the badge automatically, right from your WordPress admin.

== Description ==

FFA-Links Badge lets you register your website with the FFA-Links partner
directory (ffa-links.de) directly from the WordPress admin, without having
to visit the directory's own website.

= How it works =

1. Under Settings → FFA-Links Badge, fill in the registration form (name,
   email, website, category, description, optional logo).
2. FFA-Links sends an email with a link to your personal badge code.
3. Paste that link (or the finished HTML code from the linked page) back
   into the plugin. The plugin then embeds the badge in the footer of every
   page automatically, and shows you once the listing has been approved.

Instead of automatic footer placement, the shortcode `[ffa_links_badge]`
can be used to place the badge in a specific spot.

== External services ==

This plugin connects to two external services in order to register your
site with the FFA-Links directory:

**1. ffa-links.de (directory API)**

When the registration form is submitted, the plugin sends the entered data
(name, email address, website URL, category, description, optional logo
URL) to `https://www.ffa-links.de/api/register` to register the site with
the directory. When clicking "Check now", the stored badge token is sent to
`https://www.ffa-links.de/api/verify` to check the approval status. Both
calls only happen on explicit admin action in the WordPress backend, never
automatically in the background.
Operated by: PAN21.COM Corporate Consultants Ltd.
Terms of Service / Privacy Policy: https://www.ffa-links.de/datenschutz
Legal notice (operator identification): https://www.ffa-links.de/impressum

**2. Supabase Storage (logo upload)**

If an optional logo is uploaded with the registration form, the plugin
sends that image file directly to a public Supabase Storage bucket
(`rxzynthekqxllbanoaoz.supabase.co`), the same one used by the registration
form on ffa-links.de itself. No other site or user data is transmitted,
only the image file. This step is skipped entirely if no logo is uploaded.
Operated by: Supabase Inc.
Terms of Service: https://supabase.com/terms
Privacy Policy: https://supabase.com/privacy

**3. ffa-links.de (frontend badge image)**

Once registration is approved and a badge token is saved, the plugin embeds
`<img src="https://www.ffa-links.de/banner.svg">` in the footer of every
front-end page (or wherever the `[ffa_links_badge]` shortcode is placed).
This means every visitor's browser loads that image directly from
ffa-links.de, which will see the visitor's IP address, user agent and
referrer header for that request, the same as with any externally hosted
image or web font. No cookies are set and no other data is read from or
written to the visitor's browser. This behavior is core to the plugin's
purpose (displaying a directory-verified badge) and is turned on by the
site owner when they enable automatic footer placement in the plugin
settings; it can be disabled at any time under Settings → FFA-Links Badge.
Operated by: PAN21.COM Corporate Consultants Ltd.
Terms of Service / Privacy Policy: https://www.ffa-links.de/datenschutz
Legal notice (operator identification): https://www.ffa-links.de/impressum

== Installation ==

1. Upload and activate the plugin.
2. Go to Settings → FFA-Links Badge, fill in the form and submit it.
3. After receiving the badge code email, paste the link or code into the
   plugin.

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= Is any customer data shared with third parties? =

The data entered by the site owner into the registration form (name,
email, website, category, description, optional logo) is sent to
ffa-links.de only to complete the directory registration, and only on
explicit admin action.

Separately, once a badge is active, the footer badge image is loaded by
every visitor's browser directly from ffa-links.de (like any externally
hosted image), which exposes standard HTTP request data (IP address, user
agent, referrer) to ffa-links.de for that request. No cookies are set and
no other visitor data is collected by this plugin. See "External services"
above for details. This can be disabled under Settings → FFA-Links Badge
if you do not want the badge (and its image request) on your site.

= Do I need to embed the badge manually? =

No, the plugin embeds it in the footer of every page automatically once
registration is approved. This can be turned off in the settings if you
prefer to place the badge manually using the `[ffa_links_badge]` shortcode
instead.

== Changelog ==

= 1.0.1 =
* Documented the frontend badge image request to ffa-links.de as an external service in the README and in the plugin settings screen (readability/disclosure fix requested during WordPress.org review).

= 1.0.0 =
* Initial release.
