=== Reviews Sorted ===
Contributors: eurisko
Tags: reviews, customer reviews, star rating, schema markup, google reviews
Donate link: https://www.reviewssorted.com/
Requires at least: 5.6
Tested up to: 6.9
Requires PHP: 7.4
Stable tag: 4.0.0
License: GPL-2.0-or-later
License URI: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

Collect and display verified customer reviews with star ratings, schema markup, and Google reviews on your site.

== External Services ==

This plugin connects to an external API at https://sys.reviewssorted.com/ for license validation.

Data sent:
- Site URL (if applicable)
- License key

No personal user data is transmitted.

Service provider: Reviews Sorted
Privacy policy: https://reviewssorted.com/privacy-policy

== Description ==

Thank you for installing the Review Management Plugin by Reviews Sorted. Once you install the plugin you’ll be able to send customers to your new reviews page /submit-a-review.
To display your review testimonials and score sliders on your site, you can paste the following shortcodes:

Review Form - [reviews-form]

Review Testimonials Only
Option 1 – Using Stars: [reviews-testimonials layout=1]
Option 2 – Using Symbols: [reviews-testimonials layout=2]
Option 3 – Plain Style [reviews-testimonials layout=3]

Reviews Average Only
Option 1 – Using Stars: [reviews-average layout=1] 
Option 2 – Using Symbols: [reviews-average layout=2]
Option 3 – Plain Style [reviews-average layout=3]

Reviews Testimonial & Average Combined Slider
Option 1 – Using Stars: [reviews-slider layout=1]
Option 2 – Using Symbols: [reviews-slider layout=2]
Option 3 – Plain Style [reviews-slider layout=3]

If you have any questions, please email support@reviewssorted.com.

== Screenshots ==
1. Dashboard Overview – Centralized dashboard to manage reviews, settings, and integrations from one place.
2. WooCommerce Product Reviews Display – Seamlessly display verified customer reviews on WooCommerce product pages with "Verified Buyer" badges.
3. Review Submission Form – User-friendly and mobile-optimized review form with customizable rating styles.
4. WooCommerce Integration Settings – Enable WooCommerce integration and control review placement, layout, and behavior.
5. Review Management Panel – Easily manage, approve, edit, or delete customer reviews from a centralized admin interface.
6. Spam Protection Settings – Advanced spam protection with reCAPTCHA, honeypot, and rate limiting to block fake reviews.
7. Review Layout Options – Choose between list and slider layouts to match your website design.
8. Email Notification Settings – Configure email alerts and templates for review submissions and admin notifications.
9. Review Slider Display – Showcase customer reviews in a responsive slider anywhere on your website.

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= How to enable reCAPTCHA? =
Go to WordPress Admin → Reviews Sorted → Spam Protection. Select reCAPTCHA mode (v2 or v3) and enter your Site Key and Secret Key from Google reCAPTCHA.

= Why is my review not submitting? =
Your submission may be blocked due to spam protection rules such as honeypot detection, keyword filtering, rate limiting, duplicate submission detection, or failing reCAPTCHA validation.

= How does spam protection work? =
The plugin uses a multi-layer system including honeypot fields, rate limiting, duplicate checks, keyword filtering, and Google reCAPTCHA to validate submissions before saving them to the database.

= How do I enable WooCommerce integration? =
Go to Reviews Sorted → WooCommerce Settings and enable the "WooCommerce Integration" toggle. Once enabled, reviews will automatically integrate with WooCommerce product pages.

= Why are reviews not showing on my product page? =
Ensure WooCommerce integration is enabled in plugin settings and that the WooCommerce plugin is active. Also verify the selected display position is supported by your theme.

= Where will reviews appear on my WooCommerce product page? =
You can choose from multiple display positions such as After Product Summary, After Product Image, or inside the default Reviews tab.

= Can I disable the review form on WooCommerce product pages? =
Yes, you can enable or disable the review form from the WooCommerce settings panel in the plugin.

= What is the "Verified Buyer" badge? =
The Verified Buyer badge indicates that the review was submitted by a customer who purchased the product, increasing trust and authenticity.

= Can I change how ratings are displayed? =
Yes, you can choose between star-based ratings or a dropdown layout from the WooCommerce settings.

= How can I control the number of reviews displayed? =
You can set the number of reviews per product using the pagination settings available in WooCommerce configuration.

= Can I sort reviews on WooCommerce product pages? =
Yes, you can define the default sorting order such as Latest or Highest rated reviews.

= What happens if WooCommerce is not active? =
WooCommerce-specific features will be disabled. You will see an admin notice prompting you to install or activate WooCommerce if integration is enabled.

= Will this plugin override WooCommerce default reviews? =
No, the plugin enhances and integrates with WooCommerce reviews without breaking core functionality. You can control how and where reviews are displayed.


== Installation ==

To install this plugin:

1. Install the plugin through the WordPress admin interface, or upload the plugin folder to /wp-content/plugins/ using ftp.
2. Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' screen in WordPress. 
3. Go to WordPress Admin > Reviews Sorted 

== Changelog ==

= 4.0.0 (May 07, 2026) =
* Feature: Added WooCommerce integration with master enable/disable toggle.
* Feature: Implemented safe fallback to prevent errors when WooCommerce is inactive.
* Feature: Added conditional settings logic — WooCommerce options are disabled unless integration is enabled.
* Feature: Introduced flexible review display positions on product pages (After Summary, After Image, Inside Review Tab).
* Feature: Added toggle to enable/disable review form on WooCommerce product pages.
* Feature: Added rating layout options (Star icons and Dropdown).
* Feature: Added "Verified Buyer" badge support for WooCommerce reviews.
* Feature: Introduced multiple review display layouts (List and Slider).
* Feature: Added pagination control with configurable number of reviews per product.
* Feature: Added advanced sorting options (Latest, Highest rated).

* Improvement: Improved admin navigation structure and menu organization.
* Improvement: Redesigned dashboard UI for Welcome and Premium pages.
* Improvement: Enhanced settings handling with centralized defaults and fallback system.
* Improvement: Improved compatibility and stability with WooCommerce environments.

* Fix: Resolved undefined array key warnings in settings and templates.
* Fix: Improved input sanitization and output escaping across plugin.
* Fix: Strengthened nonce validation and request handling security.

= 3.0.0 (April 20, 2026) =
* Major update: Advanced spam protection system introduced
* Added Google reCAPTCHA v2 (checkbox) and v3 (invisible) support
* Implemented honeypot-based bot detection
* Added configurable rate limiting (IP + Email based)
* Added duplicate review detection with configurable time window
* Implemented keyword-based spam filtering system
* Introduced structured validation flow before database insertion
* Added admin controls for spam protection configuration
* Improved error handling and user feedback messages
* Enhanced security with strict sanitization and validation
* Codebase cleanup and optimized for production readiness

= v2.4.4 (April 09, 2026) =
* Fixed issue where "Auto Publish Posts" setting was not reflecting correctly in admin dropdown.
* Fixed incorrect selection state for Yes/No option in settings.
* Fixed HTML label rendering issue in frontend (e.g., <strong> tags now render correctly).
* Minor UI consistency improvements in review form settings.

= v2.4.3 (Feb 23, 2026) =
* Security: Fixed Stored XSS via 'space' shortcode attribute (CVE-2025-13969)
* Security: Sanitized all shortcode attributes across all shortcodes
* Security: Escaped all output in template files
* Security: Fixed SQL injection in database queries (prepared statements)
* Security: Added nonce verification for spare_me admin notice dismissal
* Security: Added capability checks to AJAX handlers
* Security: Replaced deprecated sanitize_url with esc_url_raw
* Code quality: Fixed undefined variables, PHP coding standards
* Plugin Check: Removed console.log, fixed translation escaping

= v2.4.2 (Aug 28, 2024) =
* Fixed bug on /submit-a-review page form not saving

= v2.4.1 (Apr 23, 2024) =
* Resolved Activation Key Issues on Premium Plan Activation

= v2.4.0 (Apr 19, 2024) =
* Verified compatibility with WordPress version 6.5.2.

= v2.3.9 (Mar 20, 2024) =
* Improved form flexibility & Enhanced Business controls.

= v2.3.8 (Feb 23, 2024) =
* Resolved issues on rating percentage calculation based on backend settings.

= v2.3.7 (Jan 23, 2024) =
* Resolved issues and incorporated suggestions.

= v2.3.6 (Nov 30, 2023) =
* Resolved code-level issues on slider shortcode

= v2.3.5 (Nov 29, 2023) =
* Resolved slider issue, slider navigation was not working.
* Added changes for the admin notice.

= v2.3.4 (Nov 27, 2023) =
* Added admin notice.

= v2.3.3 (Nov 06, 2023) =
* Remove the decimal point to show review percentage.

= v2.3.2 (Oct 31, 2023) =
* Added latest WordPress compatibility.

= v2.3.1 (Sept 06, 2022) =
* Removed schema microdata from individual reviews

= v2.2 (May 25, 2022) =
* Official plugin release.

== Upgrade Notice ==

= 4.0.0 =
Major feature release including WooCommerce integration, reCAPTCHA support, and enhanced spam protection. Highly recommended.

= 3.0.0 =
Major update introducing advanced spam protection and improved validation system. Update highly recommended.

= 2.4.3 =
Security release addressing CVE-2025-13969 and hardening input sanitization, output escaping, and permission checks. Update immediately.