=== Comments Anywhere for Elementor – Social Comments, Likes & More ===
Contributors: soulsites
Tags: comments, elementor, like button, community, social
Requires at least: 5.8
Tested up to: 7.1
Stable tag: 1.1.13
Requires PHP: 7.4
Requires Plugins: elementor
License: GPLv2 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

Add social comments, like buttons & instant AJAX sign-up anywhere in Elementor. Modal comments, liked-posts feed, Altcha spam protection. Self-hosted.

== Description ==

**Turn your Elementor website into a social community.** Comments Anywhere for Elementor adds social-media-style **comment sections, like buttons and a "my liked posts" feed** as native Elementor widgets – on posts, pages, loop grids, product, course or member pages.

Visitors sign up **in a popup without a page reload**, comment in a **mobile-friendly comment modal** and like what they enjoy. More interaction, more returning visitors, more community – self-hosted on your own server.

= Why Comments Anywhere? =

* **Instant sign-up without page reload** – AJAX login and registration modal with email verification and password reset.
* **Unlimited comment sections per page** – Each widget gets its own thread, or link several widgets to one thread via a shared namespace.
* **Like button with liked-posts feed** – Registered users can later see all posts they liked.
* **Built-in spam protection** – Self-hosted Altcha CAPTCHA, honeypot, keyword filter and rate limiting. Akismet integration in Pro.
* **Social-media-style comment modal** – Responsive popup (full screen on mobile), no scrolling back and forth.
* **Privacy-friendly** – All data stays in your WordPress database. Opt-in consent snackbar and self-service account deletion.

= Perfect for =

* **Blogs and magazines** – comments and likes under articles and in post grids
* **Membership sites** – logged-in-only or private comments, personal "liked posts" area
* **Online courses** – Q&A sections per lesson, several threads per page
* **WooCommerce shops** – product discussions and wishlist-style favorites

= Elementor widgets =

* **Like Icon** – like button with counter and animation; works in Loop templates.
* **Comment Icon** – opens a comment modal with threaded replies and comment likes.
* **Comment Embed** – always-visible inline comment section.
* **Liked Posts** – posts liked by the current user, filterable by post type; Loop Grid query ID `scany_liked_posts`.

= More features =

* Comment visibility: public, logged-in only or private
* Edit own comments for 15 minutes, delete anytime
* Sort by newest, oldest or most reactions
* WordPress users are linked automatically; guest accounts with secure session cookies
* Global design system plus per-widget style controls
* Works with page caching (likes and comments load via REST API)
* Integrates with the WordPress Export/Erase Personal Data tools

The plugin provides privacy building blocks but cannot make your site "GDPR-compliant" by itself. This is not legal advice; consult a legal professional.

= Free vs. Pro =

**Free:** all widgets, unlimited comment sections, likes, guest accounts with AJAX login, comment visibility, Liked Posts, Altcha CAPTCHA, consent snackbar and all design controls.

**Pro:** statistics, comment moderation, email notifications, custom SVG icons and Akismet integration – see [commentsanywhere.com](https://commentsanywhere.com/).

= Documentation =

* [Plugin website & Pro version](https://commentsanywhere.com/)
* [Documentation](https://commentsanywhere.com/Docs/)

== Installation ==

1. Install and activate Elementor (the free version is enough).
2. Install "Comments Anywhere for Elementor" via **Plugins → Add New** (or upload it to `/wp-content/plugins/soulsites-comments-anywhere/`) and activate it.
3. Drag the **Like Icon**, **Comment Icon**, **Comment Embed** or **Liked Posts** widget onto any Elementor page.
4. Adjust options under **Soulsites Comments Anywhere → Settings**.

See the [documentation](https://commentsanywhere.com/Docs/) for details.

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= How do I add comments to an Elementor page? =
Drag the **Comment Icon** (popup) or **Comment Embed** (inline section) widget onto the page. No shortcodes or theme changes needed.

= Can I add multiple comment sections on one page? =
Yes. Use different namespaces for independent threads, or the same namespace to show one thread in several places.

= Do visitors need to reload the page to register? =
No. Registration, login and password reset run in an AJAX popup.

= Can users see the posts they liked? =
Yes, via the **Liked Posts** widget or an Elementor Pro Loop Grid with the query ID `scany_liked_posts`.

= Do I need Elementor Pro? =
No. Elementor Pro is only needed for the Loop Grid integration.

= Is it GDPR friendly? =
It is self-hosted, shows an opt-in consent snackbar, deletes unused anonymous identifiers after 1 year, lets users delete their account and integrates with WordPress privacy tools. Compliance also depends on your own configuration and privacy policy.

= How does spam protection work? =
Free includes a self-hosted Altcha CAPTCHA, honeypot, keyword filter and rate limiting. Pro adds Akismet (requires the Akismet plugin).

= Does it work with caching plugins? =
Yes. Personal like status and comments load client-side, so page caches never store them.

= Is all data deleted on uninstall? =
Yes. All plugin tables, options, transients and cron events are removed.

== Screenshots ==

1. Social-media-style comment modal with threaded replies.
2. Comment popup in full-screen view on mobile.
3. AJAX login and registration popup – sign up without a page reload.
4. Like button with counter in an Elementor Loop Grid.
5. Liked Posts widget showing a user's favorite posts.
6. Global design settings for all comment and like widgets.

== Third Party Services ==

This plugin uses Freemius for optional usage tracking and paid-license management. Free features work when **Skip** is selected. Only after explicit opt-in or paid-license activation, Freemius may receive:

* WordPress account name and email address
* Site URL/title/language, server IP, and WordPress/PHP versions
* Plugin/SDK versions and activation state
* Installed plugin/theme names, versions and state if that permission is enabled
* Paid-license status

No comments, likes, or personal visitor data are ever transmitted to Freemius. This connection is subject to the [Freemius Privacy Policy](https://freemius.com/privacy/) and [Freemius Terms of Service](https://freemius.com/terms/).

Optionally, if the site owner installs and activates the separate Akismet plugin, comment content, IP address, user agent, referrer and site URL are sent to Akismet for spam checking, subject to the [Akismet Privacy Policy](https://akismet.com/privacy/). This is disabled by default.

== Source Code ==

`assets/js/altcha.min.js` is the minified browser build of the third-party [ALTCHA](https://altcha.org) Proof-of-Work CAPTCHA widget (MIT license), used unmodified.

* Package: `altcha` v3.1.0 ([npm](https://www.npmjs.com/package/altcha))
* Source: https://github.com/altcha-org/altcha/tree/7fd2468bdf60eb13670d580e80e1d70dd72909fe
* License and build instructions: `assets/js/ALTCHA-LICENSE.txt` in this plugin's own source

`assets/js/altcha-worker.js` is this plugin's own code (not third-party), a small Web Worker that runs ALTCHA's Proof-of-Work solver off the main thread.

== Changelog ==

= 1.1.13 =
* Fixed activation so all six database tables are created.
* Prefixed the remaining admin menu slug and Premium modal script handle.
* Admin assets load on the plugin's own screens only.

For older releases, see `CHANGELOG.md` in the source repository.
