=== Unite Flex Gallery ===
Contributors: uniteplugins
Donate link: https://unitegallery.com/
Tags: gallery, video, lightbox, portfolio, responsive
Requires at least: 6.0
Tested up to: 7.0
Stable tag: 1.0.1
License: GPLv3 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html

Responsive photo gallery and video gallery plugin. 9 gallery layouts, masonry tiles, carousel, slider and a touch-friendly lightbox.

== Description ==

**Unite Flex Gallery is a free, all-in-one photo gallery and video gallery plugin for WordPress.** Build masonry galleries, justified tile grids, carousels, sliders and full video galleries — then embed them anywhere with a block or a shortcode.

It runs on a mature, fast JavaScript gallery engine wrapped in a WordPress admin that anybody can use. Every setting comes with a plain-English description, options are grouped into logical sections, and the items manager works like a familiar file explorer. No documentation hunting, no guesswork.

Galleries are responsive by default, touch and swipe enabled, and include modern extras such as pinch zoom, pan, fullscreen and a flexible lightbox in wide or compact styles.

[Browse all live demos on unitegallery.com &rarr;](https://unitegallery.com/demos.php)

= Nine Gallery Layouts, One Plugin =

Pick the layout that fits your content and switch any time with a single click — your images and settings stay put.

* **[Tiles – Columns](https://unitegallery.com/demo-tiles-columns.php)** — a masonry-style photo gallery that packs any mix of image sizes into tidy columns. Tiles can sit flush together or with spacing between them.
* **[Tiles – Justified](https://unitegallery.com/demo-tiles-justified.php)** — a justified image gallery with perfectly straight edges on every row, like a photo magazine spread.
* **[Tiles – Grid](https://unitegallery.com/demo-tiles-grid.php)** — a uniform grid gallery where every tile is the same size, with paging navigation between panes.
* **[Carousel](https://unitegallery.com/demo-carousel.php)** — a smooth, touch-friendly image carousel that scrolls endlessly and opens items in the lightbox.
* **[Default Theme](https://unitegallery.com/demo-default.php)** — the classic gallery: big preview image, thumbnail strip, caption text and control buttons in one row.
* **[Compact Theme](https://unitegallery.com/demo-compact.php)** — a minimal gallery frame that lets you place the thumbnail panel on any side you like.
* **[Grid Theme](https://unitegallery.com/demo-grid.php)** — a large preview paired with a multi-column thumbnail grid panel.
* **[Slider](https://unitegallery.com/demo-slider.php)** — a clean image slider with navigation bullets, ideal for hero sections and blog posts.
* **[Video Gallery](https://unitegallery.com/demo-video.php)** — a dedicated video gallery layout with three navigation styles on the right.

= WordPress Video Gallery Support =

Unite Flex Gallery is a real video gallery plugin, not just an image gallery with a video bolted on. Paste a link and the plugin fetches the thumbnail and handles the player for you.

* YouTube video galleries
* Vimeo video galleries
* Wistia
* SoundCloud audio
* Self-hosted HTML5 video (MP4, WebM, OGG)
* Custom iframe embeds

Mix videos and images freely inside the same gallery.

= Touch-Enabled Responsive Lightbox =

Every gallery type ships with a built-in responsive lightbox. Choose a wide or compact lightbox style, swipe between items on mobile, zoom into detailed photos with pinch or buttons, pan around, go fullscreen, and show titles and descriptions in the text panel.

= A WordPress Gallery Admin That Explains Itself =

* **Galleries manager** — create, duplicate and organize unlimited galleries
* **Items manager** — drag and drop images, edit titles and descriptions in place
* **Settings with help** — every option grouped logically and documented inline
* **Gutenberg block and shortcode** — embed anywhere with the block, or paste `[unitegallery mygallery]` into a classic editor or page builder

= Fast and Lightweight =

Thumbnails load first and full-size images load on demand, so a page with a large photo gallery stays quick. Layouts adapt to their container and to the screen, and thumbnail panels collapse gracefully on small devices.

= Developer Friendly =

A full JavaScript API with events and methods lets you play, pause, zoom, switch items, enter fullscreen or swap out every image on the fly. GPL v3 licensed with no lock-in.

= Perfect For =

Photography portfolios, wedding and travel photo blogs, product showcases, real estate listings, restaurant menus, event albums, video channels, agency work galleries and any WordPress site that needs images and video presented well.

== Installation ==

= Automatic installation =

1. Go to **Plugins &rarr; Add New** in your WordPress admin.
2. Search for **Unite Flex Gallery**.
3. Click **Install Now**, then **Activate**.
4. Open the **Galleries** page and create your first gallery.

= Manual installation =

1. Download the plugin ZIP file.
2. Upload the `unite-flex-gallery` folder to `/wp-content/plugins/`.
3. Activate the plugin through the **Plugins** menu in WordPress.
4. Open the **Galleries** page and create your first gallery.

= Creating your first gallery =

1. Go to **Unite Flex Gallery &rarr; Galleries** and click **Add Gallery**.
2. Choose one of the nine gallery types.
3. Drag in your images or paste video links in the items manager.
4. Adjust the settings — each one is explained inline.
5. Add the Unite Flex Gallery block to any post or page, or paste the shortcode `[unitegallery mygallery]`.

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= How do I create a photo gallery in WordPress with this plugin? =

Go to **Unite Flex Gallery &rarr; Galleries**, click **Add Gallery**, pick a gallery type, then drag your images into the items manager. Embed the finished gallery with the Gutenberg block or the `[unitegallery mygallery]` shortcode.

= Is Unite Flex Gallery free? =

Yes. The plugin is completely free and open source under the GPL v3 license. There is no account, no signup and no locked features.

= Does it work with the block editor (Gutenberg)? =

Yes. The plugin includes a Unite Flex Gallery block. Insert it into any post or page and pick which gallery to display.

= Does it work with Elementor and other page builders? =

Yes. Use the `[unitegallery mygallery]` shortcode inside a shortcode or text widget in Elementor, Beaver Builder, WPBakery, Divi or any other builder that accepts shortcodes.

= Can I add YouTube and Vimeo videos to a gallery? =

Yes. Paste a YouTube, Vimeo, Wistia or SoundCloud link into the video dialog and the plugin fetches the thumbnail and configures the player automatically. Self-hosted HTML5 video files are supported too, and videos can be mixed with images in the same gallery.

= Are the galleries responsive and mobile friendly? =

Yes. Every layout adapts to its container and to the screen size, all navigation is touch and swipe enabled, and thumbnail panels collapse gracefully on phones and tablets.

= Does it support masonry and justified layouts? =

Yes. **Tiles – Columns** is a masonry-style layout that packs mixed image sizes into columns, and **Tiles – Justified** arranges images in justified rows with straight edges on both sides.

= Will a large gallery slow down my site? =

No. Thumbnails load first and full-size images load only when needed, so pages stay fast even with large photo galleries.

= Can I change the gallery type after I have added my images? =

Yes. Switch the gallery type at any time from the gallery settings. Your images, titles and descriptions stay exactly where they are.

= How many galleries can I create? =

Unlimited. Create as many galleries as you need and duplicate any of them as a starting point for the next one.

= Does the plugin include a lightbox? =

Yes. A touch-enabled lightbox is built in, with wide and compact styles, swipe navigation, zoom, pan, fullscreen and a text panel for titles and descriptions.

= Can I customize the gallery with code? =

Yes. The gallery exposes a full JavaScript API with events and methods so you can play, pause, zoom, change items, enter fullscreen or replace the entire image set programmatically.

= Where can I see the galleries in action? =

All nine gallery types are running live at [unitegallery.com/demos.php](https://unitegallery.com/demos.php).

== Screenshots ==

1. Tiles – Columns: masonry photo gallery layout
2. Tiles – Justified: justified image gallery rows
3. Tiles – Grid: uniform grid gallery with paging
4. Carousel: touch-friendly scrolling image carousel
5. Default Theme: classic gallery with thumbnail strip
6. Compact Theme: minimal gallery with a movable thumbnail panel
7. Grid Theme: large preview with a multi-column thumbnail grid
8. Slider Theme: image slider with navigation bullets
9. Video Gallery: YouTube, Vimeo and HTML5 video gallery
10. Gallery settings page with inline help for every option
11. Galleries manager: create, duplicate and organize galleries
12. Items manager: drag and drop images and edit captions
13. Media dialog for adding images and videos

== Changelog ==

= 1.0.1 =
* Maintenance and stability fixes for the initial release

= 1.0 =
* First release of Unite Flex Gallery

== Upgrade Notice ==

= 1.0.1 =
Maintenance and stability fixes. Recommended for all users.

== External services ==

This plugin embeds third-party video and audio in galleries. Those providers are only contacted when a gallery (or the admin video dialog) includes an item of that type. The plugin does not send site visitor account data to these services; it sends the video or track identifier needed to load the embed, plus standard HTTP request data (such as IP address and browser information) that those providers may log according to their own policies.

= YouTube (Google) =

* **What it is used for:** Playing YouTube videos in the gallery lightbox/player, loading the YouTube IFrame Player API, and fetching default thumbnail images in the admin "Add Video" dialog.
* **What data is sent and when:**
  * On the **public site**, when a gallery item is YouTube, the visitor's browser loads `https://www.youtube.com/player_api` and embeds the video using the YouTube video ID stored in the gallery item.
  * In the **WordPress admin**, when you search for a YouTube video by ID or URL, the browser requests thumbnail images from `https://img.youtube.com/vi/{VIDEO_ID}/…` to validate the ID and show a preview.
* **Service provider:** Google LLC
* **Terms of service:** https://www.youtube.com/t/terms
* **Privacy policy:** https://policies.google.com/privacy

= Vimeo =

* **What it is used for:** Playing Vimeo videos in the gallery and looking up Vimeo video metadata in the admin "Add Video" dialog.
* **What data is sent and when:**
  * On the **public site**, when a gallery item is Vimeo, the visitor's browser loads the Vimeo player script from `player.vimeo.com` and embeds the video using the Vimeo video ID stored in the gallery item.
  * In the **WordPress admin**, when you search for a Vimeo video, the browser requests `https://www.vimeo.com/api/v2/video/{VIDEO_ID}.json` with that video ID.
* **Service provider:** Vimeo.com, Inc.
* **Terms of service:** https://vimeo.com/terms
* **Privacy policy:** https://vimeo.com/privacy

= Wistia =

* **What it is used for:** Playing Wistia videos in the gallery (via the bundled Unite Flex Gallery media library) and fetching Wistia video metadata in the admin "Add Video" dialog.
* **What data is sent and when:**
  * On the **public site**, when a gallery item is Wistia, the visitor's browser loads `https://fast.wistia.com/assets/external/E-v1.js` and embeds the video using the Wistia media ID stored in the gallery item. Item previews in the admin items manager may load `https://fast.wistia.net/embed/iframe/{VIDEO_ID}`.
  * In the **WordPress admin**, when you search for a Wistia video, the browser requests `https://fast.wistia.net/oembed` with the Wistia media URL/ID to retrieve title and thumbnail information.
* **Service provider:** Wistia, Inc.
* **Terms of service:** https://wistia.com/terms
* **Privacy policy:** https://wistia.com/privacy

= SoundCloud =

* **What it is used for:** Playing SoundCloud audio tracks in the gallery via the bundled Unite Flex Gallery media library.
* **What data is sent and when:** When a visitor opens or plays a SoundCloud gallery item, the browser loads `https://w.soundcloud.com/player/api.js` and an embedded player iframe from `https://w.soundcloud.com/player/` containing the SoundCloud track ID stored in the gallery item (for example `http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/{TRACK_ID}` in the embed URL). Autoplay and player display options are passed as query parameters in that embed URL.
* **Service provider:** SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG
* **Terms of service:** https://soundcloud.com/terms-of-use
* **Privacy policy:** https://soundcloud.com/pages/privacy

= MediaElement.js (bundled) =

* **What it is used for:** HTML5 video playback controls when a gallery item uses a self-hosted HTML5 video file (MP4, WebM, or OGG).
* **What data is sent and when:** When a gallery contains HTML5 video items, the visitor's browser loads MediaElement.js (and optionally `hls.min.js` for HLS streams) from files bundled inside this plugin. These assets are served from your own WordPress site. No third-party CDN is used, and no data is sent to external MediaElement or MPEG-DASH related services. MPEG-DASH support (`dash.js`) is not included in this plugin.
