AboutBuzz Stories Embed

AboutBuzz Stories Embed allows you to easily embed video stories and reviews from AboutBuzz.com into your WordPress site. The plugin provides a responsive carousel display with lazy loading for optimal performance. Features

• Responsive carousel display
• Lazy loading for better performance
• Mobile-optimized video playback
• Like functionality for user engagement
• Secure API integration
• Rate limiting to prevent abuse
• Caching for improved performance

Usage

1. Install and activate the plugin
2. Go to Settings > AboutBuzz Activation
3. Enter your secret code provided by AboutBuzz
4. Use the shortcode [aboutbuzz_reviews code="YOUR_CODE"] in your posts or pages

Requirements

• WordPress 5.0 or higher
• PHP 7.4 or higher
• Valid AboutBuzz secret code

2.0.1 Privacy hardening. Reduces the surface area for personal data from the AboutBuzz API to land on the client site.

• Response caching now holds a sanitized array instead of the raw API body. The aboutbuzz_stories_bycode_<md5> transient previously stored the full JSON response body as a string, meaning any fields the server returned (including ones this plugin does not render) would sit in wp_options for up to 5 minutes per activation code. The transient now stores only the allowlisted $sanitized_posts array (ID, rating, vote_count, watermark_video, product_source, brand, and the video URL) that the template actually consumes. Extra server-returned fields are dropped before caching.
• Removed the unused post_title field from the sanitized story array. It was being copied from the API response but never rendered anywhere in the template. Since post_title on the AboutBuzz side can contain reviewer names, stripping it here removes that field from the client's in-memory and cached representation of each story.
• Migration guard for the legacy cache format. Existing transient entries (stored as JSON strings by earlier builds) are discarded on first read after upgrade; the next render repopulates the cache in the new array format. No manual cache flush required.
• 5-minute cache TTL and the ?abz_nocache=1 admin bypass are unchanged.
• Removed per-review title interpolation from video aria-label and alt strings; accessibility labels are now generic ("Predvajaj video oceno" / "Predogled video ocene"). Translations (.pot, sl_SI, en_US) updated to match the new msgids.

2.0.0 Major release. Card design redesigned to match aboutbuzz.com homepage, CSS architecture moved to @scope for isolation, response caching added, new Product Source badges, admin diagnostics for error paths. Read "Breaking changes" below before upgrading if you maintain brand-site custom CSS targeting the widget.

• Product Source Badges:
• "Verified Purchase" and "Verified Tester" overlay badges shown at the bottom-left of each video card, driven by the product_source ACF field returned by the AboutBuzz API.
• Badge assets (badge-verified-purchase.png, badge-verified-tester.png) are bundled in the plugin (assets/icons/) — no external network dependency.
• Badge persists while the video is playing (it's a sibling of the placeholder, not inside it).
• Card Design Parity with aboutbuzz.com homepage:
• Rating row always shows exactly 5 stars: first N filled gold (#FFB600), remaining (5 − N) as gray outlined stars (#C7C7C7). Inline SVG so fill and stroke differ per star without extra assets.
• Verified-row default text changed from Slovenian "Ocena testiranega izdelka" to English "Verified product review" (still translatable; Slovenian preserved via sl_SI catalog).
• New play-button icon (play-btn.svg) replacing the previous play-white.svg.
• Card background, border-radius, padding, and video aspect aligned via CSS custom properties.
• Single-Row Carousel (always):
• Videos always render as a single horizontal row with scroll-snap. Previously only kicked in at 4+ videos — now applies to every count.
• Mobile viewport (≤600px): card is 58% of viewport width so the neighboring card peeks on each side, making the swipe affordance obvious.
• Grid uses scroll-padding-inline so the first and last cards snap-center properly.
• Video wrapper on mobile uses aspect-ratio: 9 / 16 for proper portrait framing regardless of card width.
• CSS Isolation via @scope:
• All widget styles wrapped in @scope (.aboutbuzz-reviews-host) { ... } — selectors are confined to the widget subtree.
• :scope { all: revert-layer } resets inherited theme bleed-in (fonts, colors, line-heights) at the widget boundary.
• CSS custom properties exposed for theming: --aboutbuzz-card-bg, --aboutbuzz-text, --aboutbuzz-muted, --aboutbuzz-accent, --aboutbuzz-star-filled, --aboutbuzz-star-empty, --aboutbuzz-radius, --aboutbuzz-video-height.
• New host class aboutbuzz-reviews-host on the widget wrapper. New helper classes (ab-video-card, ab-video, ab-info-row, ab-source-badge) added alongside existing aboutbutzz_* classes; old class names preserved for backward compatibility.
• A small number of !important declarations remain targeted (badge sizing, heart size, like-wrapper alignment, mobile card width) specifically to resist aggressive brand-theme overrides.
• Response Caching:
• Successful API responses cached per activation code for 5 minutes via aboutbuzz_stories_bycode_<md5> transient. High-traffic brand pages make one API call per 5-minute window regardless of visitor count.
• Error responses (401, 403, 429, 500, network errors) are NEVER cached, so subscription or connectivity changes take effect immediately.
• Rate-Limit Scoping Fix:
• Per-visitor rate limit now counts only actual HTTP calls (cache misses), not every shortcode render.
• Threshold raised from 20 to 60 uncached requests/hour as abuse protection. With caching active, legitimate visitors effectively never encounter it.
• Admin Cache Bypass:
• Logged-in admins can append ?abz_nocache=1 to any URL to force a fresh API call for that request, useful for verifying back-end changes without waiting for the 5-minute TTL.
• Admin Diagnostics:
• Rate-limit, HTTP error, network error, and invalid-JSON paths now show a visible yellow info box to admins (manage_options) while remaining silent for public visitors. Previously these either leaked a red error box to all visitors or rendered silently blank with no explanation.
• Version-Constant Hygiene:
• New ABOUTBUZZ_EMBED_VERSION constant drives enqueue cache-busting and API User-Agent headers. Single-point version bumps going forward.
• Accessibility:
• Star row has an aria-label reporting the numeric rating out of 5.
• Inline star SVGs marked aria-hidden="true" so screen readers announce the rating once via the label, not five times per card.
• Decorative check icon alt emptied; adjacent text carries the meaning.
• Translations:
• .pot, en_US.po, sl_SI.po updated with new verified-row string and a pluralised star-count label. .mo files recompiled.

Breaking changes / compatibility notes:

• Brand CSS that relied on the old layout (1–3 videos rendered as a wrapping row, 4+ as a carousel) will see the carousel mode on every card count. The old wrapping mode is gone.
• The product_source ACF field must be populated on each story on aboutbuzz.com for badges to appear. Stories with an empty or unrecognised value render no badge (correct failure mode).
• Brand-site custom CSS written against class names the plugin never emits (e.g. .playbutton, .heart-icon, .vote-button-overlay, .vote-count, .voting, .video-preview) will continue to do nothing. Target the classes the plugin actually emits (see the class reference above).
• If a brand theme forces .ab-info-row { display: grid } via its own !important or layer, the flex-based stars/heart row layout may break. Remove the conflicting rule from the brand's site CSS, or rely on the plugin's layout as shipped.

1.9.3

• Lazy Loading Compatibility Fix:
• Fixed first thumbnail image not displaying on sites with lazy loading plugins
• Added data-no-lazy, data-skip-lazy attributes and skip-lazy, no-lazyload classes to first image
• Prevents third-party lazy loaders (WP Rocket, LiteSpeed, etc.) from breaking the first thumbnail

1.9.2

• Updated plugin logo

1.9.1

• Internationalization (i18n) Support:
• Added full WordPress translation support
• All user-facing strings are now translatable
• Included translation files for Slovenian (sl_SI) and English (en_US)
• Added .pot template file for creating additional translations
• Accessibility Improvements:
• Added translatable ARIA labels for video playback buttons
• Improved alt text for thumbnails with dynamic product names
• Enhanced screen reader support for loading states
• Code Quality:
• Improved code organization and documentation
• Added translator comments for strings with placeholders

1.9.0

• Shortcode Update: Changed from [aboutbuzz_smart_stories] to [aboutbuzz_reviews] for better naming
• Simplified Parameters: Shortcode now only accepts code parameter, auto-detects brand
• Cache Clearing: Added automatic cache clearing for validation to prevent stale data
• Documentation Update: Updated all documentation to reflect new shortcode usage

1.8.2

• Removed problematic CSS reset (all: unset) that was causing theme issues

1.8.1

• Release version 1.8.1 with assets fix

1.8.0

• Design & Visual Improvements:
• Complete visual redesign with modern layout and styling
• Updated color scheme for better visual appeal
• educed video size for improved layout balance
• Enhanced spacing with optimized paddings and margins
• Modern box design with improved visual hierarchy
• Like System Enhancements:
• Fixed like button visual feedback - yellow heart now displays correctly for already liked posts
• Improved like animation with smooth transitions
• Updated heart icons: yellow for liked posts, gray outline for unliked posts
• Enhanced visual states for better user experience
• Typography Updates:
• Replaced Font Awesome with custom Nunito Sans font
• Added proper font-face declaration for custom font loading
• Implemented font inheritance system for consistent typography
• Improved font loading performance with font-display: swap
• Navigation Improvements:
• Added new SVG arrow icons for carousel navigation
• Implemented responsive arrow behavior: visible on mobile, hidden on desktop
• Updated arrow positioning and sizing for better touch targets
• Enhanced arrow hover effects and visual feedback
• Technical Improvements:
• Optimized CSS structure with better specificity
• Improved mobile responsiveness across all components
• Enhanced accessibility features for navigation elements
• Better performance with optimized asset loading
• Code Quality:
• Cleaner CSS architecture with improved maintainability
• Better organization of styles and components
• Responsive design
• Improved code documentation and structure

1.7.9

• Fixed heart icon styling for like buttons - now displays red with proper opacity
• Improved like button functionality with proper visual feedback
• Enhanced heart display: 0.5 opacity when not liked, full opacity when liked
• Removed conflicting CSS hover effects that interfered with heart visibility

1.7.8

• Added "Oddaj video mnenje" link to upload video reviews
• Improved link styling and user experience
• Enhanced navigation with centered call-to-action

1.7.7

• MAJOR FIXES: Completely resolved all WordPress.org compliance issues
• Fixed carousel functionality with proper flexbox implementation
• Added complete video playback support with play button functionality
• Removed ALL inline styles and moved to proper CSS classes
• Implemented proper AJAX handling for like buttons
• Added comprehensive JavaScript event handling for all interactive elements
• Fixed background image loading via data attributes instead of inline styles
• Enhanced error handling and user feedback
• Improved mobile and desktop responsiveness
• Added proper CORS and nonce security
• Performance optimizations and code cleanup
• All buttons and interactions now work correctly
• No 404 errors - all assets properly enqueued
• Full WordPress.org compliance achieved

1.7.6

• Fixed WordPress.org compliance issues
• Moved inline JavaScript and CSS to separate files with proper enqueuing
• Updated shortcode from [smart_stories] to [aboutbuzz_smart_stories] for better namespacing
• Renamed shortcode function to use proper aboutbuzz_ prefix
• Added comprehensive external services documentation
• Enhanced security and input validation
• Improved error handling
• Better caching system
• Fixed function naming conflicts

1.7.5

• Fixed like button functionality
• Improved mobile centering
• Enhanced video loading
• Better error handling
• Improved caching system

1.7.4

• Added responsive design improvements
• Fixed video loading issues
• Enhanced security measures

1.7.3

• Initial carousel functionality
• Added like button feature
• Improved API integration

1.7.2

• Bug fixes and improvements
• Better error handling

1.7.1

• Initial release
• Basic shortcode functionality
• API integration