=== Hide or Show Out-of-Stock Products for WooCommerce ===
Contributors: charliemac24
Tags: woocommerce, out-of-stock, product-visibility, inventory, catalog
Requires at least: 6.0
Tested up to: 6.9
Requires PHP: 7.4
Stable tag: 2.0.3
License: GPLv3
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.txt

Control which out-of-stock WooCommerce products stay visible—turns off WooCommerce’s global hide and lets you allow specific sold-out items.

== Description ==

By default, WooCommerce hides **all** out-of-stock products when the global “Hide out of stock items” option is enabled.  

This plugin turns off WooCommerce’s global “Hide out of stock items” setting. Out-of-stock products remain hidden by default, and you use the plugin’s per-product controls to allow selected sold-out products to appear (shop/search). A notice on the manager page reminds you that the global setting is overridden.

### What this plugin does

* Choose visibility for **out-of-stock products only**
* Forces WooCommerce’s global “Hide out of stock items” setting off so per-product control applies
* Hide out-of-stock products by default; allow specific sold-out items to appear where you choose
* Control whether a product appears in:
  * Shop + Search
  * Shop only
  * Search only
  * Hidden everywhere
* Bulk-manage sold-out products with pagination and search
* Uses WooCommerce’s native `product_visibility` taxonomy (safe & compatible)

### Typical use cases

* Keep sold-out products visible for **SEO**
* Show catalog or discontinued items
* Keep seasonal or returning products searchable
* Avoid confusing customers while stock is unavailable
* Maintain a clean shop page without hiding everything

This plugin overrides the global hide toggle but still uses WooCommerce’s native `product_visibility` taxonomy for safe per-product exceptions.

== Installation ==

### From your WordPress dashboard

1. Go to **Plugins → Add New**
2. Search for **Hide or Show Out-of-Stock Products for WooCommerce**
3. Click **Install** and then **Activate**
4. Go to **Products → Out-of-Stock Visibility**
5. Choose how each out-of-stock product should appear

== Screenshots ==

1. Out-of-stock products list with visibility controls
2. Bulk visibility update interface
3. Individual product visibility settings

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= Does this disable WooCommerce’s global “Hide out of stock items” setting? =
Yes. The plugin turns that setting off so it can manage out-of-stock visibility per product. Out-of-stock items remain hidden by default until you allow them via the plugin.

= Does this affect in-stock products? =
No. Only products marked as out-of-stock are affected.

= Is this safe for SEO? =
Yes. It uses WooCommerce’s built-in `product_visibility` terms and does not add custom hacks.

= Can I bulk-update products? =
Yes. Out-of-stock products can be managed in bulk with pagination and search.

= Will this work with future WooCommerce updates? =
Yes. The plugin relies on WooCommerce core visibility mechanisms.

== Changelog ==

= 2.0.3 =
* Added a one-time activation notice that explains how to control per-product visibility for out-of-stock items.

= 2.0.2 =
* Forced WooCommerce’s “Hide out of stock items” setting off so per-product visibility works; added notice in the manager UI.

= 2.0.1 =
* Security and compatibility update
* Added nonce and capability checks
* Restricted updates to authenticated administrators
* Sanitized input/output
* Improved admin UI loading
* Clarified plugin positioning as an out-of-stock visibility exception manager

= 2.0 =
* Initial improvements and refinements

= 1.0 =
* Initial release

== Upgrade Notice ==

= 2.0.3 =
Adds a one-time activation notice with setup guidance for per-product visibility.
