=== Product Compare Hub – Product Comparison Table & Catalog ===
Contributors: svetlanaristanovic
Tags: product comparison, compare products, comparison table, product catalog, specifications
Requires at least: 5.9
Tested up to: 7.1
Requires PHP: 7.4
Stable tag: 1.3.0
License: GPLv2 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

Product comparison plugin: compare products side by side in a comparison table, with a product catalog, live search and filters. Lite edition, free. Updates only, no support.

== Description ==

**No support is included.** The Lite plugin and the separate Pro plugin include plugin updates only. There is no support by email, no support on the WordPress.org forum, and no support during the 7-day Pro trial.

**Product Compare Hub** turns WordPress into a product catalog with comparison — for laptops, headphones, bikes, coffee machines, phones, services, anything that has specifications. You decide which characteristics describe your products; the plugin builds the product editor, the filters, the spec sheets and the comparison table around them. No coding, no page builder required: one shortcode.

= What visitors get =

* **Live search and filters** by brand, category and every attribute you flagged as a filter, with a result counter and "load more".
* **Product pages** with one main image, description, price, release date and the full spec sheet grouped by attribute group.
* **Side-by-side comparison**: visitors pick as many products as you allow and open a comparison table with every attribute. There is no built-in cap.
* **3 colour themes** (one light, one dark, one neutral) and a toolbar layout that adapts to your theme. System fonts, no external requests.
* Every product also gets its own page automatically (SEO friendly URLs you can rename).

= What you get in the admin =

* **Your own attribute schema**: groups (Display, Performance, Battery, Materials…) and attributes of type text, number with unit, list of values, yes/no or long text. Drag to reorder. Tick "Filter" to offer an attribute as a catalog filter and "Card" to show it on the catalog card.
* **Unlimited products** with name, subtitle, short and long description, brand, category, release date, price and one main image.
* **Brands and categories** as regular WordPress taxonomies.
* **Catalog order** by release date, name, date added or price.
* **Sample catalog**: 20 fictional products installed at the start so you can see everything working right away (removable with one click).
* A built-in **"How it works"** guide.

= Shortcodes =

* `[svpcx_catalog]` — the full catalog with search, filters and comparison.
* `[svpcx_catalog category="laptops" per_page="8"]` — a filtered catalog (also `brand="..."`).
* `[svpcx_product id="123"]` — one product's page inside any page.

= Free edition vs Pro =

This plugin, as hosted on WordPress.org, is the **Lite edition**. It is free and fully functional within its scope: **unlimited products**, your own attribute schema with every attribute type, live search and filters, product pages with one main image, **unlimited side-by-side comparison** of all attributes, 3 colour themes, the toolbar layout, brands and categories, catalog order by date, name or price, the sample catalog and the two shortcodes above. Nothing in this package is locked behind a license, a trial, a time limit or a quota; the interface follows your WordPress site language and community translations.

A separate **Pro plugin** is sold from our site and is not part of this package. It adds:

* 5 interface languages (English, Italian, French, German, Serbian) with a per-visitor flag switcher.
* 12 colour themes plus custom accent colours.
* 3 layouts: toolbar filters, sidebar filters, full width.
* Colour variants with an image gallery per colour and a lightbox.
* A glossary of technical terms with "i" popups next to attributes.
* "Show only differences" in the comparison table.
* Related products and highlights on the product page.
* Manual drag & drop ordering of products and brands.
* The fixed comparison shortcode `[svpcx_compare ids="12,15"]`.
* An installable web app (home-screen icon, full screen).

Pro can be tried for **7 days**. Pro includes **plugin updates only**: **no support** (by email or on the WordPress.org forum) and **no refunds**. [Live demo](https://svetix.ch/spacetool/).

= Privacy =

The plugin does not collect personal data from visitors and sets no cookies. See "External services" for the one optional connection (Freemius), off until you turn it on.

== Installation ==

1. Upload the plugin folder to `/wp-content/plugins/` or install it from Plugins > Add New.
2. Activate it. A sample catalog of 20 fictional products is created so you can see it working (remove it with one click in Settings > Tools).
3. Go to **Compare Hub > Attributes** and adapt the attribute groups to your products.
4. Add your products under **Compare Hub > Add new product**.
5. Create a page and insert `[svpcx_catalog]`. Done.

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= Is support included? =

No. Lite and Pro include plugin updates only. There is no support by email, no support on this forum, and no support during the 7-day Pro trial.

= Can I compare products of different kinds? =

Yes. The attribute schema is shared, so products of different categories can be compared; attributes a product does not have are simply shown as "not specified".

= Do I need WooCommerce? =

No. Product Compare Hub is independent: it is a catalog and comparison tool, not a shop. You can add a price and any link you like in the description.

= How do the filters work? =

Every attribute flagged as "Filter" (plus brand and category) becomes a filter group. Filters combine with the live search and update the results without reloading the page.

= Can I change the URL of product pages? =

Yes, in Compare Hub > Settings ("URL slug of product pages").

= Does it work with block themes? =

Yes, with both classic and block (FSE) themes.

= Which languages are included? =

The Lite edition speaks the language of your WordPress site: its strings are translatable through translate.wordpress.org and language packs are installed automatically when available. The per-visitor flag switcher with five bundled languages is part of the Pro plugin.

= What happens to my data if I switch from Pro back to Lite? =

Nothing is deleted. Products, attributes, brands, categories and settings stay in the database; the catalog, product pages and comparison keep working. Only the Pro-specific pieces (colour galleries, glossary popups, extra themes and layouts, language switcher) stop being displayed until Pro is active again.

== External services ==

The catalog itself never sends visitor data anywhere: products, attributes and settings stay in your WordPress database, fonts come from the visitor's system and no cookie is set. One optional connection exists, off until you turn it on.

**Freemius** (bundled SDK, `vendor/freemius`) manages the optional upgrade to the separate Pro plugin, its licenses and its updates. The Pro trial lasts 7 days and includes plugin updates only. It does not include support, by email or on the WordPress.org forum. On activation Freemius shows an opt-in screen: only if you accept, basic site and usage data (site URL, WordPress/PHP version, plugin version, admin e-mail) are sent to Freemius. You can skip the opt-in and this Lite plugin works fully without any external connection. Service by Freemius, Inc.: terms https://freemius.com/terms/ – privacy policy https://freemius.com/privacy/

Links to the Pro checkout (https://checkout.freemius.com) and to the demo (https://svetix.ch/spacetool/) open only when you click them.

== Screenshots ==

1. The catalog: live search, filters and product cards with "Compare".
2. Side-by-side comparison table.
3. Product page with main image and grouped spec sheet.
4. Attribute schema editor: groups, attributes, types, filter and card flags.
5. Product editor with the fields generated from your attributes.
6. Settings: theme, toolbar style, images, comparison.

== Changelog ==

= 1.3.0 =
* Lite edition: the free package now contains the catalog, filters, product pages with one main image, the side-by-side comparison, 3 colour themes and the toolbar layout. Products and comparison stay unlimited.
* Moved to the separate Pro plugin: flag language switcher and bundled translations, 9 of the 12 colour themes and custom accent colours, sidebar and full-width layouts, colour variants with galleries and lightbox, glossary popups, "show only differences", related products and highlights, manual drag & drop ordering, `[svpcx_compare]`, the web app.
* Catalog can be ordered by price.
* Google Fonts option removed: the catalog uses the visitor's system fonts, so the plugin makes no external request.
* Interface language follows the WordPress site language (standard translation files from translate.wordpress.org).
* Existing data is kept: a saved theme or layout that no longer exists falls back to the default, and a product whose only picture was in a colour gallery gets it as main image.

= 1.2.5 =
* Comparison is unlimited. This package does not cap the number of products.
* Printed markup is escaped.
* Internal names use a longer prefix.
* The separate Pro trial is 7 days and includes updates only, not support.

= 1.2.4 =
* The language switcher is included and works without a license.
* Translation text domain matches the plugin slug.
* Inputs used for nonces, the current address and colour image lists are sanitized.

= 1.2.3 =
* Plugin name is Product Compare Hub.

= 1.2.2 =
* Translation text domain is a fixed string, as required by the WordPress.org plugin check.

= 1.2.1 =
* Directory name is Product Compare Hub.
* Removed Freemius development files that are not part of the plugin.
* Documented the optional Freemius and Google Fonts connections. Both stay off until you turn them on.

= 1.2.0 =
* Directory edition: unlimited products, comparison of up to 6, and the language switcher. The installable web app is a separate plugin.
* Google Fonts loading is now off by default.

= 1.1.2 =
* Demo build: the demo admin also sees the Dashboard, the Media library and an editable test page.
* Plugin description lists the 5 interface languages and the web app.

= 1.1.1 =
* Release dates on the site follow the chosen language (month names).
* Pages served from a cache in another language are reloaded in the visitor's language.
* Web app: better default short name.

= 1.1.0 =
* Five languages: English, Italian, French, German and Serbian, with a flag switcher for visitors.
* Default attribute, group, glossary and sample category names are shown in the visitor's language.
* Installable web app (PWA) for phones and tablets.
* New "How it works" guide page in the admin.
* Own capability set (svpcx_manage, edit_svpcx_products…).

= 1.0.1 =
* Better compatibility with dark themes; in-place demo reset.

= 1.0.0 =
* First release.

== Upgrade Notice ==

= 1.3.0 =
Lite edition. Colour variants and galleries, the glossary, the extra themes and layouts and the flag language switcher moved to the separate Pro plugin. Nothing is deleted: your products, attributes, settings and colour data stay in the database, and a product whose picture was in a colour gallery keeps it as main image. Products and comparison remain unlimited. No support: updates only.

= 1.2.5 =
Unlimited comparison. No feature is locked in this free package. No support is included: updates only.

= 1.2.4 =
Language switcher included. Text domain matches the plugin slug.

= 1.2.1 =
Same features as 1.2.0. Clears development files and documents optional external services.

= 1.2.0 =
Free edition with Pro upgrade. Existing Pro licences keep every feature.
