=== Side Menu Lite - Sticky Floating Side Menu ===
Contributors: Wpcalc, lobov
Donate link: https://wow-estore.com/item/side-menu-pro/
Tags: sidebar menu, floating menu, floating button, nav menu, fixed menu
Requires at least: 4.3
Tested up to: 6.9
Requires PHP: 7.4
Stable tag: 5.5.1
License: GPLv2 or later
License URI: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

Create a sticky vertical sidebar menu that enhances navigation and highlights important links on your website.

== Description ==

**Side Menu Lite** is a free and lightweight WordPress plugin that lets you add customizable sticky side menus to the left or right edge of your site. These floating buttons serve as shortcuts, improving site navigation and user engagement.

**Perfect for:**
- Quick access menus
- Feedback or contact links
- Promotion of offers or calculators
- Integration with popups, modals, and more

✅ **Increase engagement with intuitive and accessible navigation.**

== 🌟 Features ==

- Create **unlimited side menus**
- **Left or right** side placement
- Insert **custom links**
- Open links in a **new tab**
- Customize **icon size** and **font size**
- Add **animated icons**
- Display menus on **specific devices**
- Use custom **IDs and classes**
- Includes **2000+ Font Awesome 6 icons**

== 🔥 Benefits ==

- Highlight essential actions, links, or pages
- Combine with popups or calculators for more conversions
- Boost user experience and retention
- Great for both desktop and mobile


== 🚀 Upgrade to Pro ==

Unlock powerful features with [Side Menu Pro](https://wow-estore.com/item/side-menu-pro/):

- Submenus for better organization
- Extended Labels & Hold Label Open
- Translate link
- Share link (30+ social platforms)
- Next/Previous post navigation
- Smooth scroll / Scroll to top or bottom
- ScrollSpy
- Print page
- Built-in search
- One-click call / Email / Bookmark
- Login / Register / Logout / Recover password
- Visibility by scroll position
- Visibility by timer delay
- Activate by URL
- Activate by Referrer URL
- Multilingual Support
- Add emoji or letter icons
- Upload **custom icons**
- Full **visibility control** (page types, categories, shortcodes)
- Show menu by **device, language, user role**
- Schedule menu appearance (by date, time, day)
- Browser compatibility rules

🎥 [Demo Pro](https://demo.wow-estore.com/side-menu-pro/)


== 🔗 Complementary Plugins ==

Maximize functionality by combining with these free tools:

- [Popup Box](https://wordpress.org/plugins/popup-box/)
- [Counter Box](https://wordpress.org/plugins/counter-box/)
- [Calculator Builder](https://wordpress.org/plugins/calculator-builder/)
- [Herd Effects](https://wordpress.org/plugins/mwp-herd-effect/)
- [Buttons](https://wordpress.org/plugins/buttons/)

== 🧭 Related Menu Plugins ==

- [Floating Button](https://wordpress.org/plugins/floating-button/) – Floating call-to-action buttons
- [Sticky Buttons](https://wordpress.org/plugins/sticky-buttons/) – Floating multi-action sticky buttons
- [Bubble Menu](https://wordpress.org/plugins/bubble-menu/) – Circular floating menu with icons
- [Float Menu](https://wordpress.org/plugins/float-menu/) – Customizable vertical float menu

== 📩 Support ==

Need help? Visit our [Support Forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/side-menu-lite) for quick answers and assistance.

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= The menu doesn’t appear on my website. What should I do? =
This is usually caused by caching. Try the following steps:

1. **Clear your browser cache** – Press `Ctrl + Shift + R` (Windows) or `Cmd + Shift + R` (Mac).
2. **Purge your WordPress cache** – Use your caching plugin (e.g., WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, LiteSpeed Cache) to clear the cache.
3. **Clear server/hosting cache** – Clear cache from your hosting panel (Cloudflare, SiteGround, etc.).
4. **Temporarily disable caching plugins** – If the menu still doesn't show, disable caching plugins to confirm the issue.

= The menu is visible only to admins. How can I make it visible to everyone? =
Check if **Test Mode** is enabled. When active, the menu is only visible to administrators. Disable Test Mode to show it to all visitors.

= Can I control where the menu appears? =
Yes! In the **Lite version**, you can:
- Display the menu **sitewide** on all pages.
- Use the shortcode `[Side-Menu id="1"]` to manually insert the menu on specific pages or posts.

The **Pro version** allows you to display menus by post types, taxonomies, user roles, languages, and more.

= Can I change the side where the menu appears? =
Yes. You can position the menu on the **left** or **right** side of the screen from the settings panel.

= Can I create multiple menus? =
Absolutely. You can create multiple side menus and display them independently using shortcodes or display rules.

= Can I use Side Menu Lite on WordPress Multisite? =
Yes, but don't network-activate the plugin. Instead, activate **Side Menu Lite** on each site where you want to use it.

= Does Side Menu Lite slow down my site? =
No. The plugin is lightweight and optimized for speed, ensuring it won’t affect your site's performance.


== Installation ==

📌 **Option 1: Install via WordPress Admin**

1. Go to your WordPress dashboard → `Plugins` → `Add New`.
2. Search for **Side Menu Lite**.
3. Click **Install Now**, then click **Activate**.
4. Navigate to the new `Side Menu Lite` section in your dashboard menu.
5. Click **Add New** to create your first menu.
6. Customize your menu settings and click **Save**.

📌 **Option 2: Manual Upload**

1. Download the plugin ZIP file from [wordpress.org](https://wordpress.org/plugins/side-menu-lite/).
2. Go to `Plugins` → `Add New` → `Upload Plugin`.
3. Upload the ZIP file and click **Install Now**.
4. Click **Activate** once the installation is complete.
5. Create and manage side menus from the `Side Menu Lite` section in the dashboard.

📌 **Option 3: Install via FTP**

1. Download and unzip the plugin ZIP file.
2. Upload the extracted `side-menu-lite` folder to `/wp-content/plugins/` via FTP.
3. Go to `Plugins` in your dashboard and click **Activate** next to **Side Menu Lite**.

== Screenshots ==

1. Side Menu buttons displayed on the frontend
2. Create and customize menu items
3. Adjust global settings for the menu
4. Set display rules to control visibility
5. Live preview of the Side Menu in the editor

== Changelog ==

= 5.5.1=
* Updated: Font Awesome library upgraded to version **7.1**.
* Updated: `wp-color-picker-alpha` to version **3.0.4**.

= 5.5 =
* Updated: Font Awesome library upgraded to version **7.0.0**.

= 5.4.4 =
* Improved: Reorganized method order in the DBManager class for better readability and maintenance

= 5.4.3 =
* Fixed: incorrect user capabilities handling
* Fixed: menu detection issue in Script Maker

= 5.4.2 =
* Improved: Screen reader support for the side menu by adding role="navigation" and aria-label attributes.

= 5.4.1 =
* Updated: Helpful links added to the settings page.
* Updated: `wp-color-picker-alpha` upgraded to version 3.0.4.

= 5.4 =
* Added: Option to disable the `notranslate` class.

= 5.3.2 =
* Fixed: Function verification improvements.

= 5.3.1 =
* Updated: Font Awesome icons to version 6.7.1.
* Fixed: Minor activation bug.

= 5.3 =
* Added: `aria-label` attribute for better accessibility.
* Updated: Plugin icon.
* Updated: Small UI improvements.
* Fixed: Various minor bugs.

= 5.2.2 =
* Changed: Touch rule logic.
* Fixed: Improved keyboard accessibility.
* Fixed: Minor escaping issues.

= 5.2.1 =
* Fixed: Icon font inclusion on pages using shortcode.

= 5.2 =
* Added: Icon category support.
* Improved: FontIconPicker functionality.
* Fixed: Conflicts with FontIconPicker module.
* Fixed: Menu item status saving.
* Fixed: CodeMirror initialization.

= 5.1.1 =
* Fixed: FontPicker icon style issue.

= 5.1 =
* Added: Dashboard visibility control by user roles.
* Updated: Font Awesome to version 6.6.
* Fixed: Icon picker search issues.

= 5.0 =
🚀 **Major Update**
* Added: Icon animation support.
* Added: Vertical alignment and offset options for menu positioning.
* Added: More menu styling options.
* Added: Tags and link tracking options.
* Improved: Refreshed admin interface for better usability.

= 4.2.1 =
* Fixed: Nonce verification bug.

= 4.2 =
* Added: Touch function support for mobile.
* Changed: Admin styling improvements.

= 4.1.2 =
* Fixed: Ability to add special link types.

= 4.1.1 =
* Fixed: Compatibility with PHP 8.2 dynamic properties.

= 4.1 =
* Updated: Font Awesome icons to version 6.4.2.

= 4.0.2 =
* Fixed: Minor bug with page list handling.

= 4.0.1 =
* Fixed: Various minor issues.

= 4.0 =
🚀 **Major Update**
* Added: Custom color and background options for items.
* Added: Export/Import functionality for menus.
* Improved: General plugin styling.
* Updated: Font Awesome to version 6.1.2.

= 3.1 =
* Added: `rel` attribute support for menu links.

= 3.0.1 =
* Fixed: Issue with overlapping menu elements.

= 3.0 =
* Updated: Admin interface style.
* Added: Menu deactivation option.
* Added: "Test mode" feature (admin-only visibility).

= 2.2.6 - 2.2.1 =
* Fixed: Various minor bugs and code cleanups.

= 2.2 =
* Updated: Font Awesome to version 5.15.3.

= 2.1.1 =
* Fixed: Bug when removing menu items.

= 2.1 =
* Updated: Font Awesome to version 5.14.
* Fixed: Various bugs.

= 2.0 =
* Updated: Font Awesome icons.
* Optimized plugin code.

= 1.0 =
🎉 Initial release.