WP StickyBar Plugin

A professional WordPress plugin for displaying important announcements, emergency alerts, holiday messages, and events with comprehensive analytics tracking and extensive hooks for developers.

Author: Nadim Tuhin
Email: nadimtuhin@gmail.com
GitHub: https://github.com/nadimtuhin/wp-stickybar
Version: 1.0.0

Features

• 7 Professional Preset Types: Emergency, Important, Holiday/Event, Information, Success, Warning, Generic
• Real-time Analytics: Track views and clicks with detailed dashboard and metrics
• Advanced Scheduling: Set start/end dates with automatic activation/deactivation
• Responsive Design: Mobile-friendly with customizable dismiss functionality
• Extensive Hooks: 40+ action and filter hooks for maximum extensibility
• WordPress AJAX: Proper implementation using wp_ajax hooks with nonce verification
• Security First: Comprehensive data validation, sanitization, and rate limiting
• Developer Friendly: Extensive documentation and clean, extensible code

Preset Design Types

1. Emergency 🚨

• Red background (#dc3545)
• Non-dismissible
• Pulse animation
• Top position priority

2. Important ⚡

• Orange background (#fd7e14)
• Session dismissible
• Bounce animation

3. Holiday/Event 🎉

• Purple background (#6f42c1)
• Dismissible
• Seasonal icons

4. Information ℹ️

• Cyan background (#0dcaf0)
• Bottom position
• Clean design

5. Success ✅

• Green background (#198754)
• Slide down animation

6. Warning ⚠️

• Yellow background (#ffc107)
• High visibility

7. Generic 📢

• Gray background (#6c757d)
• Fully configurable

Database Schema

stickybars table

• id (primary key)
• title (varchar 255)
• message (text)
• link_url (varchar 500)
• link_text (varchar 100)
• preset_type (varchar 20)
• custom_styles (text)
• start_date (datetime)
• end_date (datetime)
• is_active (boolean)
• position (enum: top, bottom)
• is_dismissible (boolean)
• created_at (timestamp)
• updated_at (timestamp)

stickybar_analytics table

• id (primary key)
• stickybar_id (foreign key)
• event_type (enum: view, click)
• user_ip (varchar 45)
• page_url (varchar 500)
• user_agent (text)
• timestamp (datetime)

File Structure

wp-stickybar/
├── wp-stickybar.php (main plugin file)
├── README.md (this file)
├── includes/
│   ├── class-database.php (database operations)
│   ├── class-stickybar.php (core functionality)
│   ├── class-admin.php (admin interface)
│   ├── class-analytics.php (tracking system)
│   └── class-presets.php (design presets)
├── admin/
│   ├── admin-page.php (main admin page)
│   ├── analytics-page.php (analytics dashboard)
│   └── settings-page.php (plugin settings)
├── assets/
│   ├── css/
│   │   ├── frontend.css (frontend styles)
│   │   └── admin.css (admin styles)
│   └── js/
│       ├── frontend.js (frontend functionality)
│       └── admin.js (admin functionality)
└── uninstall.php (cleanup on uninstall)

Installation

1. Upload the plugin files to /wp-content/plugins/wp-stickybar/
2. Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress
3. Go to 'StickyBar' in the admin menu to create your first announcement

Usage

1. Create Announcement: Go to StickyBar > Add New
2. Choose Preset: Select from 7 predefined styles or customize
3. Set Schedule: Optional start/end dates
4. Configure Options: Position, dismissible settings
5. View Analytics: Track performance in Analytics tab

Security Features

• Nonce verification for all forms
• Data sanitization and validation
• Capability checks for admin access
• SQL injection prevention
• XSS protection

Developer Extensibility

Extensive Hook System

WP StickyBar provides 40+ action and filter hooks for maximum extensibility. All hooks follow WordPress standards with proper nonce verification and capability checks.

Key Action Hooks

• wp_stickybar_init - Plugin initialization
• wp_stickybar_before_display / wp_stickybar_after_display - Display lifecycle
• wp_stickybar_before_save / wp_stickybar_after_save - Data operations
• wp_stickybar_before_track / wp_stickybar_after_track - Analytics events
• wp_stickybar_activated / wp_stickybar_deactivated - Plugin lifecycle

Key Filter Hooks

• wp_stickybar_message - Modify message content
• wp_stickybar_displayable_bars - Filter which bars to display
• wp_stickybar_should_display - Custom display conditions
• wp_stickybar_classes - Add custom CSS classes
• wp_stickybar_script_data - Modify frontend script data

WordPress AJAX Implementation

All AJAX functionality uses proper WordPress standards:

• wp_ajax_ and wp_ajax_nopriv_ hooks
• Nonce verification for security
• Capability checks for permissions
• Rate limiting to prevent abuse
• Comprehensive error handling

Full Documentation

Complete hooks documentation available in HOOKS.md with:

• Detailed parameter descriptions
• Usage examples for each hook
• Security considerations
• AJAX endpoint documentation

Example Extensions

Add Custom CSS Class to Emergency Bars

add_filter('wp_stickybar_classes', 'add_emergency_class', 10, 2);
function add_emergency_class($classes, $stickybar) {
    if ($stickybar->preset_type === 'emergency') {
        $classes[] = 'my-custom-emergency';
    }
    return $classes;
}

Custom Analytics Integration

add_action('wp_stickybar_after_track', 'send_to_analytics', 10, 3);
function send_to_analytics($stickybar_id, $event_type, $data) {
    // Send to your analytics service
}

Modify Display Conditions

add_filter('wp_stickybar_should_display', 'custom_display_rules', 10, 2);
function custom_display_rules($should_display, $stickybar) {
    // Your custom logic
    return $should_display;
}

Requirements

• WordPress 5.0+
• PHP 7.4+
• MySQL 5.6+

Installation & Testing

The plugin includes a built-in test suite available in debug mode:

1. Set WP_DEBUG to true in wp-config.php
2. Navigate to StickyBar → Tests in admin
3. Run comprehensive plugin tests

Support & Contributing

• GitHub Repository: https://github.com/nadimtuhin/wp-stickybar
• Author: Nadim Tuhin
• Email: nadimtuhin@gmail.com
• Issues: Report bugs and feature requests on GitHub

License

GPL v2 or later

Built with ❤️ for the WordPress community by Nadim Tuhin