=== AddonLogic Seasonal Snow Effect ===
Contributors: snehalpancholi
Tags: snow, animation, seasonal, particles, canvas, effects
Requires at least: 6.0
Tested up to: 6.7
Requires PHP: 8.1
Stable tag: 1.0.0
License: GPL-2.0+
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

A lightweight, scheduleable falling-particle overlay (snow, leaves, confetti, stars) for your WordPress frontend.

== Description ==

AddonLogic Seasonal Snow Effect adds a beautiful, performant canvas-based particle animation to your WordPress frontend. Choose from four particle types — snow, autumn leaves, confetti, or stars — and configure when the effect appears using built-in date scheduling.

**Key Features**

* Canvas-based animation — no external libraries, no jQuery.
* Four particle modes: Snow, Autumn Leaves, Confetti, Stars.
* Date range scheduler — automatically enable snow in December and turn it off in January.
* Density, speed, wind drift, and opacity controls.
* Page scope control — all pages, front page only, or singular posts.
* Visitor dismiss button — optional close button that sets a 24-hour cookie.
* Fully pointer-events:none so the canvas never blocks clicks or taps.
* Lightweight: one JS file (~4 KB minified), one CSS file for admin only.
* Translation-ready.

== Installation ==

1. Upload the `seasonal-snow-effect` folder to `/wp-content/plugins/`.
2. Activate the plugin through the **Plugins** menu in WordPress.
3. Go to **Settings → Seasonal Snow Effect** to configure the effect.
4. Check **Enable Effect**, choose your particle type, set a date range if desired, and save.

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= Does this slow down my site? =
No. The animation runs entirely in a fixed-position canvas element and uses `requestAnimationFrame`. The JS file is under 8 KB unminified. No scripts are loaded when the effect is disabled.

= Can visitors turn it off? =
Yes. Enable **Visitor Dismiss Button** in settings. A small ✕ button appears in the top-right corner. When clicked it sets a cookie and removes the canvas for 24 hours.

= Will it block clicks on my content? =
Never. The canvas has `pointer-events: none` applied, so all mouse and touch interactions pass through it to your content.

= Can I schedule the effect to only appear at Christmas? =
Yes. Set Start Date to `2024-12-01` and End Date to `2025-01-07`. The effect will only render within that window.

= What PHP version is required? =
PHP 8.1 or higher.

== Screenshots ==

1. Admin settings page — General tab showing the master toggle and particle shape selector.
2. Admin settings page — Schedule section for date range configuration.
3. Admin settings page — Particle Appearance controls for density, speed, wind and opacity.
4. Frontend — Snow effect on a WordPress homepage (canvas overlay visible above content).
5. Frontend — Autumn leaves particle mode in action.

== Changelog ==

= 1.0.0 =
* Initial release.
* Canvas-based snow, leaves, confetti, and stars particle animation.
* Date range scheduler for automatic seasonal activation.
* Visitor dismiss button with cookie persistence.
* Page scope control (all pages, front page, singular).
* AddonLogic update system integration.

== Upgrade Notice ==

= 1.0.0 =
Initial release.
