beep/README.md

Beep

A Twitter-style microblog for WordPress. Logged-in users post short updates, like, and reply (with reply threads, multiple levels deep). Likes can drive a "Top" feed for ranking the best beeps. Designed to look like a Twitter timeline, hosted entirely on your own site.

What's in v1.4

• Like beeps and replies. Hearts on every post and every reply, with a pop animation when you tap.
• Nested replies. Reply to a reply, to a reply, to a reply. Visual indent caps at two levels (deeper threads still nest structurally).
• Latest / Top tabs. "Top" sorts your feed by like count — a built-in way for readers to surface the best stuff.
• Per-post Beep badge. Every beep and reply carries a small bird icon in the corner, branding it as a Beep.
• Friendlier visitor experience. Logged-out visitors see clean read-only beeps; logged-in users get the full interactive feed.

Install Beep

1. In wp-admin, go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin.

2. Upload beep.zip and click Install Now, then Activate.

3. On the page you want the feed (your one-page site, a dedicated "Feed" page, etc.), add the shortcode:

   [beep_feed]
   

   Save and visit the page. As an admin, you'll see a composer at the top — type a message and click "Beep" to post.

Invite friends (with magic links — no passwords)

This is the easiest way to let a small circle into your Beep feed without setting up Google/Facebook developer apps. The flow:

1. Open registration. Go to Settings → General, check Anyone can register, and set New User Default Role to Subscriber. Save.

2. Install passwordless login. Plugins → Add New → search for Passwordless Login (any well-reviewed one — Cozmoslabs or Magic Login both work). Install and activate.

3. Share the sign-up link. Send your friends a direct link to:

   https://your-site.com/wp-login.php?action=register
   

   They type their email, get a one-time sign-in link, and they're in. No password to remember.

4. They can now like and reply. Liking and replying require being logged in; your feed remains read-only for the public.

5. Need to remove someone? Users → click their name → scroll to Chirp moderation → check Suspend from beeping. They stay registered but can't post or interact.

Shortcode options

[beep_feed limit="50" header="Messages from" sort="latest"]

• limit — how many beeps to load on first render (default 50)
• header — text shown next to the wordmark (default "Messages from")
• sort — initial sort: latest (default) or top

Moderation

• Delete any beep or reply. Logged-in admins see a small × in the top-right of each item.
• Approve replies before they appear. Settings → Discussion → "Comment must be manually approved" puts replies in a queue at Comments in the sidebar.

Branding

Swap the bird/wordmark in assets/. The accent color is #1D9BF0; find/replace in assets/beep.css for a different palette.

Updates

Beep updates like a normal WordPress plugin — the "update available" badge appears in Plugins → Updates and one-click update works. New versions are pulled from the Gitea repo's Releases, not WordPress.org.

One-time setup (private repo) — add to wp-config.php:

define('BEEP_UPDATE_TOKEN', 'your-gitea-access-token');
// Optional overrides (defaults shown):
// define('BEEP_UPDATE_GITEA_BASE', 'https://git.sami');
// define('BEEP_UPDATE_REPO', 'sami7777/beep');

The token is only read from wp-config.php (or the beep_update_token filter) — it is never stored in the repo. Give it read access to the repo.

To ship an update:

1. Bump the version in both places in beep.php (the Version: header and BEEP_VERSION), commit, and push.
2. On Gitea, create a Release whose tag is the new version (v1.7.0 or 1.7.0). Optionally attach a beep.zip asset; otherwise the source archive is used.

Within ~12 hours (or immediately via the Check for updates link on the Plugins screen) every site running Beep will see the update and can install it in one click. The release description is shown as the changelog in the "View details" popup.

What's not in this version

Deliberate omissions to keep the plugin understandable:

• Image uploads (text only, 280 char limit)
• Retweets / quote-beeps
• Direct messages
• Custom feeds (no "Following" filter — one global feed)

License

GPLv2 or later, same as WordPress.