This guide walks you through setting up and configuring the I Recommend This plugin. You'll learn how to install it, configure the settings, and use the recommendation buttons on your site.

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Installation

WordPress.org Installation

1. 1. Go to Plugins > Add New in your WordPress dashboard
2. 2. Search for "I Recommend This"
3. 3. Click Install Now, then Activate

Manual Installation

1. 1. Download the plugin from WordPress.org
2. 2. Upload the plugin folder to `/wp-content/plugins/`
3. 3. Activate it through Plugins > Installed Plugins

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Configuration

You'll find all the plugin settings under **Settings > I Recommend This**. Here's what each section does:

Display Options

• Automatic Display:
  Choose whether buttons appear on posts, archive pages, or both
• Post Types:
  The plugin automatically adds buttons to standard posts
• Archive Pages:
  You can also show buttons on your blog index, category pages, and tag pages

Text Customisation

Customise all the text that appears with your recommendation buttons:

• Zero Count Text:
  What shows when no one has recommended yet (e.g., "Be the first to recommend")
• Single Count Text:
  Text for one recommendation (e.g., "Recommendation")
• Multiple Count Text:
  Text for multiple recommendations (e.g., "Recommendations")
• Button Labels:
  Customise the text for new recommendations and for removing recommendations

Privacy Settings

• IP Tracking:
  Toggle this to track user IPs with anonymisation for privacy

Visual Options

• Button Style:
  Choose between the Thumb icon and the Heart icon

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Using Recommendation Buttons

Default Placement

When you enable the plugin, the recommendation button automatically appears at the end of your post content.

Controlling When Buttons Appear

• Post Types:
  Buttons are automatically added to standard posts
• Archive Pages:
  You can choose to display buttons on your blog index, category pages, and tag pages

Using the Block Editor

The plugin includes a block for the Block Editor:

1. Open the Block Editor and click the + icon
2. Search for "I Recommend This"
3. Insert the block into your content

You can adjust the alignment and choose to recommend either the current post or a specific post by entering its ID.

• Adding the recommendation block:
  1. Click the "+" icon to add a new block
  2. Search for "I Recommend This"
  3. Select the block to add it to your post
• Block settings:
  • Text alignment (left, centre, right)
  • Post ID option (current post or specific ID)

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Displaying Popular Content

Widget Setup

You can show your most recommended posts using a widget:

1. Go to Appearance > Widgets
2. Add the "Most Recommended Posts" widget
3. Configure the options:
   • Title:
     What appears above the list
   • Number of posts:
     How many posts to show
   • Show count:
     Whether to display the recommendation count
   • No post message:
     What to show when there are no recommended posts

Shortcode Usage

You can also display a list of the most recommended posts using a shortcode:

[irecommendthis_top_posts number="5" container="div" show_count="1"]

• Basic parameters:
  • number: Amount of posts to display (default: 10)
  • container: HTML tag for each item (default: li)
  • show_count: Display recommendation count (1 or 0)
• Advanced filtering:
  • post_type: Type of posts to display (default: post)
  • year: Filter by specific year (e.g., 2023)
  • monthnum: Filter by specific month (1-12)