TAL Discord Server Widget

TAL Discord Server Widget provides a clean, customizable WordPress sidebar widget for displaying your Discord community.

The widget can display your Discord server’s online member count, online member list, avatars, status indicators, server name, server icon, custom title and subtitle, and a configurable Discord invitation button.

No Discord bot, Discord application, or privileged Discord connection is required. The plugin uses Discord’s public Server Widget API.

== Features ==

* Online member count from your Discord Server Widget.
* Displays up to 100 online members, subject to Discord’s public Widget API limit.
* Optional member avatars.
* Optional colored status indicators for online, idle and Do Not Disturb status.
* Optional member activity display when Discord supplies activity information.
* Optional Discord server name.
* Automatic Discord server icon retrieval with a custom image fallback.
* Custom Discord invite link for the Join button.
* Optional translucent/transparent background with configurable color and opacity.
* Optional border with configurable color, opacity and width.
* Per-text font-family and color customization.
* HEX color entry for precise color matching.
* Live font previews in the settings page.
* WordPress sidebar widget.
* [ talwdw_discord ] shortcode.

== Installation ==

1. Install and activate TAL Discord Server Widget.
2. In Discord, enable Developer Mode.
3. Right-click your Discord server’s name or icon and select “Copy Server ID.”
4. In WordPress, go to Settings -> TAL Discord Server Widget.
5. Enter the Discord Server ID.
6. Create a Discord invitation link and enter it in the Join Link field.
7. Ensure the Discord Server Widget is enabled for your server.
8. Add TAL Discord Server Widget under Appearance -> Widgets, or use the [ talwdw_discord ] shortcode.

== Configuration ==

Discord Server ID: The Server ID identifies the Discord server whose public Widget data the plugin retrieves. Enable Discord Developer Mode, right-click the server and choose “Copy Server ID.”

Join Link: The Join Link is the invitation URL opened by the widget’s join button. It is independent of the Widget API URL and can point to any valid invitation for the server.

Cache Time: The default cache time is 5 minutes. Shorter intervals provide fresher member and presence information but cause more requests to Discord. Longer intervals reduce requests but may display older information. Five minutes provides a practical balance for most sites.

Member Limit: Discord’s public Server Widget API returns a maximum of 100 members. The plugin therefore limits the Maximum Members Shown setting to 100.

Appearance: The plugin can be configured to use a transparent or translucent background so it can blend with an existing WordPress sidebar design. Administrators can also configure borders, text fonts, text colors, and HEX color values.

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

Do I need a Discord bot?
No. The plugin uses Discord’s public Server Widget API and does not require a bot, Discord application, bot token, or privileged Gateway intents.

Why are only 100 members displayed?
Discord’s public Server Widget API provides a maximum of 100 members. This is a Discord API limitation rather than a plugin limitation.

Why isn’t my server icon retrieved automatically?
Automatic icon retrieval is best-effort and depends on the information Discord makes available through its public Guild Preview API. If Discord does not provide the icon, use the Custom Image URL option.

Can I change the text shown by the widget?
Yes. The plugin provides default Widget Title and Subtitle settings, and individual WordPress widget instances can override those values.

Can I use a different Discord invitation for the Join button?
Yes. Enter the desired invitation URL in Join Link. This is independent of the public Widget API endpoint.

Does the plugin collect analytics or send visitor information to the developer?
No. The plugin does not include analytics, advertising, tracking, update servers, or a developer-operated data collection service.

== External Services ==

This plugin connects to Discord’s public services to retrieve information for the configured Discord server.

The plugin sends the configured Discord Server ID to Discord when it needs fresh Server Widget data. Discord may return the server name, online presence count, member display names, avatars, status information, and other information made available through its public Server Widget API.

When automatic server-icon retrieval is enabled, the plugin may also request the Discord Guild Preview endpoint and retrieve the resulting server icon from Discord’s CDN.

When the widget displays Discord-hosted avatars or icons, a visitor’s browser may make requests directly to Discord’s CDN to retrieve those images.

These requests are made as part of the plugin’s core Discord widget functionality and are controlled by the configured cache interval.

Discord documentation:
https://docs.discord.com/developers/resources/guild

Discord Terms of Service:
https://discord.com/terms

Discord Privacy Policy:
https://discord.com/privacy

The plugin does not require users to create a Discord developer application or provide a Discord bot token.

== Screenshots ==

1. Discord server widget displayed in a WordPress sidebar.
2. Discord Connection and Usage settings.
3. Member and display customization settings.
4. Font and color customization settings.

== Changelog ==

= 1.0.11 =
* Fixed Plugin Check escaping findings for generated color controls.
* Corrected the distribution ZIP structure so the plugin root directory matches its WordPress.org slug.

= 1.0.10 =
* Fixed the widget stylesheet namespace so border, background, font, and text color settings apply correctly.
* Fixed status indicator CSS namespace to match the TALWDW template classes.

= 1.0.9 =
* Fixed an admin settings regression that hid the color picker and HEX color controls.
* Updated the Usage shortcode to [ talwdw_discord ].
* Renamed remaining administration-only ALD identifiers to the TALWDW namespace.

= 1.0.8 =
* Fixed output escaping findings identified by Plugin Check.
* Prefixed template variables and widget CSS custom properties.
* Corrected the internal plugin version constant.

= 1.0.7 =
* Renamed the public plugin to TAL Discord Server Widget.
* Added a WordPress.org-oriented plugin prefix and internal identifiers.
* Added migration support for development-version settings and widget instances.
* Replaced the public shortcode with [ talwdw_discord ].
* Rebuilt the public README and documented Discord as an external service.
* Added GPL license metadata.

= 1.0.6 =
* Fixed a critical settings-save error in the hexadecimal text-color controls.