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Virtual Candles – Memorial Light Display

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Virtual Candles – Memorial Light Display

by Saskia Teichmann

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Description

Virtual Candles transforms your WordPress site into a beautiful digital memorial space where visitors can:

  • Light virtual candles with personal messages and dedications
  • Send candles via email to share memories with others
  • Watch candles burn for exactly 72 hours with realistic animations
  • Display all candles in a chapel-friendly format on large screens

Key Features

🕯️ 12 Different Candle Animations – Candles gradually burn down over 72 hours with different GIF animations for each time period

📧 Email Sharing – Visitors can send lit candles to friends and family via email

📺 Chapel Display Mode – Special carousel view perfect for large screens in chapels or memorial spaces

🔄 Automatic Expiration – Candles automatically extinguish after 72 hours (with optional cron job)

📱 Fully Responsive – Works beautifully on all devices from smartphones to large displays

🔒 GDPR Compliant – Built-in privacy notices and consent checkboxes

🚀 No External Dependencies – Works standalone without requiring Contact Form 7 or other plugins

Perfect For

  • Churches and religious organizations
  • Memorial websites
  • Funeral homes
  • Remembrance pages
  • Prayer request sites
  • Virtual vigils

Available Shortcodes

  • [virtual_candles_create] – Display the “Light a candle” form
  • [virtual_candles_send] – Display the “Send a candle” form
  • [virtual_candles_display] – Show all burning candles in grid layout
  • [virtual_candles_chapel] – Special carousel display for chapel screens

Technical Information

  • Namespace: STstudio\VirtualCandles
  • Custom Post Type: candle
  • Database: Optional stats table for performance
  • Cron: Hourly check for expired candles
  • AJAX: Used for form submissions and loading more candles

Support

For support, feature requests, or bug reports:

  • Email: hello@isla-stud.io
  • Website: https://isla-stud.io
  • Demo-Website: https://virtual-candles.wp-studio.dev/

Credits

  • Developed by Saskia Teichmann
  • Original concept for Kloster Königsmünster
  • Candle animations included with permission
  1. Upload the virtual-candles folder to /wp-content/plugins/
  2. Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress
  3. Go to Candles Settings to configure your preferences
  4. Add shortcodes to your pages where you want the candle features to appear

Basic Setup

  1. Create a page for lighting candles and add [virtual_candles_create]
  2. Create a page for the candle display and add [virtual_candles_display]
  3. Optionally set up a cron job to automatically remove expired candles

Cron Job Setup (Optional)

For automatic removal of expired candles, set up a cron job to call:
https://your-domain.com/vc-cron/

How long do the candles burn?

Each candle burns for exactly 72 hours from the time it was lit. The candle animation changes over time to show the candle burning down.

Can I change the burning duration?

Currently, the 72-hour duration is fixed, but this may become configurable in a future update.

Do I need Contact Form 7?

No! This plugin works completely standalone without any external form plugins.

How does the chapel display mode work?

The chapel display mode shows all active candles in a continuously scrolling carousel, perfect for permanent displays in chapels or memorial spaces. It automatically updates to show new candles.

Can visitors remain anonymous?

Yes, visitors can use pseudonyms or just first names when lighting candles.

Is this plugin GDPR compliant?

Yes, the plugin includes built-in consent checkboxes and privacy notices. You can customize the privacy text in the settings.

How do I style the candles?

The plugin comes with default styling, but you can override it with custom CSS in your theme.

2.0.2

  • Plugin Review Fixes: Replaced short generic prefixes (vc_, ststudio_vcmld_) with virtcan_ to meet WordPress standards.
  • Security: Rigorous escaping of all template and shortcode outputs (wp_kses_post, etc.).
  • Enqueuing: Removed inline javascript and css outputs, migrating styles to enqueued stylesheets and external scripts.
  • Database: Altered the Custom Post Type to virtcan_candle to prevent possible collisions.

2.0.0

Release date: January 2025

  • Complete rewrite from the ground up with modern architecture
  • Namespace implementation following WordPress coding standards
  • Removed dependencies on Contact Form 7 and Advanced Custom Fields
  • New chapel display mode with smooth carousel for large screens
  • Improved performance with optimized queries and caching
  • Enhanced security with nonces and proper sanitization
  • Better UX with jQuery-powered forms and live preview
  • Admin interface redesigned without external dependencies
  • AJAX handling for smooth form submissions
  • Responsive design improvements
  • Translation ready with complete internationalization

1.1.5

  • Legacy version (see old plugin for details)
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