Documentation
Everything you need to set up and run BragDeal plugins
Plain-language guides for installing, activating and configuring each plugin. If you get stuck, contact support and a real person will reply.
Getting Started
Install a plugin
Both plugins are on WordPress.org and install like any other plugin. No account or license key is needed to use the free features.
- In your WordPress dashboard go to Plugins → Add New.
- Search for Spam Guard by BragDeal or Festivello.
- Click Install Now, then Activate.
- A new menu item appears in the left sidebar. Open it to finish setup.
Requirements: WordPress 6.0 or newer and PHP 7.4 or newer. Both plugins work with any theme, including Elementor and Breakdance builds.
Activate your license
When you buy a license, your key is emailed to you instantly and stored in My Account. Each license covers one website. Activating the key on that site unlocks the licensed features and turns on automatic updates.
- Copy the key from your welcome email or from My Account → Licenses.
- In WordPress open the plugin settings and choose the License tab.
- Paste the key and click Activate. The status changes to Active and shows the site URL and renewal date.
Key format: LH-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX Status: Active · yoursite.com · Renews in 12 months
Install the licensed version
The licensed build is a separate download that replaces the free plugin. Your settings, spam log and holidays are kept.
- Download the plugin zip from My Account → Downloads.
- Go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin and upload the zip.
- Choose Replace current with uploaded when WordPress asks.
- Activate your license as described above. Future updates arrive through the normal WordPress updates screen.
Move a license to another site
Every license covers exactly one website. To move it, deactivate on the old site first, then activate on the new one. You can also deactivate the site from My Account if you no longer have access to the old install.
- On the old site open the License tab and click Deactivate.
- On the new site paste the same key and click Activate.
- Check My Account → Licenses to confirm the new site URL shows as Active.
Spam Guard
How protection works
Spam Guard checks every submission on the server at the moment it is sent. Visitors never see a CAPTCHA or puzzle. A submission is blocked when it fails one or more checks, and every block is recorded in the spam log with its reason.
| Check | What it does |
|---|---|
| Honeypot | A hidden field that only bots fill in. On by default for every form. |
| Timing check | Rejects forms submitted faster than a human could type. Default minimum is 3 seconds. |
| Keyword rules | Block submissions containing words or phrases you list, one per line. |
| Email-domain rules | Block disposable or known-spam email domains. Comes with a starter list you can edit. |
| Bot signatures | Known bot user agents and headers are rejected automatically. |
The free version protects Contact Form 7 and WordPress comments. A license adds Jetpack Forms and Breakdance Forms, plus the controls below.
Per-form controlsLicense
Spam Guard finds every form on your site and lists them under Spam Guard → Forms. Each form has its own protection toggle, so you can relax the rules on an internal form or tighten them on a public one.
- Open Spam Guard → Forms. Every detected form appears with its plugin and page.
- Use the switch to turn protection on or off for that form.
- Click Settings on a form to override the global timing, keyword or validation rules for that form only.
Reading the spam log
The log lists every blocked submission with the date, form, sender IP, the check that failed and the submitted content. Use it to confirm a real message was not caught by mistake.
| Column | What it does |
|---|---|
| Reason | Which check blocked the submission, for example Honeypot or Keyword: “casino”. |
| Score | A 0 to 100 confidence rating. Higher means more certain it was spam. |
| Allow | Marks the entry as a false positive, whitelists the sender email and forwards the message to your inbox. |
| Retention | Entries are kept for 30 days by default. Change this under Settings → Log. |
Geo / IP blacklistLicense
Block submissions from countries you never do business with, or from specific IP addresses and ranges. Blocked visitors can still read your site. Only form submissions and comments are stopped.
- Open Spam Guard → Geo Blacklist.
- Tick the countries to block, or paste IP addresses and CIDR ranges one per line.
- Optionally set a message visitors from blocked regions see when they try to submit.
Country lookups run locally from a bundled database that updates with the plugin, so nothing is sent to a third party.
Form validationLicense
Server-side validation re-checks required fields, email addresses, URLs, phone numbers and payload size even when the browser-side check has been bypassed. Set limits under Spam Guard → Validation and write the message visitors see when a field fails.
Festivello
How holiday mode works
Festivello applies a temporary overlay to your site: a top banner, optional colour and font changes, and background effects like snow or confetti. It never edits your theme files. Turn it off and the site is exactly as it was.
Only one holiday can be live at a time. This is deliberate and keeps your site coherent.
Set up a holiday
- Go to Festivello → Holidays and pick one of the 9 built-in holidays, or click Add Custom (licensed) for a sale or local event.
- Set the Start and End dates.
- Write the banner message and choose which effects to show.
- Click Preview to see it on your site without going live, then Save.
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Built-in holidays | Christmas, Halloween, Valentine's Day, New Year, Easter, Thanksgiving, Canada Day, Fourth of July, Black Friday. Each has suggested dates and colours. |
| Custom holidays | Licensed. Name it, pick dates and colours, and upload your own floating icons. |
| Colour overlay | Licensed. Recolour header, body, footer and fonts for the duration of the holiday. |
Automatic schedulingLicense
With scheduling on, a holiday switches itself on at 00:00 on the start date and off at 23:59 on the end date in your WordPress timezone. Free users turn holiday mode on and off manually from the same screen.
Check Settings → General → Timezone in WordPress. Festivello uses that setting, not the server clock.
Banner and effects
| Effect | What it does |
|---|---|
| Banner | A dismissible strip at the top of every page. Supports a link and a countdown to the end date. |
| Snow, confetti, fireworks | Lightweight canvas animations loaded only while the holiday is live. Snow is included free. Confetti, fireworks and floating icons require a license. |
| Floating icons | Up to 5 icons drift across the page. Pick from the built-in set or upload your own (licensed). |
| Intensity | Low, medium or high. Low is recommended for shops and text-heavy pages. |
Turn it off
Click Disable Holiday Mode at the top of any Festivello screen. The overlay is removed immediately and no cached styles are left behind. Your saved holidays stay in place for next year.
Account
Licensing and renewals
Each license is annual and covers one website. Spam Guard is $59/year and Festivello is $49/year, licensed separately. Renew from My Account → Billing whenever you are ready.
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| If you don't renew | The plugin keeps working with every licensed feature you have. You stop receiving updates and priority support. |
| Refunds | 14-day money-back guarantee on every purchase, no questions asked. |
| Invoices | Every payment has a downloadable invoice in My Account → Billing. |
| Need more sites? | Buy one license per website. Each key is managed separately in My Account → Licenses. |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| License won't activate | Check for spaces before or after the key. If the key shows as “in use” on another site, deactivate it from My Account → Licenses first. |
| A real message was blocked | Open the spam log, find the entry and click Allow. The sender is whitelisted and the message is forwarded to you. |
| Holiday banner not showing | Clear your caching plugin and CDN. Festivello adds a cache-busting flag, but some hosts require a manual purge. |
| Forms not detected | Spam Guard scans pages on load. Visit the page with the form once, then refresh Spam Guard → Forms. |