WordPress Download Counter Plugin

53 Posted July 21st 2011 by James Irving-Swift in WordPress, WordPress Plugin

The WordPress Download Counter from Electric Studio plugin allows you to keep count of which files are being downloaded from your site.

Need to keep track of what files are downloaded the most form your WordPress website? This plugin integrates seamlessly with WordPress.

Features include:

View last 7 days, last 30 days, Top Ten
Search for download within a user specified range.
Specify which file types to track (i.e. pdf,jpg,etc)

Potential uses could be:

Musicians who want to know how many downloads there are of their free tracks
Authors who want to keep track of ebook downloads.
Artists who want to know how many people are downloading their images.
Programmers who want to know how many people are downloading their source code.

Planned Upcoming features:

Implementation of shortcodes so that download counts can be displayed in WordPress front end.
Flush table option to reset download count.
Any other suggestions are very welcome.

This plugin can be downloaded from http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/electric-studio-download-counter/

Happy Downloading!

About the author

James Irving-Swift, nicknamed Swifty, started working professionally as a web developer after completing his studies at Oxford Brookes 2009. He worked for STFC as a Perl/PHP/MySQL developer before joining Electric Studio in the same capacity 2010.

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Mark

Sep 23, 2011 at 19:52
James, I’ve been going mildly crazy with php and perl trying to get one of these to work. I have my fingers crossed. Thanks in advance for you work. Mark
Reply
Carolyn

Oct 8, 2011 at 01:34
Thanks so much for this great plug-in! It works flawlessly and meets my needs perfectly. Any new ones coming out in the future? I will be keeping my eyes open!

Thanks again!
Reply
Kim Aleksander

Oct 29, 2011 at 13:39
Hey there,

This is just what I’ve been looking for except one thing: I can’t seem to get it to work.

I have a feeling that this is because I’m using a custom menu that calls the file directly from the menu and not from a hyperlink on a page/post.

If you look at http://kimaleksander.com and select Free Sample from under FALSE POSITIVES, you’ll see what I’m talking about. It’s not a page; it’s a menu link.

Is that why I never see any download counts?

Thanks,

Kim
Reply
- James Irving-Swift
  
  Oct 30, 2011 at 21:21
  I have had a look at your site’s source and can see that the inline javascript that should be in the header isn’t appearing. The first thing that comes to mind is does your theme’s header include the line wp_head(); ?
  Reply
  - Kim Aleksander
    
    Nov 1, 2011 at 08:32
    Hi James,
    
    Thanks for your response. I’m using the Twenty Eleven theme from WordPress, version 1.2.
    
    In checking the header.php file, I can see the wp_head() as shown in the excerpt below.
    
    Any ideas?
    
    Thanks,
    
    Kim
    
    <?php
    /* We add some JavaScript to pages with the comment form
    * to support sites with threaded comments (when in use).
    */
    if ( is_singular() && get_option( ‘thread_comments’ ) )
    wp_enqueue_script( ‘comment-reply’ );
    
    /* Always have wp_head() just before the closing </head>
    * tag of your theme, or you will break many plugins, which
    * generally use this hook to add elements to <head> such
    * as styles, scripts, and meta tags.
    */
    wp_head();
    ?>
Kim Aleksander

Nov 1, 2011 at 08:40
Also, in thinking that this plug-in is dependent on the header being present. The ‘Free Sample’ link simply opens a PDF file. I’m not sure if this is actually a download and if the plug in will support this type "download" and count it.
Reply
- James Irving-Swift
  
  Nov 1, 2011 at 09:59
  I seem to have found where the problem is, though I don’t yet know the cause. If you look at you page source, the page crashes before the closing html tag. Is there any chance you could turn on PHP errors so that we can find out what is causing the error?
  Reply
Kim Aleksander

Nov 1, 2011 at 14:07
Hi James,

Thank you very much for your kind support.

I just upgraded my WP to 3.2.1, which I did to purposefully wipe out any dumb mistakes I had made that could have caused such a problem, and voila! It is now working.

Again, thanks!

Aloha,

Kim
Reply
zeaks

Nov 7, 2011 at 10:01
Thanks for this. It was just what i was looking for and the only reason i was using the bulky download monitor plugin was to do what this does.
Reply
david

Nov 14, 2011 at 19:16
Hi,

i”ve downloaded your plug in to wp.

How do I actually use it? I want to count the downloads for a pdf file.
Reply
- Patrik
  
  Nov 14, 2011 at 19:39
  Helo David, I assume you have followed the instructions on WordPress, so what error message do you get?
  Reply
  - david
    
    Nov 14, 2011 at 22:10
    Hi Patrik!
    
    I don’t get any error message. All I did was upload the plug in and activate it.
    
    I don’t see any other instructions.
    
    What am I supposed to do at this point? I thought I’d see it on the page menu nut not so.
    
    I’m completely in the dark here:)
  - James Irving-Swift
    
    Nov 15, 2011 at 09:44
    Hi David,
    Have you entered pdf in the setting field under the tab labelled ‘Plugin Options’? (This can be found by going to Settings>Download Counter from your wp-admin).
    Regards,
    James
Luca

Nov 16, 2011 at 09:54
Hello,
I use and I really appreciate your component.
Can I ask you if you think you create a widget counter download?
Reply
- Patrik
  
  Nov 16, 2011 at 10:03
  Hello Luca. Thanks for your feedback. We do not have any plans to include a widget function for this plugin.
  Reply
david

Nov 17, 2011 at 18:52
James, you wrote,

Hi David,
Have you entered pdf in the setting field under the tab labelled ‘Plugin Options’? (This can be found by going to Settings>Download Counter from your wp-admin).

_________________

Ahh–there they are! thank you–how would I ever know where to find them? I didn’t add the pdf’s but they showed up somehow with number of downloads

Thank you so much.

btw–do you have a counter on the live page option?
Reply
Steve

Nov 24, 2011 at 11:21
Hi James

Your plug-in worked seamlessly thanks. One suggestion I have is to allow ‘Editor’ level to see results.
Thanks

btw-do you have a search forum message body solution?
Thanks
Reply
- James Irving-Swift
  
  Nov 24, 2011 at 11:28
  I like the idea of changing the level that can view the download count is great and I will try and implement this in a future version.
  Could you please explain what you mean by a ‘search forum message body solution’ ?
  Reply
  - Steve
    
    Jan 10, 2012 at 16:34
    Hi James
    
    Sorry for the delay in responding.
    
    Firstly "I like the idea of changing the level that can view the download count is great and I will try and implement this in a future version."
    Thanks if you can. The author, musician, or artist is more likely to want to know the number of downloads than admin ;)
    
    re: search forum message body solution
    This was for a site which uses BuddyPress. I wanted to search WordPress, then Posts, then the content of the Posts.
Biyan

Dec 4, 2011 at 13:27
What an amazing plugin. I do not have to do any setting, just install and enjoy it…very simple.

However, I really need to adding "shortcode", so I can show "how much time the file already downloaded" to my blog frontend. I would not use another plugin even though they already have shortcode feature, I just want to use your plugin.

Keep this plugin simple…thank you.
Reply
- Patrik
  
  Dec 5, 2011 at 13:32
  Hi Biyan
  
  We might be doing that in the next release. Thank you for your kind feedback.
  Reply
- Biyan
  
  Dec 11, 2011 at 10:40
  Hi, it’s me again.
  
  It’s seem, this plugin, conflict with "image uploader" and "statspress visitor" plugin.
  
  I can not upload images through WordPress. When you click the upload button, it will open in a new page and unable to return to previous page. So I try to disable your plugin, the uploader works again.
  
  Also, stats press visitor plugin count zero. I currently use latest version of this plugin.
  Reply
  - Zeaks
    
    Dec 14, 2011 at 18:41
    Thanks for this plugin, I am having the same problems as Biyan since 3.3 and thought I’d let you know.
    
    In addition to what Buyan mentioned, I also noticed the editor buttons will not display in either html or visual, I’m unable to move widgets and the new wordpress 3.3 flyouts don’t work, unless I disable this plugin.
  - James Irving-Swift
    
    Jan 6, 2012 at 14:35
    Version 0.7.3 has been uploaded containing a fix for this.
    You WordPress install should soon ask you to update the plugin.
    
    Thank you for alerting us of the bug :-)
Mike

Dec 16, 2011 at 00:11
The plugin has been so great thank you. Since last wordpress update some button won’t work properly.
Am also experiencing what the two above have mentioned.

Please can you fix it.

thank you again.
Reply
- James Irving-Swift
  
  Jan 6, 2012 at 16:11
  Hi Mike,
  I have uploaded a new version of the plugin which includes a fix.
  Reply
Kim Aleksander

Dec 16, 2011 at 02:39
Hi James & Co.,

Just to add to some of the other issues above.

There is a conflict with Jetpack (1.2.2) stats not working if the Electric Studio Download Counter is activated after upgrading WP to 3.3.

All the Best,

Kim
Reply
- James Irving-Swift
  
  Jan 6, 2012 at 14:37
  Please update to 0.7.3. Your WordPress admin panel should ask you to update soon.
  Reply
Geon

Dec 18, 2011 at 13:33
Hi there, I used the Download counter and it is very nice. However, with the latest 3.3 update, when I activate the plugin, I get a UI error, most notably when editing articles, which prevents boxes from being moved around, creating new categories (because the box is not extended to show the dialog for it), or maximising or minimising boxes like the ‘categories’ or the ‘Publish’ box.

Is this problem already known?

I deactivated all plugins to test, and even when only your Download Counter is active I get these issues – with all other plugins activated, I don’t have that problem.

Warm regards and thanks for this tool!
Reply
- James Irving-Swift
  
  Jan 6, 2012 at 14:57
  This has since been updated and when you upgrade to version 0.7.3 it should be fixed.
  Reply
Georgina

Dec 27, 2011 at 12:53
Just wanted to say that I am having the same issue with Zeaks and Biyan – I’m unable to do anything basically java/jquery related in the Dashboard after installing the plugin. I can’t edit my widgets or upload images with the media uploader and I can’t see drop down menus in 3.3. As soon as I deactivate the plugin everything is okay.

I hope you can fix this problem because even though it’s not drastic I think it’s a rather important issue!

Other than that, fantastic plugin, easy to use, accurate. :)
Reply
- James Irving-Swift
  
  Jan 6, 2012 at 14:38
  Shortly your WordPress install should prompt you to upgrade to version 0.7.3. This contains a fix for your bug.
  Reply
nasser

Dec 30, 2011 at 20:45
hi ,that’s not work on my page .
always is empty!
Reply
- James Irving-Swift
  
  Jan 6, 2012 at 14:32
  Have you set the File Types in the plugin options?
  Reply
Dave

Jan 18, 2012 at 02:17
Hey guys,
Appreciate this plugin, I’ve installed from WP.com the lastest version but the settings page backend none of the javascript seems to work. Any tips ?
Reply
- James Irving-Swift
  
  Jan 18, 2012 at 09:43
  Dave,
  Which version of the plugin are you using?
  Reply
Melissa@CelluliteInvestigation

Jan 19, 2012 at 23:24
Hello, James and company. The download counter was working great until I updated to WordPress 3.3.1 and installed the new edition of the counter. Now it’s not counting new downloads. When I go to the settings page in the admin panel, all the options are stacked on top of each other (Last 7 Days, Last 30 Days, Top Ten, etc.).

Is there an easy way to fix this? Thanks!
Reply
- James Irving-Swift
  
  Jan 30, 2012 at 17:26
  I have updated the plugin to resolve this issue, please update the plugin to the latest version and tell me if you have any other problems with it.
  Reply
Kimberley

Jan 19, 2012 at 23:42
Hi Guys,
I am hoping this plugin is going to be great once I can get it working :)

I am using the latest version of WordPress 3.3.1 (multi site install) and the latest version of the plugin (0.7.3). It installed fine and I can update the File Types I want to use but after that nothing much happens.

I get the following javascript error on the settings page:
Error: esdcFileType is not defined
Source File: …/wp-content/plugins/electric-studio-download-counter/js/electric_studio_download_counter.js?ver=3.3.1
Line: 3.

To rule out plugin clashes I have installed the plugin in a brand new wordpress (single site) install with no other plugins turned on and the error message is the same. Behaviour is consistent across Firefox, Safari and Chrome. Looks like something funky is going on with the javascript.

Let me know if I can provide any other information or help in any way.

Cheers.
Reply
- James Irving-Swift
  
  Jan 30, 2012 at 17:25
  I have corrected this bug and hopefully, when you updated to the new version, that bug should be gone. Please tell me if you have any other issues with it.
  Reply
Nick Bramwell

Jan 25, 2012 at 09:21
The plugin was working great until I updated WordPress to 3.3.1 and it is no longer tracking new downloads.

I’m using version 0.7.3 of the plugin.
Reply
- James Irving-Swift
  
  Jan 30, 2012 at 17:24
  Please checkout the new update released today, it should fix your issue with the plugin. If not, please tell me.
  Reply
Stanley

Jan 27, 2012 at 00:26
Hi,

None of the tabs seem to work under "Settings" > "Download Counter"
It’s all blank~
I am currently using WordPress 3.3.1
Reply
- James Irving-Swift
  
  Jan 30, 2012 at 10:37
  I have just updated the plugin to fix this issue. You should soon be prompted to update to version 0.7.4 of the plugin. Please tell me if you find any other issues :-)
  Reply
  - Nick Bramwell
    
    Jan 30, 2012 at 10:52
    I’ve just updated to 0.7.4 and I’m still not getting any downloads recorded. I’ve even removed the plugin and the database and installed again.
  - James Irving-Swift
    
    Jan 30, 2012 at 10:54
    What version of wordpress are you using? And have you set the File Types in the plugin’s settings?
Nick Bramwell

Jan 30, 2012 at 11:10
Hello, just realised that it doesn’t track downloads while you’re logged into WordPress in the same browser. Handy to stop downloads you make while testing, but unexpected. Everything seems to be working now, Thanks.
Reply
Sandra

Feb 7, 2012 at 19:56
After upgrade to the 0.7.4, your plugin caused my tabbed widget to fully display all the tab panels. Any suggestions?
Reply
- James Irving-Swift
  
  Feb 8, 2012 at 09:17
  Hey Sandra,
  
  Could you please tell me what other plugins you are using?
  
  Regards,
  James
  Reply
Sandra

Feb 8, 2012 at 18:01
AddThis Social Bookmarking Widget
Akismet
All in One Seo PAck
Author Avatars List
Broken Link Checker
Category SEO MEta Tags
Custom Avatars for Comments
Facebook Comments for WordPress
Facebook Like Box
FD Feedburner Plugin
FeedBurner Form
Google XML Sitemaps
Jetpack by WordPress.com
Lightbox Gallery
Pingler
Redirection
Relevanssi
Vipsecurity Scaner’s Video Quicktags
wp Vistor Map and Who’s Online
Wordpress Database Backup
WP PHP widget

PS The Reply Link Doesn’t Seem To Working
Reply
- Patrik
  
  Feb 9, 2012 at 06:46
  Hi Sandra
  
  Thanks for letting me know about the reply link. James will look at the tabs issue.
  Reply
  - Sandra
    
    Feb 9, 2012 at 17:00
    Patrik, it turns out the reply link problem was on my side. Our company was having problem with our internet connection at the time.
  - James Irving-Swift
    
    Feb 10, 2012 at 10:10
    Sandra,
    
    I have looked into the tabs error and have installed all your plugins (except ‘Vipsecurity Scaner’s Video Quicktags’ and ‘wp Vistor Map and Who’s Online’) into a vanilla WordPress 3.3.1 site and I can not replicate the tabs issue.
    
    If there is a tabs issue, it most likely a conflict with jQuery else jQuery not loading properly. Could you please tell me what error you get in your browser’s console? (F12 if using Google Chrome or Internet Explorer, Ctrl + Shift J in Firefox with firebug installed)
    
    Regards,
    
    James