Init View Count – Minimal, Accurate, Extensible

Description

Init View Count is a fast, clean plugin to track post views without clutter. It:

• Uses REST API and JS to count real views
• Prevents duplicate counts with session/local storage
• Stores counts in meta keys like _init_view_count, _init_view_day_count, etc.
• Provides [init_view_count] and [init_view_list] shortcodes
• Includes [init_view_ranking] shortcode with tabbed ranking by time range
• Supports template overrides (like WooCommerce)
• Lightweight. No tracking, no admin bloat.
• Includes REST API to query most viewed posts
• Supports pagination in [init_view_list] via the page attribute
• Batch view tracking support to reduce REST requests on busy sites
• Optional strict IP-based filtering to block fake view requests posted directly to the REST endpoint
• Now includes a Dashboard widget to monitor top viewed posts directly in wp-admin.

This plugin is part of the Init Plugin Suite — a collection of minimalist, fast, and developer-focused tools for WordPress.

GitHub repository: https://github.com/brokensmile2103/init-view-count

Highlights

• REST-first design — no jQuery or legacy Ajax
• View tracking powered by time + scroll detection
• Realtime display with optional animated counters
• Fully theme-compatible with overrideable templates
• Developer-friendly with rich filter support
• Optional [init_view_ranking] shortcode for tabbed view by day/week/month/total
• Assets are only loaded when needed – perfect for performance-conscious themes
• Fully compatible with headless and SPA frameworks (REST-first + lazy)
• Supports batch mode: delay view requests and send in groups (configurable in settings)
• Includes optional Dashboard widget for quick admin overview of top viewed posts

Shortcodes

[init_view_count]

Shows current view count for a post. Only works inside a post loop.

Attributes:
– field: total (default), day, week, month – which counter to display
– format: formatted (default), raw, or short – controls number formatting
– time: true to show time diff from post date (e.g. “3 days ago”)
– icon: true to display a small SVG icon before the count
– schema: true to output schema.org microdata (InteractionCounter)
– class: add a custom CSS class to the outer wrapper

[init_view_list]

Show list of most viewed posts.

Attributes:
– number: Number of posts to show (default: 5)
– page: Show a specific page of results (default: 1)
– post_type: Type of post (default: post)
– template: sidebar (default), full, grid, details (can be overridden)
– title: Title above list. Set to empty (title="") to hide
– class: Custom class added to wrapper
– orderby: Sort field (default: meta_value_num)
– order: ASC or DESC (default: DESC)
– range: total, day, week, month, trending
– category: Filter by category slug
– tag: Filter by tag slug
– empty: Message to show if no posts found

[init_view_ranking]

Show tabbed ranking of most viewed posts. Uses REST API and JavaScript for dynamic loading. Optimized for SPA/headless usage.

Attributes:
– tabs: Comma-separated list of ranges. Available: total, day, week, month (default: all)
– number: Number of posts per tab (default: 5)
– class: Custom class for outer wrapper

This shortcode automatically enqueues required JS and uses skeleton loaders while fetching data.

REST API

This plugin exposes two REST endpoints to interact with view counts: one for recording views and another for retrieving top posts.

POST /wp-json/initvico/v1/count
Record one or more views. Accepts a single post ID or an array of post IDs.

Parameters:
– post_id — (int|array) Required. One or more post IDs to increment view count for.

This endpoint checks if the post is published, belongs to a supported post type, and applies delay/scroll config (via JavaScript). It updates total and optionally day/week/month view counters.

Note: The number of post IDs processed per request is limited based on the batch setting in plugin options.

GET /wp-json/initvico/v1/top
Retrieve the most viewed posts, ranked by view count.

Parameters:
– range — (string) total, day, week, month. Defaults to total.
– post_type — (string) Post type to query. Defaults to post.
– number — (int) Number of posts to return. Default: 5.
– page — (int) Pagination offset. Default: 1.
– fields — (string) minimal (id, title, link) or full (includes excerpt, thumbnail, type, date, etc.)
– tax — (string) Optional. Taxonomy slug (e.g. category).
– terms — (string) Comma-separated term slugs or IDs.
– no_cache — (bool) If 1, disables transient caching.

This endpoint supports filtering and caching, and can be extended to support custom output formats.

Filters for Developers

This plugin provides multiple filters to help developers customize behavior and output in both REST API and shortcode use cases.

init_plugin_suite_view_count_should_count
Allow or prevent counting views for a specific post.
Applies to: REST /count
Params: bool $should_count, int $post_id, WP_REST_Request $request

init_plugin_suite_view_count_meta_key
Change the meta key used to read or write view counts.
Applies to: REST & Shortcodes
Params: string $meta_key, int|null $post_id

init_plugin_suite_view_count_after_counted
Run custom logic after view count has been incremented.
Applies to: REST /count
Params: int $post_id, array $updated, WP_REST_Request $request

init_plugin_suite_view_count_api_top_args
Customize WP_Query arguments used for /top endpoint.
Applies to: REST /top
Params: array $args, WP_REST_Request $request

init_plugin_suite_view_count_api_top_item
Modify each item before it’s returned in the /top response.
Applies to: REST /top
Params: array $item, WP_Post $post, WP_REST_Request $request

init_plugin_suite_view_count_api_top_cache_time
Adjust cache time (in seconds) for /top results.
Applies to: REST /top
Params: int $ttl, WP_REST_Request $request

init_plugin_suite_view_count_top_post_types
Customize the list of post types returned by the /top endpoint.
Applies to: REST /top
Params: array $post_types, WP_REST_Request $request

init_plugin_suite_view_count_query_args
Filter WP_Query args for [init_view_list] shortcode.
Applies to: [init_view_list]
Params: array $args, array $atts

init_plugin_suite_view_count_empty_output
Customize the HTML output when no posts are found.
Applies to: [init_view_list]
Params: string $output, array $atts

init_plugin_suite_view_count_view_list_atts
Modify shortcode attributes before WP_Query is run.
Applies to: [init_view_list]
Params: array $atts

init_plugin_suite_view_count_default_shortcode
Customize the default shortcode used when auto-inserting view count into post content.
Applies to: [init_view_count] auto-insert
Params: string $shortcode

init_plugin_suite_view_count_auto_insert_enabled
Control whether auto-insert is enabled for a given context.
Applies to: [init_view_count] auto-insert
Params: bool $enabled, string $position, string $post_type

Template Override

To customize output layout, copy any template file into your theme:

Example: your-theme/init-view-count/view-list-grid.php

License

This plugin is licensed under the GPLv2 or later.
You are free to use, modify, and distribute it under the same license.