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Dlcounter_XH is a simple download counter for CMSimple_XH. Instead of a link to the downloadable file, it offers the downloads as HTML form, which should be ignored by bots, so the download count is somewhat more accurate. Please note that absolute accurate download counts cannot be archieved with Dlcounter_XH (and probably neither with any other download counter) as e.g. cancelled downloads or multiple downloads initiated by download managers are not especially catered for. The downloads statistics can be accessed in the plugins back-end.
Dlcounter_XH couldn't be tested so far in various environments and it's quite likely that some features may change (particularly the statistics in the back-end). It is a so called ALPHA version. Use with caution!
Dlcounter_XH is a plugin for CMSimple_XH ≥ 1.2. It requires a UTF-8 encoded version and jQuery4CMSimple.
The installation is done as with many other CMSimple_XH plugins. See the CMSimple_XH wiki for further details.
Backup the data on your server.
Unzip the distribution on your computer.
Upload the whole directory dlcounter/ to your server into CMSimple_XH's plugins directory.
Set write permissions to the subdirectories config/, css/, languages/ and the plugin's data folder.
Protect Dlcounter_XH's data and downloads folder against direct access by any means your webserver provides. An .htaccess file for Apache servers is already distributed in the default data folder.
Switch to "Dlcounter" in the back-end to check if all requirements are fulfilled.
The plugin's configuration is done as with many other CMSimple_XH plugins in the website's back-end. Select "Dlcounter" from "Plugins".
You can change the default settings of Dlcounter_XH in "Plugin Config". Hints for the options will be displayed when hovering over the help icon with your mouse.
Localization is done in "Plugin Language". You can translate the character strings to your own language, or customize them according to your needs.
The look of Dlcounter_XH can be customized in "Plugin Stylesheet". Please note, that the statistics view in the back-end is quite likely to change in the next release, so don't spend much time on customizing it's look.
All downloads that shall be counted, have to placed in the configured
downloads folder or a subfolder thereof. To display the download form for the
file download.pdf
on a page, enter:
{{{PLUGIN:dlcounter('download.pdf');}}}
You can safely check, if the download works as expected, by triggering it when your logged in as administrator; these downloads will not be counted. If you like to use another PNG graphic for the download button, you can exchange the default one in the plugin's images/ folder. There are aleady some alternatives with different color schemes.
To view the download statistics just switch to "Plugins→Dlcounter→Statistics". You can sort the tables by clicking on the respective column heading.
Dlcounter_XH uses the jQuery Tablesorter plugin. Many thanks to Christian Bach for releasing it under GPL.
The plugin icon is designed by YellowIcon. Many thanks for releasing this icon under GPL.
The downloads buttons are designed by Rafi. Many thanks for releasing them as freeware.
This plugin uses free applications icons from Aha-Soft. Many thanks for making these icons freely available.
And last but not least many thanks to Peter Harteg, the "father" of CMSimple, and all developers of CMSimple_XH without whom this amazing CMS wouldn't exist.