Count post views accurately via REST API with customizable display. Lightweight, fast, and extensible. Includes shortcode with multiple layouts.

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Init View Count is a fast, clean plugin to track post views without clutter. It:
<ul>
<li>Uses REST API and JS to count real views</li>
<li>Prevents duplicate counts with session/local storage</li>
<li>Stores counts in meta keys like <code>_init_view_count</code>, <code>_init_view_day_count</code>, etc.</li>
<li>Provides <code>[init_view_count]</code> and <code>[init_view_list]</code> shortcodes</li>
<li>Includes <code>[init_view_ranking]</code> shortcode with tabbed ranking by time range</li>
<li>Supports template overrides (like WooCommerce)</li>
<li>Lightweight. No tracking, no admin bloat.</li>
<li>Includes REST API to query most viewed posts</li>
<li>Supports pagination in <code>[init_view_list]</code> via the <code>page</code> attribute</li>
<li>Batch view tracking support to reduce REST requests on busy sites</li>
<li>Optional strict IP-based filtering to block fake view requests posted directly to the REST endpoint</li>
<li>Includes a Dashboard widget to monitor top viewed posts directly in wp-admin</li>
<li>Learns site-wide traffic shape (hourly & weekday) via AI-powered smoothing</li>
<li>Shapes cached and updated efficiently with minimal overhead</li>
<li>Safe reset action to rebuild patterns automatically</li>
<li>Fully integrated with Trending Engine v3 for uplift-based scoring</li>
</ul>
This plugin is part of the <a href="https://en.inithtml.com/init-plugin-suite-minimalist-powerful-and-free-wordpress-plugins/" rel="nofollow ugc">Init Plugin Suite</a> — a collection of minimalist, fast, and developer-focused tools for WordPress.
GitHub repository: <a href="https://github.com/brokensmile2103/init-view-count" rel="nofollow ugc">https://github.com/brokensmile2103/init-view-count</a>
<h3>Highlights</h3>
<ul>
<li>REST-first design — no jQuery or legacy Ajax</li>
<li>View tracking powered by time + scroll detection</li>
<li>Realtime display with optional animated counters</li>
<li>Fully theme-compatible with overrideable templates</li>
<li>Developer-friendly with rich filter support</li>
<li>Optional <code>[init_view_ranking]</code> shortcode for tabbed view by day/week/month/total</li>
<li>Assets are only loaded when needed – perfect for performance-conscious themes</li>
<li>Fully compatible with headless and SPA frameworks (REST-first + lazy)</li>
<li>Supports batch mode: delay view requests and send in groups (configurable in settings)</li>
<li>Includes optional Dashboard widget for quick admin overview of top viewed posts</li>
<li>AI-powered Traffic Shape Learner – understands your site’s hourly & weekly rhythm</li>
<li>Auto-integrated with Trending Engine v3 for seasonality-aware uplift detection</li>
<li>Smart fallbacks (day → week → month → total) ensure rankings never run empty</li>
<li>Ultra-light: only 1 write per increment + 1 rollup per day, cache-first design</li>
</ul>
<h3>Shortcodes</h3>
<h3>[init_view_count]</h3>
Shows current view count for a post. Only works inside a post loop.
Attributes: 
– <code>field</code>: <code>total</code> (default), <code>day</code>, <code>week</code>, <code>month</code> – which counter to display 
– <code>format</code>: <code>formatted</code> (default), <code>raw</code>, or <code>short</code> – controls number formatting 
– <code>time</code>: <code>true</code> to show time diff from post date (e.g. “3 days ago”) 
– <code>icon</code>: <code>true</code> to display a small SVG icon before the count 
– <code>schema</code>: <code>true</code> to output schema.org microdata (InteractionCounter) 
– <code>class</code>: add a custom CSS class to the outer wrapper
<h3>[init_view_list]</h3>
Show list of most viewed posts.
Attributes: 
– <code>number</code>: Number of posts to show (default: 5) 
– <code>page</code>: Show a specific page of results (default: 1) 
– <code>post_type</code>: Type of post (default: post) 
– <code>template</code>: <code>sidebar</code> (default), <code>full</code>, <code>grid</code>, <code>details</code> (can be overridden) 
– <code>title</code>: Title above list. Set to empty (<code>title=""</code>) to hide 
– <code>class</code>: Custom class added to wrapper 
– <code>orderby</code>: Sort field (default: meta_value_num) 
– <code>order</code>: ASC or DESC (default: DESC) 
– <code>range</code>: <code>total</code>, <code>day</code>, <code>week</code>, <code>month</code>, <code>trending</code> 
– <code>category</code>: Filter by category slug 
– <code>tag</code>: Filter by tag slug 
– <code>empty</code>: Message to show if no posts found
<h3>[init_view_ranking]</h3>
Show tabbed ranking of most viewed posts. Uses REST API and JavaScript for dynamic loading. Optimized for SPA/headless usage.
Attributes: 
– <code>tabs</code>: Comma-separated list of ranges. Available: <code>total</code>, <code>day</code>, <code>week</code>, <code>month</code> (default: all) 
– <code>number</code>: Number of posts per tab (default: 5) 
– <code>class</code>: Custom class for outer wrapper
This shortcode automatically enqueues required JS and uses skeleton loaders while fetching data.
<h3>REST API</h3>
This plugin exposes two REST endpoints to interact with view counts: one for recording views and another for retrieving top posts.
<code>POST /wp-json/initvico/v1/count</code> 
Record one or more views. Accepts a single post ID or an array of post IDs.
Parameters: 
– <code>post_id</code> — (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.
<code>GET /wp-json/initvico/v1/top</code> 
Retrieve the most viewed posts, ranked by view count.
Parameters: 
– <code>range</code> — (string) <code>total</code>, <code>day</code>, <code>week</code>, <code>month</code>. Defaults to <code>total</code>. 
– <code>post_type</code> — (string) Post type to query. Defaults to <code>post</code>. 
– <code>number</code> — (int) Number of posts to return. Default: <code>5</code>. 
– <code>page</code> — (int) Pagination offset. Default: <code>1</code>. 
– <code>fields</code> — (string) <code>minimal</code> (id, title, link) or <code>full</code> (includes excerpt, thumbnail, type, date, etc.) 
– <code>tax</code> — (string) Optional. Taxonomy slug (e.g. <code>category</code>). 
– <code>terms</code> — (string) Comma-separated term slugs or IDs. 
– <code>no_cache</code> — (bool) If <code>1</code>, disables transient caching.
This endpoint supports filtering and caching, and can be extended to support custom output formats.
<h3>Filters for Developers</h3>
This plugin provides multiple filters to help developers customize behavior and output in both REST API and shortcode use cases.
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_should_count</code> 
Allow or prevent counting views for a specific post. 
Applies to: REST <code>/count</code> 
Params: <code>bool $should_count</code>, <code>int $post_id</code>, <code>WP_REST_Request $request</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_meta_key</code> 
Change the meta key used to read or write view counts. 
Applies to: REST & Shortcodes 
Params: <code>string $meta_key</code>, <code>int|null $post_id</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_after_counted</code> 
Run custom logic after view count has been incremented. 
Applies to: REST <code>/count</code> 
Params: <code>int $post_id</code>, <code>array $updated</code>, <code>WP_REST_Request $request</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_api_top_args</code> 
Customize WP_Query arguments used for <code>/top</code> endpoint. 
Applies to: REST <code>/top</code> 
Params: <code>array $args</code>, <code>WP_REST_Request $request</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_api_top_item</code> 
Modify each item before it’s returned in the <code>/top</code> response. 
Applies to: REST <code>/top</code> 
Params: <code>array $item</code>, <code>WP_Post $post</code>, <code>WP_REST_Request $request</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_api_top_cache_time</code> 
Adjust cache time (in seconds) for <code>/top</code> results. 
Applies to: REST <code>/top</code> 
Params: <code>int $ttl</code>, <code>WP_REST_Request $request</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_top_post_types</code> 
Customize the list of post types returned by the <code>/top</code> endpoint. 
Applies to: REST <code>/top</code> 
Params: <code>array $post_types</code>, <code>WP_REST_Request $request</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_query_args</code> 
Filter WP_Query args for <code>[init_view_list]</code> shortcode. 
Applies to: <code>[init_view_list]</code> 
Params: <code>array $args</code>, <code>array $atts</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_empty_output</code> 
Customize the HTML output when no posts are found. 
Applies to: <code>[init_view_list]</code> 
Params: <code>string $output</code>, <code>array $atts</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_view_list_atts</code> 
Modify shortcode attributes before WP_Query is run. 
Applies to: <code>[init_view_list]</code> 
Params: <code>array $atts</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_default_shortcode</code> 
Customize the default shortcode used when auto-inserting view count into post content. 
Applies to: <code>[init_view_count]</code> auto-insert 
Params: <code>string $shortcode</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_auto_insert_enabled</code> 
Control whether auto-insert is enabled for a given context. 
Applies to: <code>[init_view_count]</code> auto-insert 
Params: <code>bool $enabled</code>, <code>string $position</code>, <code>string $post_type</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_engagement_meta_keys</code> 
Change the meta keys used to retrieve <code>like</code> and <code>share</code> counts when calculating engagement quality. 
Applies to: Engagement algorithm 
Params: <code>array $meta_keys</code> (<code>likes</code>, <code>shares</code>), <code>int $post_id</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_trending_post_types</code> 
Override the list of post types used by the Trending cron calculation. 
Applies to: Cron Trending 
Params: <code>array $post_types</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_trending_component_weights</code> 
Adjust weights for Trending score components. 
Applies to: Trending algorithm 
Params: <code>array $weights</code> (<code>velocity</code>, <code>engagement</code>, <code>freshness</code>, <code>momentum</code>)
<h3>Template Override</h3>
To customize output layout, copy any template file into your theme:
Example: <code>your-theme/init-view-count/view-list-grid.php</code>
<h3>License</h3>
This plugin is licensed under the GPLv2 or later. 
You are free to use, modify, and distribute it under the same license.

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