Hao Nguyen

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.

Init View Count – AI-Powered, Trending, REST API

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

WP OnlineSupport

Anoop Ranawat

Pratik Jain

Ketan Patel

Essential Plugin

Piyush Patel

Riddhi Shukla

✅ Now that you have your website ready why don’t you download and try out this Trending/Popular Post slider to give it better functionality.
Download Now and WP Trending Post Slider and Widget allow you to display the most popular posts/trending posts on your blog by posts views or posts comments. Display your popular post in a page by shortcode or in a sidebar by widget with desired time range.
Download Now this Trending/Popular Post slider because It is proven that Trending Post sliders have been a powerful tool to present your content in a very neat manner with the help of fancy sliders and customized designs.
<a href="https://demo.essentialplugin.com/trending-post-demo/?utm_source=WP&utm_medium=Trending-Popular&utm_campaign=Read-Me" rel="nofollow ugc">FREE DEMO</a> | <a href="https://demo.essentialplugin.com/prodemo/pro-featured-and-trending-post/?utm_source=WP&utm_medium=Trending-Popular&utm_campaign=Read-Me" rel="nofollow ugc">PRO DEMO</a>
Your customer might like the professional and fancy vibe of your site with Trending Post sliders
✅ This plugin displays your trending posts using :
<ul>
<li>Trending Slider (1 design)</li>
<li>Trending Carousel (1 design)</li>
<li>Trending Gridbox (1 design)</li>
<li>Trending widget (1 design)</li>
</ul>
Download Now it today and explore all the features.
When you want to makeover your WordPress website theme with something extraordinary and creative, you must consider the Trending post slider.
Help your website get a slide-wise display to show the custom posts. Not just eye appealing, it is also loved by visitors as they find it quite easy to locate custom posts.
Note: After inserting shortcode or widget to site, if you are not seeing any post list then kindly visit blog/post section on frontend. It will store the post count on the database**
WP Trending Post Slider and Widget will list post based on your post views or Comment Count. Once you visit post page then plugin will automatic take that post into list.
Also added Gutenberg block support.
<h4>✅ Here is the plugin shortcode example</h4>
Trending Slider
<pre><code>[wtpsw_popular_post]
</code></pre>
Trending Carousel
<pre><code>[wtpsw_carousel]
</code></pre>
Trending gridbox
<pre><code>[wtpsw_gridbox]
</code></pre>
To display only Trending 4 post:
<pre><code>[wtpsw_popular_post limit="4"]
</code></pre>
Where limit define the number of posts to display. You can use same parameter with all shortcode.
<h4>✅ Here is Template code</h4>
<pre><code><?php echo do_shortcode('[wtpsw_popular_post]'); ?> 
<?php echo do_shortcode('[wtpsw_carousel]'); ?> 
<?php echo do_shortcode('[wtpsw_gridbox]'); ?> 
</code></pre>
<h4>✅ Use Following Trending Slider parameters with shortcode</h4>
<pre><code>[wtpsw_popular_post]
</code></pre>
<ul>
<li>Limit : [wtpsw_popular_post limit=”10″] (Display no of post in a slider)</li>
<li>Post Type : [wtpsw_popular_post post_type=”post,page”] ( Display post list of your desired post type. )</li>
<li>Post List By : [wtpsw_popular_post view_by=”views”] (Display Post list by Views or Comment count. You can use “views” OR “comment”)</li>
<li>Order : [wtpsw_popular_post order=”DESC”] (Display post in a ascending or descending way. You can use “ASC” OR “DESC”)</li>
<li>Post Date : [wtpsw_popular_post showdate=”true”] (Display post date. You can use “true” OR “false”)</li>
<li>Author : [wtpsw_popular_post showauthor=”true”] (Display post author. You can use “true” OR “false”)</li>
<li>Post Content : [wtpsw_popular_post showcontent=”true”] (Display post content. You can use “true” OR “false”)</li>
<li>Post content words limit : [wtpsw_popular_post words_limit=”title”] (Display number of words in a post content.)</li>
<li>Show Comment Count : [wtpsw_popular_post show_comment_count=”true”] (Display comment count. You can use “true” OR “false”)</li>
<li>Hide empty comment count : [wtpsw_popular_post hide_empty_comment_count=”true”] (Display comment that having 0 count. You can use “true” OR “false”)</li>
<li>Slider Dots : [wtpsw_popular_post dots=”true”] (Display slider dots. You can use “true” OR “false”)</li>
<li>Slider Arrows : [wtpsw_popular_post arrows=”true”] (Display slider arrows. You can use “true” OR “false”)</li>
<li>Slider Speed : [wtpsw_popular_post speed=”300″] (Controls slider speed.)</li>
<li>Autoplay : [wtpsw_popular_post autoplay=”false”]</li>
<li>Autoplay Interval : [wtpsw_popular_post autoplayinterval=”3000″]</li>
<li>extra_class : [wtpsw_popular_post extra_class=””] (Enter extra CSS class for design customization ).</li>
</ul>
<h4>✅ Use Following Trending Carousel parameters with shortcode</h4>
<pre><code>[wtpsw_carousel]
</code></pre>
<ul>
<li>Limit : [wtpsw_carousel limit=”10″] (Display no of post in a slider)</li>
<li>Post Type : [wtpsw_carousel post_type=”post,page”] ( Display post list of your desired post type. )</li>
<li>Post List By : [wtpsw_carousel view_by=”views”] (Display Post list by Views or Comment count. You can use “views” OR “comment”)</li>
<li>Order : [wtpsw_carousel order=”DESC”] (Display post in a ascending or descending way. You can use “ASC” OR “DESC”)</li>
<li>Post Date : [wtpsw_carousel showdate=”true”] (Display post date. You can use “true” OR “false”)</li>
<li>Author : [wtpsw_carousel showauthor=”true”] (Display post author. You can use “true” OR “false”)</li>
<li>Post Content : [wtpsw_carousel showcontent=”true”] (Display post content. You can use “true” OR “false”)</li>
<li>Post content words limit : [wtpsw_carousel words_limit=”title”] (Display number of words in a post content.)</li>
<li>show_comment_count : [wtpsw_carousel show_comment_count=”true”] (Display comment count. You can use “true” OR “false”)</li>
<li>Hide empty comment count : [wtpsw_carousel hide_empty_comment_count=”true”] (Display comment that having 0 count. You can use “true” OR “false”)</li>
<li>** slides to show at a time** : [wtpsw_carousel slides_to_show=”3″] (You can use 1,2,3,4,5 etc)</li>
<li>Slides to scroll at a time : [wtpsw_carousel slides_to_scroll=”1″] (You can use 1,2,3,4,5 etc)</li>
<li>Slider Dots : [wtpsw_carousel dots=”true”] (Display slider dots. You can use “true” OR “false”)</li>
<li>Slider Arrows : [wtpsw_carousel arrows=”true”] (Display slider arrows. You can use “true” OR “false”)</li>
<li>Slider Speed : [wtpsw_carousel speed=”300″] (Controls slider speed.)</li>
<li>Autoplay : [wtpsw_carousel autoplay=”false”]</li>
<li>Autoplay Interval : [wtpsw_carousel autoplayinterval=”3000″]</li>
<li>extra_class : [wtpsw_carousel extra_class=””] (Enter extra CSS class for design customization ).</li>
</ul>
<h4>✅ Use Following Trending Gridbox parameters with shortcode</h4>
<pre><code>[wtpsw_gridbox]
</code></pre>
<ul>
<li>Limit : [wtpsw_gridbox limit=”5″] (Display no of post in a grid)</li>
<li>Post Type : [wtpsw_gridbox post_type=”post,page”] ( Display post list of your desired post type. )</li>
<li>Post List By : [wtpsw_gridbox view_by=”views”] (Display Post list by Views or Comment count. You can use “views” OR “comment”)</li>
<li>Order : [wtpsw_gridbox order=”DESC”] (Display post in a ascending or descending way. You can use “ASC” OR “DESC”)</li>
<li>Post Date : [wtpsw_gridbox showdate=”true”] (Display post date. You can use “true” OR “false”)</li>
<li>Author : [wtpsw_gridbox showauthor=”true”] (Display post author. You can use “true” OR “false”)</li>
<li>Post Content Limit : [wtpsw_gridbox words_limit=”title”] (Display number of words in a post content.)</li>
<li>show_comment_count : [wtpsw_gridbox show_comment_count=”true”] (Display comment count. You can use “true” OR “false”)</li>
<li>Hide empty comment count : [wtpsw_gridbox hide_empty_comment_count=”true”] (Display comment that having 0 count. You can use “true” OR “false”)</li>
<li>extra_class : [wtpsw_gridbox extra_class=””] (Enter extra CSS class for design customization ).</li>
</ul>
✅ Checkout demo for better understanding
<a href="https://demo.essentialplugin.com/trending-post-demo/?utm_source=WP&utm_medium=Trending-Popular&utm_campaign=Read-Me" rel="nofollow ugc">FREE DEMO</a> | <a href="https://demo.essentialplugin.com/prodemo/pro-featured-and-trending-post/?utm_source=WP&utm_medium=Trending-Popular&utm_campaign=Read-Me" rel="nofollow ugc">PRO DEMO</a>
✅ Essential Plugin Bundle Deal
<a href="https://www.essentialplugin.com/pricing/?utm_source=WP&utm_medium=Trending-Popular&utm_campaign=Read-Me" rel="nofollow ugc">Annual or Lifetime Bundle Deal</a>
<h4>Why Use WP Trending Post Slider and Widget Plugin?</h4>
<ul>
<li>Also work with Gutenberg shortcode block.</li>
<li>WP Trending Post Slider and Widget Plugin is made with WordPress standard.</li>
<li>This plugin helps you to display popular post, trending post, what’s hot on your site in a easy way.</li>
<li>WP Trending Post Slider and Widget Plugin, when used effectively, is a great tool to attract your blogs visitors!</li>
</ul>
<h4>✅ Features include:</h4>
<ul>
<li>Added Gutenberg block support.</li>
<li>Trending post slider</li>
<li>Trending post carousel</li>
<li>Trending post gridbox</li>
<li>Trending post Widget</li>
<li>Easy to add.</li>
<li>Also work with Gutenberg shortcode block. </li>
<li>Elementor, Beaver and SiteOrigin Page Builder Native Support (New).</li>
<li>Divi Page Builder Native Support (New).</li>
<li>Fusion Page Builder (Avada) Native Support (New).</li>
<li>Responsive.</li>
<li>You can create multiple testimonial slider with different options at single page or post.</li>
<li>Fully responsive. Scales with its container.</li>
<li>100% Multi Language.</li>
</ul>

Trending/Popular Post Slider and Widget

A quick, easy way to add Popular/Trending posts slider, grid block and widget. Also work with Gutenberg shortcode block.

Init View Count – AI-Powered, Trending, REST API vs Trending/Popular Post Slider and Widget