Init View Count – Minimal, Accurate, Extensible

Clean, REST-powered post view counter for WordPress. Lightweight, developer-friendly, and highly customizable with smart tracking and template overrides.

Counts real views. Stores in meta. Renders beautifully. Built for performance.

Overview

Init View Count lets you track and display real post views — not just page loads or fake numbers.
It uses JavaScript + REST API to count only when the user actually scrolls and stays, storing data in meta keys like _init_view_count.

It supports shortcodes, REST endpoints, trending detection, auto-insertion, and WooCommerce-style template overrides.
Perfect for blogs, magazines, and content-focused WordPress sites.

Highlights

• Real view detection with scroll + delay logic
• Auto-insert shortcode before/after post content (configurable)
• Data stored in native post meta (no custom DB tables)
• Headless + SPA-friendly via REST-first architecture
• Multiple shortcodes for views, lists, and rankings
• Daily, weekly, monthly view tracking built-in
• Auto-calculated trending score (views/hour)
• Strict IP check to block fake REST hits
• WooCommerce-style template overrides
• Optional batch mode: store views locally, reduce REST requests
• Includes admin Dashboard widget to monitor top posts
• Zero bloat, zero jQuery, zero nonsense

Shortcodes

[init_view_count]

Displays the view count for the current post.

Attributes:

• field: total, day, week, month (default: total)
• format: formatted, raw, short (default: formatted)
• time: true or false – show “Posted X ago”
• icon: true to display inline SVG icon before count
• schema: true to include InteractionCounter microdata
• class: Add custom CSS class to wrapper

This shortcode can be auto-inserted into post content (before or after) via settings.

[init_view_list]

Displays a list of the most viewed posts.

Attributes:

• number: Number of posts to show
• range: total, day, week, month, trending
• post_type: Specify post type (e.g., post, product)
• template: Choose layout style (sidebar, grid, full, etc.)
• title: Title above list (title="" to hide)
• class: Add custom CSS class
• category: Filter by category slug
• tag: Filter by tag slug
• orderby: Sort field (default: meta_value_num)
• order: ASC or DESC
• page: Page number for pagination
• empty: Message if no posts found

[init_view_ranking]

Creates a tabbed ranking layout for views.

Attributes:

• tabs: Comma-separated values: day, week, month, total (default: all)
• number: Posts per tab
• class: Custom wrapper class
• post_type: Filter results by specific post type (e.g. post, page)

Includes lazy loading, skeleton loaders, and JS-only display.

REST API Endpoints

POST /wp-json/initvico/v1/count

Record one or more views. Uses JavaScript + scroll + delay detection.

Parameters:

• post_id: Single ID or array of post IDs

GET /wp-json/initvico/v1/top

Get most viewed posts.

Parameters:

• range: total, day, week, month, trending
• post_type: e.g., post, product
• number: Number of posts
• page: Page number (pagination)
• fields: full or minimal
• tax: Optional taxonomy slug (e.g., category)
• terms: Comma-separated term slugs or IDs
• no_cache: 1 to bypass transients

Trending scores are cached hourly using transients.

Batch View Tracking

You can enable batch mode in settings. When enabled:

• Views are stored in browser (localStorage/sessionStorage)
• Sent in group to the REST endpoint after N views or on unload
• Reduces REST requests significantly

Auto-Insert View Count

In plugin settings, you can choose to automatically insert [init_view_count] into post content:

• Before content
• After content
• Only for supported post types

Fully optional and filterable.

Template Overrides

Override any layout in your theme:

your-theme/init-view-count/view-list-grid.php
your-theme/init-view-count/ranking.php

Style it your way – just like WooCommerce templates.

Admin Features

• Dashboard widget to see top viewed posts (uses [init_view_ranking])
• Shortcode builder panels to generate and preview shortcodes
• Option to disable plugin’s default CSS
• i18n-ready with full translation support

Developer Notes

Meta Keys Used

• _init_view_count – total views
• _init_view_day_count – daily views
• _init_view_week_count – weekly views
• _init_view_month_count – monthly views

Can be changed via filter: init_plugin_suite_view_count_meta_key

Filters Available

General

• init_plugin_suite_view_count_should_count
• init_plugin_suite_view_count_meta_key
• init_plugin_suite_view_count_after_counted

REST /top

• init_plugin_suite_view_count_top_post_types
• init_plugin_suite_view_count_api_top_args
• init_plugin_suite_view_count_api_top_item
• init_plugin_suite_view_count_api_top_cache_time

Shortcodes

• init_plugin_suite_view_count_query_args
• init_plugin_suite_view_count_empty_output
• init_plugin_suite_view_count_view_list_atts

Auto-insert

• init_plugin_suite_view_count_default_shortcode
• init_plugin_suite_view_count_auto_insert_enabled

Trending

• init_plugin_suite_view_count_engagement_meta_keys
• init_plugin_suite_view_count_trending_post_types
• init_plugin_suite_view_count_trending_component_weights

Full docs: The Complete Guide to Init View Count

Installation

1. Upload to /wp-content/plugins/init-view-count
2. Activate under Plugins → Installed Plugins
3. Configure under Settings → Init View Count
4. Add shortcodes or consume REST API

License

GPLv2 or later — free, open source, developer-first.

Part of Init Plugin Suite

Init View Count is part of the Init Plugin Suite — a collection of blazing-fast, no-bloat plugins made for WordPress developers who care about quality and speed.