* Plugin Store download counts broken?

[Mark1834]

Is the download count in the plugin store broken? I have downloaded several plugins recently, and I noticed that the download count never changes.

As a test, I tried downloading from very different systems (Firefox/Linux, Safari/iPad, and from my phone over 4G), just in case it is recognising my IP address or browser as a plugin author and behaving differently, and same result.

[ColeValleyGirl]

Have you logged it with CP?

[Mark1834]

No, I tend to ask here first if I’m uncertain, so other users can confirm or contradict the observation.

Anyway, I think I’ve identified the problem, and it’s another manifestation of the Plugin Store WordPress issue discussed last year.

There appears to be a classic Catch-22 with the store. I don’t like submitting a plugin for approval until the help page is complete and in place, but you can’t link a help page to a draft plugin... The store was getting confused with the Ancestry sync help being published without a plugin link before the plugin was approved. If I was logged into the store, I could see the help link and download count in the plugin description, but if not, it said no help and no downloads. It seemed to affect more than just the Ancestry plugin.

CP referred the original issue to their “web manager” (whoever that it, I doubt it is a full-time salaried position in the company!), as first line didn’t know how to fix it.

The same pragmatic fix that I came up with last time (delete the help file(s) and copy the contents into new files with the same name) seemed to sort it here as well, as everything seems to working correctly now I’ve replaced the help files with brand new copies fully and correctly linked to the published plugin.

Irritating, but something to bear in mind if I make any further submissions before it’s fixed.

[jelv]

I've just downloaded Ancestry Synchronisation - the count was 4 before and it's still 4.

[Mark1834]

I tried downloading a randomly chosen plugin that I’ve not downloaded before (the Fact Calendar), and even after I’d downloaded in one browser and viewed in another (ruling out a cache issue) the count stayed stuck at 301.

If somebody else can confirm the observation please, I’ll report it to CP.

[tatewise]

I've just downloaded Ancestry Synchronization V1.0 for the first time (via Firefox) and the downloaded count remained at 4.

However, I keep a WiP spreadsheet for my plugins and from time to time note the number of Downloads.
The numbers recorded keep going up so something is updating the Plugin Store counts sometimes.

[Mark1834]

Thanks Mike. I do the same, but it’s a few weeks since I updated it. I’ll note the numbers later today (and add a couple of other plugins as controls) and keep an eye on how they change.

[Mark1834]

If I log in to the store with my author account and check downloads, it says 7. Log out, and the same browser now shows 4. Log back in without closing the browser, and it's 7 again!

Something very weird is going on...

[jelv]

I wonder if there's something like a daily task that updates the counts? If so, looking tomorrow might show something different.

(If it's not updating at all, how did it get to four?)

[Mark1834]

No, results are fully repeatable (same browser, logged off, on, then off again) and reproducible (Windows/Edge, Linux/Firefox and iPad/Safari), so it’s not a cache issue. All three of my plugins updated/loaded this week show consistently higher counts when logged on, as does Mike’s Export Gedcom as a control (golden oldie, but still getting frequent downloads from new users and upgraders).

CP won’t do anything over the weekend, so I’ve got a solid baseline of data today that I can check again on Monday for comparison.

[jelv]

The count on Ancestry Synchronization has gone up to 7 - does that agree with what you can see as an author?

[Mark1834]

It does! I have checked all the plugins where I had noticed a difference (including Mike's Export Gedcom as a control), and the download counts are now the same for the standard logged out public view and via the Author Dashboard.

I hadn't reported it to CP as I was waiting for the download counts to increase a bit more (none of the plugins have had more than a couple of downloads in the past week), so either it was one of those unexplained things that has fixed itself, or plugin store admin noticed the comments here and waved their oily rag over it to get it moving again!