Over the past month or so I’ve had good results on the new code with AdRotate. Good enough to put it into action in bigger and more websites.
I have made a seamless upgrade and migration script to accommodate the many changes and database additions and changes. Now I need a few people willing to put AdRotate to the test.
What?
This will include just using the plugin but also keep an eye on how it’s performing (eg. do you think it’s faster than before?). Do you like the new features? Do they make sense? What would you change? This can be as simple as moving the submit button elsewhere or shuffling around some layouts. Do the CSV Exports work for you? Is it fast? Is it the right data? Etc etc…
How!?
I’ve created a super easy dashboard form so you can let me know your experiences directly from the plugin. No need for messy forum topics or clumsy forms. Just a big text field where you can jot down your experiences. You may not use every new thing. But all input is useful! We don’t care if you send 1 or 10 messages per day. Maybe one lengthy mail every few days. All is good. As long as you word your findings and concerns properly. Any questions you might have on the new features can be send via the feedback form, too!
What’s the risk?
Since this is a beta there might be some bugs. However, AdRotate in its current form has been in use on several sites for a few weeks now. Including http://meandmymac.net (My own site). I’m confident it will work fine for most people. Just be warned and make a backup before you upgrade to the beta version! Downgrading is not possible without loosing all your AdRotate data. And for that we will take no responsibility. Not for data loss, financial loss, mental meltdowns or any downtime AdRotate might cause. It is a beta after all.
So what’s new:
The current change log stands as follows -
[new] Indexes for certain database tables (speed increase)
[new] Scheduler for Adverts
[new] Timeframes for Adverts (max clicks/impressions per given period)
[new] CSV Exports for ads, groups and blocks
[new] Email CSV Exports from the dashboard to up to 3 people
[new] Removing an ad also removes it’s stats
[new] No longer logs clicks from ‘unknown’ IP’s
[fix] Adverts with errors use row colors appropriately when urgently needing help
[fix] unnecessary line break in blocks with only 1 column (Thanks to Henning Stein).
[fix] Single Ad Graphs now use WP url
[fix] Groups not saving adverts assigned to them
[fix] Notifications for new or edited ads
[fix] Improved notifications display when creating new ads
[fix] Advertiser mails are now actually send and redirected (Thanks for ericissocial)
[fix] No longer overwriting wp-cron schedules with AdRotate ones but adding to the existing ones.
[change] Initial advert time reduced from 1 year to 84 days (12 weeks)
[change] Faster loading of ads in Ad Management (speed increase)
[change] Tracker data is flushed every 3 hours with wp-cron instead of on every page load (speed increase)
[change] Improved loading of ads on the front side (speed increase)
[change] Improved argument handling for click tracking urls (security)
[change] More compact and optimized dashboards for editing Ads, Groups and Blocks
[change] Now uses InnoDB if the rest of your database uses InnoDB
[change] Touched up email headers so they’re less prone to end up in the spam box
This is quite a list and these things are ALL fully and completely implemented at this very moment. No half features or not working buttons. Everything is fully functional. It just needs testing to see if i did it right and if you like it!
You?
Are you up for testing AdRotate and willing to take a (small) risk but help improve AdRotate with your feedback? Head over to the Beta page and get your copy!
