Release Candidate 6 is now available. Improving the interface and internationalization for blocks. Another small update that the dashboard should look a little bit more polished and aligned. And of course there is the fancy color picker.
Download:
Changes:
Improved interface for adding and editing blocks
Small tweaks to dashboard
Feedback:
Keep sending that feedback using the feedback form or by sending messages to feedback@adrotateplugin.com. Thanks!
That went faster than expected. A first version of the new blocks is now implemented. I’ve tested this on my 2 servers and it seems to work fine.This update entails some database changes to the blocks table. This is done automatically when you re-activate AdRotate.
If you upgrade from any previous version be aware that your blocks as they are now will look funny and you need to reconfigure them. This applies ONLY to blocks. Any ads or groups inside those blocks should be fine since no changes are made there. The most important change you’ll see is that blocks no longer look for the total amount of ads and breaks those in columns. The new way is that blocks now look for rows and columns without setting a total amount of ads. This will allow for a more conventional and spreadsheet like behavior. Additionally you can now more easily style the block with margins and such rendering the current “wrapper” function deprecated.
[new] Improved block shapes and settings
If you want your translation included in the initial 3.7 download i need those files.
You can find the po and mo files here. And send them to me via the forum.
Version 3.7rc5 has (according to Poedit) 34 new phrases. But i think a bunch of them are combined with existing ones.
Keep sending your feedback folks, this is very important to bring a bug free and super awesome version.
I know Release Candidates aren’t supposed to get extensive new features but this was, i think, too good to let go till 3.7.1 or even 3.8.
I’m rewriting the way blocks are defined. Replacing the format option and eventually the limiting wrapper too. You will have more options, giving you greater flexibility. And best of all, it’s all done in valid CSS code and some smart math in PHP to make it all fit.
However, in usage this will mean that anyone using blocks will have to make some changes when this comes available. Or your blocks will look weird and ugly, perhaps even cause errors in your theme. So take notice, try out rc5 when its ready.
Here’s a initial form. This needs polishing and proper names of course. Also the form doesn’t work yet. This will eventually replace the wrapper function entirely.
AdRotate 3.7rc4 now available for testing. Download the update here.
There are no changes in the language i18n file. No database changes.
Everyone, keep sending feedback. Thanks!
Idea:
Version 3.7 will not set a timer on “unknown” IP’s. Should AdRotate ignore these clicks and impressions completely? Or log them as regular ones. If AdRotate cannot track the IP this could be prone to click fraud. Because the click is logged but no timer is set. Repeated clicks are all counted then. This could inflate your stats and have ads reach limits you set too early and unfairly. Let me know in the comments of via the Beta form in the plugin what you think of this.
Changelog:
[new] Debug option to turn off redirect url encryption
[fix] Clicktracking now uses wp_redirect() to avert internal server errors in some rare cases
[change] Improved CTR calculation (clearer code, removed a lot of duplicate code)
This version will include another new feature. Allowing you to assign groups to categories and pages. The UI is a bit rough and clumsy but it works. Over time i will figure out a better way to select categories and pages.
[new] Adverts in groups can now be automatically included on posts and/or pages when you edit a group
[change] 12 new i18n phrases, 1 obsolete
[database] 4 new fields in _adrotate_groups to accomodate the linking to categories and pages, (automatic) upgrade script included.
Get the latest release candidate here.
Changelog:
[change] Updated i18n phrases
[change] Credits block with new links
[fix] Minor issue where the report pages redirected to the wrong page
[fix] Browser titles now show correctly for groups and blocks
Everyone who tries out the RC versions. Do not forget to provide your feedback and thoughts! Thanks!
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.
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…
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!
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.
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!
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!
