1What FoxPlug reads from WordPress.org
These are the exact things it reads, and nothing else.
| What | The details it takes |
|---|---|
| Plugin name and version | name and version from the public plugin information; a slug with no such plugin stops the read with 'no plugin called...' |
| Active installs | active installs, used for the install milestones |
| Star ratings counts | the number of 1-star and 5-star ratings from the ratings breakdown; a rise since the last read is a new 1-star or 5-star rating |
| Average rating, rating count and total downloads | rating, num ratings and downloaded, kept as the plugin's stored snapshot |
| The plugin slug you typed | up to 5 slugs, comma separated: the last part of wordpress.org/plugins/THIS-PART/ |
2Moments it finds, and what each becomes
A moment is one thing that happened in WordPress.org worth a second look. Each one is scored, then it becomes a post, a changelog entry, a thing to fix or an idea to email, or it is skipped.
a plugin FoxPlug has read before has a new version
The moment is titled like this: Released Easy Menu 1.4.0
Your made-up plugin Easy Menu goes from 1.3.2 to 1.4.0. On the next Check for what's new FoxPlug writes 'Released Easy Menu 1.4.0' with 'Easy Menu 1.4.0 is published on WordPress.org.' and the plugin link, which can become a post and a changelog entry.
active installs cross 100, 500, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, 50,000, 100,000 and on up
The moment is titled like this: Easy Menu passed 1,000 active installs
Easy Menu reports 1,200 active installs. FoxPlug writes 'Easy Menu passed 1,000 active installs' with the line 'Easy Menu now has more than 1,000 active installs (1,200 at the last read).' It fires once per step.
the 1-star rating count goes up between two reads
The moment is titled like this: 1 new 1-star review for Easy Menu
Between two presses of Check for what's new, Easy Menu gains one 1-star rating. FoxPlug writes '1 new 1-star review for Easy Menu' with 'Read them and answer.' and a link to the reviews. It is held, not posted, and is the first card in the Today brief for three days.
the 5-star rating count goes up between two reads
The moment is titled like this: 3 new 5-star reviews for Easy Menu
Easy Menu gains three 5-star ratings since the last read. FoxPlug writes '3 new 5-star reviews for Easy Menu'. It is held and never posted for you: the Today brief offers a repost idea for a week.
3How the brain uses it
The rules below are the ones that apply to WordPress.org. The same rules, with worked examples, are on the brain page.
- A new version becomes an update and a changelog entry. An install milestone (100, 500, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000 and so on) becomes an update, once per step. How the brain decides
- A new 1-star rating or review becomes the first card in the Today brief for three days. How the brain decides
- A new 5-star rating or review becomes a repost idea in the Today brief for a week; it is never posted for you. How the brain decides
- Where a store gives no public review list, new ratings are noticed by the count moving between two reads. How the brain decides
4Set up WordPress.org in a few steps
Access: none: a public plugin slug only (no login, no key). What to give it: plugin slug only, nothing secret.
- Open your plugin's page on wordpress.org/plugins/.
- Copy the last part of the address: wordpress.org/plugins/THIS-PART/ is the slug.
- Paste the slug into FoxPlug. To watch several plugins, separate them with commas (up to 5).
- Press Connect.
5Limits worth knowing
Where it stops, so nothing surprises you.
- Up to 5 plugins per connection.
- The first read only records a baseline: no version or review moment is written until a second read finds a change.
- Reviews are noticed as a rating count that moved up; a removed rating counts as zero, and the review text is not read.
- Two reads in the same hour cannot add the same new review twice.
- An unknown slug stops the read with an error naming the slug.
6What it never reads
Read only means read only, and the list below is what the code leaves alone.
- Any login or token of yours (a slug is all it needs)
- The text of reviews (only the rating counts are read, so a review's words are not seen)
- Your plugin's code or readme sections (the request turns the sections off)
7How WordPress.org differs from the tools next to it
Chrome Web Store is also read from public pages, but WordPress.org gives a public ratings breakdown, so new 1-star and 5-star ratings are noticed; the Chrome Web Store has no public reviews feed and FoxPlug does not read new ratings there.
8Questions
What is a plugin slug?
The last part of your plugin's address: for wordpress.org/plugins/your-plugin/ the slug is your-plugin. That is all FoxPlug needs; there is no key or login.
Does FoxPlug read my plugin's reviews?
It reads how many 1-star and 5-star ratings there are. When one of those counts rises between two reads, you get a 1-star or 5-star moment. The words of the review are not read.
What happens when someone leaves a 1-star rating?
On your next Check for what's new FoxPlug sees the 1-star count has gone up and puts it first in the Today brief for three days, so you can read and answer it. It is never posted.
Does it track active installs?
Yes. Each time the active installs cross a step such as 1,000 or 10,000 you get one update for that step.
Checked with a real connected account of ours: real public reads: akismet 5.7.2 (5M installs) in T1670/T1683; Saul's own plugin getfoxchat v1.2.1 in T1703.
FoxPlug reads this tool only when you press Check for what's new, and only to read. Plans and limits are on the pricing page. Questions: support.