Visitor Movies for WordPress
Did you ever want to know what exactly your visitors are doing on your site? Watch them!
A client of mine wanted a plugin to log what users type into forms. I kind of didn't see the point at first. But a few days later I was a little annoyed that there was apparently no free alternative to websites like clixpy, clicktale and similar services.
It occured to me that recording movies of visits isn't really hard to do. And so i started a new plugin, loosely based on the unpublished form input tracking plugin.
I am very pleased with the results so far. Of course it's no match for the professional services mentioned above. But it is good enough to gain a few insights into what can be improved on your website.
The recording script is pretty lightweight but has a rather hefty dependeny: jQuery. It also loads json2.js. I'm sure the logging could be rewritten without the jQuery dependency but that really wasn't a priority for the first public release.
This plugin probably needs WordPress 2.8 and PHP 5. I didn't bother to test older versions and won't support them in the future.
Here is a sample movie of what a recorded session can look like. As you can see mouse movements, clicks, form input, select boxes, checkboxes and radio buttons are recorded.
{embed}
Important: For the playback you should always use the same browser as the visitor. If you don't, the mouse position will probably be very wrong. The plugin also doesn't save a page's state at the time of recording. This means if comments are added or the content changes, you will see the old movements on a new website.
Downloads at WordPress.org.
WordPress plugin demos are disabled as I don't use WordPress on this site any more.
What a great plugin. I Can not use it for few websites because I also use jquery for other tasks.
I do marketing for people so this new tool is great to understand behavior.
Do you know what to do if the plugins conflict?
Hi Anders,
the plugin shouldn't really conflict with others. Maybe you use a plugin that doesn't use the wp_enqueue_script() function to load jQuery. Then jQuery could be loaded twice.
You could install firebug and activate the script console. It will show an error message that you can paste here. A link to the site would also help.
Hi I would like to ask if it and how to clear log.Sorry my englis
Thank you
Hm, no I didn't build log deletion into the plugin. You'll have to delete old logs with an ftp client.
:-( I tried to delete the log. I used Total Commander and FireFTP (Mozilla) but reported to me Permission denied
Oh, right, an earlier version changed the permissions of the files, but I removed that feature. Your ftp client should allow you to change permissions on files (recursive 777 will do if you intend to delete them). I hope that helps.
Hello There,
I've installed the plugin and setted it to work on all pages. My site (http://www.portaltibia.com.br) have more then 10k unique visitors a day and I couldn't see any log files stored on the folder. Is there any need to change permissions so files can actually store those informations?
Hello Felippe,
it looks to me like your theme is incomplete, please see http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/visitor-movies/faq/ (wp_footer). Or maybe you did only install the plugin but didn't enable it?
Hi, can I use this fireworks on the wordpress.com? ( or org only)> I downloaded the plug in, it's on my computer. How do I get it to my wordpress blog? BTW, you look like Andre Rieu in this little thumbnail photo.
Hello Elizabeth, no, unfortunately you can't use the plugin on wordpress.com. You'll need to have a self-hosted blog.
ok, thanks
Is there any way this could be used on a simple php page, not a wordpress blog.
Absolutely, the code is modular and could run on a different website. It could use a different WordPress install to record the movies or a new server-side recording script could be implemented. Feel free to use the contact form on this site for professional support.
I tried putting the folder outside the web root but it won't let me save the new location, it seems to insist that it be in httpdocs
I'm so excited to find this plugin! Its exactly what I have been looking for, for ages.
I have installed it, however I can't see any recorded videos either in Wordpress or in my FTP.
Any ideas?
From what I can tell the footer is being called, I have 100% as my % and I have accessed the website from a couple of computers to test, but still can't see anything...
Thanks again!
Hm, the webserver needs permissions to write to that directory. You should probably check your error log.
Is the JavaScript included on the frontend? Can you post a link to your site?
It just keeps saying:
"Settings saved."
"/var/www/vhosts/mysite.com/httpdocs/wp-content/visitor-movies-logs/ does not exist or the plugin can't write to it. Please create it or make sure the webserver can write to it. "
But the location I specify is /var/www/vhosts/mysite.com/visitor-movies-logs/
I tried lots of different User:Group settings, psaserv, pasacln, root, and of course it's 777 permissions, but it just seems to keep insisting that it has to be /var/www/vhosts/mysite.com/httpdocs/wp-content/visitor-movies-logs/
Well as I said check the server's error.log. PHP seems to think it can't write to that location.
Hi,
Sorry it is http://www.trophywarehouse.com.au.
The JavaScript isn't loaded anywhere. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/visitor-movies/faq/. Or maybe you just didn't enable it? Odd.
Question. Love the plug-in works perfect! I am trying to interpret the time stamp. For example one time stamp is 163200?
Hi Jim, hm, I think the date on your server might not be configured properly?
Hi Nicolas,
I went to the wordpress general tab and all looks ok:
Timezone (UTC-7) 23:42:28 Local time is 2010-10-25 16:42:28
Date Format Date Format October 25, 2010
Time Format Time Format 4:42 pm
Week Starts On Monday
What is the format of the time in the Time Column?
Thanks,
Jim K.
To be honest I can't recall. I think the dir structure is Ymd/His/sha1 of ip. What's the full path you get?
Hi
I can't see video recorded.
I only have single logg which inform me about the URL and referrer !
How can I see the video ?
Sorry for my poor english
thanks in advance
regards
Nico
In fact the duration of my logs are 0 second
is it normal ?
Even if I'm browsing during 3 minutes on the website ?
Actually, I just had a look again. I think you're referring to the admin interface? 163200 -> 16:32:00, or 4:32 p.m.
Did you check the percentage setting, and is logging enabled for the page you're browsing? Do you maybe use https for the admin section? Maybe you could try and install firebug and have a look at the console if there are any errors.
My website : www.cbfc.fr
Screen of configuration :
http://2leet4you.free.fr/visitor.PNG
No https :(
percentage 100%
Any ideas ?
Thanks in advance.
Hm, the logging looks fine to me, although there are some javascript errors. You should try firebug during the playback.
its a great plugin..........thanks
Terrific plugin... i am amazed by the amount of info. recorded...
Very well done... 10/10 ..
Looking forward to great updates on this ...
Hi,
I really love this plug-in thank you!
However it does not seem to record the drop down menus? is there a way to record these also? thank you
Hi, hm, I guess it's possible that I didn't add drop-downs. Sure, it could be added. I'll make a note.. not sure when I'll get to work on it though.
Thank you Nicolas, that would be great! All my product options are dropdowns so I can't actually see anything my customers are doing. But would love to make use of this plug, great plug! look forward to next update, thank you