Post Views Count | Post Views Tracking with Shortcode and Admin Column and Elementor Support

/*

Description: 

Enhance your WordPress site with a post view tracking system. This snippet uses a one-hour cookie to avoid inflating counts, offers a get_post_views() function for developers, a [post_views] shortcode for users, and adds a sortable "Views" column to your post list in the admin.

Key elements covered in these descriptions:

✨ Core Functionality: Tracking post views. metakey "post_views_counting"

✨ Prevention of Duplicate Counts: Creates a cookie for 1 hour to avoid multiple counting from current user.

✨ Display Options: Shortcode [post_views] for front-end, sortable column in admin.

✨ Additionally, it supports Elementor Pro — just set the Query ID to 'views_sort' in any Posts or Loop Grid widget to display your most viewed posts first.

✨ Show view count in admin bar.

✨ Ease of Use: Simple implementation.

✨ Benefits: Understanding content popularity, tracking engagement.

Want to show trending posts ticker? 

You can get the snippet "WordPress Trending Posts | Popular Posts Ticker Shortcode" from Snippets Library.

*/

// Function to track post views

function track_post_views($post_id) {

    if (!is_single() || (is_user_logged_in() && current_user_can('manage_options'))) {

    return;

	}

    $key = 'post_views_counting';

    $current_views = get_post_meta($post_id, $key, true);

    $current_views = $current_views ? $current_views : 0;

    // Prevent multiple views in a short period

    $cookie_name = 'post_viewed_' . $post_id;

    if (!isset($_COOKIE[$cookie_name])) {

        setcookie($cookie_name, 'true', time() + 3600, '/'); // Expires in 1 hour

        update_post_meta($post_id, $key, $current_views + 1);

    }

}

// Hook into WordPress template

function track_views_on_single_post() {

    if (is_single()) {

        global $post;

        track_post_views($post->ID);

    }

}

add_action('wp', 'track_views_on_single_post');

// Function to display view count

function get_post_views($post_id) {

    $key = 'post_views_counting';

    $views = get_post_meta($post_id, $key, true);

    return $views ? $views : 0;

}

// Shortcode to display post views

function post_views_shortcode($atts) {

    global $post;

    return get_post_views($post->ID);

}

add_shortcode('post_views', 'post_views_shortcode');

// Add post views column to admin

function add_views_column($columns) {

    $columns['post_views'] = 'Views';

    return $columns;

}

add_filter('manage_posts_columns', 'add_views_column');

function display_views_column($column_name, $post_id) {

    if ($column_name === 'post_views') {

        echo get_post_views($post_id);

    }

}

add_action('manage_posts_custom_column', 'display_views_column', 10, 2);

// Make the 'Views' column sortable

add_filter('manage_edit-post_sortable_columns', function($columns) {

    $columns['post_views'] = 'post_views_counting'; // 'post_views' is column ID, 'post_views_counting' is meta_key

    return $columns;

});

// Sort by post_views_counting meta key

add_action('pre_get_posts', function($query) {

    if (!is_admin() || !$query->is_main_query()) return;

    if ($query->get('orderby') === 'post_views_counting') {

        $query->set('meta_key', 'post_views_counting');

        $query->set('orderby', 'meta_value_num');

    }

});

//Show in admin bar

add_action('admin_bar_menu', 'mb_add_post_views_to_admin_bar', 100);

function mb_add_post_views_to_admin_bar($admin_bar) {

    if (!is_admin() && is_singular()) {

        global $post;

        if (!$post instanceof WP_Post) return;

        // Optional: Restrict to users who can edit posts

        if (!current_user_can('edit_post', $post->ID)) return;

        $views = get_post_meta($post->ID, 'post_views_counting', true);

        $views = $views ? $views : 0;

        $admin_bar->add_node([

            'id'    => 'post_views_count',

            'title' => '👁 Views: ' . number_format_i18n($views),

            'meta'  => ['title' => 'This post has been viewed ' . number_format_i18n($views) . ' times']

        ]);

    }

}

// Only run this if Elementor Pro is active

function mb_add_post_views_sorting_for_elementor() {

    // Check if Elementor is loaded and the required function exists

    if ( ! did_action('elementor/loaded') || ! function_exists('elementor_pro_load_plugin') ) {

        return;

    }

    // Add the custom query handler

    add_action('elementor/query/views_sort', function($query) {

        $query->set('meta_key', 'post_views_counting');

        $query->set('orderby', 'meta_value_num');

    });

}

add_action('init', 'mb_add_post_views_sorting_for_elementor');

// Function to track post views

function track_post_views($post_id) {

    if (!is_single() || (is_user_logged_in() && current_user_can('manage_options'))) {

    return;

	}

    $key = 'post_views_counting';

    $current_views = get_post_meta($post_id, $key, true);

    $current_views = $current_views ? $current_views : 0;

    // Prevent multiple views in a short period

    $cookie_name = 'post_viewed_' . $post_id;

    if (!isset($_COOKIE[$cookie_name])) {

        setcookie($cookie_name, 'true', time() + 3600, '/'); // Expires in 1 hour

        update_post_meta($post_id, $key, $current_views + 1);

    }

}

// Hook into WordPress template

function track_views_on_single_post() {

    if (is_single()) {

        global $post;

        track_post_views($post->ID);

    }

}

add_action('wp', 'track_views_on_single_post');

// Function to display view count

function get_post_views($post_id) {

    $key = 'post_views_counting';

    $views = get_post_meta($post_id, $key, true);

    return $views ? $views : 0;

}

// Shortcode to display post views

function post_views_shortcode($atts) {

    global $post;

    return get_post_views($post->ID);

}

add_shortcode('post_views', 'post_views_shortcode');

// Add post views column to admin

function add_views_column($columns) {

    $columns['post_views'] = 'Views';

    return $columns;

}

add_filter('manage_posts_columns', 'add_views_column');

function display_views_column($column_name, $post_id) {

    if ($column_name === 'post_views') {

        echo get_post_views($post_id);

    }

}

add_action('manage_posts_custom_column', 'display_views_column', 10, 2);

// Make the 'Views' column sortable

add_filter('manage_edit-post_sortable_columns', function($columns) {

    $columns['post_views'] = 'post_views_counting'; // 'post_views' is column ID, 'post_views_counting' is meta_key

    return $columns;

});

// Sort by post_views_counting meta key

add_action('pre_get_posts', function($query) {

    if (!is_admin() || !$query->is_main_query()) return;

    if ($query->get('orderby') === 'post_views_counting') {

        $query->set('meta_key', 'post_views_counting');

        $query->set('orderby', 'meta_value_num');

    }

});

//Show in admin bar

add_action('admin_bar_menu', 'mb_add_post_views_to_admin_bar', 100);

function mb_add_post_views_to_admin_bar($admin_bar) {

    if (!is_admin() && is_singular()) {

        global $post;

        if (!$post instanceof WP_Post) return;

        // Optional: Restrict to users who can edit posts

        if (!current_user_can('edit_post', $post->ID)) return;

        $views = get_post_meta($post->ID, 'post_views_counting', true);

        $views = $views ? $views : 0;

        $admin_bar->add_node([

            'id'    => 'post_views_count',

            'title' => '👁 Views: ' . number_format_i18n($views),

            'meta'  => ['title' => 'This post has been viewed ' . number_format_i18n($views) . ' times']

        ]);

    }

}