I’ve had the privilege of reviewing a number of completely different plugins created by CreativeMinds, similar to the CM ToolTip Glossary and CM Options. So when one different of their plugins bought right here all through my desk, I wanted to try it out. This time, I acquired my arms on CM Downloads Supervisor Skilled and two points impressed me instantly: It’s intuitive, and it’s acceptable with the other CM plugins I’ve examined.
CM Downloads Supervisor is a free and premium plugin for WordPress meaning which you can set what clients can every add and acquire to and out of your web site. It helps a variety of recordsdata from paperwork to music recordsdata and permits for password security, retail retailer checkout integration, file previews, and additional.
Let’s try a number of of what this plugin has to produce.
Potential Makes use of
The CM Downloads Supervisor plugin has a variety of potential makes use of, numerous which might be outlined on CMinds’ web site. Nonetheless, I believed it was essential to say them proper right here on account of it provides context for the setup course of.
Let’s say you want to promote plugins of your private. It’s possible you’ll use this plugin to password defend downloads of the plugin recordsdata and mix it with an e-commerce decision. Or, for those who want to present downloads of music recordsdata you’ve created, you can merely accomplish that as quickly as people enroll as clients. It’s possible you’ll even present free downloadable white papers this trend. One thing you’d like clients to acquire might presumably be offered merely and securely this trend.
Free Mannequin Choices
The free mannequin, which is obtainable for acquire throughout the plugin itemizing on WordPress.org, comprises pretty a few choices you can put to utilize immediately along with:
- Get hold of lessons
- View rely on each acquire
- A help dialogue board for each acquire
- The flexibleness to vote on each acquire
- Customizable template
- Image preview
- Inside search engine for downloads
- Prospects can observe downloads
- Prospects can opt-in or out of electronic message notifications for questions submitted through the help boards:
As you can see, that’s merely the basics. In case you intend on offering a feature-rich downloading experience, you’ll need the skilled mannequin.
Skilled Mannequin Choices
CM Downloads Supervisor Skilled presents a wide range of choices, so please bear with me as I try and go over all of them. For starters, you can add second diploma lessons, which could be very helpful do you have to’re offering a wide range of downloads. There’s multisite help and chances are you’ll filter search outcomes by further variables like date, acquire kind, and username. You can also use custom-made CSS, eliminate the CMinds Gratitude message throughout the footer on acquire pages, and modify permalinks as you see match. You’ll even set a disclaimer to first-time clients about your downloads.
Previous these regular choices, you moreover get bigger entry administration and moderation selections throughout the Skilled mannequin. Set individual group permissions and file all downloads by registered along with non-registered clients. You’ll have the selection to then view this log by date, acquire title, or individual and export it by the use of CSV file format. You can also set view restrictions on each acquire. Some is also on the market to all people whereas others is probably solely viewable to those who are logged in. One different necessary attribute the Skilled mannequin comprises is password security:
Furthermore, set add restrictions, request clients’ names and electronic message addresses sooner than allowing downloads, and profit from geolocation info on each acquire. There’s a great deal of help for shortcodes, too, equal to downloads, a downloaded objects report widget, updates, excessive contributors and related downloads.
One issue I truly appreciated about this plugin is the ability to fully customise the acquire pages. You’ll set an exterior URL or maybe a shortcode for a acquire in its place of importing a file – which is admittedly useful when integrating with a buying cart plugin. You can also resolve to point out further tabs on each internet web page to current downloads fuller descriptions. Add view counts, a slide current, and a social sharing widget, too.
On the help dialogue board entrance, the Skilled mannequin offers the ability to remove the help dialogue board altogether or present further tabs. You’ll set the best way you want suggestions to be displayed, permit moderation of suggestions, and robotically approve suggestions from verified clients:
Add hyperlinks to Google Docs or embed an MP3 participant for music recordsdata:
Or embed an MP4 participant for video recordsdata:
Lastly, there’s a great deal of further individual administration choices, like the ability to mix registration with social media profiles along with Fb, Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Microsoft Reside. Public individual profiles and Gravatar and BuddyPress integration are moreover included. You’ll view a demo of all of this in movement over on the CMinds web site.
Setting It Up
Technique the setup course of for this plugin the similar as you’d one other. Merely add the plugin by importing it by the use of .zip file throughout the admin dashboard. After stepping into your activation key, you will need to see this menu on the left hand facet of the dashboard:
Then go to the “Settings” hyperlink and set your permalinks beneath the Regular tab. Then select what file extensions you’d like to permit to be uploaded and description entry settings for patrons. Principally, resolve which clients you’d allow so as to add recordsdata. Sometimes, merely editors or just administrators are given this permission. It’s most interesting to look after this upfront so that you just’re not left fiddling with it later. Save your changes then click on on “Add New” in order so as to add your first acquire. You’ll be taken to the Add New Get hold of variety:
The form moreover comprises fields for together with an in depth description of the acquire and arrange instructions. You can also add a change log, screenshots, password security, and opt-in for help question notifications:
Once you enter all of this information and reserve it, you can modify it later by the use of your individual dashboard:
As you can see, you have gotten the selection to edit, delete, or unpublish your downloads. That’s moreover the place you can view what variety of downloads each merchandise has acquired. When all is alleged and completed, the online web page that lists out all of your on the market downloads will look one factor like this:
This plugin presents a ton of choices and I extraordinarily advocate you poke spherical to your self to uncover all of the items. Truly, there’s far an extreme quantity of to cowl proper right here nonetheless I hope this has given you as a minimum a broad view of how the plugin works, why its useful, and why I prefer to suggest it.
CM Downloads Supervisor Skilled will not be for everyone. In the end, not all people has a necessity to produce downloads on their internet sites. Nonetheless for a lot of who do, this is usually a comparatively low-cost, simple to rearrange and easy to utilize decision. Setting permissions is simple and will likely be modified at any time. Likewise, you can arrange how downloads are launched, and have the selection of along with social sharing, Gravatars, previews, and additional. All in all, a fairly useful plugin for these searching for to enterprise into the downloads market, do you have to ask me.
