Stopped working with WP 4.8

Same issue here since I updated plugin to 2.8 on June 21st 2017. Plugin still works (hides widgets), but the checkboxes in each widget to show or hide on site pages, disappeared.

Also, the plugin doesn’t seem to be available anymore on WP’s plugins repository.

Anyone out there with an older version of Display Widgets?

@drachsi, the plugin creator @displaywidgets, suggested a workaround which worked just fine for me:

1. add any widget to your sidebar
2. click the SAVE button
3. the display options should appear soon after you save
4. check the options/pages you like
5. save again

Yes that worked. I just saved all my widgets and the the options came up. many Thanks.
Drachsi

You can upgrade to a forked version of the plugin: https://www.ads-software.com/support/topic/upgrading-the-display-widgets-plugin-to-the-display-widgets-seo-plus-plugin/

Works the same as the old 2.05 version with bug fixes and new widget logic features.

David

You are to be thanked and congratulated for your support. Going to make the changes soon and will post the results, but as you have tested, I think there will be no problem.
Regards
drachsi

Thanks @seo-dave; just switched from Display Widgets to Display Widgets SEO Plus, and it works like a charm on my end. I’m going to completely remove Display Widgets. Can you confirm this won’t eraise all settings for Display Widgets SEO Plus?

• This reply was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by nikkoboy.

Worked perfect, Thanks again
Regards
Drachsi

@nikkoboy

Yes, you can safely delete the Display Widgets plugins and your settings won’t be lost.

David

@seo-dave, I understand that you want to drive traffic to your plugin by bashing mine, but let’s try to work together instead of pointing fingers and blaming others, can we? I decided to take over this plugin simply because I used for a while, and seeing that the original developer was not updating it anymore made me think about the potential that this feature could have, and how it could be improved. I did it with no short term plan to make any money, it’s basically just the same passion that drives thousands of developers around the world to contribute to the open source community. So, with this in mind, can we collaborate and work together on improving the plugin instead of doing what you’re doing? Thank you!

@displaywidget

Thanks very much for the insult!

You paid money for the Display Widgets plugin from the original developer: few people would buy a plugin without a long term plan to recuperate their investment.

Your 2.6 update (which added new bugs) broke multiple WordPress Plugin Repository rules (appeared you were tracking users IP addresses without their permission**: that’s valuable user data and there was no way to turn it off) resulting in WordPress deleting the Display Widgets plugin.

You’ve been dark (not answering support requests, no posts here at all) for about a week, no one knew what would happen to this plugin and I was the only person around offering any support (would it have been better to be quiet?). IF my intention was to drive traffic to the much better Display Widgets SEO Plus Plugin I’d have actually trashed the 2.6 code a heck of a lot more than what I’ve posted.

Users didn’t know what to do, through various support threads I recommended either downgrading to the old 2.05 version or upgrade to my version (the easier and without knowing if this plugin would be reinstated the best solution) : in some of my responses I suggested both at the same time including linking to the 2.05 zip file giving users a choice.

** Had a quick look at the code and the new 2.6.1 version appears to still track users IP addresses, but the site owner has to activate the feature under the plugins admin page. If the calls to https://geoip2.io/api/ (within the code of the geolocation.php file) are doing what I think they are doing you can track users by IP address gathering valuable data you can use/sell.

I’ll ask outright, are you tracking and/or storing the data?

David

Thanks very much for the insult!

I’m sorry, how is an offer to collaborate an insult? I am not used to feed trolls, so I will not reply to your attacks anymore, as they are going to clog this forum with silly stuff, instead of leaving room for ACTUAL support requests. Thanks anyway and good luck with your plugin.

Cheers!

@displaywidget

You wrote this half a dozen times:

@seo-dave, I understand that you want to drive traffic to your plugin by bashing mine, but let’s try to work together instead of pointing fingers and blaming others, can we?

You’ve accused me of trying to drive traffic to my plugin, that’s an insult!

Now you are calling me a troll, so thanks again for another insult!

I was in the process of writing a detailed response as to why the geolocation feature could get a site pennalzed by Google (trying to help you out), but I won’t bother now. I’ll wait for the inevitable complaints when Display Widgets users see their SERPs drop due to hidden content penalties.

I note you didn’t respond to “I’ll ask outright, are you tracking and/or storing the data?”

Are you tracking and/or storing the data?

If not, say so, if you are that opens another can of worms related to EU laws etc… https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/apr/14/european-parliament-approve-tougher-data-privacy-rules

You can’t track users data without their expressed permission, this is not a simple case of getting the site owner to click a link to active the geolocation code (that gets you over the WordPress Plugin Repository requirement), you need the permission from those who’s data you are tracking and storing (selling?) (even collecting and not storing is an issue).

If you are doing what I think you are doing I believe your plugin users would have to add a notification (similar to this https://stallion-theme.co.uk/privacy-policy/ added for advertising via AdSense etc…) their users data is being tracked and stored at https://geoip2.io/ You haven’t added this to the plugin, so Display Widget users who activate this feature could be breaking EU and other country laws.

David

@nikkoboy

Apologies for the delay. Please consider that it is Independence Day weekend here in the United States, and even plugin developers deserve to spend some quality time with their families, don’t you think? I am in process of sorting things out with WordPress moderators, after having been reported for violation of the guidelines TWICE.

Look, rest assured that even if I have been developing plugins for quite some time, I’m still learning the procedures and restrictions of having something hosted on the public WP repository. This is a thankless job, that I do in my spare time because I LOVE this plugin (I’ve been using it for my own sites for a while), and I was really sad to see it die with such a great userbase.

I hope you will cut me some slack. Version 2.6.2 has already been committed to the repo, now it’s just a matter of having it approved and reopened by the moderators.

I just recently understood that I could access these forums even if the plugin was “closed” to the public, so please forgive me if I did not reply right away. Note that I am trying my best to get this resolved and to get over these initial bumps with the minimal amount of damage for the community.

Regarding the plugin being removed from the repo two times, the whole situation is just a misunderstanding, and I am sure it will get resolved pretty soon. In order to geolocate IP addresses, I decided to use Ip2location. However, they only offer up to 50 daily requests for each source, so you understand how that would not work for implement the functionality to hide widget by country, unless i start saving ip=country in your local database, which would make it very big.

So I registered address geoip2.io to provide service for “unlimited” requests. I purchased ip2location Pachage for a project of mine a while ago, so I can use with no problem, as long as I do not sell similar service to ip2location.

My hosting provider, of course, has apache log Enabled, so technically yes, they/i have access to IP addresses of those using service. But if you explain to me how I can monetize this, I will do it ?? because I haven’t found a way to turn an apache log into cash haha. This seems to be what other users are suggesting here, but clearly it’s not the case. Why do I collect also website URL? Because I want to run analytics on this information and see if some websites are abusing of this FREE service, and maybe implement a blacklist, or eventually do something where those who exceed a certain amount of requests will need to purchase a license directly from IP2Location. See where I’m going with this? Also because, again, what else could I do with this information? If you explain how I can make money by just collecting IP and URL, please tell me… I have a big family to feed ??

As you can see, I am doing my best to collaborate with users and moderators, and I’m sorry that people think I try to take advantage of something.

Thank you for your support and patience! Together as a community, we can do better. No need to start pointing fingers and getting upset at each other!

Where can I download a copy of Display Widgets SEO Plus Plugin