Block Metrics – Animated State Counter vs Social Pulse

The Animated Counter Block is a dynamic and visually engaging block designed for showcasing numerical data with animation. Ideal for highlighting statistics, metrics, or any numerical value, this block allows for smooth transitions and eye-catching animations that draw attention to key figures on your website. Video Guide How to Use Gutenberg Counter Block Download & Upload: Download the Block Metrics – Animated State Counter plugin (.zip file) In your admin area, go to the Plugins menu and click on Add New Click on Upload Plugin and choose the block-metrics-animated-state-counter.zip file and click on Install Now Activate the plugin and Enjoy! Installation via FTP: Download and upload the Gutenberg Counter Block plugin to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory Activate the plugin through the Plugins menu in WordPress Features Icon & Image: Choose and upload an icon or image from your WordPress media library. Prefix & Suffix: Add customizable prefixes and suffixes around the count number for added context or style. Varied Layouts: The counter block offers multiple layout options, allowing you to easily switch between different designs and customize them to suit your needs. Counters Duration: Specify the duration of the counter to control how quickly or slowly the numbers transition. Styling Options: Tailor the appearance of the counter with flexible styling options, including font size, color, and alignment and more. Animation style: Choose from a variety of animation styles to make your counter stand out and engage visitors. Responsive Design: The counter displays perfectly across all devices and screen sizes. Easy Integration: Seamlessly integrates into your Gutenberg editor, allowing for quick and efficient content updates. Use of 3rd party services This plugin uses the following third-party services and libraries: Google Fonts API Description: Google Fonts provides web-safe fonts for web projects. Purpose: Used to enhance typography styles in the counter block. Link: Google Fonts Documentation Licensing: Google Fonts are open-source and licensed under the SIL Open Font License, 1.1. Google Sheets API Description: This plugin integrates with the Google Sheets API to store form submissions directly into a Google Sheet. Purpose: Used to store the plugin deactivation reasons Link: Google Sheets API Documentation Privacy Notice: By using this feature, you may be subject to Google’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Requirements Gutenberg block Editor WordPress (Ofcourse!) Feedback Did you like this plugin? Dislike it? Do you have a feature request? Please share your feedback with us

Social Pulse … is a WP plugin showing follower counts from YouTube, Facebook, X, and Steam. It uses Leader/Follower modes to reduce API requests. General Idea Social Pulse retrieves follower numbers from multiple platforms and displays them via WordPress shortcodes. In Leader mode, the plugin directly makes API requests to obtain the latest values, which are then cached and exposed at a dedicated URL. In Follower mode, the plugin skips direct API calls and instead retrieves the pre-fetched data from the Leader instance. * Screenshot Leader-Mode * Screenshot Follower-Mode Try it out! Download the ZIP Navigate to the WordPress Playground Go to the “Plugins” page Click “Add New Plugin” Click “Upload Plugin” Select the ZIP and click “Install Now” Click “Activate Plugin” The plugin should now be visible at the bottom of the WordPress menu. Leader and Follower Mode Leader Mode: In this mode, Social Pulse performs the actual API calls to get the latest follower counts and caches these values. The current values are also exposed at a special URL (e.g. /social-counters/values), which can be used by Follower instances. Follower Mode: Follower mode is designed to minimize API calls on installations that do not need to fetch data directly. Instead of making API requests, the plugin retrieves the cached values from the Leader URL. This is particularly useful when dealing with strict API rate limits. How to Use Social Pulse in Leader Mode Activate Leader Mode: In the plugin settings, select Leader as the mode. Configure API Credentials: Enter your API keys, tokens, and IDs for YouTube, Facebook, X, and Steam in the respective fields. Save Changes: Make sure to save your settings. Retrieve Values: The plugin will automatically fetch and cache the current follower counts. The exposed values URL (displayed on the settings page) can be used by Follower installations. How to Use Social Pulse in Follower Mode Activate Follower Mode: In the plugin settings, select Follower as the mode. Enter Leader URL: Provide the URL from a Leader installation (the URL where the leader exposes its cached values). Save Changes: Save your settings to store the Leader URL. Automatic Data Fetch: The plugin will now retrieve the follower values from the Leader URL every 5 minutes or whenever manually tested. Direct API requests are disabled in this mode. Where to Find the Necessary Information For each platform, you will need to obtain API keys, tokens, or IDs. Here are some helpful links to get you started: YouTube: YouTube Data API v3 – Getting Started (Find your API key and channel ID here.) Facebook: Facebook for Developers, Long Lasting Tokens for Clients (Learn how to create an app, get an access token, and locate your Page ID.) X (formerly Twitter): X Developer Platform, Generating and Using an App-Only Bearer-Token (Obtain a Bearer Token and set up your developer credentials.) Steam: Steam Web API Documentation (Find information on obtaining your Steam App ID and using the API.) External services WordPress guidelines require that the use of external services is clearly statet. Although this is the sole purpose of this plugin I hereby state the following external service usage: * Youtube API (https://www.googleapis.com/youtube/v3/channels) The Youtube API is used to receive the youtube followers of the account the “Youtube API Key” belongs to. * Steam API (https://api.steampowered.com/ISteamUserStats/GetNumberOfCurrentPlayers/v1/) The Steam API is used to receive the current players of the Steam app with the “Steam App ID” you enter. * Facebook API (https://graph.facebook.com/v22.0/) The Facebook API is used to gather fan or follower count of the facbook page with the “Facebook Page ID” you enter. * X API (https://api.twitter.com/2/users/by/username/) The X API is used to gather the follower count of the account with the “X Username” you enter.