SlimStat

FAQ

You’ve got questions, We’ve got answers.

How can I change the colors associated to color-coded pageviews (known user, known visitors, search engines, etc)?

Go to Slimstat > Settings > Reports tab and paste your custom CSS into the corresponding field. Use the following code as a reference:

[id^=slim_] .header.is-search-engine, .is-search-engine{
	background-color:#c1e751;
	color:#444;
}

[id^=slim_] .header.is-direct, .is-direct{
	background-color:#d0e0eb;
	color:#111;
}

[id^=slim_] .header.is-known-user,.is-known-user{
	background-color:#F1CF90;
}

[id^=slim_] .header.is-known-visitor,.is-known-visitor{
	background-color:#EFFD8C;
}

[id^=slim_] .header.is-spam,.is-spam{
	background-color:#AAB3AB;
	color:#222;
}

Do we need any technical resources on our side?

No, you don't. You only will provide us with the API. The gateway is always will be updated on our side. You can see our latest commits here.

How does Slimstat collects all the information about my visitors?

This is how Slimstat collects its data about visitors and pageviews:
  1. When a page is dynamically generated by WordPress, an event (a "hook" in WordPress terminology) invokes the tracker [1]
  2. The tracker analyzes the request, and captures all the information received from the web server (IP address, URL of the resource, cookies, etc)
  3. Based on the options configured by the administrator, Slimstat makes the appropriate decisions on how to treat/manipulate this information
  4. If this request doesn't match any of the filters in the various blacklists available, Slimstat stores the manipulated information in wp_slim_stats

Server and Client Mode

In "Server Mode", Slimstat executes the steps here above before the page is sent to the visitor; while in "Client Mode", a Javascript file is added to the page source code, and this will trigger the steps above AFTER the page has been loaded by the browser (similarly to what Google Analytics does). There are pros and cons in both approaches, and we decided to let the user decide which one works best for their specific case/needs. The report engine retrieves the information from the database and, executing a predetermined list of SQL queries, calculates all the metrics that compose all the reports visualized in the admin. The report engine is also responsible for parsing all the filters (browser equals Firefox, Permalink contains /articles/, etc) and converting them to SQL code to be used during the requests. [1] http://codex.wordpress.org/Plugin_API/Action_Reference

Where can I find a legend that explains what those color-coded entries mean?

Some reports have a little triangle icon, which is used to convey contextual information about the data in that report. Simply hover over this icon to reveal a tooltip with the information. In the Access Log, the little visual clue can be hovered to access the legend that explains how to read the color-coded entries.

You can also customize the colors under Settings > Reports. Please check this article to learn more about this feature.

I am using W3 Total Cache (or WP Super Cache, HyperCache, etc), and it looks like Slimstat is not tracking all of my visitors.

Go to Slimstat > Settings > General and set Tracking Mode to Client Side. Don't forget to invalidate/clear your plugin's cache, to let Slimstat add its tracking code to all the newly cached pages. Also, if you're using W3 Total Cache, make sure to exclude wp-slimstat.min.js from the minifier: our code is already minified, and it looks like W3TC breaks something when it tries to minify it again.

How do I use all those filters in the dropdown menu?

Here's a brief description of what they mean. Please remember that you can access the same information directly from within the admin, by 'pulling' the Help tab that should appear in the top right-hand corner.

Basic filters:

  • browser: user agent (Firefox, Chrome, ...)
  • country code: 2-letter code (us, ru, de, it, ...)
  • referring domain: domain name of the referrer page (i.e., https://www.google.com if a visitor was coming from Google)
  • ip: visitor's public IP address
  • search terms: keywords visitors used to find your website on a search engine
  • language code: please refer to the language culture names (first column) for more information
  • operating system: accepts identifiers like win7, win98, macosx, ...; please refer to this manual page for more information about these codes
  • permalink: URL accessed on your site
  • referrer: complete URL of the referrer page
  • visitor's name: visitor's name according to the cookie set by WordPress after leaving a comment

Advanced filters:

  • browser capabilities: plugins or extensions installed by that user (flash, java, silverlight...)
  • browser version: user agent version (9.0, 11, ...)
  • browser type: 1 = search engine crawler, 2 = mobile device, 3 = syndication reader, 0 = all others
  • color depth: visitor's screen's color depth (8, 16, 24, ...)
  • css version: what CSS standard was supported by that browser (1, 2, 3, and other integer values)
  • pageview attributes: this field is set to [pre] if the resource has been accessed through Link Prefetching or similar techniques
  • post author: author associated to that post/page when the resource was accessed
  • post category id: ID of the category/term associated to the resource, when available
  • private ip: visitor's private IP address, if available
  • resource content type: post, page, cpt:custom-post-type, attachment, singular, post_type_archive, tag, taxonomy, category, date, author, archive, search, feed, home; please refer to the Conditional Tags manual page for more information
  • screen resolution: viewport width and height (1024x768, 800x600, ...)
  • visit id: generally used in conjunction with 'is not empty', identifies human visitors

Can I set up SlimStat for multiple websites?

Absolutely! SlimStat can be configured for multiple sites. After purchasing the appropriate license, you can track all your websites from one central location. Just go to SlimStat > Settings on each site to set up.

What kind of data does SlimStat collect?

SlimStat captures a wide range of data, including page visits, referrer sources, search terms, visitor countries, device types, and more. It’s designed to give you a comprehensive view of your website's traffic.

Is SlimStat GDPR compliant?

Yes, we prioritize your visitors' privacy. SlimStat can be configured to comply with GDPR and other privacy regulations by anonymizing IP addresses and offering opt-out features for visitors.

How does SlimStat affect my website’s performance?

We’ve optimized SlimStat to ensure minimal impact on your site’s speed. Our efficient coding and server-side processing mean that tracking happens behind the scenes without slowing down your user experience.

Can I export reports from SlimStat?

Of course! You can export your SlimStat reports into Excel format for further analysis or to share with your team. Just click the export button in the report view.