CM Download (CMDM) - Use Case - Creating Library of Content From Scratch


Use Case - Creating Content Library From Scratch

Back to User Guides

Note

Note: This guide covers features from the Pro version of CM Downloads - This document uses version 4.3.0

Video Use-Case


Introduction

The  CM Download Manager creates a secure directory of files. Users can download and upload files, all moderated by the admin.

Download Manager Use Case Front-End

Use Case Assumptions

In this example use case guide, we'll cover how to create a download directory from bottom up. It will include audio and video preview, password-protected downloads and more.

We consider that you have already bought the plugin, but not installed it. 

It follows:


Installing The Plugin

The process is the same for all CM plugins.

  • Download the plugin from your customer dashboard
  • Log in to WordPress and navigate to the WordPress Admin  → Plugins settings
  • Click on Add New
  • Activate it and add the license

TIP: Technical Check

After downloading and installing the plugin on your WordPress site, On the WordPress Dashboard Navigate to  CM Downloads → User Guide. Scroll down to System Information.

It should display

  • PHP version greater than .5.4
  • PHP cURL is On
  • PHP upload size greater than 1M

Learn more: CM Download (CMDM) - Getting Started - Quick Start Guide - CreativeMinds Products Documentation


Adding First Download

There is no download directory without downloads! 

Download Dashboard

Every user has a dashboard. It starts empty, but we'll populate it now. 

The link is located on the top of the settings screen.

From your downloads dashboard, you can add your first download by clicking the  Add New button.

Fill in all needed information and upload the file. This includes name and description,

Category, download type, actual files, category, tags, notes, screenshots, thumbnail, and other fields.

TIP: Modifying the Upload Form

You can edit the upload page from Settings → Upload Page tab.

Some of the aspects you can change.

We'll cover some of the features still in this article.

After you finish entering all of the information in the appropriate fields of the New Download form and you save the download, you will receive a notification of the successful upload. 

Click on the  View link to see how your file will appear in the download manager!

Congratulations!

You have uploaded your first file!


Choosing the Allowed File Types

Next, define which file types are permitted in the  Upload Page tab.
Users will only be able to upload these file types. You should separate them by commas. 

Example:

	 zip, doc, docx, pdf,jpg,png

Learn more: CM Download (CMDM) - Downloads - File Extensions and Download / Upload Types - CreativeMinds Products Documentation


Adding Directory Content to The Site

You can use more than the default index page. Let's learn how to configure the index and add widgets.

1) Shortcodes

Shortcodes have attributes that allow them to restrict their content.

Index

Show the index page on other parts of the site.

  • Index page - [cmdm-index]

Example with additional attributes

[cmdm-index tag="pdf,avi,jpg" view="tiles" author="0" sort="newest" limit="10"]

Lists
  • Files list -  [cmdm-files-list]
  • Downloads List -[CMDM-list]
  • Link to the download list page with predefined filters - [cmdm-files-list-link]
Forms
  • Upload form - [cmdm-upload-form]
  • Login form as seen in the CMDM Login Form widget -[cmdm-login-form]
User Elements
  • User's download log - [cmdm-my-logs limit=5]
  • My downloads - [cmdm-my-downloads]
  • Downloads history log [cmdm-my-download-history]

Learn more: CM Download (CMDM) - Shortcodes - Available Shortcodes - CreativeMinds Products Documentation

2) Adding Sidebar widgets

The plugin includes a series of sidebar widgets. You can add them via o  Admin Dashboard → Appearance  Widgets

. Example of the Top Downloads widget.

Complete list:

  • Top Downloads Widget, Tags Widget, Related Downloads Widget, Login Widget,  Downloads List Widget, Download Details Widget, Download Button Widget, Dashboard Links Widget, Frequent Contributors Widget, Search Widget, Download Info, Share Widget.

Learn more: CM Download (CMDM) - Getting Started - Placing the Download Button in The Sidebar (Widgets) - CreativeMinds Products Documentation


Enabling Notification for New Downloads

To adjust the notification settings, first navigate to the Notifications tab under the plugins settings.

Under the  Download section, the admin can create the email template for notifications about new downloads using our supported shortcodes.

Here are several examples of shortcodes that you can use to customize an email message’s content:

New Download Email Notification Shortcodes:
  • [blogname] - name of the blog
  • [title] - new download title
  • [link] - link to download page
  • [author] - uploader name

TIP: Who will Receive New Download Notifications?

Next, the admin can choose who will receive email notifications about new downloads. If the new download has access restricted to chosen groups, chosen users, or the download's category has restricted access to some groups, then you can notify these users about the new download.

  • Choose "Groups' members" if you want to notify the restricted groups members.
  • Choose "Users assigned directly" to notify users assigned directly to downloads.

Learn more: Notifications - User Notifications


Translating Interface

If your site is not in English, that's ok. You can translate the Front-End text (also called labels).

Translated Labels Example


Settings

Navigate to the  Admin Dashboard → CM Downloads Pro → Settings.

Click on the  Labels tab.

In here you can edit all important labels of the plugin, from buttons to headers.

Learn more: Settings - Labels


Improving SEO

The  CM Download Manager plugin comes with a built-in mechanism for optimizing your website's SEO.

Head to Settings → General → SEO 

You can:
  • Enable the rewriting of meta tags. If enabled, CM Download will add an extra meta-tag for the purpose of optimizing SEO. If disabled, then all of the following SEO features will also be disabled.
  • Choose the text which appears on the browser's title bar on the Downloads index page. The careful selection of text for the title bar allows for better search engine positioning. If blank, then the default title will be used.
  • Add a meta description for the index page, which allows for better search engine positioning. 
  • Mark non-canonical pages as noindex and to the contributor page. If enabled, the <meta name="robots" content="noindex"> tag will be added to these pages.

Learn more: CM Download (CMDM) - Extras - SEO Support - CreativeMinds Products Documentation


Adding a Disclaimer

A download disclaimer is a short text that states the terms and conditions for using your site’s download area. 

The admin can control the visibility and functionality of their WordPress download area disclaimer, and add the text of both the disclaimer itself and the accept/reject buttons.

Settings 

Navigate to the  General tab and the Disclaimer section in the CM Download Manager plugin settings.

What should I include in my Download disclaimer?

A download area disclaimer is a short text that states the terms and conditions for using your site’s download area. Users need to accept your terms before downloading files.

You can include  terms of use information, and also additional information about the type of information you provide and collect in your download area. It's important to use a clear language to ensure your audience understands all the implications of utilizing your service.


More information about the CM Download Manager WordPress Plugin

Other WordPress products can be found at CreativeMinds WordPress Store

Let us know how we can Improve this Product Documentation Page

To open a Support Ticket visit our support center
Did this answer your question? Thanks for the feedback There was a problem submitting your feedback. Please try again later.