After latest update, the plugin creates a page named no access

I have the same problem and hidden this page.

Yeah here too, created a page named “no access”.. it must be something that the plugin does now. It sucks too, because I had no idea that the page was created and now the search engines have found it, which means that I’ll need to add another redirect to my .htaccess file to prevent a bunch of 404 errors.

With all due respect, this is a really, really bad move by the plugin developer, IMHO. Just totally unnecessary.

Taking another look at this plugin, it does WAAAY more than I need, tries to be all things to all users. Think I’ll look around for a download manager that is simpler, more focused, and doesn’t take liberties with the auto-publishing of pages.

Who knows what other weird things this plugin is doing “behind the scenes”.

Sigh.

Just deleted the No Access page, then went into the plugin Settings > Access (tab), and set “No Access Page” to some other page. It doesn’t matter which one because I never use that feature anyway. Would be nice to be able to select the homepage for that option.

By the way, the auto-created page includes a shortcode:

[dlm_no_access]

Which I assume displays some data or whatever for users without access. Why assume that the user needs or wants to display such data, and why not let them add the shortcode wherever they want, IF they decide to use it? Seriously man.

Hey all,

It is correct that the last update created a No Access page. Normally WordPress should not place this in your menu. This only happens if you haven’t created a WordPress menu (under Appearance > Menus) or if you’ve selected to automatically add new pages to the menu.

I’m sorry about the confusion, we did our best to communicate this change towards you. The introduction of the new page is stated in the changelog, has been announced via our newsletter and I’ve written a blog post about why (and that) it’s included in version 1.9.0..

We advise you to not remove the No Access page but the plugin will fallback to it’s older behavior if no No Access page is found.

Kind Regards,

Barry Kooij

Hey Jeff,

Please read my replies to your posts below.

It sucks too, because I had no idea that the page was created and now the search engines have found it, which means that I’ll need to add another redirect to my .htaccess file to prevent a bunch of 404 errors.

If search engines have found this page it’s most likely because of a SEO plugin you have installed. We don’t link to the page anywhere, only redirect when a visitor has no access to a download. You can probably exclude this pages from SEO indexation in your SEO plugin

With all due respect, this is a really, really bad move by the plugin developer, IMHO. Just totally unnecessary.

I disagree, and that’s ok. A ‘no access’ page that integrates better with the theme has been one of the (if not the) most requested features this plugin had in a long time.

Taking another look at this plugin, it does WAAAY more than I need, tries to be all things to all users. Think I’ll look around for a download manager that is simpler, more focused, and doesn’t take liberties with the auto-publishing of pages.

We believe we offering file access management is basic functionality for a download plugin.

Who knows what other weird things this plugin is doing “behind the scenes”.

We do a whole lot behind the scene but nothing of what we do is a secret. Our code is 100% open source so feel free to look at all the code here: https://github.com/download-monitor/download-monitor

By the way, the auto-created page includes a shortcode:

Correct, this outputs dynamic no access content to offer your visitors a better experience.

Which I assume displays some data or whatever for users without access. Why assume that the user needs or wants to display such data, and why not let them add the shortcode wherever they want, IF they decide to use it?

Correct, the shortcode adds dynamic content. We create this automatically because want you to setup as little stuff as possible in order to use the plugin. Why should we require every user to add a page manually that has to be created anyway?

Sigh.

Seriously man.

Let’s try to stay respectful here. I offer and support this WordPress plugin for free, there’s no need to be disrespectful in any way towards me or any other plugin developer.

Hope you got some answers to your questions and concerns.

Kind Regards,

Barry Kooij

Thanks for the reply Barry. Just want to clarify a few points before moving on to more important matters.

We advise you to not remove the No Access page but the plugin will fallback to it’s older behavior if no No Access page is found.

I changed the plugin Settings > Access (tab), and set “No Access Page” to some other page.. is that OK to do? (it seems like that is the purpose of the setting)

If search engines have found this page it’s most likely because of a SEO plugin you have installed. We don’t link to the page anywhere, only redirect when a visitor has no access to a download.

The site is not using any SEO plugins. Have not enabled any setting to “automatically add to menu”. Google found the new page on its own. They sent an alert indicating their discovery of the “No Access” page, which is displayed as a title with no content. Not great from an SEO perspective, so I’ve removed the page and will need to add some sort of redirect or 410 Gone directive (otherwise googlebot will keep requesting that page, over and over and over again — ugh).

A ‘no access’ page that integrates better with the theme has been one of the (if not the) most requested features this plugin had in a long time.

Just because some users are asking for a feature does not mean you must comply. Hopefully next time you will ask yourself if taking the liberty to modify thousands of existing setups is the best possible move. IMHO, it would have been much better to provide an option to add the no-access page if desired.

We create this automatically because want you to setup as little stuff as possible in order to use the plugin.

Creating a Page in WordPress and adding a shortcode is one of the easiest possible things to do. At best, you’re saving the user a few clicks. At worst, you are interfering with the sites/content of thousands of users. Auto-adding a page should have been included as an option, IMHO. You know, make it super-easy IF the user desires it. Think “opt-in” rather than “we know best”.

Why should we require every user to add a page manually that has to be created anyway?

The page doesn’t “have to be created”. I’ve never needed it, and still don’t. It should have been left an option for users who want another page added to their site, IMHO.

Let’s try to stay respectful here. I offer and support this WordPress plugin for free, there’s no need to be disrespectful in any way towards me or any other plugin developer.

I am being perfectly respectful. Sighing and saying “seriously man” is far from showing disrespect. Please read through my comments again. You’ll notice that I’ve said, “with all due respect”, and “IMHO” (which means “in my humble opinion”) numerous times. Being respectful does not mean that I am not allowed to be upset, which I was at the time, because it’s just not cool to take liberties with other people’s content, IMHO and with all due respect.

Additionally, I would like to say that, apart from this one issue, I think the plugin is just super and will continue recommending it in my books and tutorials. Thank you for keeping it alive and available to the WordPress community.

Hey Jeff,

I changed the plugin Settings > Access (tab), and set “No Access Page” to some other page.. is that OK to do? (it seems like that is the purpose of the setting)

That’s fine. It’s optimal if that page contains the shortcode.

The site is not using any SEO plugins. Have not enabled any setting to “automatically add to menu”. Google found….

Very odd. We don’t link to the page so I have no clue how Google could have found this page.

RE: The other comments

Once I’ve created a better way of user on-boarding I’ll integrate the page creation in that. If it’s alright with you I’m not going to discuss the other points further because they’re based on opinions. We disagree and like I said before, that’s ok.

Kind Regards,

Barry Kooij

That’s fine. It’s optimal if that page contains the shortcode.

Thanks for the info. I’ll assume that the shortcode is necessary only if providing any protected downloads. Thus it is totally fine to omit if all downloads are not protected.

Very odd. We don’t link to the page so I have no clue how Google could have found this page.

No idea, but they did find it. I had no idea the page was there, and it was not added to any menu. I’m guessing it was a predictive check based on what they’ve found on similar sites; the plugin does leave an obvious footprint that would enable the inference. For example, if googlebot requests a protected download and is taken to a “No Access” page, that would be sufficient to predict the existence of the same page on other sites running the plugin. Not sure how else they would have found it, as there were absolutely no links pointing to the page.

If it’s alright with you I’m not going to discuss the other points further because they’re based on opinions.

It’s all opinion: mine, yours, and everyone else — just ideas based on experience. I’ve been working with WordPress for over 10 years and can tell you straight up that “opt-in” is a better strategy than taking liberties with user content. It’s disconcerting that you disagree with this idea, but that certainly is your prerogative to do things your own way.

Thanks again for the plugin and support, much appreciated.

I actually love the plugin and works well, so thank you in advance! However since the update, I can not get to my downloads page at all. It redirects back to the homepage. If I can fix this in the .htaccess let me know. I do have to get it fixed for a client!