AmazoLinkenator

Description

AmazoLinkenator will automatically (without any effort on your part) add your Amazon Affiliate code to any Amazon (Zon) URLs. This will happen for pages, posts, and comments (depending on your settings). Because you don’t have to do anything special to affiliate a Zon URL, this plugin is great for sites with lots of authors or commenters.

No extra steps are needed to add your affiliate code. Just paste the Zon link in the page/post/comment, and Publish. Your Zon Affiliate link will automatically be added to the product URL. You can use different Affiliate codes at any time; the new code will only affect newly saved content.

And AmazoLinkenator also works with any Zon product links that your site commenters or authors might add. If anyone includes a link in their comment that has their Zon Affiliate code, it will be replaced with your affiliate code. All automatically! A counter on the Settings screen keeps track of Affiliate code insertions.

URLs are affiliated only when posts/pages/comments are saved/updated/submitted. Any prior content will use the current affiliate code if it is re-saved (unless you have enabled the URL Shortener option.)

It’s easy to set up. Install and activate the plugin, then go to the Settings page. Add your Amazon Affiliate code, check a few boxes, and save. All done! All new or updated entries will now have your Amazon Affiliate code.

Plus, there’s an option to automatically shorten the URL. This is great for ‘hiding’ your Zon Affilliate link code. You just need a free Bit.ly Generic Access Token from https://affiliate-program.Zon.com/gp/associates/network/main.html . A Validate button is available to check for a valid Bit.ly API key.

Get your Bit.ly Generic Access Token from https://bitly.com/a/create_oauth_app .

Screenshots

  • Shows the AmazoLinkenator Settings screen, found on the Settings, 'AmazoLinkenator Settings' screen. (assets/screenshot-01.jpg) (You'll have to enter your Zon Affiliate code, and optionally your Bit.ly Generic Access Token key. Links to get those are on the Settings screen.)

Installation

This section describes how to install the plugin and get it working.

  1. Download the zip file, uncompress, then upload to /wp-content/plugins/ directory. Or install via the Add Plugin page.
  2. Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress.
  3. Change settings in Settings, ‘AmazoLinkenator Settings’ to your requirements.
  • Note: do a “Save” on the AmazoLinkenator Settings page once after an upgrade to ensure all is well; your settings will be preserved.

FAQ

Do I have to do anything special to enable this?

You need to have your own Zon Affiliate code, and set up the two options on the Settings page. If you want to automatically shorten URLs, you’ll need a Bit.ly ‘Generic Access Token’. Links to get those items are on the Settings page. And there is a Validate button to ensure you have a good Bit.ly API key.

What settings are available?

Just a few: your Zon Affiliate code, and checkboxes to enable for posts/pages or comments. Optionally, you can also have the URLs shortened (you’ll need a Bit.ly ‘Generic Access Token’ key).

What if there is already an affiliate code in the Zon URL?

An existing Affiliate code in any Zon URL is replaced with the one that you specify. Once the post/page/comment is (re-)saved, your Affiliate code is inserted. It will be changed to the current Affiliate code on a subsequent save. If you have enabled the URL shortener (optional), any existing amzn.to will be re-affiliated with your Affiliate code.

How do I get an Affiliate code?

Sign up for your affiliate code here: https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/home .

Can I use my affiliate ‘tracking codes’?

Sure! Just enter the tracking code on the plugin’s settings screen.

Can I change my code?

Yes! You can change your code at any time via the Settings screen. Any posts/pages/comments published/saved after that will use your new code.

How do I support your plugin?

There is a check box to allow us to use our tracking code on every 100th link. Every little bit helps.

Or, you could donate via the ‘donate’ button in the sidebar of the Settings page.

Even a postive review on the plugin site will help. Here’s the link: https://wordpress.org/plugins/amazolinkenator/#reviews . We appreciate all reviews.

What if I don’t like how the plugin changes things or there is a problem?

You can just deactivate the plugin. Your settings will be saved if you want to reactivate later.

If you delete the plugin, all settings are removed from the database.

Does the plugin make changes to the database?

The plugin only adds one ‘row’ to the Options database, using standard WordPress functions. The plugin will read the values as needed, minimizing calls to the database to limit any overhead against the database.

Does the plugin require anything extra on the client (visitor) browser?

Not that we are aware of. Everything follows WordPress coding standards. All the user will see are the modified links.

Where can we go for support if there is a problem or question – or a new feature we think will be nifty?

You can use the plugin support page for questions. Or you can contact us directly via the Contact Us page at www.CellarWeb.com . We usually respond within 24 hours (and are usually faster than that).

Here’s the Support page link: https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/amazolinkenator/ .

How much does the plugin cost?

It’s free! But you can donate by letting the plugin use our Zon Affiliate code, which will happen every 100 links. That’s optional, but appreciated! Or there’s the Donate link on the Settings sidebar.

Donations are greatly appreciated, but not required. There is no cost to use this plugin.

What else do you do?

We have a plugin that stops comment spam in it’s tracks. Plus a contact template that does the same thing. Our spam-blocking process doesn’t rely on things that don’t work, like hidden fields, or hard to use Captcha things. You’ll find all the details at our FormSpammerTrap site: http://www.FormSpammerTrap.com .

Or check out the sidebar area of the plugin’s Settings page.

A new plugin – URL Smasher – will shorten all links in your content when saved. All you need is a Bit.ly token, which is free.

We do lots of WordPress sites: implementation, customization, and more. You can find more info at our business site at http://www.CellarWeb.com .

Reviews

There are no reviews for this plugin.

Contributors & Developers

“AmazoLinkenator” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Contributors

Translate “AmazoLinkenator” into your language.

Interested in development?

Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.

Changelog

4.21 (26 Mar 2022)

  • Fixed ‘undefined index’ errors if running PHP 8.0+.

4.20 (11 Feb 2022)

  • Added info on the settings screen that any links that were originally shortened will not be re-shortened if you do not enable shortening – or if you don’t have a bit.ly access token.

4.10 (1 Feb 2022)

  • Improvements/fixes to the URL ‘smashing’ via bit.ly . Works much better now!
  • Removed some unused code and functions.
  • Minor changes to the display of donated and affiliates counter on the Settings screen.
  • Wrong version shown on Settings screen (it showed 4.00, when it was probably 4.01).

4.01 (30 Jan 2022 – later that same day)

  • Removal of override of the ‘p’ font size on the front end. Snuck in there while I wasn’t looking.

4.00 (30 Jan 2022)

  • adjusted the version number for correct version shown in the WP Plugin Repository. Version 3.10 did not show up for some reason. This version should be installed to get the latest code with all of the corrections of version 3.10.

3.10 (30 Jan 2022)

  • Added a default value for the Affilaite code so if the plugin is activated, the affiliate code change process will still work. Added text to the setting to indicate that the site owner’s affiliate should be used instead of the default. (But we don’t mind if you want to use ours 🙂
  • When Settings saved, added admin alert message if ‘shorten’ enabled, but no bit.ly access token. The URL will still have the affiliate tag added, but it won’t be shortend.
  • During the Amazolinkenator process, added a check for no bit.ly access token if shorten checkmark enabled. The URL will still have the affiliate tag added, but it won’t be shortend.
  • Improved the process that ‘donates’ our affiliate tag every 100 URLs processed, if enabled on Settings screen. (Thanks for your support!)
  • Added check for duplicate URLs in the comment text, to ensure that the replacement URL is not processed again.
  • The ‘affiliate counter’ value only counts the unique URL’s when processing a comment.
  • Visual changes to Settings page, with new banners and logo images; updating logos/etc to 2022 versions.
  • CSS changes to Settings screens for better responsiveness for smaller screens.
  • Ensured the CellarWeb logo jpg is included in the Assets folder.
  • Minor code changes and efficiencies to the Settings screen.
  • Removed unneded/obsolete/testing code.

3.01 (25 Jan 2022) (later that same day …)

  • Fixed some arrays that were not ‘quoted’ correctly. Caused errors in PHP 8.x; only ‘warnings’ in PHP 7.x .

3.00 (25 Jan 2022)

  • More efficient and accurate extraction/modification of Zon URLs to add your Affiliate tag.
  • Fixed the display and storage of the counters on the Settings screen. (These counters show the number of affiliate tags changed/added, and the number of ‘donated’ affiliate tags if you have enabled that option.) Previously, the counters were not updated properly.
  • Set the ‘check to donate’ true by default on plugin activation. (When enabled, every 100th affiliate tag will set to our CellarWeb affiliate code.) This helps support our plugin efforts.
  • Standardization of function names.
  • Removed unused or obsolete functions.
  • Added an uninstall.php program that will remove all AmazoLinkenator options if you delete the plugin. Deactivating the plugin does not clear stored options.
  • Some minor CSS changes to the Settings page to line up options and field.
  • Changes to the text on the Settings page, including a sidebar with info about our other plugins and services.
  • External CSS file now used for the Settings page.
  • Minor changes to the sidebar area on the Settings page, including a new donation button and the CellarWeb.com logo.
  • Changes to the readme.txt file, showing additional information about the plugin.
  • Tested with WordPress 5.9 .

2.20 (29 Dec 2019)

  • minor changes and optimizations
  • tested with WordPress 5.3.x

2.10 (1 June 2017)

  • fixed issue with the Test API Key button
  • tested for WP version 4.8

2.01 (28 Jan 2017)

  • added button to test the Bit.ly Access Token
  • changed Bit.ly Access Token info text (next to the field) to alert about the Validate Bit.ly Access Token button
  • some function name changes for consistant pattern
  • minor code efficiencies
  • correction to prior version changelog/update in readme
  • changes to text on the Settings screen to add information about the Validate Bit.ly API Key test button.
  • with the Validate button implemented, jumped from version 1.14 to 2.01.

1.14 (27 Jan 2017)

  • tested for WP 4.7.2
  • changes to banner on settings page to match other http://www.cellarweb.com plugins
  • added H2 placeholder for WP Admin messages above the banner, so they don’t overwrite settings area
  • moved version number to header; no longer a saved setting
  • other textual changes to the Settings page
  • minor code efficiencies, including some debug and unused code

1.13 (10 Jan 2017)

  • some minor code efficienies

1.12 (9 Jan 2017)

  • changed the regex used for extracting URLs from the text to work with German ulauts.

1.11 (4 Jan 2017)

  • added support for all Amazon links, not just .com

1.10a (1 Aug 2016)

  • fixed minor issue with links at end of post/comment not getting affiliate code, or shortened.
  • minor changes to the information on the Settings screen, and the readme file.

1.10 (31 Jul 2016)

  • added ability to uncompress amzn.to links to ensure that the proper affiliate code is used
  • changed and optimized the Affiliate-code-adding section to be more efficient and use WordPress function where available
  • ensures all links are ‘clickable’ by adding the HREF to the text (works on all links)
  • some other code optimizations
  • if there is a duplicate ‘tag’ code for some reason, it will be removed, leaving only the ‘tag’ code with your Affiliate code (this didn’t always work consistently)
  • ensured that any ‘target’ parameters are retained in the URL
  • prevent XSS attacks by santizing all Affiliated URLs (using esc_url_raw() function)
  • better/slightly faster way of updating the counters on the Settings screen
  • minor formatting/style/visual changes to Settings screen

1.02 (xx Dec 2015)

  • internal testing version; never released (sometimes when you make changes that don’t work, it is better to reboot from the last version and try again)

1.01 (16 Dec 2015)

  • Don’t you hate it when a bug creeps in after you do all the testing and then release a revision and then things don’t work right. Yeah, me too. (sigh)
  • Fixed a bug where not all post content would be affiliated. And then tested everything again.

1.00

  • Initial release (15 Dec 2015)
  • Testing to ensure proper behavior with other plugins, like our (shameless plug) “URL Smasher”, which automatically smashes and shortens URLs

0.9x

  • internal testing versions, fixed various bug fixes during testing, added features, etc.