Reports · Metrics
Metrics
Every measure that appears in The Rivale Diff, in plain words. Open an entry with the plus sign for the window it covers, how it is computed and the issue that carries it. Figures themselves are published in the issues.
Downloads
4 measuresMeasure
Definition
Download volumeThe total number of plugin downloads recorded in a week, including downloads generated by updates.
The trailing year, as a series of full weeks.
Weekly download counts published on each plugin listing, summed across the population. Downloads include updates, so a release adds downloads from the existing install base. Definition page
Download changeThe change in a plugin's downloads in the report month against the previous month.
The report month against the previous month, on the same number of full weeks.
Downloads in the report month divided by downloads in the previous month, per plugin. Plugins without measurable downloads in both months are excluded, and the count of plugins measured is stated with the figure. Definition page
Download change by categoryThe median download change of plugins carrying a given tag, for tags with 100 or more plugins.
The report month against the previous month, on the same number of full weeks.
The median of the per-plugin download change across the plugins carrying the tag. Tags are declared by plugin authors, and a plugin carrying several tags is counted in each. Definition page
Updates and download changeThe median download change of plugins grouped by the number of releases they made in the report month.
The report month. Releases and download change are both measured on it, download change against the previous month.
Plugins are placed in groups by popularity rank at the end of the prior month, then within each rank by release count in the report month, 0, 1 to 2, or 3 or more, then the median download change is taken within each group. The pairing is an association and not a cause: a release generates downloads of its own. Definition page
Releases and updates
3 measuresMeasure
Definition
Update rateThe share of plugins that released at least one update during a calendar month.
The report month, shown beside the same figure for the previous month.
Plugins whose version changed at least once in the month, divided by the plugins ranked at that level. A release that does not change the version string is not counted. A plugin releasing several updates counts once. Definition page
Plugin support for WordPress versionsThe share of plugins declaring support for a given WordPress version in the author-declared "tested up to" field.
A single date, the last day of the report month, and the number of days since the WordPress release it concerns. An issue may also show the number of plugins newly declaring the version each week of the report month.
Plugins naming the version in the "tested up to" field, divided by the plugins in the population. The field is declared by the plugin author and not verified, so the measure records what an author states, not a test result. Definition page
Two years without an updateThe share of listed plugins whose most recent release is two years old or older at a stated date.
A single date, the last day of the report month.
Plugins whose last release date is 24 months or more before the stated date, divided by the plugins listed on that date. Reported for the whole directory and for the top 12,500 separately. Definition page
Arrivals and departures
4 measuresMeasure
Definition
New plugin outcomesFor plugins first listed on WordPress.org in the report month, the install buckets they had crossed and how many had entered the top 12,500 by month end.
The report month, with standing at its last day.
The group is every plugin whose WordPress.org listing date falls in the report month, followed to the end of that month. Install counts are bucketed by WordPress.org, so a plugin is recorded as crossing into the 10+, 100+ or 1,000+ bucket rather than reaching an exact count. Definition page
Entries into the top 12,500The number of plugins first listed after a stated date that have since entered the top 12,500.
The report month, counting plugins that entered during it.
A count of plugins whose first listing falls after the stated date and which hold a rank inside the top 12,500 at the date of the issue. Definition page
Departures from the top 12,500The number of plugins that were in the top 12,500 at the start of a period and not at the end.
The report month.
The ranked set at the start of the period, minus the ranked set at the end. A departure covers both a rank drop out of the set and a removal from the directory. The split between the two is reported from Issue 2. Definition page
Rank stabilityThe share of plugins whose rank at the end of a period is within 10% of their rank at the start.
The last day of the report month against the last day of the previous month.
Each plugin's rank on the later date is compared with its rank on the earlier one. The measure reports the share within 10% of the earlier rank, and the median number of positions moved in the top 1,000. Definition page
Reviews
2 measuresMeasure
Definition
Removed reviewsThe number of published reviews no longer present at the end of a period, and the plugins they concerned.
The report month.
Reviews recorded as published at the start of the period and absent at the end, counted across plugins, with the number of plugins affected and the share of removals that carried one star. Definition page
Plugins gaining no ratingsThe share of plugins whose rating count did not increase during a calendar month.
The report month.
The rating count at the last observation of the month minus the count at the last observation of the previous month. A difference of zero or less counts as no gain, so a removed rating never creates a gain. Plugins ranked at both month ends with a known rating count are included, grouped by their rank at the start of the month. Definition page
Directory composition
4 measuresMeasure
Definition
Plugins by install sizeThe number of listed plugins in each active-install bucket reported by WordPress.org.
A single date, the last day of the report month.
A count of listed plugins in each bucket published by WordPress.org, from under 1,000 to 1M or more. Bucket edges are set by WordPress.org, not by Rivale. Definition page
PHP requirementThe number of plugins declaring each minimum PHP version, and the number leaving the field undeclared.
A single date, the last day of the report month.
Counted from the author-declared "requires PHP" field, grouped into PHP 8 or newer and PHP 7 or older. Plugins leaving the field unset are reported as undeclared rather than assigned a version. Definition page
Old PHP, no updatesPlugins that declare a minimum PHP version of 7 or older and have had no update for two years, with the active installs they hold.
A single date, the last day of the report month.
Plugins whose declared minimum PHP version is below 8 and whose last release is 24 months or more before the stated date. Reported next to the plugins that declare no minimum PHP version at all, since most plugins without an update in two years predate the field. Install counts are the bucketed figures WordPress.org reports. Definition page
Support and dependencies
2 measuresMeasure
Definition
Support loadOpen support threads and their resolution share for plugins whose listing carries a thread count, by popularity rank.
A single date, the last day of the report month.
Counted from the support-thread fields on each plugin listing, for the plugins where the field is present. Reported by popularity rank: the number of open threads, the share resolved, and the share of plugins with no open threads. Definition page
Plugin dependenciesWhich plugins other plugins declare as required, and how many plugins require each one.
A single date, the last day of the report month.
Counted from the author-declared "requires plugins" field. A required plugin is reported with the number of plugins requiring it and, where measurable, their combined active installs. Definition page
No measure matches that word.
Show all measuresThe populations and windows named above are defined once for the whole series.
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