Details
When writing an entry, I like to have an idea of how long it is. I often use the Body as an article lead-in and try to keep it between 50 and 75 words, but when I start to throw some HTML into the mix it can be difficult to estimate. Wordometer will count the words for me.
In addition to the Body, Wordometer will also count how many words are in the Extended field, and provide a tally of these two fields. Additionally, Title, Excerpt, Keywords, Tags, and even text custom fields will be counted. As you type, the word count is incremented. Wordometer will ignore HTML tags and anything in them. The count is unobtrusively displayed next to the field name.
A minimum and maximum word count highlight can also be added to the Body and Extended fields. This is particularly helpful when you want to write a lead-in in your Body of, say, roughly 100 words. The highlighter could be set to between 75 and 125 words as sort of a “goal” area.
- Movable Type 4.x is supported with Wordometer version 2.0.3
Installation
To install this plugin follow the instructions found in the Easy Plugin Installation Guide
If you have Config Assistant installed, you will be prompted to upgrade Movable
Type; this will automatically copy the static content into place. If you are
not using Config Assistant you’ll need to copy the static content into place
yourself. (But then, if you’re not using Config Assistant, you’re probably used
to this practice.) Copy the contents of [MT HOME]/plugins/Wordometer/static/
to [MT HOME]/mt-static/support/plugins/wordometer/.
Configuration
At the blog level, visit Tools > Plugins > Wordometer to set the highlight indicators on the Body and Extended fields. The highlight indicators can be used to set word count goals; just enter the minimum and maximum number of words to trigger the highlight indicator.
Use
It’s really easy to use Wordometer because… well, there’s no work involved for you — Wordometer handles it all!
Visit the Edit Entry page. If you create a new entry, Wordometer will count the number of words or tags as you type them. If you edit an existing entry the words and tags in each field will be counted when the page is loaded, and will be incremented as you type.
Requirements
- Optional: Config Assistant 2.5+ (See installation notes)
Compatibility
Movable Type versions: 4.35.05.15.26.0 Verified
License
GPL
Dan is an engineering creative and uses his vast knowledge of the web to solve unique client problems with specialized solutions. Complex or straightforward, his focus is to find the most efficient, functional, elegant, and stable solutions for each project. 10 years in web engineering and 14 more in the print publishing industry give him a special insight to the needs, restrictions, and workflows of content publishers, both traditional and new media. Dan is an active Movable Type community member who has written and contributed to countless plugins including some of the most popular: More Custom Fields, Poll Position, and Asset Image Quality.