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Scanning and Tracking

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Ethan Widen edited this page Jun 13, 2026 · 1 revision

Scanning & Tracking

The plugin records every visit made through a QR code URL and categorizes each scan by its source.

Scan URL Formats

The plugin recognizes these incoming URL patterns and handles them differently:

URL Format Example Tracked As
Query string scan /?qr=abc123 query
Path-based share /abc123 social_link
Legacy format /?postcode=XX1&city=London&tree=Tree1 legacy — redirects to ?qr= format
Social with source /abc123?qr_source=social social_link

What Gets Recorded

For every scan, the plugin logs:

Field Description
Tracker ID Which QR code was scanned
Scanned At UTC timestamp
Scan Source query, social_link, legacy, postcode-city-tree, or url_match
Visitor Hash SHA-256 hash of the visitor's IP address + user agent (not personally identifiable)
Request URI The full URL path and query string

Visitor Deduplication

The plugin uses a visitor hash (SHA-256 of IP + user agent) to detect repeat visitors. This means:

  • The same person scanning multiple times appears as multiple scan log entries.
  • Reports can distinguish unique vs. repeat visitors.
  • No personally identifiable data (IP addresses, names) is stored in the logs.

Scan Counts

Each QR record stores two running counters:

  • Scan Count — incremented on every ?qr= query string hit
  • Social Share Count — incremented on every path-based (/shortcode) hit

These are visible in the QR Tracker list view and individual QR reports.

Path-Based Social Shares

When a QR code is shared socially (e.g. on Facebook or Instagram), the shared URL is the path-based short link: https://yoursite.com/abc123.

When someone clicks that shared link:

  1. The plugin detects it is a path-based request (not a ?qr= scan).
  2. It loads the destination page content in-place — the browser URL stays as /abc123 rather than redirecting.
  3. The visit is logged as a social_link scan source.
  4. The social share count for that QR code is incremented.

This design makes the short link look clean when shared on social media.

Legacy URL Handling

Older QR codes may use the format /?postcode=XX1&city=London&tree=Tree1. When the plugin detects this format:

  1. It looks up the QR record by postcode/city/tree.
  2. Redirects to the canonical ?qr=SHORTCODE format.
  3. Logs the scan as legacy source.

Debug Mode

If you need to troubleshoot scan tracking, enable Visit Tracking Debug Mode in QR Tracker → Settings → General. This displays an on-page panel on scan pages showing:

  • Whether a QR record was matched
  • Scan source detected
  • Timing information

Disable debug mode in production.

Scan Log Storage

All scan records are stored in the wp_qr_tracker_logs database table. Logs are not automatically pruned — they accumulate over time. Use the Reports & Analytics page and CSV export to archive and review old data.

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