Descripción
Course Tracker is a lightweight, shortcode-driven WordPress plugin that lets you build your own mini LMS directly inside WordPress – no coding or external LMS required.
It’s powered by the WordPress Menu Builder, which you use to structure your course outline. Each menu item (lesson) automatically becomes part of a side navigation panel – complete with progress checkmarks and arrows that update as students mark lessons complete.
Fully compatible with Classic Editor, Gutenberg, and all major page builders such as Bricks Builder, Elementor, and Beaver Builder, Course Tracker helps you track lessons, show progress bars, and guide students through your course in a clean, visual way.
Designed for creators who want course progress tracking without complex LMS setups, it delivers everything you need to create a motivating learning experience – fast, flexible, and privacy-friendly.
Key Features
- Shortcode-Driven: Add course navigation, progress bars, and completion buttons anywhere – no coding required.
- Menu-Based Navigation: Uses the native WordPress Menu Builder to create your course outline and automatically show lesson checkmarks and arrows as students progress.
- Lesson Completion Tracking: Students can mark lessons complete and instantly see their updated progress.
- Progress Bars & Checkmarks: Display lesson progress visually with customizable bars, icons, and completion text.
- Build Your Own LMS: Create a complete learning experience directly inside WordPress – no third-party LMS plugins or subscriptions needed.
- Works with All Editors: Compatible with Classic Editor, Gutenberg, Bricks Builder, Elementor, and other page builders.
- Lightweight & Fast: Built for speed, simplicity, and compatibility with any theme.
- Save & Restore Progress: Students can export or import progress data anytime – no external accounts or sync required.
- Privacy-First: All progress data stays in your WordPress database, never sent elsewhere.
Usage
After setup, use these shortcodes in your pages or templates:
[ctrkr_nav]– Displays course navigation with checkmarks.[ctrkr_complete_button text=" "]– Adds a button to mark the current lesson as complete.[ctrkr_nav_arrows]– Adds Previous/Next lesson arrows.[ctrkr_course_outline]– Shows progress bar and course outline.[ctrkr_lesson_position]– Displays text like Lesson X of Y.[ctrkr_progress_text]– Displays Completed X of Y lessons with navigation arrows.
Example:
Place [ctrkr_nav] in your sidebar or course page for navigation.
Add [ctrkr_complete_button] to each lesson page so students can mark it complete.
Settings
- Course Navigation Menu: Choose the WordPress menu that represents your course.
- Show Navigation Title: Display a title above the course navigation.
- Slide-in Tracker Panel: Optionally enable a floating slide-in menu for navigation.
- Styling: Customize button colors with the built-in Button Styler, or fine-tune further using the WordPress Customizer or your theme’s CSS.
- Student Reports: View student progress and export to a spreadsheet.
External Services
This plugin connects to SureCart via api.surecart.com for license verification (to unlock the premium version).
- What: The entered license key is sent to SureCart for validation.
- When: Only when you enter or remove a license key in the plugin settings.
- Data sent: License key only – no student or course data.
- Purpose: To enable premium features after purchase.
- SureCart Privacy Policy
Capturas
Settings page. 
Navigation setup. 
Button styling. 
Slide-in panel. 
Student progress view. 
Lesson example. 
Course outline example.
Instalación
- Upload the plugin files to the
/wp-content/plugins/course-trackerdirectory or install via the WordPress plugin installer. - Activate the plugin through the Plugins menu in WordPress.
- Go to Settings → Course Tracker to select your course navigation menu and configure options.
- Add shortcodes (see below) to your lesson or course pages.
Preguntas frecuentes
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Does this plugin require another LMS like LearnDash or TutorLMS?
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No. Course Tracker is completely standalone – it’s not an add-on for any LMS platform. It uses your WordPress menu system and shortcodes to build your own lightweight learning platform directly inside WordPress.
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Course Tracker connects to the native WordPress Menu Builder to create your course structure. Each menu item (lesson) becomes part of a visual course navigation panel. When a student marks a lesson as complete, a checkmark automatically appears next to that lesson.
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Do I need to code or edit templates?
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No coding is required. Course Tracker is 100% shortcode-driven, so you can insert navigation, progress bars, and completion buttons anywhere. It works seamlessly with Classic Editor, Gutenberg, Bricks Builder, Elementor, and most other page builders.
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Do I need to use all the shortcodes? Which ones are required?
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You only need to use the course navigation shortcode (
[ctrkr_nav]) and the complete button shortcode ([ctrkr_complete_button]) for the plugin to function effectively.
However, we suggest adding all shortcodes to a test post to see what each one does and how they enhance your course layout. -
Can I use this directly on a page or post?
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Yes, you can. But we recommend creating a course or lesson template in your page builder so your shortcodes appear consistently across all lessons. Otherwise, you’ll need to insert shortcodes manually on each page, which isn’t ideal.
For more about templates, please visit rankbydesign.com and click LMS for video examples on building a course in Bricks Builder. More guides for other themes are coming soon, as Course Tracker works independently of any theme. -
Yes! The plugin includes a built-in Button Styler to easily change colors and styles. You can also fine-tune the look using the WordPress Customizer or theme CSS.
Need a hand matching your site’s design? Reach out anytime – we’re happy to help. -
Where is student progress stored?
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All student progress is stored privately in your own WordPress database and never sent to any external service. Students can also export/import their own progress files if needed.
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Does it work with my theme?
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Yes! Course Tracker is designed to work with any modern WordPress theme or page builder. Because it uses shortcodes and menus instead of theme-specific templates, it adapts cleanly to your layout.
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Is Course Tracker free?
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Yes. You can track progress for up to 20 users (including the admin) for free.
For larger sites or unlimited users, you can upgrade with a small one-time fee, which helps support ongoing improvements and new features.
Reseñas
No hay reseñas para este plugin.
Colaboradores y desarrolladores
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Registro de cambios
1.1.6
- Initial version released at WordPress Plugin Directory
- Improved button styling and settings UI.
1.1.5
- Refinements and new options added to the Slide-in panel.
1.1.4
- Fixed remaining domain handling errors with PCP.
1.1.3
- Fixed domain handling and improved data sanitation.
- No changes to plugin features or functionality.
1.1.0
- Plugin completely refactored for simplicity and security.
- Always saves progress permanently to WP database, even in free mode.
- Free mode supports up to 20 users; premium unlocks unlimited.
- Added color picker and slide-in tracker panel.
- Improved admin settings and license activation.
1.0.0
- Initial working version released at rankbydesign.com.