Trilobita DocVault

Trilobita DocVault turns WordPress into a document library. Upload a file once and its download link never changes: when you upload a new version, every link on your pages, menus and emails serves the new file automatically. Visitors find documents in a searchable, sortable table, and you keep a version history for every file.

Key Features:

• Version History – Upload a new version and the download link stays the same. Download, restore or delete earlier versions (up to 5 per document), with optional version notes.

• Searchable Document Library – The [trdv_list] shortcode shows a responsive table with live search, sortable columns and pagination, plus optional category, tag and file type filters.

• View in Browser – PDFs get a View button so visitors can read them without downloading.

• Document Block – Add a single document to any page or post in the block editor, with Full and Minimal layouts.

• Inline Download Links – Link any text to a document from the block editor toolbar, or with the [trdv_link] shortcode.

• Access Control – Make documents public or available to logged-in users only, as a site-wide default or per document.

• Protected Files – Files are served only through DocVault’s download links, which check access first. Direct access to the upload folder is blocked on Apache, and Site Health warns you if your server (for example Nginx) needs a rule.

• Expiry Dates – Set an optional expiry date and the document is hidden automatically once it passes.

• Download Tracking – See download counts in the admin list, and optionally show them on the frontend.

• Drag & Drop Upload – Drop a file to upload it; the title is filled in from the file name.

• Categories and Tags – Organise documents with their own categories (or share your post categories) and tags.

• Manual Sort Order – Drag documents into your preferred order and use [trdv_list orderby="menu_order"] to show that order on the frontend.

• Site Search – Documents appear in your site’s search results (can be turned off).

• Privacy Tools – Works with the WordPress personal data export and erasure tools.

• File Types – PDF, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, PPT, PPTX, ODT, ODS, ODP, RTF, CSV and TXT.

If DocVault is useful to you, please consider leaving a review. It helps other people find the plugin.

Go further with Trilobita DocVault Pro

Trilobita DocVault Pro adds enterprise-grade features for teams that need more control:

• Unlimited Version History – Remove the 5-version limit, with optional per-document limits and automatic pruning of old versions.

• Per-Document Access Control – Restrict individual documents to specific user roles.

• Audit Trail – Full activity log with CSV export for compliance and accountability.

• Email Notifications – Configurable alerts for uploads, updates, and approvals.

• Document Approval Workflow – Require documents to be reviewed before publishing.

• Bulk Upload – Upload multiple documents at once with duplicate detection.

• Download Analytics – Detailed per-version download statistics.

• Duplicate Detection – Find and merge duplicate documents to save storage.

• Storage Management – Advanced tools for monitoring and cleaning up storage.

• Card and Button Layouts – Two extra layouts for the Document block.

• More File Types – Allow images (JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP), ZIP, AI and EPS files.

• Button Colours – Match download buttons to your brand.

Privacy

Trilobita DocVault stores the following user data:

• Uploader user ID – Stored as post meta ( _trdv_uploaded_by ) to track who uploaded each document version.

• Download logs – Each download is recorded with the downloader’s IP address, browser user agent, user ID (if logged in) and the time, in a custom database table ( trdv_download_log ).

This data is handled in compliance with GDPR and CCPA:

• The plugin registers with the WordPress privacy tools for data export and erasure requests.

• Suggested privacy policy text is added to the WordPress Privacy Policy Guide (Settings > Privacy).

• Download logs for registered users can be exported and erased with the WordPress personal data tools. Downloads by visitors who are not logged in are not linked to an email address, so they cannot be matched by these tools.

Usage

Document Block (Gutenberg):

Add a single document with a download button directly in the block editor:

• Click the + button to add a block

• Search for “DocVault Document”

• Under Select Document, type part of the title and choose the document

Block options:

• Layout: Full (with icon and download button) or Minimal (compact inline link)

• Show/hide file icon (full layout only)

• Show/hide file info (type and size; a file type badge in the minimal layout)

• Show/hide view button (PDF and images, full layout only)

• Show/hide description (full layout only)

• Show/hide download count (full layout only)

• Alignment (left, center, right, wide)

[trdv_list] — Document Table Shortcode:

Display a searchable, sortable table of documents on any page or post:

[trdv_list]

Parameters:

• category – Filter by document category slug

• tag – Filter by document tag slug

• type – Filter by file type (pdf, docx, etc.)

• orderby – Sort by: date, title, size, type, downloads, menu_order (default: date). Use menu_order to display documents in the drag-and-drop order set in the admin list. When menu_order is selected and order is not explicitly set, the list defaults to ASC.

• order – ASC or DESC (default: DESC)

• show_search – Show search box: true/false (default: true)

• show_download – Show download button: true/false (default: true)

• show_view – Show view button for PDFs and images: true/false (default: true)

• show_category_filter – Show category dropdown filter: true/false (default: false)

• show_tag_filter – Show tag dropdown filter: true/false (default: false)

• show_type_filter – Show file type dropdown filter (only types present in the library): true/false (default: false)

• show_count – Show download count column: true/false (default: false)

• columns – Columns to display: title, type, size, date (default: title,type,size,date)

• per_page – Documents per page (default: 20)

• show_expired – Include expired documents: true/false (default: false)

Examples:

[trdv_list type="pdf" orderby="title" order="ASC"] [trdv_list category="reports" show_search="false" columns="title,date"] [trdv_list orderby="menu_order"] [trdv_list show_category_filter="true" show_type_filter="true" show_count="true"] [trdv_list show_tag_filter="true"] [trdv_list show_download="false" show_view="true"]

Document Link Toolbar Button:

Link any selected text to a document download without leaving the block editor:

• Select the text you want to turn into a download link

• Click the document icon in the formatting toolbar (“Trilobita DocVault Link”)

• Choose a document from the dropdown and click Apply

[trdv_link] — Inline Document Link Shortcode:

Insert a download link within any text:

[trdv_link id="123"]Download the report[/trdv_link]

Parameters:

• id (required) – The document ID

• new_tab – Open in new tab: true/false (default: false)

• class – Add custom CSS class

Examples:

[trdv_link id="123"] - Uses document title as link text [trdv_link id="123"]Click here[/trdv_link] - Custom link text [trdv_link id="123" new_tab="true"]Download[/trdv_link] - Opens in new tab