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FREE & OPEN SOURCE Million Dollar Script is a free WordPress plugin for sponsor walls, campaign grids, fundraiser boards, and premium add-on workflows.
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Million Dollar Script: Installation & Setup

Access granted Updated Aug 21, 2026

This guide covers Million Dollar Script 3.0 installation. The core WordPress integration is built into a single plugin: Million Dollar Script. No separate WordPress integration plugin is required.

Requirements

  • WordPress 6.7+ (tested up to 7.0.3)
  • PHP 8.1+
  • PHP memory limit of 256 MB or greater
  • Optional: WooCommerce (for checkout, refunds, and account integration)

The memory limit is per PHP request. Check the effective value in Million Dollar Script > System Status or Tools > Site Health, because a hosting plan can advertise a higher maximum while WordPress is configured to use less.

Hosting capacity guide

These are conservative starting points for comparing hosting plans. They are not hard limits or guarantees; traffic, themes, extensions, image sizes, concurrent checkouts, backups, and other WordPress plugins all share the same resources.

Example site Suitable hosting Memory CPU and CPU time Free SSD space Rendering and cache
Up to about 10,000 orders, 1-10 sparse grids, and fewer than 1,000 active placements on a grid Ordinary quality shared or managed WordPress hosting 256 MB PHP memory; shared-plan RAM is acceptable 1-2 vCPU equivalent with a normal shared CPU allowance 5 GB or more Local rendering is usually suitable. A persistent object cache is optional.
Up to about 100,000 orders, 50-100 grids, and fewer than 5,000 active placements on a classic grid Strong managed WordPress hosting or a small VPS 256-512 MB PHP memory; about 4 GB RAM for a VPS 2 vCPU; scheduled jobs must be allowed and the plan should not impose aggressive CPU-time throttling 10 GB or more Redis, Valkey, or a host-provided object cache can help repeated reads. Consider ImageGrid for large or frequently rebuilt grids.
Around 500,000 orders, 250 sparse grids, or roughly 100,000 placements spread across the site Scalable managed hosting, VPS, or dedicated resources 512 MB PHP memory; about 8 GB RAM for a VPS 4 vCPU or equivalent; avoid low shared CPU-minute limits 20 GB or more, with at least 5 GB available for database growth A persistent object cache is useful but remains optional. ImageGrid is recommended for very large or placement-heavy grids.

The 100,000-order test database used about 315 MB. The 500,000-order test database, which also contained about 450,000 WooCommerce orders and 100,000 placements, used about 1.72 GB. The larger disk allowances above leave room for indexes, logs, media, temporary files, updates, and backups.

Large empty grids are inexpensive because Million Dollar Script does not store one database row for every unsold cell. Orders, occupied or reserved blocks, placements, traffic, and concurrent checkout activity are what increase resource use. On a classic interactive grid, fewer than 5,000 active placements is the recommended range; at 10,000 or more, test the exact page and consider ImageGrid Rendering to offload composite rendering and tile delivery. ImageGrid reduces image-processing and browser-delivery work, but it does not replace the WordPress, WooCommerce, order, or database resources shown above.

Want to understand the workflow before installing anything? Open the private browser demo to explore a ready-made campaign, complete a guided mission, and reset or export the disposable site when you are finished.

Hosting Recommendation

If you’re choosing hosting for a new Million Dollar Script site, I’ve had consistently good results with Hostinger for performance, stability, and ease of setup. Their stack plays nicely with our grid/image generation and keeps ordering flows snappy.

  • Fast page loads and solid uptime
  • Free SSL and automated backups
  • One‑click WordPress setup and helpful support

Use my affiliate link if you’d like to support development:

Install & Activate

Simple Installation (Recommended)

  1. Download the latest plugin ZIP file from the plugin download page
  2. Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard
  3. Navigate to Plugins > Add New
  4. Click "Upload Plugin" at the top of the page
  5. Choose the downloaded ZIP file and click "Install Now"
  6. Activate the plugin after installation completes

After activation, the plugin automatically registers routes, flushes permalinks, sets up options, schedules cron jobs, and creates admin pages. You should now see "Million Dollar Script" in your WordPress admin menu.

If Million Dollar Script 2 is installed, activation redirects to the Million Dollar Script setup screen and shows the upgrade choice. Million Dollar Script does not migrate old data or deactivate Million Dollar Script 2 unless you explicitly choose that action. See Upgrade From Million Dollar Script 2.

Note: Permalinks are automatically flushed during activation. If you experience 404 errors on Million Dollar Script routes after activation, manually flush permalinks by visiting Settings > Permalinks and clicking "Save Changes".

Note: If you encounter any errors during installation, see the Troubleshooting Guide.

Advanced Installation (Manual)

If you prefer manual installation or need to install via FTP/SSH:

  • Extract the plugin ZIP and upload the million-dollar-script folder to wp-content/plugins/
  • Activate the plugin from the WordPress Plugins page

The plugin will automatically flush permalinks on activation. If needed, you can manually flush via Settings > Permalinks (save) or WP‑CLI: wp rewrite flush --hard

Troubleshooting

Having issues with installation, updates, or configuration? See the comprehensive Troubleshooting Guide which covers:

First Steps

Use the Setup Wizard to get the basics in place, then decide whether you prefer pretty routes or page-based embeds.

Run the Setup Wizard

  • Go to Million Dollar Script > Setup Wizard in WP Admin.
  • Let the wizard create the standard pages (Grid, Order, Manage, List, etc.).
  • Save Options at the end so dynamic CSS is generated and settings persist.

You can adjust or delete any created page later and use blocks/shortcodes as needed.

  • Pretty routes (no pages): visit /milliondollarscript/order, /milliondollarscript/manage, /milliondollarscript/list, /milliondollarscript/payment, /milliondollarscript/thank-you, etc. The base segment is configurable in Options.
  • Page-based flow (optional): add the Million Dollar Script block or shortcode to your pages. This lets you use your theme’s templates, builders, and menus.

Recommended Pages (optional)

Create pages and insert the Grid Embed block, or use the [mds_grid ...] shortcode. Legacy [milliondollarscript ...] embeds are handled after Million Dollar Script 2 is inactive or after migration.

  • Grid

    • Block type: Grid
    • Shortcode: [mds_grid id="1" read_only="false"]
    • Notes: the grid width is responsive by default. Use the block Width control or width="960px" to constrain the maximum display width. Use renderer="classic" for the classic canvas fallback, or leave renderer unset for the default automatic renderer.

  • Buy Pixels / Order

    • Block type: Order Pixels (or Write Your Ad, then Confirm Order)
    • Shortcode: [mds3_page type="order" grid_id="1"]
    • Notes: Million Dollar Script starts ordering from the interactive grid. Legacy type="users" pages migrate to the closest supported flow.

  • List (Advertisers)

    • Block type: Ads List
    • Shortcode: [mds3_page type="list" grid_id="1"]
    • Notes: When no id is provided, the list shows all grids.

  • Stats Box (optional)

    • Block type: Stats box
    • Shortcode: [mds3_page type="stats" grid_id="1"]
    • Notes: shows sold and available inventory. Options > Stats Display Mode chooses pixels or blocks by default, and the Stats block can override that per embed.

  • Manage Pixels (optional public page)

    • Block type: Manage Pixels
    • Shortcode: [mds3_page type="manage" grid_id="1"]

  • Payment and Thank‑You (optional as pages)

    • Block types: Payment, Thank‑You
    • Shortcodes:
      • [mds3_page type="payment" grid_id="1"]
      • [mds3_page type="thank-you" grid_id="1"]
    • Notes: With an order id/key, these pages show the order summary and a payment link when WooCommerce or a standalone Checkout URL is configured.

Options & Styling

  • Options live under “Million Dollar Script > Options”.
  • Theme and color settings generate a dynamic CSS file stored under uploads. Saving Options regenerates it. You can also regenerate via WP‑CLI if needed:
    • wp eval '\\MillionDollarScript\\Classes\\Web\\Styles::save_dynamic_css_file(); echo "OK\n";'
  • Pixel permalink base and slug pattern are configurable (see Options > Pixels). The mds-pixel post type pages are optionally enabled.

Update Channels

Million Dollar Script uses the same branch names as the release workflow:

  • main is the stable release channel.
  • beta is for pre-release testing.
  • alpha is for active development builds.

Older saved values are normalized automatically: stable maps to main, and development maps to alpha.

Payment Provider (optional)

  • Choose a payment provider under Million Dollar Script > Setup. Standalone/manual checkout is built in.
  • For WooCommerce, install WooCommerce, activate Million Dollar Script WooCommerce Checkout, then choose WooCommerce as the provider. Million Dollar Script creates linked WooCommerce orders and sends customers to WooCommerce checkout after artwork upload.
  • There’s an optional login redirect (Options > Login) to control where users land after WooCommerce login.
  • For standalone/manual payment pages, use the Checkout URL option. Million Dollar Script supports the Million Dollar Script 2 placeholder format and falls back to the thank-you/order-summary page when no checkout URL is configured. See Million Dollar Script Checkout And Payments.

Notes & Tips

  • Grid dimensions: define grid width/height and block size under Million Dollar Script > Dashboard > Grids. Million Dollar Script stores only sold, reserved, unavailable, custom-priced, or media-bearing blocks, so large grids remain manageable.
  • Packages, price zones, order caps, unavailable regions, and renderer defaults are managed under Million Dollar Script > Dashboard > Grids > Edit Grid. See Million Dollar Script Grid Pricing And Renderers.
  • Theme Mode controls both Million Dollar Script admin screens and frontend grid/page embeds. Use Light or Dark for a fixed appearance, or System to follow the visitor's device preference.
  • ImageGrid remote rendering is optional. Million Dollar Script uses local rendering until the Million Dollar Script ImageGrid extension is active; then configure API and quota settings under Settings > Rendering and review account/fallback status under Extensions. See ImageGrid.
  • Multiple grids per page are supported. The UI and tooltips are scoped so clicks and popups map to the correct grid.
  • If you switch your endpoint base (Options > Routes), flush permalinks.
  • If block selections don't align with the image, see Troubleshooting: Grid Alignment.