Starting from version 1.6.0.150724, the Aelia Foundation Classes (also called AFC) use the new MaxMind Geolite2 Database, with support for States and Provinces. This new geolocation database is larger than the one used previously, but it offers a more accurate resolution, and it made it possible to add support for State and Province selection in the Tax Display by Country plugin.


To avoid distributing an overly large plugin, the Aelia Foundation Classes do not include the MaxMind database. Instead, the plugins can download it and install it automatically on your site. The plugin also updates the database regularly, to keep geolocation resolution accurate.


How to install the database manually

In normal circumstances, the Aelia Foundation Classes plugin downloads the GeoIP database the first time you activate it. No manual intervention is required. In case something prevents the automatic installation of the the database, you should see a message explaining how to install it manually. You can find the same instructions below, for your convenience.


  1. Go to the MaxMind website: https://dev.maxmind.com/geoip/geolite2-free-geolocation-data
  2. Sign up for their service, or log in if you're already registered. Important: MaxMind made the registration compulsory since December 2020. It's no longer possible to download the database without registering.
  3. Go to the Downloads page: https://www.maxmind.com/en/accounts/148073/geoip/downloads
  4. Download the Geolite2 City database from the MaxMind, in GeoIP2 Binary format. You will find the link on the right side of the download page.
  5. Extract file GeoLite2-City.mmdb from the compressed archive. Please make sure that the file name is exactly GeoLite2-City.mmdb. The name is case-sensitive. If you set the name to geolite2-City.mmdb, or Geolite2-City.mmdb, it won't work correctly.
  6. Copy the extracted file to your site, in /wp-content/uploads folder.
  7. Ensure that the file is writable by your WordPress installation. Its permissions should be 755, or 775. Write permissions are required for the AFC plugin to update the database automatically.

What to do if you still get an error message
There could be several reasons why the AFC plugin cannot find the database. Please refer to the following article for step by step troubleshooting instructions: Aelia Foundation Classes - A message says that the GeoIP database could not be downloaded.

That should be all you need to do to install the GeoIP database. The Aelia Foundation Classes plugin will automatically detect it and use it when required.


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