Plugging into WordPress
Plug-ins… No, they’re not related to hair replacement, but they can extend WordPress to do almost anything one can require by finding, downloading, rating and commenting on all the best plug-ins the WordPress community has to offer.
WordPress Plug-ins allow easy modifications, customizations and enhancements to a WordPress blog or any of your PSD to WordPress file. Instead of changing the core programming of WordPress, we can add any type of functionality with WordPress Plug-ins.
So, what are they? A WordPress Plug-In is a program or set of one or more functions written in the PHP scripting language that adds a specific set of features or functions to the WordPress weblog, which can be seamlessly integrated with the weblog using access points and methods provided by the WordPress Plug-In Application Program Interface (API).
New or modified functionality with WordPress is achievable simply by searching various WordPress Plug-In repositories and sources to see if someone has already created a WordPress Plug-In to suit one’s needs. If none have been created, this article will act as a guide to the process of creating your own.
It can also be very useful to create a web page acting as the home page for your own WordPress Plug-in. This page should describe how to install the Plug-in, what it does, what versions of WordPress it’s compatible with, what has changed from one Plug-In version to another, and how best to use the Plug-Ins.
Things to Know Before Installation
> READ, READ, READ – The more someone knows before installation, the easier the process will be, and also less problematic. Reading through the readme.txt files and web pages, plus any comments regarding the Plug-In on the author’s website will go a long way toward that desired end. Or you can always ask your friendly web developers at Developer4Lease www.image-PSD-to-wordpress.com for help.
> Upload, Download, Modify – You must be familiar with how to download and upload files, and also how to use FTP, if required. Familiarity with PHP, HTML, CSS and CHMOD might also be necessary.
> Record Modifications – If any changes are made to the WordPress files or templates, make notes of it in the code by using comments right before and after the changes, and in a text file saved to your site and on your desktop to remind you of any additions or modifications to your default files or templates. This will help you repeat these in the future if there are any problems with the site.
> Call for Backup! — Some Plug-Ins work independently from your blog’s content and files, adding something special to some page(s). Others require modification of content and files, including changes to the database. Before installing any plug-in that can make a big change, back up the database and files.
There are several versions of Developer4Lease’s WordPress currently available and different plug-ins available for all of the various versions. Be sure to read through the information thoroughly to determine if the plug-in will work with the version in use or check plug-ins/plugin_compatibility for more data. If not, consider an upgrade.
Managing Plug-Ins
Plug-ins is composed of PHP scripts that adds some extra functionality to a blog. They offer new additions to a blog that either enhance features already available or adds otherwise unavailable features for the site.
Plug-ins also extends the functionality of WordPress. Most WordPress users don’t require plug-ins, or – like plug-ins dealing with comment spam or customized post listings – only require a few of them. Other users enjoy varied options plug-ins provide such as frequently updated weather reports, post word counts, rating systems, and many more. Plug-in choices are numerous and picked based on the particular needs of the user. They are not incorporated into the core code of WordPress.
WordPress Plug-Ins are designed by volunteers and are generally free to the public. Plug-ins listed in the sources you will find online usually have been thoroughly tested and are typically considered to be safe. But remember, they are the responsibility of the author and user, and are typically works in progress as WordPress always evolves and expands.
WordPress is an open-source CMS often used as a blog publishing application powered by PHP and by MySQL. For more information, go online to www.image-PSD-to-wordpress.com and read. We can use WordPress to CMS or convert a PSD to WordPress software for an easy transition.
