Extending Wordpress with Plugins

Wordcamp Buffalo 2013

Plugins for the People

To Plug in Or Not to Plug in

Not really a question….

Who is this guy?

• GraphicSource.ca – web since 1998• WP since 2006• Hamilton Ontario #Hamont

What is a plug-in?

How do I add one?

WP Plugin Repository – A less than perfect place to find a plugin

WENT TO THE PLUGIN REPOSITORY

FOUND 87 PLUGINS I HAD TO CHOOSE FROM

Stuff shows up in different places.

Things may appear in Different Places – you have to dig around a bit

Let’s Demo

What’s better ?

a 4.2 star rated plugin with 7 votesor a 3.9 star rated plugin with 26 votes

A Short Manifesto about the Wordpress Plugin Repository

It’s time for a revolutionaryChange to the Wordpress Plugin Repository

Or at least a fewMinor modificationsThat would bring itUp to 2013 Standards.

A better rating system – 5 stars not cutting it.Show the number of votesPricing indication Free, Freemium or

PremiumLast UpdatedSortable columnsAdvanced SearchBetter Feedback System – Built right in to

plugins

Plugin Users – Donate once in a while

Manifesto for a better plugin directory

Plugin Central – All your pluginsYoast – SEOBetter WP Security – Security DuhWP3 Total CacheContact Form 7One Click Plugin UpdaterGoogle Analytics

My Default Install List

All kinds of widgets, photos, calendars, Booking systems, ecommerce, donationsSliders, galleries, contests, social mediaWordpress functionality tweaksSite backups / moves - DuplicatorPodcasting – Blubrry Power PressBlogging Tools – Inbound Writer (Premium)Translation / Multi Language

What else can plugins-do

Maintenance – close site to outsiders while working on itNo Longer in Directory – are your current plugins? CSV to SortTable – Sortable HTML tableInvoice King ProCustomer Area – protected area for client files and invoices.Image WidgetInsert Javascript and CSSPerformance Monitoring – GTMetrix for Wordpress, WP system health.

More Plugins

Security Plugins

Better WP SecurityWP Login Delay PluginBrute ProtectWordfence

Clef – www.getclef.com

Careful with overloading too many pluginsWatch site performance If not in use, disableTroubleshooting? Start shutting

them down one by one and testTake some time to evaluate have a planCheck your site after installing oneAvoid mass installs/upgrades of

unknown plugins

Rules of Thumb for Plugins

Podcast review of Plugins with Marcus Couch and John Overall

WPPluginsAtoZ.com

A small line of code that looks like

[shortcode_name]

And allows you to quickly add functionalityUtilized by plugins

[shortcodes]

Don’t Fear Code

HTML / CSSwww.w3schools.comWhy?

Style your textMove things aroundAdd some space around textJazz it up

<p style=“color:red; font-weight:bold;”> Hello </p>

Bonus Design TipGive Your Text Some Space

geoff@graphicsource.ca@geoffcampbell1@graphicsrouce

www.geoffcampbell.netwww.graphicsource.ca

For this presentation:Geoffcampbell.net/wctoronto2013

That’s all folks…