7 WordPress Plugin Development Tips

 

I will tell you everything about WordPress, starting from basic to pro. In this blog, you will read about the 7 WordPress plugin development tips. You can hire me for the WordPress Plugin Development Services.

About Me

I, Ajinkal kumari As an expert WordPress plugin developer, have developed numerous custom plugins and modified existing plugins to meet specific requirements. From scratch, I will develop WordPress plugins, WooCommerce extensions, or other types of plugins to meet your requirements and meet your deadline. I have successfully created error-free WordPress plugins meeting 100% client requirements and expectations for over 9+ years.

 

On this blog, I’d like to offer some of my WordPress plugin development techniques.

Make Use of the Correct Hooks

Hooks serve as a link between your plugin and the rest of the ecosystem (WordPress). Hooks are required for the creation of plugins. However, you’d be shocked at how many plugins abuse them.

Taking the time to read through the official documentation of the Hooks Plugin API is the first step to properly using hooks. From the page request to providing content to the browser, you want to have a thorough grasp of which hooks fire at which points in the sequence.

There are a lot of hooks to pick from, and depending on your plugin’s functionality, you may need to wire in a number of them.

Note that some themes prefer to use their own versions of the wp footer (and occasionally even the wp head). These WordPress themes are usually hastily written or hacky, yet they’re more popular than you may think. If your goal is to ensure universal compatibility, test your plugin with as many themes as feasible.

Use WP-Cron to your Advantage

Cron is a task-scheduling system for UNIX that allows users to run commands at predetermined periods. Did you know that the WordPress core has a cron-like feature? WP-Cron is the name of this functionality.

If your plugin has a routine operation that has to be executed, you may utilize wp-cron to do so. However, wp-cron has some limits. It is, for example, reliant on web page requests, which might cause a job to be delayed if the WordPress site isn’t very busy.

However, these drawbacks are reversible. Wp cron may be a great way to construct a cron-like setup for well-trafficked sites and those that are set up with auto-pinging.

Take advantage of automatic updates.

Automatic updates have been provided to WordPress plugin and theme authors since WordPress 3.7. This feature is disabled by default and must be activated by the user or through your plugin. The latter is not recommended since auto-updates must be explicitly requested by the user.

However, using your plugin’s admin interface, it’s a good idea to highlight/remind the user of the auto-update option. Automatic updates, when enabled, are a great way to keep your WordPress plugins up to date. It’s ideal for distributing security patches, quick fixes, and new versions.

Plugins listed on WordPress.org have their plugin versions managed automatically through their repository.

Consider applying the MVC design pattern to your project.

When WordPress plugins are built utilizing the MVC framework, they profit immensely. There is no better solution for maintainability, modularity, and many other reasons. MVC makes it incredibly simple to keep your plugin architecture clean and structured.

On rare occasions, I still employ what I refer to as “wild code” architecture. It’s used for small plugins, one-offs, and demo features. The two directory structures I usually use for plugins are seen below: the “wild” architectural version on the left, and MVC on the right.

Plugin Files Should Be Named Differently

Remember that your plugin will be installed in a “busy ecosystem,” maybe concurrently with your rivals’ plugins. It’s critical to give your files and variables unique names. Prefixing custom PHP variables, classes, functions, CSS selectors, and file names with your plugin’s name is the simplest method to achieve this.

Thoroughly test your plugins

Polishing, preparing, and testing the product for release is the final step in any effective software development cycle. Here are some recommendations for when you’re planning to distribute your plugin’s initial release or a version release.

• Debug your plugin using wp debug until all issues are fixed.
• On a new WordPress installation, test the plugin.
• Several WordPress themes were used to test the plugin.
• Consider testing the plugin on older WordPress and PHP versions that you feel may have an impact on its functionality.
• Use browser developer tools to analyze and test your plugin (DevTools for Chrome, Firebug for Firefox, etc.).
• All front-end files should be compressed (HTML, CSS, and images). Non-minified copies of your stylesheets and HTML files should be included so that the plugin user may make specific changes.
• Produce high-quality documentation. This is when Documenter comes in handy.

Make Plugin Performance a Priority.

When creating a plugin, performance should be a key focus. Every component should be made as fast as possible. Finally, your users are likely to employ a large number of plugins, causing each page load to churn through a large number of PHP files.

It is better to have fewer plugins. Build-in caching whenever possible, especially in multi-instance contexts. Above everything, make sure to test.

Test on a variety of hosts, with a variety of themes, and with a variety of plugins. P3 Profiler is an excellent tool for optimizing the source code of your plugin.

In the end, I would like to conclude that pushing a WordPress plugin to market may be a difficult task. Support ticket storms, blazing refund demands, and one-star review woes are all possible outcomes. Using the methods outlined above, I’ve been able to mitigate many of these issues, and I’m increasingly discovering a win-win approach to making money from WordPress development.