Every now and then we get an email from one of our users explaining how they broke their WordPress site while trying to add some code to their functions.php file. It was for this reason that we wrote a tutorial on how to paste code properly in WordPress. Furthermore, if the code you are pasting is something that you intend to be theme independent then we would even suggest using a site specific plugin.
Some of you reading this, however, are probably not very confident in your ability to create a site specific plugin without breaking your WordPress blog. If this is you then you have come to the right place. Recently @otto42 came out with a unique plugin called Pluginception that actually allows you to create your own plugins. If any of you have ever seen the movie Inception with Leonardo DiCaprio then you will recognize the inspiration for the plugin’s name. In the movie Leonardo essentially enters people’s dreams and creates more dreams within those dreams (confusing right?). Well, in a similar fashion this plugin allows you to create plugins within a plugin.
Video Tutorial
If you don’t like the video or need more instructions, then continue reading.
To get started coding your first plugin you need to download and install Pluginception for WordPress,
Once you have installed the plugin click on Plugins » Create a New Plugin. This will bring you to a screen where you can input all of your plugin information. The only line you must fill out is the plugin name although the other information would be good to have as well.
Once you fill out all of the information and create your plugin you will be brought the editor screen where you can add any code you want.
The advantage of adding plugins this way is that you don’t have to worry about breaking your WordPress site when you accidentally mess up your code. Rather than causing you site not to load properly, the plugin will simply not activate and give you a warning in the backend.
Download Pluginception for WordPress
I use this plugin but my website crashed. i havw my own server with ubuntu can anyone tell me where are those files so I can delete them or what can I do?
Looks pretty need indeed.
@Otto I have a simple code that I use for “plugin base skeleton” here – http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/dx-plugin-base/ , I’ve planned to add widgets and settings API as some skeleton functions for most things that most plugins would need.
Nice title, had me clicking through from rss at least, but as Otto writes, the only reason he made this plugin is because he finds it a pain to upload a new plugin via FTP:
“Having to then encapsulate it into a plugin, fire up Filezilla, navigate, upload the plugin… It’s a pain. This gives me an easy way to create a new blank plugin and go to the editor to paste in the known working code.”
This plugin does not “create” anything, apart from a plugin header. If you want to add other plugin files, you’ll still need to “fire up Filezilla” and the rest.
Yes you are right. The main use case that we suggested in the article was to paste snippets from the web (in somewhat of a safe manner).
It creates the subdirectory for the plugin, the plugin php file, and populates the plugin header. Simple, but a handy time saver. And smaller snippet type plugins tend to be one-file anyway.
Future versions might have options to create simple template code or something. Like a checkbox that says “add a widget”, maybe.