WordPress: Plugin Development

Learn how to build, extend, and distribute your own WordPress plugins with the WordPress API and PHP.

Is your WordPress website missing something special? Almost any feature you can imagine can be built with WordPress plugins. Learn how to build, extend, and distribute your own plugins with these development techniques, featuring the WordPress API and PHP. Learn how to create menus and a settings page, add custom functionality with JavaScript, and style your plugin with CSS. Discover how to customize the WordPress loop, add custom fields and metaboxes, and work with transients, HTTP, WP Cron, AJAX, the REST API, and Gutenberg. Plus, learn how to adjust roles and permissions to keep your plugins secure.

Introduction

• Welcome
• How to use the exercise files

1. First Steps

• Course overview
• Prepare for development
• Explore WordPress plugins

2. Plugin Basics

• Get started
• Explore WordPress APIs
• Action and filter hooks
• Plugin activation and deactivation
• Pluggable WordPress functions
• Develop secure WordPress plugins
• Best practices for plugin development

3. Building a WordPress Plugin

• Create the plugin directory and files
• Add administration menus
• Add the plugin settings page
• Add settings callback functions
• Validate plugin settings
• Add custom functionality
• Include JavaScript and CSS
• Plugin internationalization
• Add an uninstall feature
• Test and debug

4. Essential Plugin Techniques

• Customize the WordPress loop
• Create widgets
• Manage users and roles
• Work with JavaScript and CSS
• Use the Options API

5. Extending Plugin Functionality

• Add custom post types and taxonomies
• Work with custom fields
• Add meta boxes
• Work with custom database queries
• Integrate admin notices

6. Advanced Plugin Techniques

• Use the Transients API
• Use the HTTP API
• Use WP-Cron
• Implement Ajax
• Use the REST API
• Develop with Gutenberg

Conclusion

• Next steps