Category: Custom WordPress Plugin

Everything You Need To Know About WordPress Firewall Security

Posted on by Jay

Website security basically refers to the measures taken to protect a website from potential security threats, such as hacking, data theft, or malware infections. Website security is crucial for protecting sensitive information and ensuring that a website remains accessible to users. The goal of website security is to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the website and its data.

Some common security measures of a WordPress website are,

  • Using strong passwords and implementing two-factor authentication
  • Keeping the website and its components (e.g., themes, plugins) up to date
  • Using a reputable web host with built-in security features
  • Implementing an SSL/TLS certificate for encryption
  • Installing a security plugin, such as a firewall or antivirus software
  • Regularly backing up the website’s data
  • Monitoring the website for suspicious activity
  • Educating users on safe browsing practices.

A firewall is a security tool that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules. In the context of WordPress website security, a WordPress firewall acts as a barrier between your website and potential security threats, such as hacking attempts, malware infections, or data theft.

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Here are some of the benefits of using a WordPress firewall for your website security:

  • Protects against hacking attempts: Firewall helps to prevent unauthorized access to your website by blocking malicious traffic & suspicious IP addresses.
  • Prevents malware infections: A WordPress firewall can detect and block malware-infected requests before they reach your website.
  • Increases website speed: By blocking malicious traffic, a WordPress firewall can improve the overall speed and performance of your website.
  • Enhances security: A WordPress firewall provides an additional layer of security to complement other security measures, such as SSL certificates, anti-virus software, and regular backups.
  • Simplifies security management: Many WordPress firewalls come with user-friendly interfaces that make it easy for non-technical users to manage security settings.

What is WordPress Firewalls?

A WordPress firewall is a security tool that helps protect a WordPress website from various online threats, such as hacking attempts, malware, and malicious traffic. It acts as a barrier between the website and the internet, analyzing incoming traffic and blocking any requests that may be harmful to the site.

The firewall helps to prevent unauthorized access, data theft, and other security breaches, making the site more secure and reliable. Some popular WordPress firewalls include Sucuri, Wordfence, and All In One WP Security and Firewall.

Why use WordPress Firewall

Using a WordPress firewall in a website provides several benefits, like;

  • Improved security: A firewall helps to protect the website from various online security threats, such as hacking attempts, malware, and malicious traffic. It acts as an extra layer of security, filtering out harmful traffic and blocking potential attacks before they can cause damage.
  • Protection against attacks: A firewall helps to prevent unauthorized access, data theft, and other security breaches, making the site more secure and reliable.
  • Real-time monitoring: A firewall provides real-time monitoring of incoming traffic and alerts administrators if any suspicious activity is detected.
  • Enhanced website performance: By blocking malicious traffic and reducing the load on the server, a firewall can help improve the overall performance and speed of the website.
  • Easy to install and use: Many WordPress firewall plugins are easy to install and configure, making it simple for website owners to implement this extra layer of security without needing technical expertise.

Therefore, using firewall is a smart and effective way to secure a WordPress website and protect it from potential security threats.

Best WordPress Firewalls

There are many options available for WordPress firewalls, and the best one for a specific website will depend on its unique needs. Here are some popular and well-regarded WordPress firewalls below,

  • Sucuri: A comprehensive security solution that offers a firewall, malware scanning, and website monitoring.
  • Wordfence: A security plugin that includes a firewall, malware scanning, and real-time traffic monitoring.
  • All In One WP Security and Firewall: A security plugin that provides a range of security features, including a firewall, malware scanning, and website optimization.
  • Jetpack Security: A security solution that offers a firewall, automatic backups, and real-time security scanning.
  • IThemes Security: A security plugin that provides a firewall, two-factor authentication, and malware scanning.

These are just a few examples of the many WordPress firewalls available. It’s important to research and compare different options to find the one that best fits your site’s needs and budget.

How to Install a WordPress Firewall on Website

Installing a WordPress firewall on a website typically involves the following steps:

Choose a firewall plugin:

Choose a WordPress firewall plugin that fits the needs of your website. Some popular options include Sucuri, Wordfence, and All in One WP Security and Firewall.

Install the plugin:

Login to the WordPress admin dashboard and go to the “Plugins” section. Click “Add New” and search for the firewall plugin you’ve chosen. Install and activate the plugin.

Configure the plugin:

Once the plugin is installed and activated, navigate to its settings page to configure it according to your preferences. Some plugins may offer default settings that you can use or adjust as needed.

Test the firewall:

After configuring the firewall, test it to make sure it’s working correctly. You can do this by visiting your website and checking for any errors or issues.

Regularly update the plugin:

To ensure the firewall remains effective, it’s important to regularly update the plugin to the latest version. This will help to address any known security vulnerabilities and improve the overall security of your website.

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These are the general steps for installing a WordPress firewall. However, the exact steps may vary depending on the specific plugin you choose, so it’s recommended to consult the plugin’s documentation for detailed instructions.

Conclusion

WordPress firewall security is a crucial aspect of maintaining the security of your website. By using a combination of security plugins, server-side security measures, and best practices for website management, you can significantly reduce the risk of your site being hacked or compromised.

Regularly updating your WordPress software, plugins, and themes, and backing up your website regularly can also help ensure that your site remains secure and protected from potential threats.

Security must be taken seriously: a breached website can lead to sensitive data loss, reputational harm, and costly losses.

How WordPress Support And Maintenance Services Help Your Business

Posted on by Netrananda M

The Present world focuses more on the digital presence. Therefore your organization’s web presence is as important as its physical presence. Your WordPress website is the main showcase of your business and that should be available all time to engage with users.

So, now the question arises, why do you need website support and Maintenance Services?

Normally user-friendly, quick loading and bug free websites help to generate more revenue compared to buggy websites.

Developing a Website is not enough. You need to keep that active and bug free for smooth online presence and transaction.

WordPress Maintenance Services(Source – wpaos.com)

WordPress maintenance and support services help to reduce the time spent on maintaining your websites. You can handle issues such as bugs, spam, and hacks. Maintenance and support services are much needed for a static as well as ecommerce website.

The maintenance services will take care of the mundane tasks that need to be done. Such as theme updates, plugins, website backups, and security checks. All the important tasks that are necessary for a successful online business.

What do WordPress Maintenance and Support services do?

Most of the time the website owners do not focus on maintenance. Maintenance is an important factor for your business website.

If you do not maintain your website you get exposed to many potential problems such as increasing the chances to get hacked, page loading slowness, and reducing the search engine ranking.

As WordPress is a popular website, it is a common target for hackers, bots, and viruses.

According to a report by ZDNet, WordPress accounted for roughly 90% to get hacked among all Content Management systems.

Imagine you found your website contains malware and is unsafe or you found some part of your website disappearing fully.

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Sometimes the hackers take your website under their control. They steal your important information and damage your brand and reputation.

However, you can protect your website from these problems by keeping your website updated.

Keeping the Website Current is the first line of defence:

Your WordPress website should receive several routinely updates and new release each month. This improves the security and performance of your website. To make your website more secure, you need to maintain its core code and the used plugins.

Having a routine update to your WordPress website and all plugins are important. It ensures that your site has the latest security patches. This will significantly reduce the vulnerability to any attacks.

Health and Security of Your WordPress Website:

When you keep your website healthy, you are keeping your attackers away from your website. It also ensures that your site is performing at its highest level.

WordPress Website Maintenance(Source – valet.io)

Tools like Google Analytics, Google webmaster tools provide you with comprehensive website metrics. It gives an idea of the areas where your site is performing well and which are not.

You can check the stats of your website regularly. This helps you to avoid the problem before it turns bigger.

Some of the common website health problems are excessive site downtime, broken links, and slow-loading pages. Periodical monitoring of these metrics helps to identify the issue before it become bigger.

The other factor that affects website health is website security. Your website size and security precaution will determine your course of action. Many website owners go for various plugin options. Such as

With a well-protected website, you avoid any kind of unnecessary issue that can lead to hacking or poor security.

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Maintaining and optimising your database:

If you are running a busy site that has lots of traffic, regular content updates. Then you need to look after your database.

By regularly maintaining your database cleans your website cobwebs. This helps to improve the loading speeds and decreases the frequency of database errors.

WordPress Plugin that helps to simplify the entire process and this is the simpler way to keep your database clean and update.

FAQ:

Why do you need WordPress Website maintenance?

A WordPress Website needs regular maintenance in various aspects like core plugin updates, WordPress updates, website updates, theme updates, uptime monitoring, security, and more. This helps the website to remain secure, stable, and in good working order like other software.

What do WordPress maintenance and Support service provide?

The WordPress maintenance and support service provides the following functions:

  • WordPress themes, & plugins updates
  • WordPress core
  • Compatibility support
  • Website backup
  • Database and performance optimization
  • WordPress support and many more

How can I get WordPress Maintenance service?

There are several WordPress agencies, who are providing WordPress maintenance and support services with proper process and cost effective price. They have various types of service plans that includes the basic features and activities to make your website smoother and secure. You can choose your plan according to your needs.

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Why should I work with you?

  • High Quality Coding Standards
  • Experience with Diverse Verticals
  • In-time Delivery within Budget
  • Cost Effective Pricing
  • Transparency in Billing
  • One Stop Shop
  • 24/7 support

Conclusion:

With regular maintenance of your WordPress Website helps to run smoother and maximises the user engagement. But it’s not an easy task to do. Experienced and dedicated WordPress developers are required to manage all the issues to provide a smoother user experience.

WordPress Development agency like Andolasoft has dedicated and part time WordPress developers to make your work easy. It offers not only website maintenance and support Services but you can also develop new websites for your business.

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Why Use WordPress? 11 Good Reasons For Your Website

Posted on by Netrananda M

WordPress is a free and powerful software to develop websites. It’s a CMS (Content Management System) for managing content without getting involved in the complexities of the web architecture. It is very simple and easy to use, even for beginners.

41.4% of the top 10 million websites & 60% of all CMS are powered by WordPress. These impressive stats continue to dominate the web-development industry.

In 2003, it started as a blogging tool, now it has become the platform to build any kind of website.

Everyone is talking about WordPress these days. Its many effective features have made it the favorite among many big brands.

This platform is leading the market. The popular brands like Bloomberg, TechCrunch, BBC America, are using this CMS as their core web platform

Agencies are also recommending this for business websites, because they are well aware of the wordpress cms development services.

But why is there so much demand around this platform?

Here you go.

What is WordPress?

“WordPress.com is the only service of its kind that not only lets you export your data, but gives you an open source package you can run on pretty much any web host out there to run your own instance of the software. So the freedom is really in your hands.”

– Matt Mullenweg, CEO of Automattic Inc.

WordPress is a CMS or a Content Management System that developers use as a framework o create web applications/portals.

This simple CMS can be used by anyone, you can modify and make the necessary changes. To use it you don’t need any technical knowledge.

This framework is not only used to develop websites but it is the best blogging platform.

It is also a Marketing tool. So this helps to easily get noticed among your customers and rank in search engines.

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Why use WordPress Website?

Everyone wants to have a place in this ever-growing digital world. Gone are the days when one must know how to code to put their website online by building everything from scratch. WordPress theme services makes it too easy to start building a site with just a few clicks.

WordPress is not only used to build web pages faster but also to manage the content effectively. Whether it’s a one-page blog or an eCommerce marketplace, WordPress is the one-stop solution for everything.

“At present there are more than 74 million websites that are developed using WordPress. This website uses WordPress to post new content every hour.”  – The ThemeForest

Also, the use of WordPress highly depends on it’s easy to use features. Including this WordPress provides many effective features which make this framework more and more popular.

“Using WordPress is a no-brainer. There’s a reason 34% of the web uses it.” by Kinsta

Everything from big platforms like Squarespace to Wix are some of the wonderful tools. But here we will describe why use WordPress over these tools to develop your website.

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  1. Use it for free
  2. Easy to use
  3. It rules the CMS market
  4. Google friendly
  5. Adaptability
  6. Safe and secure
  7. Multi- user Ability
  8. Big Brands use WordPress
  9. Supports Multimedia

WordPress(Source: Webster Digital Marketing)

1. Free to use

Yes, WordPress doesn’t cost a penny to try. Whether you are creating a commercial site or a personal blog, with this it doesn’t cost you a penny.

Download and install it locally on your system and start using it straight away. Understanding the dashboard and various ways to edit & publish content is what WordPress is all about.

There is a huge collection of per-build themes and plugins to test out.

It is one of the reasons why people use it more.

Once you get to know the workflow, it’s time to go online by just buying a domain name and a hosting service depending on the scale of the website.

WordPress(Source: Wpbeginner)

As WordPress framework is an open-source, you can alter or develop the source code the way you like, customize the website functionality and the overall look.

Although it is free, you need to spend some amount for other features. However, the premium paid ones provide numerous features to your websites.

2. Easy to use

Most businesses suggest the use of WordPress because it’s easy to use. It comes with easy to install templates that are available with complete customizable code.

It has an editing interface that requires no HTML experience for any changes, to alter the layout and more features to create any changes into your WordPress website.

You can update your company information, product information, or modify content on your website using this, by following some easy steps.

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3. It rules the CMS market

It is not just a popular CMS, it creates more competition.

WordPress Platform(Source: quicksprout.com)

According to the usage statistics from W3Techs more than 59.5% of all websites that choose Content Management Systems use WordPress.

It has a huge percentage of market share. Along with the market share the large number of supportive tools help this framework to become more efficient and effective.

4. Google Friendly

As this is a CMS based framework, Google and other search engines crawl into these websites that help to rank. Most businesses developed their website using this framework, to take this advantage of WordPress.

To get ranked in Google is the main motto of every website. With this website you can easily enjoy this advantage of WordPress.

Some of the experts say, using the WordPress framework can boost your ranking.

There are plugins that optimize the pages to drive more traffic. If you don’t know anything about SEO, just install the recommended powerful SEO plugins with few basic settings and WordPress will take care of its own.

5. Adaptability

It is also flexible to customize. You can accommodate your website using the extensions and Plug-in.

Whether you are using WordPress for your personal use or for creating a small business website or for a large business website doesn’t matter.

By using this framework you can customize and add extensions to your website according to your choice.

You get total control on the coding. So it can be easily customized to any per-made themes and design.

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6. Safe and Secure

Security is given first priority when it comes to WordPress development and rightly so. No matter how easy it is to build anything, it is unacceptable for any platform to compromise with security. WordPress implements every security measure to prevent any possible breach of information and stay protected.

WordPress Security

The popularity of WordPress website design has gained the interest of hackers.

So, to control this issue the core team of WordPress software has strengthened the security measures.

According to a Q3 2017 study by Sucuri, a multi-platform security company,

“WordPress continues to lead the infected websites they worked on at 83%. This is up from 74% in 2016.”

This CMS has taken strong security measures to preserve its user’s trust. For high-level security, it is recommended to install security plugins and keep updating it with the latest updates. Security plugins automatically generate cryptic passwords and implement Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) which are too hard for hackers to crack.

This CMS has taken strong security measures to preserve its user’s trust.

However, the users need to be more careful while downloading the WordPress plug-ins from any trusted source.

7. Multi-User Ability

It works best for multi-users. If your team size is large or has multiple teams, freelancers, agencies who are working on your websites and you need to give access to them.

With this you get total control over those who get access to your Business website. You can develop new accounts, by giving specific permissions to the accessibility of user’s and keep them out of the area that is required.

The permissions include:

  1. Admin
  2. Super Admin
  3. Author
  4. Editor
  5. Subscriber
  6. Contributor

8. Big Brands Use WordPress

It has power to more than 35% of all websites. There are around 1.7 billion sites using WordPress.

Every hour there are thousands and more content that are delivered to the site visitors by using this.

It has not remained limited to only small to medium-sized businesses. Many popular brands suggest the use of WordPress for their websites.

Some of the big brands are- Etsy Journal, TechCrunch, Microsoft News, TED Blog, PlayStation, BBC America, Walt Disney Company, Skype, Star Wars Blog, yelp and more.

Andolasoft has also developed its Blog site through WordPress.

9. Supports Multimedia

Adding media files to your websites has become a necessity now-a-days. With media files attached, it creates more traffic.

With the uses of blogs and various content, you can add various types of multimedia. Any type of media files can be added such as Audio, Images, Documents, and Video.

You need to add high quality images and videos to your websites for better engagement and google ranking. 

10. Bloggers paradise

Initially built as a blogging platform, WordPress still holds firm to its roots. It leads the race to be the most preferred blogging platform.

Bloggers Paradise(Source: wordpress.org)

Because it is literally painless to create, edit, publish and manage blogs using the set of tools inside the popular blog editor. The drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to handle media contents too.

The blog owner can set different permissions for different user roles.

Finally, WordPress has a feature called taxonomies, that lets the blog creator add categories and tags to a content, which helps the reader to navigate to contents that are similar and inter-linked.

11. Responsive flawless experience

More than 60% of web content is viewed on phones. So, it’s very important to create websites that are device friendly. WordPress automatically detects the types of device and renders the content accordingly.

WordPress Responsive

Google says,

“Mobile-friendly sites show up higher in search results and if your site isn’t mobile-friendly, visitors are 5 times more likely to leave.”

Responsive Web Design (RWD) is one of the most important considerations for developers in web development. WordPress has in-build options to simultaneously design web pages of different screen sizes whether it is a desktop, a laptop, a tablet, or a mobile phone.

What Ways do you need to follow to Use WordPress?

WordPress means you can create any type of business website.

Starting from a simple website to an eCommerce marketplace or for the personal blog, for any purposes, this framework helps you with this.

Here are some examples of different websites you can create with this:

  • Online Store
  • Blogging
  • Membership Website
  • Online Courses
  • Online Marketplace Websites
  •  Podcast Website
  •  Dropshipping Website
  •  Coupon Website
  •  Affiliate Website
  • Online Forum Websites
  •  Social Networking Websites

So, these are some of the websites that you can create using this framework.

I’ve worked with the team at AndolaSoft on multiple websites. They are professional, responsive, & easy to work with. I’ve had great experiences & would recommend their services to anyone.

Ruthie Miller, Sr. Mktg. Specialist

Salesforce, Houston, Texas

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FAQ:

What is WordPress?

This is a Content Management System that is used to develop websites. It is also available in Open source and .com. So anyone can develop any kind of website.

How to build a WordPress website?

With this you can develop a business website and use it as a blogging platform. You need to follow these steps:

  • Sign up for a web Hosting
  • Choose a domain name for your website
  • Install free WordPress software
  • Select a WordPress theme
  • Develop your first page
  • Install all the essential plugins to your WordPress website
  • And then start marketing your website

What is WordPress used for?

With this you can develop your own website. WordPress custom theme works by combining various core files. Files are added, installed and database. It provides dashboards that let you manage the entire work.

Is WordPress easy for Beginners?

It is a simple to use tool. Even beginners can use it very easily.  It is easy to set up and run. Several web hosts come with what are called as one-click auto-installers. It is simple to use, unlike Microsoft.

Is WordPress Free to use?

This core software is free to use. You can download it for free and use it for any way you want to. You can customize it, extend it, redistribute it or it can also be sold until you use it as GPL License.

Conclusion:

WordPress framework is a powerful content management system. It is strongly followed globally to develop many amazing websites.

It provides you with complete control over your website. This web application provides great advantages like plugins, free tools, and themes with full media support.

With more content, demands more maintenance and scaling it is as simple as a new WordPress website. It is advisable to frequently back-up your entire website in case of any unfortunate accidental loss of data. It also supports 169 languages worldwide.

Automattic, the company behind WordPress has even bigger plans in future. It has come a long way since its inception and has experienced exponential growth. Since then it has created a world of its own. We have concluded that, with WordPress, possibilities are endless.

The best way to experience these features is by using them. Let us help you build your website.

So you can enjoy your business and develop your website using Andolasoft.

Your current host might charge you extra cost and time, get it back with Andolasoft.

Well professional wordpress developers will help you develop your own websites according to your preferences at an affordable range.

Want to develop your own business websites, contact us to hire our developers to design your professional websites.

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How To Create A Custom WordPress Plugin

Posted on by Jay

Custom WordPress Plugin act as add-ons with additional functionalities or extending any existing functionality to a website without modifying the core files. It helps the installation of future updates without losing any core functionalities or customization.

Why Would You Want to Create a Plugin?

All WordPress themes contain a functions.php file, which includes code that adds all the functionalities to your site. It operates very similarly to the way a plugin works. you can add the same code to either a plugin or functions.php file, and both will work for you.

Consider this scenario.

You have decided to change the look and feel of the website so you need to change the theme, the custom code that you have added will no longer work since it was there in the previous theme.

On the other hand, plugins are not dependent on a  specific theme, which means that you can switch themes without losing the plugin’s functionalities. Using a plugin instead of a theme also makes the functionality you want to create easier to maintain and it will not be impacted during the theme updates.

Types of WordPress Plugin:

Plugins can carry out lots of tasks. It adds extra functionalities to your site which makes the website more user-friendly.
Types of WordPress plugin include:

  • WordPress Security and Performance Plugins
  • Marketing and sales plugins for things like SEO, social media, etc
  • Custom content plugins such as custom post types, widgets, short-codes, contact forms, image galleries, etc.
  • API plugins that work with the WordPress REST API
  • Community plugins that add social networking features like the Forum feature.

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How to Run Your Plugin Code: Options

Few methods are there to activate your code in WordPress like, 

  • functions
  • action and filter hooks
  • classes

Let’s deep dive on the above points.

Functions

Functions are the building blocks of WordPress code.  They’re the easiest way to get started writing your own plugins and the quickest to code. You’ll find plenty of them in your themes’ files too.

Each function will have its own name, followed by braces and the code inside those braces.

The code inside your plugin won’t run unless you call the function somehow. The simplest (but least flexible) way to do that is by directly calling the code in your theme or somewhere else in your plugin.

Here’s an example function:To directly call that function in your theme, you’d simply type andola_myfunction() in the place in your theme template files where you want it to run. Or you might add it somewhere in your plugin… but you’d also need to activate the code that calls it!

There are a few limitations to this:

  • If the function does something that isn’t just adding content somewhere in a theme template file, you can’t activate it this way.
  • If you want to call the function in multiple places, you’ll have to call it again and again.
  • It can be hard to keep track of all the places you’ve manually called a function.

It’s much better practice to call functions by attaching them to a hook.

Action and Filter Hooks

By attaching your function to a hook, you run its code whenever that hook is fired. There are two types of hooks: action hooks and filter hooks.

Action hooks are empty. When WordPress comes to them, it does nothing unless a function has been hooked to that hook.

Filter hooks contain code that will run unless there is a function hooked to that hook. If there is a function, it’ll run the code in that function instead.

This means you can add default code to your plugin but override it in another plugin, or you can write a function that overrides the default code that’s attached to a filter hook in WordPress itself.

Hooks are fired in three ways:

  • By WordPress itself. The WordPress core code includes hundreds of hooks that fire at different times. Which one you hook your function to will depend on what your function does and when you want its code to run. You can find a list of WordPress hooks in the developer handbook.
  • By your theme. Many themes include action and filter hooks that you can use to add extra content in key places in your website’s design. And all themes will include a wp_head and wp_footer hook. Combine these with conditional tags, and you can run specific code on certain types of pages in your site.
  • By your plugin or other plugins. You might add an action hook to your plugin and then add functions in your include files that attach code to that hook. Or you might write a filter hook and then have a function that overrides its contents under certain circumstances. Alternatively, if you’re creating a plugin to complement another plugin, you can hook your functions to the existing hook in the third-party plugin.

Some of this is more advanced, but with your first plugin, you’ll probably be hooking your functions to an action or filter hook output by WordPress itself, most likely an action hook.

Classes

Classes are a way of coding more complex features, such as widgets and customize elements, that make use of the existing WordPress APIs. 

When you write a class in your plugin, you’ll probably be extending an existing class that’s coded into WordPress. This way, you can make use of the code provided by the class and tweak it to make it your own. 

An example would be the customizer, where you might write a class including a color picker, making use of the color picker UI that’s provided in the existing class for the customizer.

Using classes is more advanced than functions, and it’s unlikely you’ll do it in your plugin.

If you do write classes, you’ll still have to use actions or filters to get them to run.

Let’s start with the basics first.

WordPress plugins are stored inside the wp-content/plugins folder which can be accessed from WordPress root directory.

Creating a simple “Hello World” plugin in WordPress can be done in 3 easy steps:

  • Creating the plugin’s main folder and the plugin file
  • Creating plugin headers in the created plugin  file (headers: information about the plugin, version, and the author)
  • Writing custom functions to display “Hello World” text inside an admin page in WordPress panel

Prerequisite

  • Some knowledge in basic installation & setup of WordPress, to develop custom Plugins is necessary.
  • Always use the latest WordPress version available.
  • Coding knowledge for PHP is required.
  • The Plugin needs to be tested in a clean WordPress setup.
  • An Editor of your choice might be required.

Steps:

  • Enable debug mode for bug tracking. You can do so by adding ‘define(‘WP_DEBUG’, true)’ to the ‘wp-config.php’ file.
  • Use wp_enqueue_style() and wp_enqueue_script() to add style sheets and scripts to a Plugin; This prevents scripts   from being loaded multiple times.
  • All the Plugins will be there in the wp-content > plugins folder.

 Step 1: Create a New Plugin File

To start creating a new plugin, you will need access to your site’s directory. The easiest way to do this is by using SFTP, which is a method for viewing and editing your site’s files when it’s located on an external server.

Create a folder andola-hello-world inside the plugins folder.

Note: Keep the name unique, so that it doesn’t conflict with other Plugins used in the website.

The Main Plugin File

The main plugin file is essential. It will always be a PHP file, and it will always contain commented-out text that tells WordPress about your plugin.

Create a file named andolasoft-hello-world.php where we can write our Plugin functionality code.

[code language=”php”]
<?php
/**
* Plugin Name: Andola Hello World
* Plugin URI: https://wordpress.org/plugins/
* Author: Andolasoft
* Author URI: https://www.andolasoft.com/
* License: GPLv2 or later
* License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html
* Description: This is the very first plugin I ever created.
* Version: 1.0
* Text Domain: andola-hello-world
*/
[/code]

You can see that the information provided in the plugin file is used to populate this entry and provide links.

Other information about the plugin is contained in the README.txt file, which is used to populate the plugin’s page in the plugin directory:

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This tells WordPress what your plugin does, where to find out more about it, and who developed it. It also gives information about the version number and the text domain.

WordPress takes this information and uses it to populate the plugins screen in your site. Here’s how it looks on that screen:

[code language=”php”]
if ( ! defined( ‘ABSPATH’ ) ) die( ‘Error!’ );

add_shortcode(‘hello-world’, ‘andola_hello_world_function’);

function andola_hello_world_function(){
return "Hello World! This is the very first plugin I ever created.";
}
[/code]

That’s it, your plugin is ready!

Step 2: Activate Your New Plugin

Login to your WordPress Dashboard, go to ‘Plugins’, your “Hello World” plugin is there. All you need to do now is activate it.

Step 3: Start Using Your Own Plugin

Create a new post and insert short-code ‘[hello_world]’ into it:

Then this is how it will appear in the front end:

Plugin Best Practices

Before you start coding your plugin, it helps to understand best practices for plugins so your code can be high quality right from the start.

These include:

  • Write your code according to WordPress coding standards. If you want to submit your plugin to the plugin directory, you’ll have to do this.
  • Use comments throughout your code so other people can work with it—and so you remember how your code works when you come back to it in the future.
  • Name your functions, hooks, and classes using prefixes so they are unique to your plugin. You don’t want to give a function the same name as another function in a different plugin or in WordPress core.
  • Organize your folders logically, and keep your code separated so other people can understand it and so you can add to it over time without it becoming a mess.

You might think that using best practice isn’t necessary because it’s just you working with the plugin. But your plugin might grow over time, you might let other people use it, or you might sell it. Or you might come back to it in two years and not be able to remember how the code is organized!

FAQs

Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about WordPress plugins.

Why can’t I just add the code I need to my theme functions file?

It’s tempting to simply keep on adding code to the functions.php file, and there is some code that should be there.

But if your code is related to functionality in your site, rather than the design or the output of content, then you should code it into a plugin. This means that if you switch themes in the future, you still have that functionality. And you can use the plugin on another site running a different theme.

I’ve added code to my plugin. Why is nothing happening?

This is probably because you haven’t hooked your code to an action or filter hook. Until you do that, nothing will happen.

When I edit my plugin and check my site, I get a white screen. Help!

You’ve probably added some code that’s got an error in it somewhere. PHP is an unforgiving language, and this might be as minor as a semicolon in the wrong place.

Try turning on WP_DEBUG in your wp-config.php file, and you’ll see a message telling you where the error is. Then you can fix it.

When I activate my plugin, I get an error message telling me too many headers have been output. What does this mean?

All this normally means is that there are too many empty lines in your plugin file. Go back and check there are no empty lines at the beginning of the file.

If that doesn’t fix it, try turning on WP_DEBUG.

Conclusion

Developing a custom plugin is a way to add functionality to a WordPress site that currently available plugins don’t offer. It can be a simple plugin that implements minor alterations or a complex one that modifies the entire site.

Know The Benefits Of Hire Remote WordPress Developers

Posted on by Jay

COVID-19 Pandemic has changed the entire global market almost in the period of a week. And the business industries having no exception from this calamity.

Perhaps, the anti-dote might be under development but this global epidemic is going to make a long-lasting impact on the common society.

We can say the business to each individual is putting themselves in lockdown to skip this calamity. But certainly, we can not stop working. Every business and industry must go on.

If we would not, we can face global economic crises in the very recent future. There will be sectors, companies, and workers that will be severely harmed.

Never miss an update from us. Join 10,000+ marketers and leaders.

So, let’s not stop running our business rather change the way we work. So that we can achieve equivalent productivity.

As also most every Government of states has released the advisory to stay at home and maintain social distancing to stop the spread of this virus, the online business stakeholder may consider hiring the dedicated or remote team for outsourcing their business needs.

When it comes to the point of running or starting-up new business;

Building a business website online may be something in your mind for days even not for months.

Well, it will take some time before you start as you need to decide on the right development platform and package.

Maybe, you want to try one of the top 3 CMS platforms (WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal) and are already seeking answers from professional wordpress website development company companies.

Even if you have professionals to build your website, you still like to manage it yourself once it is launched. So, you need to make certain crucial decisions like which platform to choose and use for your website development.

The million-dollar question is why?

Why Businesses Choose WordPress CMS:

Well, WordPress is one of the most commonly used CMS platforms for developing websites. More than 24% of websites worldwide are built on WordPress.

Since 2003, this CMS has taken the world of blogging by storm. However, several transformations have made it more than just a blogging website to an open-source web development platform.

WordPress is used by millions of web users globally and is a perfect platform to promote products and services. The CMS is easy to use, full of unique features.

WordPress also offers plenty of plugins that can dramatically improve user experience. With the help of an experienced WordPress development company, you can build a website that will boost sales and visibility of your business.

It’s not just about digital presence and sales though. With a WordPress-based website in place, you can leverage many other benefits to improve business efficiency and stay ahead in the competition.

Also Read: 8 Incredible Benefits for Choosing WordPress Development for Your Website

Advantages Of Remote WordPress Development Team

If a fast time to market is one of your priorities, with outsourcing app development you can start your project very quickly. It especially works best in the conditions of nationwide strict quarantine, when remote work is obligatory for everyone.

In such case the best option is to set up a team of remote developers who work for a software company, not freelancers since it is quite risky, and taking risks is not a good time when your business is operating on the edge.

Cost Reduction

It is one of the main advantages of outsourcing over in house development. An offshore outsourcing company helps businesses reduce development costs, which in turn frees up resources that can be used for new development opportunities.

Outsourcing Saves Time

The market typically requires a fast turnaround for the process of mobile application development. When outsourcing such a project, you do not waste time and money on hiring, training, and retaining employees.

Best Engineering Talent

When you team up with employees from other countries, you are getting access to the best engineering talents from all over the world, as opposed to simply hiring people that are available within a radius of 30 km from the location of the company.

This factor becomes especially crucial when you have not just a company, but a startup: where every new employee is an important decision that will almost certainly affect the outcome of your business.

You hire an experienced WordPress Developers, well-coordinated, and dedicated team. Well-established outsourcing companies offer fully staffed and dedicated teams of developers where team members have known each other for a long time and worked together on many projects.

You can be sure that these employees are professionals and have a lot of experience to meet the requirements of your project and introduce the best solutions.

High Communication Standards:

You get a team that follows the highest communication standards to ensure full transparency throughout the process, just as if you were working with an in-house team. Needless to say, they adapt to your local hours.

Close Supervision:

Your personal manager will keep you in the loop with regular meetings, demo sessions, and constant communication. As a result, you will always know exactly what your team is working on as well as monitor the progress status of the tasks and their expected completion date.

I’ve worked with the team at Andolasoft on multiple websites. They are professional, responsive, & easy to work with. I’ve had great experiences & would recommend their services to anyone.

Ruthie Miller, Sr. Mktg. Specialist

Salesforce, Houston, Texas

LEARN MORE

End-to-end services and support. On-demand access to a pool of developers, DevOps, QA, designers & architects. You can easily and accordingly adjust your team size or skill set(s) to the project requirements throughout the evolution of your project.

Risk Reduction:

After signing a contract, all project risks are transferred to the outsourcing company. Typically, an outsourcing company guarantees delivery on time and on budget. Also, all your sensitive data regarding the project is protected due to signing a non-disclosure agreement, so that you can be sure there is no risk of a “project theft” or any confidential information leakage.

Also Read: What’s Going To Be WordPress Trends for the Year 2020?

Wrapping Things Up

Choosing WordPress to develop a website is a wise decision term for both performance and profitability.

If you want to build a website for your business, WordPress offers you a perfect platform for engaging target customers. By hiring a WordPress development company, you will get a quality website having all the features that will promote your business. You can also show the world that you offer them something unique to choose from. WordPress websites stand out in the digital space in terms of performance, appearance, and user-friendliness.

Looking for a remote WordPress Developer Team? Get in Touch!