LITMIR.BIZ

FIGURE 1‐3: Install Now button

      The third and final method to install a plugin in WordPress uses Secure (or SSH) File Transfer Protocol (SFTP). Using SFTP involves simply connecting to your web server using an SFTP client and manually uploading the plugin to your WordPress installation. To use this method, upload the uncompressed plugin folder or file to the wp‐content/plugins directory on your web server.

      Managing Plugins

      After you install a plugin in WordPress, you can manage it, along with all other plugins, on the Plugins ➪ Installed Plugins screen. Here you can find a list of all plugins, active or not, available in your WordPress installation. You can easily activate, deactivate, edit, update, and delete plugins from this screen.

      The Plugin screen also features bulk actions for activating, deactivating, updating, and deleting plugins. Check all the plugins you want to manage and then select the appropriate bulk action from the drop‐down menu. This process makes managing multiple plugins a breeze!

      Editing Plugins

      WordPress features a built‐in plugin editor on the Plugins ➪ Plugin Editor screen. The plugin editor enables you to view and edit the source code of any plugin installed in WordPress. Keep in mind you can edit the source code only if the plugin file is writable by the web server; otherwise, you can only view the code.

      To use the editor, select the plugin from the drop‐down menu on the top‐right portion of the Edit Plugins page. The editor lists all files associated with the selected plugin. There is also a documentation lookup feature that makes it easy to research a specific function's purpose in the plugin you are reviewing.

      WARNING A word of caution when using the built‐in plugin editor: a browser doesn't have an Undo button. There is also no code revision history, so one bad code edit can crash your entire website with no way to revert the changes. It's best to use the code editor for reference only and never use it to edit your plugin files.

      Plugin Directories

      A lesser known fact is that WordPress actually features two plugin directories. The primary directory is located at wp‐content/plugins in a standard WordPress installation. The second, lesser known plugin directory is at wp‐content/mu‐plugins. The mu‐plugins directory, which stands for Must‐Use, is not automatically created by WordPress, so it must be manually created to be used.

The primary difference between the two is that the mu‐plugins directory is for plugins that are always executed. This means any plugin included in this directory will automatically be loaded in WordPress and across all sites in the network if you run Multisite. Mu‐plugins are always on and cannot be deactivated.

      NOTE The mu‐plugins directory will not read plugins in a subfolder, so all plugins must be individual files or must include additional files that exist in a subdirectory. Any plugin files in a subfolder will be ignored unless included in the primary plugin file.

      Types of Plugins

WordPress features a few different types and statuses for plugins, as shown in Figure 1‐4. You need to understand the difference when administering and creating plugins for WordPress.