WordPress Plugin Idea

Before building any plugin, we should site down and write all of our requirements to save time and do the right way in coding time. In my simple wordpress plugin idea include:

Now, let ‘s go with our first wordpress plugin

WordPress Plugin Basic File Structure

As the minimum requirements, wordpress plugin only need one php file in folder /wp-content/plugins/ but no one do thing like that since it ‘s very difficult to maintain. So even though we do a simple wordpress plugin, let ‘s learn for future to build a complex plugin. So, the basic wordpress plugin file structure include:

• A folder in /wp-content/plugins/: let ‘s create it is simple-shortcode
• A php file in plugin folder /wp-content/plugins/simple-shortcode with the same name as plugin folder, so it should be /wp-content/plugins/simple-shortcode/simple-shortcode.php

wordpress plugin file structure

WordPress Plugin Header

Somehow WordPress need to know the basic information of your wordpress plugin to display in control panel, kind of detail of a plugin. And here is all that needs to be in your plugin file for WordPress to recognize it once uploaded. Let ‘s add it as first line in file simple-shortcode.php

<?php
/*
Plugin Name: My Custom Functions
*/

See how easy that is? At this point you have a plugin that you can activate in your WordPress plugins area. Of course our plugin doesn’t actually do anything yet but the point is you have laid the foundation of your very own plugin and it was super easy.

Now there are other elements that you can include in this header. Things like a description, version, author, etc. You can read more about those here: http://codex.wordpress.org /Writing_a_Plugin #File_Headers

That ‘s all to get a new wordpress plugin, let visit your wordpress plugin admin and activate it. Time to build the main function

Capture wordpress hooks

Keep in mind that to get our plugin optimize, we only execute our action code via wordpress shortcode except some special case. For the most case, we will capture the init hook of wordpress. Here is the code.

add_action( 'init', 'simple_shortcode_register_shortcodes');

See, we call function simple_shortcode_register_shortcodes when the wordpress system init and we need to define this function.

function simple_shortcode_register_shortcodes()
{
add_shortcode('my-first-shortcode', 'simple_shortcode_my_first_shortcode');
}

Again we add a shortcode with tag my-first-shortcode and defined by function simple_shortcode_my_first_shortcode. One more time we need to define this function:

function simple_shortcode_my_first_shortcode($atts, $content){
extract(shortcode_atts(array(
'lastname' => ''
), $atts));
return "<strong>{$content} {$lastname}";
}

Ok, it ‘s quite simple, for more detail how to define this function you can look at wordpress API https://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/add_shortcode . And I guess, you will know where to search for WordPress API :-).

The next step, let ‘s test it. Create a new post with this detail:

Now, view it on front-end to see the magic.

And here is the bonus for you if you need more advance about wordpress plugin https://codex.wordpress.org/Writing_a_Plugin

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Top 3 PHP Web Hosting Companies

If you don’t have much time to read to understand all of features and reasons then we have here top #3 candidate PHP web hosting for you, you can choose one of them and I believe you will be happy with their result and service.

SiteGround PHP Hosting package: $3.95/month (60% OFF now), Server SuperCacher  unique features (memcached, proxy cache, apache google speed, Varnish cache …), PHP Security, PHP Multi versions (7 different PHP versions), CDN + Multi server location, Free domain, Free transfer…

A2 Hosting package: $4.97/month,  SSDs support, unique SwiftServer platform,  PHP Security, PHP Multi versions, Free domain, Free transfer …

Hosting24 package: $4.84/month, Free domain, Unlimited disk and bandwidth, PHP Security, CDN, Free domain, Free transfer …

Many people will ask me why SiteGround is the first choice?! It ‘s just because all of our customers who they host for us get 100% happy with their services. They know exactly what to do when the problem happen and it ‘s just what customers want. You always have peace in mind when using them.

In the case you want more information about the best PHP web hosting , I will show you all of features needed here:

1. PHP compatible and Multi version support

A good PHP web hosting provider must support newest PHP version and as many as possible other PHP versions. For this time, at least they support PHP 5.x

PHP Multi version will help us a lot when we deploy PHP application because some applications only work with a specific PHP version and configuration, so that sometimes you will need to switch between PHP versions.

As the first option we listed above, SiteGround support 7 PHP version for user to choose when running their websites. That ‘s nice enough for us and enough to make them different.

2. PHP opcode support for PHP web Hosting

A best PHP Web Hosting can’t miss opcode support in their server set up because it will speed up the performance very much. And who don’t want the fast website?

Opcode what PHP hosting server can use is XCache, APC, eAccelerator …

If you has ever worked with PHP you will see PHP coding what usually have too many files included in one process call. Let ‘s say we have to include 10 php files in just one process what do a simple work, in this case, the PHP compiler have to parse text and do many complicated steps to get a final binary code what can run directly in PHP interpreter. Opcode was born to save all of steps from PHP code text to binary code, it will compile just one time and then if it detect there are no change in all of files included it will use the last compiled binary code and run it right away. This way it can make site faster 10 times, it ‘s really impressive.

3. Strong and Friendly control panel

Are you working with cPanel before? If yes, then let ‘s require your hosting company support it because it will save you a lot of time if you manage your hosting support what you like to work. And in anyway, you can require the user interface what they are using must friendly enough for you to start a new website in 10 minutes.

4. PHP security,  Anti-Spam & Backup

The security is the most important for any online business so that the best PHP web hosting must cover the risk and cover everything when any problem happen. At least in the bad situation, they must support daily backup what make sure we can recover the old version.

Many problems can happen in live online business and we have to choose the PHP hosting company who can give us peace in mind to have time to focus to main business instead of spending a lot of time for hosting.

So in the bottom line, the PHP web hosting company must support auto backup or you should say no with them.

5. Quick support and PHP Expert support

The support quality can be a top of requirements for the most users to choose the best PHP web hosting. It ‘s very crazy if a website down and we can’t do anything to get it up again, so that the quick support will help us a lot to calm down the problem.

Other than that, we can’t allow the support from stupid guys (the guys from hosting company don’t know anything about techniques, they just stay there, wait and answer a general question), we need a PHP expert, the server and hosting expert who will solve the real problem for us. So that the best PHP web hosting must provide the PHP expert support in quick response time.

You know, the support response time average from SiteGround ticket is only 7 minutes, it ‘s really nice response time. And it will be no waiting with phone support. That ‘s what we really like their service.

6. Multi server location & Global and Famous brand name

5 years ago we had chance to work for a customers in UK who already got  his local hosting company to handle their hosting stuffs. I will not say their name here but their name is not famous, and they don’t have too many customers. My customers always think that if they don’t have too many customers they will have much time to take care us. But he ‘s wrong! You know, the big brand name and famous brand name will know how to take care you because they already take care a lot of customers on the world. The big brand name will have a lot of useful tools what need to build and invest for a long time. That ‘s why I highly recommend you choose a global and big brand name in hosting company instead of local hosting provider.

7. Dynamic cache support

Memcached, Redis, XCache …. Or whatever but they should support one of them to make sure we have something faster than FileSystem cache. Maybe you will not focus much in beginning but in the product live website, you will think about it, and it can be late to support later what cost more money. Why don’t we choose it from the first step?

8. PHP Application & PHP Extensions support: WordPress, Joomla, Magento …

By supporting many useful and popular PHP extensions what are required by popular applications like wordpress, Joomla, Magento … the PHP web hosting can handle all of them in very smooth working. Other than that, they need to support RAM and CPU resource enough for resource consume. If you want to use PHP for specific application then please ask them support them or not before buying the hosting package.

9. Linux OS

PHP must be built and run on Linux OS like CentOS, Ubuntu, Red Hat … or any Unix base OS because PHP are designed and work best on Linux. If you get a PHP hosting provider but the OS is Window then you should look at their profile about hosting before choosing them.

Thank you and welcome your comment!!!

The post How to choose the best PHP web hosting? appeared first on WP2X.

In this blog post, I will share you the flow with step by step to set up a WordPress site in easiest ways. In additional,  you will have idea about where to find themes and plugins for your site. Now let ‘s get started with WordPress!!!

1. Get started with WordPress: are you a Developer or a Webmaster?

If you are a PHP developer then you have the skills what ‘s more than enough to do these steps, so that you only need to know what steps needed and where is the URLs you need to bookmarks for later usage to save your time.

If you are a Webmaster/Newbie who are not familiar with server, programming, PHP … you only use Graphic User Interface with click, drag and drop then it would be nice for you to read more careful my post. So let ‘s go!

2. Install & Get WordPress ready quickly

There are 3 options what people usually go with it when they use wordpress:

2.1 Use Free service from WordPress.com

This solution is used for people who just want to look at the WordPress Admin UI and try to figure out that WordPress match with their need or not. So let me show you, It will not take you more than 5 minutes to sign up and set up at https://wordpress.com a brand new wordpress site. After having account on wordpress.com, you just need to click “My Blogs” and then “Create Another Blog”, everything should be easy for you from now or if you can’t manage to do it, please leave us a comment, we will help you as soon as possible.

This is a fastest way to get a wordpress site up and run but you will be limited in the WordPress Cloud Hosting with theme, plugin, disk space, bandwidth…. you can’t install your custom plugin, theme or customize the source code. So this is only for beginner who want to see the UI and make a simple blog.

2.2 Self-Host WordPress Site

The Self-Host WordPress Site is the way to host your wordpress site on your own hosting to customize whatever we need. This is advance solution for people who can work with FTP, cPanel, PHP programming, Database management …. at least you know what is it. If you are on way to find a developer or you are a developer and you want to get started with wordpress and develop it, this is the best choice for you.

You still have way to get WordPress ready very fast with Self-Host WordPress by choosing the WordPress Hosting company who support one-click install WordPress. As our team experience you can go with SiteGround WordPress Hosting package ( $3.95/month) or A2 Hosting WordPress package ( $4.97/month), they are both high quality WordPress Hosting with one-click wordpress installation and very quick ticket/phone support. Let ‘s buy one of those hosting packages and login to their cPanel to set up WordPress.

Here is the instruction if you buy SiteGround WordPress Hosting package:

Login to cPanel and click the WordPress icon

Click “Install” to start install wordpress

Then enter your blog information you need and “Install”, you will have a wordpress site ready to play around in 1 minute

2.3 Managed WordPress Hosting Services

If you don’t have much time, you don’t want to spend time for development, you don’t want to hire a developer, you want to have a WordPress right away with everything to publish a fast, professional look and feel then you need to go with Managed WordPress Hosting Service. It will cover everything for you to get your wordpress site up and running include hosting, domain, development and maintenance. You don’t have to do anything, you are free to focus to the main content, the main business.

So if you choose a Managed WordPress Hosting, I am pretty sure that no one better than wpengine.com, they are very professional in this industry with high trust server and wordpress expert.

3. Create the first post

Let ‘s enjoy your first wordpress site with the first post. To start the first post, you need to login to admin panel of wordpress -> in left menu click Posts => Add New

Enter the title and body then click “Publish” to have your first post online.

4. Search and install WordPress Theme

Let ‘s try to install a new theme in theme collection online to see what style you can use. Now click menu Appearance => Themes

Then you click “Add New” to search theme you need or upload the theme from your computer (I will talk about wordpress themes installation more in another post).

After choosing your theme, let ‘s activate it and look at front end to see the new change.

To have more information about free wordpress theme, let ‘s visit here http://wordpress.org/themes/, I believe you can find the very good wordpress theme match with your need from it for free. Just like me :-). Make sure you search the free wordpress theme before wasting your money to any wordpress theme development.

5. Search and install WordPress plugin

 Just like install new theme, you can install plugin for wordpress is quite easy. Visit menu Plugins => Add New

Now let ‘s search or upload your plugin to install and activate it. To have more information about all of plugins ready on WordPress community you can find it here http://wordpress.org/plugins/. My experience is you should search before doing any coding about wordpress function because almost functions are implemented ready for free from community.

Until this step you already control the important part of worpdress and easy to get started with other steps.

Good luck and welcome any comment!!!

The post Get started with WordPress quickly? appeared first on WP2X.