Plug-ins… No, they’re not related to hair replacement, but they can extend WordPress to do almost anything one can imagine by finding, downloading, rating and commenting on all the best plug-ins the WordPress community has to offer.

WordPress Plug-ins allow easy modifications, customizations and enhancements to a WordPress blog or any PSD to WordPress file. Instead of changing the core programming of WordPress, we can add functionality with WordPress Plug-ins.

So, what are they? A WordPress Plug-In is a program or set of one or more functions written in the PHP scripting language that adds a specific set of features or services to the WordPress weblog, which can be seamlessly integrated with the weblog using access points and methods provided by the WordPress Plug-In Application Program Interface (API).

New or modified functionality with WordPress is attainable simply by searching various WordPress Plug-In repositories and sources to see if someone has already created a WordPress Plug-In to suit one’s needs. If none have been created, this article will act as a guide through the process of creating your own.

It can also be very useful to create a web page acting as the home page for your WordPress Plug-in. This page should describe how to install the Plug-in, what it does, what versions of WordPress it’s compatible with, what has changed from one Plug-In version to another, and how to use the Plug-Ins.

Things to Know Before Installation

>        READ, READ, READ – The more someone knows before installation, the easier the process will be and the less problematic. Reading through the readme.txt files and web pages, plus any comments regarding the Plug-In on the author’s website will go a long way toward that end.  Or you can always ask your friendly web developers at Developer4Lease www.image-PSD-to-wordpress.com.

>        Upload, Download, Modify – You must be familiar with how to download and upload files, and how to use FTP, if required. Familiarity with PHP, HTML, CSS and CHMOD may also be necessary.

>        Record Modifications – If any changes are made to the WordPress files or templates, make notes of it in the code by using comments before and after the changes, and in a text file saved to your site and on your desktop to remind you of any additions or modifications to your default files or templates. This will help you repeat these in the future if there are any problems on the site.

>        Call for Backup! — Some Plug-Ins work independently from your blog’s content and files, adding something special to the page. Others require modification of content and files, including changes to the database. Before installing any plug-in that can make a dramatic change, back up the database and files.

There are several versions of Developer4Lease’s WordPress currently available and different plug-ins available for the various versions. Be sure to read through the information thoroughly to determine if the plug-in will work with the version in use or check plug-ins/plugin_compatibility. If not, consider an upgrade.

Managing Plug-Ins

Plug-ins is composed of PHP scripts that add extra functionality to a blog. They offer new additions to a blog that either enhance features already available or add otherwise unavailable features to the site.

Plug-ins also extends the functionality of WordPress. Most WordPress users don’t require plug-ins, or – like plug-ins dealing with comment spam or customized post listings – only require a few. Other users enjoy varied options plug-ins provide such as frequently updated weather reports, post word counts, rating systems, and more. Plug-in choices are numerous and picked based on the needs of the user. They are not incorporated into the core of WordPress.

WordPress Plug-Ins are designed by volunteers and are free to the public. Plug-ins listed in the sources you will find online usually have been thoroughly tested and are typically considered safe. But remember, they are the responsibility of the author and user, and are typically works in progress as WordPress evolves and expands.

WordPress is an open-source CMS often used as a blog publishing application powered by PHP and MySQL. For more information, go online to www.image-PSD-to-wordpress.com.  We can use WordPress to CMS or convert a PSD to WordPress software for easy transition.