Creating a Plugin from Scratch with PHP is one of the most powerful features of WordPress, allowing you to expand your website’s functionality beyond the core setup. Learning how to create a plugin from scratch with PHP can seem challenging, but it’s surprisingly approachable, especially if you’re familiar with PHP. In this guide, we’ll walk through the essentials to help you build a basic WordPress plugin step-by-step.
Step 1: Setting Up Your Plugin Folder Structure
To create a plugin, we’ll start by creating a dedicated folder within the WordPress plugins directory.
Navigate to your WordPress installation folder, and go to the following path:
wp-content/plugins
Create a new folder for your plugin. For this guide, let’s name it “my-first-plugin”.
Inside this folder, create a PHP file named
my-first-plugin.php. This file will house the main code for your plugin.Add the plugin header information to let WordPress recognize the plugin. Open
my-first-plugin.phpand add the following code:
<?php
/*
Plugin Name: My First Plugin
Description: A basic WordPress plugin created with PHP.
Version: 1.0
Author: Your Name
*/
This header provides essential information, such as the plugin name and description.
Step 2: Adding Basic Functionality
Now, let’s add a simple function that displays a message at the bottom of each post.
In
my-first-plugin.php, add the following PHP code after the header:
function display_custom_message() {
echo “<p>Welcome to My First Plugin!</p>”;
}
add_action(‘wp_footer’, ‘display_custom_message’);
Explanation: The display_custom_message function outputs a message. add_action hooks this function to the wp_footer, ensuring the message appears in the footer of every page. Save your changes.
Step 3: Activating and Testing Your Plugin
If you’d like to explore further, try adding a shortcode feature or a settings page.
Adding a Shortcode
Shortcodes allow you to place functionality within posts or pages by adding a small code snippet. Let’s create a shortcode that displays a custom message.
- Add the following code to
my-first-plugin.php:
function my_plugin_shortcode() {
return “<p>This is a shortcode output from My First Plugin.</p>”;
}
add_shortcode(‘my_shortcode’, ‘my_plugin_shortcode’);
