Professional WordPress Plugin Development, 2nd Edition - Paperback

by Brad Williams (Author)

Extend WordPress with plugins using this advanced WordPress development book, updated for the current version

This significantly updated edition of Professional WordPress Plugin Development addresses modern plugin development for WordPress, the highly popular content management system (CMS). If you're using WordPress to create and manage websites, WordPress plugins are the software that can extend or enhance CMS functionality. This book offers guidance on writing plugins for WordPress sites to share or sell to other users.

The second edition of Professional WordPress Plugin Development covers the building of advanced plugin development scenarios. It discusses the plugin framework and coding standards as well as dashboards, settings, menus, and related application programming interfaces (APIs). Additional topics include security, performance, data validation, and SQL statements.

- Learn about the power of hooks in WordPress

- Discover how JavaScript and Ajax will work in your site

- Understand key technologies: Block Editor/Gutenberg, JS/React, PHP, and the REST API

- Create and use custom post types and taxonomies.

- Creating custom dashboard menus and plugin settings

- Work with users and user data

- Schedule tasks and utilizing Cron

- Performance and security considerations

Written by experienced plugin developers, Professional WordPress Plugin Development also helps you internationalize and localize your WordPress website. Find out about debugging systems and optimizing your site for speed. As WordPress use continues to increase, you can elevate your professional knowledge of how to extend WordPress through plugins.

Back Jacket

Required reading for WordPress plugin developers

This is one of the most extensive available resources on developing plugins for WordPress--the world's most popular web content management system. The authors have prepared this updated edition, which builds from the basics of plugin development to more advanced scenarios. You'll follow a hands-on approach, with real-world examples covering situations you'll encounter as you develop custom plugins for your clients or your own sites. Additionally, you'll learn to write future-proof code that will continue to function well for years to come.

Professional WordPress Plugin Development:

• Introduces you to plugin development with the WordPress plugin framework, coding standards, and hooks
• Covers essential topics in plugin development, including plugin security, scalability and performance, working with user data, and internationalization
• Reveals best practices for using advanced APIs including building custom Gutenberg block editor blocks, the REST API, and functions to extend WordPress functionality
• Describes how to code plugins using PHP, JavaScript, and modern web technologies
• Delivers tips and techniques for debugging and optimizing your new plugins, as well as guidance on releasing your plugins to the public

Wrox Professional guides are planned and written by working programmers to meet the real-world needs of programmers, developers, and IT professionals. Focused and relevant, they address the issues technology professionals face every day. They provide examples, practical solutions, and expert education in new technologies, all designed to help programmers do a better job.

Author Biography

About the authors

Brad Williams is CEO and cofounder of WebDevStudios, a WordPress design and development firm. He is coauthor of Professional WordPress Design and Development.

Justin Tadlock is a plugin and theme developer with over a decade of professional experience. He currently writes for WP Tavern.

John James Jacoby has authored dozens of popular WordPress plugins and leads the development of bbPress and BuddyPress. He has contributed to every major WordPress version since 2008.