Word Press Plug in Development IDE

You can develop a plugin in Notepad if you cared to ??

Seriously though, you’re working primarily with PHP and HTML, and possibly CSS and JavaScript. Any basic text editor should suffice.

So use whatever text editor or IDE you’re familiar and comfortable with.

Hi George,

Thanks, for you answer. Those extensions that come with the package looked as though they would help me to develop the plugin quicker. I am new to PHP and WordPress.

Thanks again!

Sure, those VS Code extensions are immensely helpful, but that does not mean you cannot build a plugin without them. So my answer was really… yes you can, but you can also build with VS Code without those extensions, and you can build with any other text editor.

I am new to PHP

If you’re an experienced programmer (just new to PHP), perhaps you should begin with a couple of online PHP tutorials that delve into the annoyances nuances of the language.

If you’re completely new to programming, perhaps you should begin with basic HTML+CSS first… before moving on to PHP and WordPress plugin development? FreeCodeCamp.org’s Responsive Web Design course can be a great place to start, and it’s totally free.

… and WordPress.

If you want to jump into WordPress plugin development anyway, the best place to start would be the Plugin Developer documentation: https://developer.www.ads-software.com/plugins/

Hi George, not sure why you are so keen to emphasise that editing can be done in notepad or similar. I need to build and deploy too, as you would for any software program.

I already understand that I can build a plugin without the extensions using VS Code.

I need to get as productive as soon as possible so I will be looking at the plugins documentation. Thanks again.

I need to build and deploy too, as you would for any software program.

That’s the thing about PHP: you don’t need to build it. It just has to be in the plugin folder.
And he was just answering your question. Use whatever editor is comfortable, no extras needed.

Hi Joy, thanks for you input, but the files need to be checked for syntax and semantics. I know there is a lint tool available, but with VS Code I also get IntelliSense which helps me quickly identify syntactic errors, especially as I am new to PHP. I’m from a C/C++/C# background. Thanks again to both of you!

PHP is an interpreted language (much like Python, Perl, and Javascript), not a compiled language like C/C++. You can have the command line open and quickly syntax check using the PHP interpreter. If you want to use VS Code as your editor, great! But it’s not needed. (In fact there are other editors better-suited for PHP development on Windows, but that’s a discussion for somewhere other than this site.)

If you’re an experienced programmer (just new to PHP), perhaps you should begin with a couple of online PHP tutorials that delve into the annoyances nuances of the language.

While I would put Javascript and Perl higher on the annoyance list than PHP, there is more than a shred of truth to this statement. ??

Hi thevasuthan,

To add to Dion’s response, as you’re building a WordPress plugin, it would also help to have WordPress itself installed on your local computer… so you can fully test your plugin without having to do back-and-forth trips to a remote server.

To do this you’d need a web server like Apache, MySQL database server, and the PHP scripting engine. A good all-in-one solution is Local by Flywheel or DeskServer… both of which have free versions which will work for you just fine.

Beyond this, I really worry you’re over-thinking this and complicating matters for yourself, even before you start the journey.

The lights will never all turn green at the same time, and you’ll only discover the your perfect, most productive setup as you go along.

So, my humble advice: just jump in, start coding, and deal with whatever issues you may encounter along the way.

All the best!

Thanks George for the encouragement. Much Appreciated.
I think Dion’s response answered what I didn’t realise. That PHP is interpreted.
So thanks to both of you. Very helpful!

Hi George and @diondesigns,

Following on from the previous chat, I would like some advice on this please:-

Building a WordPress Site – PHP/JavaScript/SOAP/WooCommerce

I am new to WordPress/PHP/JavaScript/SOAP/WooCommerce and need to build an eCommerce site using these technologies.

I come from an embedded C, C#.Net, MS SQL background and would like to confirm whether my chosen approach is the right one or at least a right way to go about this.

The site sells software. After a successful purchase has been made, the download link along with the product activation code should be emailed to the user.

What I need to know at this point before I start building is whether to use WordPress.Com or www.ads-software.com.

This is my planned approach:-

Download WordPress and then upload to a server – I’ve decided on Bluehost
Then download Apache, MySQL and PHP – WAMP
Build the CMS on my PC along with all pages required – several products to purchase along with Buy buttons
Install StoreFront WooCommerce Plugin
Write some JavaScript – an event listener that executes when the Buy button is pressed
The JavaScript makes a HTTPS request to a PHP Plugin (I will write) once the transaction has been confirmed.
The JavaScript passes on the Product Code
The PHP plugin then contacts a SOAP Web Service which returns a download link and an activation code to the PHP plugin.
Use the WP_Mail API to email the customer the download link and activation code
Upload the new version to Bluehost

So I am wondering whether all the above functionality can be achieved using WordPress.com and would that be a cheaper option?

Any advice much appreciated! Thanks in advance.

Thanks everybody

I prefer to use Codelobster IDE for WordPress development.