The functions.php file is often used to add customizations and functionality to a WordPress site. There are countless tutorials available online that will show you how to customize your website using the functions.php file. However, the same functionality can be added to your site or blog by creating a site-specific WordPress plugin. Indeed, it is an even better idea in the long run because it makes your site more robust and is really easy to implement.
What is a site-specific WordPress plugin?
A site-specific WordPress plugin can be created when you need to add functionality to your WordPress site that is not theme specific. It provides all the advantages that you would get by modifying the functions.php file, but none of the drawbacks. Instead of adding snippets of code to your WordPress theme’s functions.php file, all of that information can be added to the site through a plugin created especially for your site.
Why do I need to create a site-specific WordPress plugin?
There is no way to organize all the random bits of code pasted to the functions.php file at one time or another. Moreover, these changes become theme-specific, and not site-specific, even though they may contribute nothing to the site’s functionality. A fact, which often gets overlooked, is that whenever the theme is upgraded or changed, the custom functionality that was added to the functions.php file is lost. Even when you do remember to save the modified functions.php file, finding all the bits of randomly pasted code and reapplying them to the new theme can be a tedious process. This is where a site-specific WordPress plugin comes in. All the functionality that is not theme specific can be added to a plugin, which then provides all of those features and keeps on providing them regardless of changes or upgrades to the theme.
How can I create it?
- Creating a site-specific plugin for any WordPress site is a very simple process. Just browse the plugin directory, which is usually located at: WebsiteDirectory/wp-content/plugins.
- Create a new folder in that directory, and then browse to that folder.
- Create a new php file in the new folder you just created. For instance, mysitename-customizations.php.
- Add the code given below to the file
- Now all that remains is for you to go into your WordPress admin and activate your plugin.
Creating a site-specific plugin is a best practice that has evolved after a lot of trial and error and a lot of heartache on the part of the site developers over lost functionality. Creating a site-specific plugin is a really simple solution that has the potential to save a WordPress user a lot of time and frustration.