{"id":11330,"date":"2025-03-04T09:36:40","date_gmt":"2025-03-04T09:36:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kmfinfotech.com\/blogs\/wordpress-how-to-improve-custom-wordpress-plugins-with-plugin-check-the-ultimate-guide-for-2024\/"},"modified":"2025-03-04T09:36:41","modified_gmt":"2025-03-04T09:36:41","slug":"wordpress-how-to-improve-custom-wordpress-plugins-with-plugin-check-the-ultimate-guide-for-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kmfinfotech.com\/blogs\/wordpress-how-to-improve-custom-wordpress-plugins-with-plugin-check-the-ultimate-guide-for-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"WordPress: How to Improve Custom WordPress Plugins with Plugin Check | The Ultimate Guide for 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Optimizing Your WordPress Plugin with Plugin Check<\/h1>\n<p>Custom plugins are part of what makes WordPress so flexible. If you need functionality that doesn\u2019t exist in the ecosystem, you can build it yourself. That allows you to create websites that suit your needs.<\/p>\n<p>Still, it\u2019s important to get the details right. Any custom code you write should be secure and performant. It should also adhere to the guidelines set forth by WordPress. Doing so ensures your plugin works as expected and won\u2019t cause harm.<\/p>\n<p>So, how do you know if your code passes the litmus test? There\u2019s a helpful tool that can alert you to any issues.<\/p>\n<p>Plugin Check (PCP) is a plugin that performs an automated review of your code. It checks to see if your plugin uses best practices for security, internationalization, and performance. From there, it generates a report you can use to make improvements.<\/p>\n<p>Plugin Check is intended to help developers meet the standards of the WordPress plugin directory. However, it\u2019s also useful for anyone building a custom plugin for their project.<\/p>\n<p>Today, we\u2019ll show you how to use Plugin Check to review your plugin. It\u2019s a quick and easy way to ensure quality.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"Lets_Check_a_Homemade_Plugin\">Let\u2019s Check a Homemade Plugin<\/h2>\n<p>I built a WordPress plugin called Handy Links Custom Dashboard Widget that (you guessed it) adds a custom widget to a site\u2019s dashboard. I use it on client projects to provide quick access to common tasks. For example, links for adding a new post or viewing form entries. It saves them from searching through the navigation.<\/p>\n<p>The code is far from a work of art. I built it with the help of AI and a few snippets I\u2019ve collected. It works, and that makes me happy. But I\u2019d like to improve the code.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s see if Plugin Check can help. I have installed and activated it on a test site. Now, it\u2019s time to start testing.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"Step_1_Check_the_Custom_Plugin\">Step 1: Check the Custom Plugin<\/h2>\n<p>The first step is to run my custom plugin through Plugin Check\u2019s interface. That can be found by navigating to <strong>Tools > Plugin Check<\/strong> in the WordPress admin area.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll select my plugin (Handy Links Custom Dashboard Widget) from the drop-down menu. Then, I can choose from one or more types of code audits:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>General<\/li>\n<li>Plugin Repo<\/li>\n<li>Security<\/li>\n<li>Performance<\/li>\n<li>Accessibility<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I\u2019ll go with the Plugin Repo option, as it runs an all-encompassing check. It will tell me what items to fix to match the WordPress plugin directory guidelines. That\u2019s a great place to start.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"Step_2_Analyze_the_Results\">Step 2: Analyze the Results<\/h2>\n<p>Plugin Check\u2019s analysis pointed out several errors in my plugin. A few were relatively minor and located in the plugin\u2019s readme file:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Plugin name header in your readme is missing or invalid. Please update your readme with a valid plugin name header. Eg: &#8220;=== Example Name ===&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Mismatched Stable Tag: 6.0 != 1.0<br \/>Your Stable Tag is meant to be the stable version of your plugin, and it needs to be exactly the same as the version in your main plugin file\u2019s header. Any mismatch can prevent users from downloading the correct plugin files from WordPress.org.<\/li>\n<li>The \u201cTested up to\u201d field was ignored. This field should only contain a valid WordPress version such as \u201c6.7\u201d or \u201c6.8\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There were also a few security-related items that caught its attention:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>All output should be run through an escaping function (see the Security sections in the WordPress Developer Handbooks), found &#8216;$widget_text&#8217;.<\/li>\n<li> All output should be run through an escaping function (like esc_html_e() or  esc_attr_e()), found &#8216;_e&#8217;.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The suggestion here is to escape the plugin\u2019s output to ensure no malicious code is executed. Plugin Check links to the WordPress documentation to provide more details.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/speckyboy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/wp-plugin-check-02.png\" alt=\"Plugin Check reported errors in my plugin's readme file, along with some security issues\" width=\"1400\" height=\"674\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"Step_3_Make_the_Suggested_Changes\">Step 3: Make the Suggested Changes<\/h2>\n<p>Making changes requires a bit of research. Thankfully, Plugin Check reports the locations of each issue within the plugin\u2019s code, including the line and column numbers. It also provides links to the relevant documentation.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ll use the suggested security fixes as an example. Plugin Check reported issues in the following spots. I\u2019ve included the code snippets below for reference.<\/p>\n<p>Before Fixing<\/p>\n<p><strong>Line 47:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Line 80:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Line 84:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>None of these snippets are using an escaping function. That means a hacker could execute malicious code. I\u2019ve consulted the documentation and implemented the following changes:<\/p>\n<p>After Fixing<\/p>\n<p><strong>Line 47:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> \/\/ Accept any code that is allowed in a WordPress post.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Line 80:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> \/\/ Strip all HTML input.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Line 84:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> \/\/ Strip all HTML input.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"Step_4_Re-Test_the_Plugin\">Step 4: Re-Test the Plugin<\/h2>\n<p>I\u2019ve made the suggested changes to my plugin. Now, it\u2019s time to retest and see if the plugin fares better.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a success! The plugin now passes muster for security and readme file formatting. That\u2019s a relief.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-173171\" src=\"https:\/\/speckyboy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/wp-plugin-check-03.png\" alt=\"Plugin Check has deemed my plugin to meet WordPress plugin repository standards\" width=\"900\" height=\"400\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"Plugin_Check_Ensures_Quality_Code\">Plugin Check Ensures Quality Code<\/h2>\n<p>Plugin Check\u2019s most impressive feat is its efficiency. The tool shows you where problems exist and provides background details on fixing them. You won\u2019t waste time searching for potential issues.<\/p>\n<p>The process of testing and improving my plugin took about 30 minutes. Your times may vary based on the size of your plugin and the number of issues found. Regardless, Plugin Check will help you find things you may have missed.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s worth making this tool a part of your WordPress development workflow. Ensuring quality code keeps your site safe and performant. That peace of mind benefits everyone!<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"Questions_and_Answers\">Questions and Answers<\/h2>\n<h3>1. How can Plugin Check help in reviewing a WordPress plugin?<\/h3>\n<p>Answer: Plugin Check performs an automated review of your code, checking for best practices in security, internationalization, and performance.<\/p>\n<h3>2. What are some common errors Plugin Check might detect in a plugin?<\/h3>\n<p>Answer: Plugin Check can detect errors such as missing plugin headers in readme files and security vulnerabilities related to code escaping.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Why is it important to fix the issues highlighted by Plugin Check?<\/h3>\n<p>Answer: Fixing the issues ensures that your plugin meets the standards of the WordPress plugin directory and functions as expected without any security risks.<\/p>\n<h3>4. How does Plugin Check help developers in making necessary changes to their plugins?<\/h3>\n<p>Answer: Plugin Check provides detailed reports with the location of issues, relevant documentation links, and suggestions for fixing the identified problems.<\/p>\n<h3>5. What are the benefits of integrating Plugin Check into your WordPress development workflow?<\/h3>\n<p>Answer: By using Plugin Check, developers can ensure the quality and security of their plugins, leading to a safer and more efficient website.<\/p>\n<p>Top<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Optimizing Your WordPress Plugin with Plugin Check Custom plugins are part of what makes WordPress so flexible. If you need functionality that doesn\u2019t exist in the ecosystem, you can build it yourself. That allows you to create websites that suit your needs. Still, it\u2019s important to get the details right. Any custom code you write [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11331,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/speckyboy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/plugin-check-thumb.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wordpress"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmfinfotech.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmfinfotech.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmfinfotech.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmfinfotech.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmfinfotech.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11330"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kmfinfotech.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11330\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11332,"href":"https:\/\/kmfinfotech.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11330\/revisions\/11332"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmfinfotech.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmfinfotech.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmfinfotech.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmfinfotech.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}