March 1st, 2009
Plugin Review: Improved Plugin Installation
One thing I’ve loved about WordPress 2.7.x is the ability to install plugins directly from the WordPress Plugin Repository. You don’t need to visit the individual site and instead just search for the plugin you want and then download, install and activate it.
However, even now, you need to go to your WP-Admin to install your plugins.
helps overcome this problem.
Description:
This plugin is an improvement to the current WP 2.7 plugin installation methods. It allows you to install one or more plugins simply by typing the names of the plugins or the download URLs in a textarea. This means you can install all your favorite wordpress plugins in one go!
Furthermore, a bookmarklet is included which lets you install plugins directly from an external site.
Review:
Firstly, I love . I’ve always encouraged authors to write detailed plugin pages on their blogs as these ensure that your reader easily understands what your plugin has to offer as well what exactly do they need to do to use it. And, Improved Plugin Installation has the necessary details.
The plugin can be used in two main ways. One is from within WordPress Admin and the second is the bookmarklet.
From within the WordPress Admin, you can navigate to Add New Plugin page as usual and scroll down to find a textarea at the bottom. In this you can enter plugin names, plugin page URLS or even direct URLs to the zip files.
Improved Plugin Installation will then download these plugins and install them on your WordPress blog.
The second feature is the bookmarklet. You can install the bookmarklet by navigating to the Add Plugin page and install it from there.
Visit a plugin page, even on external sites and hit the bookmarklet to initiate the installation dialog. You may be asked to login to your blog. This is a necessary security measure and you’ll be able to quickly install yet another plugin.
Without doubt this plugin really enhances the WordPress interface. But, the question remains how often will you use it. For one, it’s excellent when you setup a fresh blog and know you have a certain set of plugins that need to be installed.
Another is if you are in the habit of trying out different plugins, or are a tester.
One feature I would like to see is the ability to mass upgrade plugins. Right now if new versions of two or more plugins are released, I need to update each individually, which can be a pain.
Are you currently using this plugin? What would you like to see in the future?
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