Strange title? I know, but today we are really considering WordPress plugins that help us in the management of other plugins. You might not have come across the plugins we are going to mention, but they sure are handy if you’re a developer working with WordPress sites on a daily basis.
WP Install Profiles
Save time setting up new sites by automatically downloading groups of plugins. Add new plugins by adding the slug from the plugin’s url in the WordPress plugin directory. For instance, the plugin “All In One SEO Pack” is listed here: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack/. Add “All In One SEO Pack” to an installation profile by adding ‘all-in-one-seo-pack’ in the plugins field (one plugin per line).
WP Install Profiles (WPIP) allows users to define groups of plugins, called profiles. Once a profile has been entered, WPIP calls to the WordPress Plugin Directory, downloads the plugin files and unzips them to the installation’s plugins folder. Additionally, WPIP saves the profile in a downloadable format, so you can upload it to your next site and download the same plugins with a single click.
Store your profiles online at http://plugins.ancillaryfactory.com and import them easily into all of your WordPress installs. Learn more and create an account
See Install Profiles in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-mBhPA1XGA
What I would add to this plugin is an option to activate the plugins once downloaded, to complete the installation.
Plugin Test Drive
Plugin Test Drive lets you take any plugin for a test drive, see if suits your needs before letting your site visitors experience it.
Set options for any plugin to see how it works for you before activating it.
- Test plugin functionality in both admin dashboard and the front end site.
- Change options and style of plugins until they blend perfectly in your site/blog.
- Compare different plugins to find out which one best suits your needs.
- Once you are done testing and the plugin is ready to be up and running, you can then activate it.
How Does it work?
- Plugin Test Drive lets you load wordpress plugins conditionally by user name or IP address. While the tested plugins are visible and fully functional for you, they are invisible to others.
- Testing plugins is safe. When you select a plugin for testing, PTD validates it the same way WordPress validates a plugin when you activate it. If the plugin fails the validation test, PTD will let you know about it and will not test that plugin.
Do you know of any other handy plugins similar to these? Do let us know in the comments section below.
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6 Responses
I know this is an old thread, but this plugin adds more information about installed plugins such as version compatibility, last update date, votes, rating, and whether it’s still in the repo.
Full disclosure: I wrote it.
Yoast wordpress
I believe you would like these 2 as well, ideal for “clean” WordPress installations.. and free! 🙂
1. Custom WordPress Installer:
2. WPkgr – WordPress Custom Install Packager:
Excellent finds Ivica, thanks!
WP install profile is very new to me and very handy…. Specially for those who install new WordPress blog every other day.. Useful addition Jean.. 🙂
Both are pretty nifty ideas…especially WP Install Profiles, thats a good idea.