Dealing Out Top WordPress Plugin Reviews

It's Episode 550 and we have plugins for Embedding Google, Sticky Contents, Customizing Gravity, Sliding Simply, Wall of News, Failing Logins… and ClassicPress Options. It's all coming up on WordPress Plugins A-Z!

Embed Google Drive, Sticky TOC – Advance Table Of Contents, Custom Code Keeper for Gravity Forms, Simple WP Slider, News Wall, Limit Failed Logins……. and ClassicPress options on Episode 550.

John's Intro:

This is a value for value show and I look forward to everyone providing some value back.

Before I get started, you will want to hang around to the end of the show for our Q & A segment with Amber…. and to those listening on the podcast, you may want to check out the YouTube version which has some great discussions before the show starts…

Producer Credits:

Executive producer:

Nobody this week. Maybe next week!

Show Art:

Greg's Graphics (Greg Holdsworth) — https://gregsgraphics.com

All the show notes can be found at: WPPluginsAtoZ.com

Check out all the art work at https://wppluginsatoz.com/show-art-submitted/

To Submit Artwork go here https://wppluginsatoz.com/artwork/

Amber's Rant:

This is #11 of 52 episodes for 2022! As the world keeps spinning, right now is a fantastic time to make sure those you love hear you say it, and that you make sure to spend some really good, quality time with them.

As interesting as the news and social media is right now, be sure to turn if off for hours at a time, allowing yourself to appreciate the things in the here and now – like the fact that spring is heading our way! Fresh springtime buds are starting to sprout in some places, and trees are starting to get some new leaves going in some places too!! Spring is a fantastic time of year to enjoy the newness of the season, and enjoy the company of good friends and family.

Enjoy the coming spring and rebirth of things green and growing – even if all that pollen looks and feels like little death-stars when you have hay fever… just ignore that bit.

Rinse and repeat as often as needed.

We have some news from the world of WordPress for you today as well as some great plugins

News this week:

WordPress Vulnerability Report – March 2, 2022 – There seems to be a slightly different setup than usual this week; At the bottom of the list of good plugins, there is another list that shows plugins that had issues that have now been fixed with updates, and a list of ‘no known fix' plugins. The no known fix ones are many though, here are some that I think are well used: addons-for-elementor, simple-sitemap, royal-elementor-addons, form-vibes, restrict-user-access, advanced-page-visit-counter, and many more.

I want to note that Interactive Geo Maps is currently on the list, though that was fixed within the past few days, there is an update available so it is no longer an issue.

The Kyiv independent seeks donations to continue Critical Ukrainian News Coverage – Patchstack is offering them WordPress security services for free, and there is a site being set up called UA Cyber Help where CEO Oliver SLid and 4 others are offering their cyber security services on a volunteer basis. They are working towards assisting organizations like the Kyiv Independent and others affected by the war in Ukraine. If you are interested in helping, you can reach out and offer your volunteer services, or you can donate to the cause.

WordPress ditches ‘pee' and ‘tinkle' jokes in favour of more inclusive language and clearer code – Honestly, I didn't even know this was a thing! Though I'm a little sad that they are dropping the gradeschool humor. Apparently 43% of the web has pee-pee jokes in its code – but now they will be removing that from the code for both the more inclusivity mentioned, but also to make it clearer to other coders what the code actually means. Bye bye pee pee….

The WordPress web fonts API has arrived! – For those of you who have been on the edge of your seat waiting with bated breath, it is finally here! WordPress web fonts API! It has been merged into the Gutenberg plugin, and you can currently test it in the dev version, or in the nightly download version.

Strattic acquires WP2Static plugin, plans to relaunch on WordPress.org – For those who use WP2Static, be aware that it will be moving into WordPress.org, and it may possibly change up a bit from where it was before, since Strattic has acquired it. Keep your eyes on it!

WPExperts acquires Post SMTP plugin – Another acquisition to be aware of: Post SMTP Plugin may not be the same critter you are used to! Though they say that they have no desire to change it, I personally beleive that as a user you will see changes appearing. Hopefully nothing drastic or anything.

WooCommerce 6.3 to introduce New Product Filtering by Attributes – This seems like it could be very useful! The release isn't going to be out until March 8, 2022, but if you are interested in learning more about this, check out the article!

Quick note to remind everyone about the WordFest Live on March 4, 2022! – Very exciting, worth taking a look as there seems to be a lot of cool stuff going on!

The extras – for even more extra news, check out our Facebook, or Twitter page!

This is the extra news stuff that someone out there might find interesting. To read more, you can head on over to the show notes or newsletter and check it out! If you find something to add for next show, send me a link at amber@wppro.ca

How to build high-tech tools for low-tech industries – This is a really cool article! They go through and help you to figure out how to build high-tech for low-tech needs, which you can take this information and use it for your own sites to help yourself out!

10 ways to promote your blog in 2022 – This is a pretty decent list, starting with utilizing your SEO! Worth taking a look to help your blog get out into the world!

Your next laptop may have incredible battery life thanks to this bizarre addition – What is the bizarre addition you ask? Sulfur! A team from Australia figured out how to create a new lithium-sulfur battery interlay that enables fast lithium transfer while improving performance and longevity of the new batteries. Neat eh? Read on to find out more!

How to extend your EV battery range in the winter – Useful article that will help those who have an EV vehicle out in the harsher cold that has been showing up! They go through what is actually going on in your battery, where you want to keep your temp to keep your battery happy, and than they tell you how to help the battery out.

NASA's new idea for gender equity: A body scanner that creates custom spacesuits – I think this is kinda cool! No more trying to squeeze into suits that are just too small, or trying to work in suits that are just too big! Customization all the way! Cool article to check out!

Microsoft renews promise to resolve Windows 11 app issues – I am thinking that they are having a few issues figuring this out since they initially said that they would have the fix out by the end of January – though they are still working on it. Don't worry Windows 11 users, the fix will be here soon!

Attacks abusing programming API's grew over 600% in 2021 – This is a good thing to know, and it is worth your time to read through this article to get an idea of what has been used, what tools have become not so friendly, and how to avoid the issues others have come face to face with. There is also some information on how to combat the issues if you come up against them!

TeaBot malware slips back into Google Play Store to target US users – I personally know a few Google app creators, and this is something to be aware of. The TeaBot is hiding out in QR code apps, and is spreading like wildfire. And even though Google was able to remove them before, they have come back. Be aware and check the article out for more information.

Critical patches issued for Crisco Expressway Series, Telepresence VCS products – If you are using these, be sure to update to the latest version ASAP! The vulnerabilities gave remote-attackers access to user-supplied command arguments which allowed for remote attackers to carry out directory traversal attacks, overwrite arbitrary files, and run malicious code on the underlying operating system as the root user. Read on for more information!

Hackers who broke into NVIDIA's network leak DLSS source code online – The breach confirmed on Tuesday allowed perpetrators to gain access to sensitive data, including source code purportedly associated with its Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) technology. Read on to find out more!

Hackers begin weaponizing TCP middlebox reflection for Amplified DDoS attacks – Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks are leveraging the new amplification technique called TCP Middlebox Reflection, and have been detected for the first time in the wild – 6 months after the attack mechanism was presented in theory. This abuses the vulnerable firewalls and content filtering systems, and both reflect and amplify TCP traffic to a victim machine, creating a rather powerful DDoS attack. Read on to find out more!

The hall of shame via Automattic:
transparency.automattic.com/tag/hall-of-shame/

Matt's Famous Quotes
https://www.idrlabs.com/quotes/matt-mullenweg.php

Support the show

This Show will not work without you, the producers, as it is a Value for Value model, meaning if you're getting any value out of it then give some value back and help the show out.

Start by subscribing to the newsletter for additional information and get out there round them up and rope them all in, belly up to the bar and enjoy. Spread the word about WP Plugins A to Z and catch it live every Thursday at noon PST on our YouTube Channel.

Show Producers

We'd like to acknowledge all the producers who have supported the show in the various ways over the last week.

This weeks show Art Work comes from:

Greg's Graphics (Greg Holdsworth) — https://gregsgraphics.com

To Submit Artwork go here https://wppluginsatoz.com/artwork/

Check out all the art work at https://wppluginsatoz.com/show-art-submitted/

This week's Executive Producer/'s are:

Nobody this week. Maybe next week!

A big thank you to all the Producers who came in under $50 and to those who have set up weekly subscriptions they will remain anonymous and I thank you very much.

All these small subscriptions really help the show out.

A big thank you to those who have hired me because of the Podcast, thank you that is as good as donating to the show.

You can Support the Show by:

Donating money to help the show Donations of $50 and over are credited with an Executive Producer Credit in the Show Notes, and their note is read out on the show.

Submitting art work at the WP Plugins Art generator,
To Submit Artwork go here https://wppluginsatoz.com/artwork/

Submit articles news and information

Submit plugin suggestions for reviews

You can also create a monthly donation at Patreon

Or something I may not have thought of…

If you would like to send something to WP Plugins A to Z you can send to the following address:

WP Plugins A to Z
C/O John Overall
20-754 E Fairview Rd.
Victoria, BC V9A 5T9
Canada

Off we go into the meat and potatoes, Into the depths of plugin depravity…..

ClassicPress Options

ClassicPress is growing really well, but we just don't have the time to add reviews on ClassicPress myself. We are always open to reviews sent in by listeners, though unless there is a review sent into us on ClassicPress, we am not going to do more than mention that ClassicPress is a thing. Here are some resources, we hope some listeners out there find this information useful!

One thing we are looking forward to in the ClassicPress World is the expansion of the number of ClassicPress specific plugins and their own repository. There are a few plugins specifically for ClassicPress and all plugins for WordPress 4.9.9 work well on it. We do believe it has a future, we just don't have the time to help them in getting it out there right now.

ClassicPress News:

No new updates this week.

Find out more about ClassicPress 1.4.0 rc2 https://forums.classicpress.net/t/classicpress-1-4-0-rc2-release-notes/3785?fbclid=IwAR3wGK5IW8ssJ-XC4k7IiZMBtSjUTVN2pexk6ATCRvuMN-Fn-McOy-XJJv8

For some up to date news on ClassicPress check out the ClassicPress Blog.

ClassicPress Resources:

“Must Have” Plugins List
https://forums.classicpress.net/t/must-have-plugins-list/1163

You can check out the ClassicPress repository here https://directory.classicpress.net/plugins They now have 84 plugins (and counting!) available.

WordPress Plugins

Are you looking for some great newly released plugins? Check out this link:
https://wordpress.org/plugins/browse/new/

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John's Plugin

Embed Google Drive

https://wordpress.org/plugins/embed-google-drive/

The Lowdown:

Embed a link and preview of Google Drive Documents by pasting a shared document link into the editor.
No configuration is required.

Rating 4 Dragons

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Amber's Plugin

Simple WP Slider

https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-wp-slider/

The Lowdown:

This really is just a super simple slider! Totally free and up for grabs, rather easy to use!

Once you download it, go to ‘Settings', ‘Simple WP Slider', and upload as many pictures as you want! You can remove them easily, or even swap them around with a handy dandy little arrow at the right hand side. You hit ‘Save Changes', and add a shortcode to whatever page you want. It works really well, all the same size in the slider, beautiful timing for the sliding, really awesome!

One complaint – there was no remark on what shortcode to use either in the description or the settings page. The link is: [simplewpslider] – though I had to go to the GitHub page link given in order to find this. Really awesome to have such a simple to use plugin, though I personally think that the shortcode should be given in the settings page, or at least in the description on the WordPress plugin page.

Unfortunately Simple WP Slider loses one Dragon due to having to go searching for the shortcode.

Rating 4 Dragons

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John's Plugin

Sticky TOC – Advance Table Of Contents

https://wordpress.org/plugins/sticky-toc-advance-table-of-contents/

The Lowdown:

Sticky TOC is a powerful WordPress plugin. It scans headings through the post content automatically and creates the table of contents, Sticky in the page display. Users can faster find the content they want. It is not just another plugin to create a table of content, it is “sticky”. This plugin is an easy way to add an advanced table of content for post, pages and all custom post without much configuration.

It is super easy to use and have a lot of options to configure. The plugin will be displayed after the first heading but there are multiple options available to decide the placement.

A shortcode is also available to add the table of content in your desired place. You can also place the shortcode on the sidebar too.

Rating 4 Dragons

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Amber's Plugin

News Wall

https://wordpress.org/plugins/news-wall/

The Lowdown:

This is a really cool idea! A plugin where you can add your own news into the settings of it, and simply use a shortcode to add the news into your page! Every time you add new news to the settings area, it will show up wherever you have added the shortcode in the past. Really awesome idea! You can choose whether it is public news, or whether it is for paying viewers, or just another administrator. I really like that idea.

It shows up in a very simple style, just a header, and the short blurb you add.

Just one thing – for some reason, the text in the ‘Add Text' box.. is white. So, you can't see it while you are adding it… and there does not seem to be any way to change that…

It is my opinion that ‘News Wall' loses one dragon for the invisible writing.

Rating 4 Dragons

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John's Plugin

Custom Code Keeper for Gravity Forms

https://wordpress.org/plugins/custom-code-keeper/

The Lowdown:

A new way to organize the custom code you might be using with Gravity Forms.

Rating 4 Dragons

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Amber's Plugin

Limit Failed Logins

https://wordpress.org/plugins/limit-failed-logins/

PLUGIN HAS SINCE BEEN ROMOVED – WORDPRESS NOTICE STATES:

This plugin has been closed as of June 29, 2022 and is not available for download. This closure is permanent. Reason: Guideline Violation.

The Lowdown:

This is a pretty awesome plugin! And they have a beautiful dashboard too! Once activated, you will find the dashboard under ‘Settings'. They give you a landing page that shows the amount of failed login attempts, offers you the tools to check lockout logs, and you can block or whitelist usernames or IP's right from the first part.

Then you also have Settings, Logs, and Debug tabs.

Under Settings, you can set the number of allowed retries before lockout, how long they will be locked out the first time, and the second time. Example: lockout is set to 3, first time you hit three, you are locked out for 30 minutes. Second time you fail 3 times in a row, you are locked out for 24 hours. You can then set the ‘reset' time, here I put 24 hours until they can try again.

Very useful plugin, helps to cut down on brute force attacks, and allows you to whitelist those forgetful people who log in from time to time.

Rating 5 Dragons

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Random links for plugins

WordPress plugins crafted from love and experience
https://codeat.co/

Listener Feedback / Audio Clips

Feel free to send in your thoughts to us – The Good, The Bad, The Ugly – we'll take them all!

Listener Questions

If you have any you would like to have asked, please feel free to send them in! Remember, there's no such thing as a stupid question!

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!!!

The winner of The Events Calendar Pro Single Domain License is:

Jason Lee!!!

Congratulations Jason Lee! Be sure to check your inbox for the information needed to get started with this fantastic plugin!!

Our New contest will be starting up next week and running for 4 weeks. It will be for a Lifetime Single Domain License with Interactive Geo Maps! Check back next week for more information!

Contests Powered by Simple Giveaways who kindly provides us with the premium version for our contests.

A BIG Thank You to Steve Goodtime & Brant Matthews who have created our Awesome jingle for the contests!

A BIG Thank You to Steve Goodtime & Brant Matthews who have created our Awesome jingle for the contests!

A BIG Thank You to Charlie for coming to the aid of the show and getting our contests all organized!

We also want to give a BIG Thank You to all the Developers for supporting our show with their plugin donations! Please be sure to check them out!

Short note about participating in the contests folks – we go to great efforts to get these licenses. We would LOVE to see a bit more participation from you, The Producers.

Visit http://WPPluginsAtoZ.com/contests for more info.

For all developers who would like to support the show: You can donate a premium license to be used in a future contests. Please go to:WPPluginsAtoZ.com/PluginContest

The plugins we covered were:

John’s Plugins: Embed Google Drive – 4, Sticky TOC – Advance Table Of Contents – 4, Custom Code Keeper for Gravity Forms – 4

Amber's Plugins: Simple WP Slider – 4, News Wall – 4, Limit Failed Logins – 5

Matt's Famous Quotes
https://www.idrlabs.com/quotes/matt-mullenweg.php

Reminders / Commercial / Promotions:

Next Week:

No meetup planned at the moment but you can keep tabs on this at https://wppluginsatoz.com/meetup

Would you like to be on an interview show? Simply connect at https://wppluginsatoz.com/interview

If you have suggestions on plugins you would like to have reviewed please submit them on the website at https://wppluginsatoz.com/submit-plugin-review/

Q & A Time with Amber ——– Catch this info on our YouTube Channel

If you have questions you would like to have asked on the show, send them in to me at Amber@WPPro.ca and we will answer to the best of our ability!

• Do servers make a difference in how sites run? Example: will a very crowded server run your site slower than a rather empty server?

• Are there different kinds of servers for different kinds of sites? Example: you need a fully high tech site that functions almost as fast as your mind; is there a particular kind of server for that, or does it depend on how much space you have available in your allotment of the server space?
• Are there servers that designate themselves for one thing, like one server for government, only one government, no other government is allowed? Or is that entirely up to the server… custodians I suppose the right name would be?

Closing out this Episode

Just some reminders:

Be sure and subscribe to our Newsletter.

You can support the show at wppluginsatoz.com/donate

All the show notes can be found at: WPPluginsAtoZ.com

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How to Contact Us:

John can be contacted at:

• on my website @ http://www.johnoverall.com/
• WordPress Emergency Support http://wppro.ca/wpemergency
• email: john@wppro.ca

Amber can be contacted at:

• email: amber@wppro.ca