Feel The Force of WordPress Plugins
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Feel The Force of WordPress Plugins
John's Intro:
It's Episode 581 and we have plugins for Preloading AI, Estimated Date, Speedy Widgets, Temp Accessing, Magic Bots, Auto Logout… and ClassicPress Options. It's all coming up on WordPress Plugins A-Z!
– ‘good morning, good afternoon, good evening, wherever you happen to be hiding out there on the globe today! Coming to you LIVE from …'
Amber's Rant:
Welcome to Episode 581 – Feel The Force of WordPress Plugins – This is episode 41 for 2022, and Jack Frost is having a blast out there! At least he is round abouts here – be sure to pull out your warm stuff and keep it ready for the mornings especially!
A Message from your AtoZ Plugin Worker Bee's – This is a Value for Value show, meaning any value you find here, offer that same value back! We accept all currencies including time and talent currency! Chocolate is always good too…
Remember, don't skip the end of the show – you never know what kind of amazing life altering advice you might catch! Like how to fill your site as full of spam as possible…
A special note to our New Listeners: Don't be shy to ask your questions. No such thing as a dumb question, Dumbo the elephant agrees!
…When you see this in the notes, this means we didn't read this onto the show, and that the only way to find this information out is to read our Show Notes!
…You can send any questions/suggestions or notes saying ‘hi' over to me at amber@wppro.ca, or hit up our site wpppluginsatoz.com/contact – Be creative with the title so that the spammer eater doesn't eat your note though!
Let's start the show with this weeks Featured Artist:
Artist Unknown!!!
We are lacking in new art, so we went digging deep into the archives – we have no idea who made this freaking AWESOME art piece, though it totally tugs on my heartstrings since I am both a Star Trek and a Star Wars fan. Not many of us out there I know, but we do exist!!
Feeling Inspired? Hit up our site at https://wppluginsatoz.com/artwork/ and submit some artwork of your own!
…We can NEVER have too much art!
Or check out allll the artwork at: https://wppluginsatoz.com/artwork/
Breaking News in the WordPress World at large!!
…If I missed something, shoot me a link at amber@wppro.ca – it may show up on the next show!
News this week:
– WordPress Vulnerability Report – November 16, 2022 (https://ithemes.com/blog/wordpress-vulnerability-report-november-16-2022/) – First up, WordPress Core is dropping support for WordPress Versions 3.7-4.0. If this will affect your site, you can follow this link here in our show notes.
There was a WordPress Theme Vulnerability, though it has been fixed – be sure to update Wordreap – Freelance Marketplace and Directory if you or your clients use it.
There is a fairly decently long list of Plugins to pay attention to, you can follow the link in the show notes to see them all, though the few I recognize are: Photospace Gallery, 3DPrint, WP Page Builder, Simple Video Embedder, and Advanced WP Columns.
– WordPress to explore using GitHub Codespaces for improving contributor experience (https://wptavern.com/wordpress-to-explore-using-github-codespaces-for-improving-contributor-experience) – I think that this is a fantastic idea! GitHub is already used by soooo many developers, and the codespaces is really useful! WordPress lead developer Helen Hou-Sandi is looking to make WordPress/WordPress-develop usable in GitHub Codespaces in hopes that it will get more folks to get started with contributing to core on Contributor Day.
– Meetup.com raises concerns with New Accessibility Overlay (https://wptavern.com/meetup-com-raises-concerns-with-new-accessibility-overlay) – So the issue is that Meetup.com added an overlay for accessibility options. This is a quick fix solution, though it tends to scare away users… because WordPress Community Team uses Meetup to organize local and virtual meetups, this is becoming an issue. The users are requesting to find alternatives, and though Meetup did take the overlay down after complaints, it went back up the next day. This could very well mean that Meetup may be binned after years of use if they don't figure out something soon I think!
– Jetpack search adds Free Tier and 3-month free trial (https://wptavern.com/jetpack-search-adds-free-tier-and-3-month-free-trial) – This is exciting news for people who like and use Jetpack – this option was only previously available as a paid upgrade until now! It seems that the reason for this is because the user base hasn't grown beyond a couple hundred active installs this last year. The new free tier and the free trials are a way of trying to gain access to new and excited users.
– WordPress.com adds support for new pocket casts block (https://wptavern.com/wordpress-com-adds-support-for-new-pocket-casts-block) – So this is a new addition to its library of blocks. This one helps to make it easier to embed any show or episode in the WordPress editor, or specific episodes via URL. This is an awesome thing, since this is designed (targeted at really) podcaster's. Could be very useful down the road.
– WordCamp Asia 2023 announces speakers, unveils Wapuu Mascot (https://wptavern.com/wordcamp-asia-2023-announces-speakers-unveils-wapuu-mascot) – For those who can never wait to hear all about the WordCamps, this is a quick overview of everything you can look forward to for the 2023 WordCamp in Asia! Also, their mascot looks kind of like a fuzzy Pikachu I think – very cute! If you are interested in learning more, feel free to browse the link in the show notes!
– Meta takes new AI system offline because Twitter users are mean (https://thenextweb.com/news/meta-takes-new-ai-system-offline-because-twitter-users-mean) – This is a fantastic article written through a real experience of Tristan Greene as he tested Galactica's strengths/weaknesses. It turned into a bit of a twitter war, which he of course documented – it's really quite an entertaining -and enlightening – article!
ClassicPress News:
…Our News Section really isn't complete without ClassicPress News…
A message from ClassicPress!
It may not seem that way, but the team actively works on ClassicPress and its related projects. You can track core development progress by visiting our GitHub repository or reading transcripts from our weekly core meetings.There is a new Blog Post available on the ClassicPress site!
New at ClassicPress: Security Release, GitHub Issue Templates, And Morehttps://www.classicpress.net/new-at-classicpress-security-release-github-issue-templates-more/
ClassicPress has projects they are looking to have some support with. They have a page with these projects listed and who the contact is for the project. Check out the following page if you are using ClassicPress and are interested in helping them move forward! https://forums.classicpress.net/t/currently-active-projects/3630
They also have some petitions posted check them out!
…For some up to date news on ClassicPress check out the ClassicPress Blog.
The Extras – check out our Facebook, or Twitter page for even more!
…Here you will find news on tech in general, and some random things I think are pretty nifty! If you come across something you think should be added, send me a link at amber@wppro.ca
– 8 foolproof ways to clutter up your mac (https://thenextweb.com/news/8-foolproof-ways-to-clutter-up-apple-mac)
– New ransomware encrypts files, then steals your Discord Account (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/new-ransomware-encrypts-files-then-steals-your-discord-account/)
– New attacks use Windows security bypass zero-day to drop malware (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/new-attacks-use-windows-security-bypass-zero-day-to-drop-malware/)
– Yes, staging can be a pain – but here's why you shouldn't skip it (https://thenextweb.com/news/staging-pain-why-you-shouldnt-skip-it)
– Exploid released for actively abused ProxyNotShell Exchange bug (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/exploit-released-for-actively-abused-proxynotshell-exchange-bug/)
– Chinese hackers use Google Drive to drop malware on govt networks (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/chinese-hackers-use-google-drive-to-drop-malware-on-govt-networks/)
– Google Search results poisoned with torrent sites via Data Studio (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/google-search-results-poisoned-with-torrent-sites-via-data-studio/)
– Atlassian fixes critical command injection bug in Bitbucket Server (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/atlassian-fixes-critical-command-injection-bug-in-bitbucket-server/)
– Phishing kit impersonates well-known brands to target US shoppers (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/phishing-kit-impersonates-well-known-brands-to-target-us-shoppers/)
– Microsoft fixes Windows Kerberos auth issues in emergency updates (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-fixes-windows-kerberos-auth-issues-in-emergency-updates/)
…Some random entertainment in the World of WordPress!
…Matt's Famous Quotes
https://www.idrlabs.com/quotes/matt-mullenweg.php
…The hall of shame via Automattic:
transparency.automattic.com/tag/hall-of-shame/
Let's have a peek at our Contests for this week…
Firstly we want to thank Simple Giveaways for being totally awesome and providing us with their Premium Version for our contests!
Secondly we want to thank Steve Goodtime & Brant Matthews for creating our amazing jingle we still use!!
And we want to thank Charlie for coming to our aid and rescue yet again with another fantastic contest!
Our winner for the Umbrella WP: Josef – be sure to check your email for further instructions!
Remember, there will be 2 more chances, to enter and win a Breakdance License! Keep listening to find out when!
Our new contest is for: WP Go Maps Plugin!
Enter for your chance to win WP Go Maps – Unlimited Lifetime Licence Giveaway valued at $199
WP Go Maps
WP Go Maps
Manage Multiple WordPress Websites Effortlessly
The all-in-one solution for your WordPress maintenance service.
The most comprehensive WordPress Map Plugin, ever. Build simple to advanced maps in seconds.
Click here to visit wpgmaps.com
To Enter, head on over to wppluginsatoz.com/giveaway and enter for your chance to win!
Remember, this is YOUR show! We are just the Worker Bee's here – Don't be afraid to jump up and down and demand a turn at the wheel to help guide the show to where YOU want it to go!
That goes for all the Developers out there too – this is YOUR show! by supporting us with your Plugin donations you are helping to guide the show to where you want to see it go! A GIANT Thank You is owed to the Developers who have been supporting us this whole time, we honestly could not have even gotten this show started without you!
If any Developers out there listening right now are interested in adding to the show by donating a Premium License for our Contests, you can do so by going to WPPluginsAtoZ.com/PluginContest!
Time for the Good Stuff! …
Off we go into the meat and potatoes of plugin depravity…..
WordPress Plugins
————————————————-
John's Plugin
AI Preloader
https://wordpress.org/plugins/ai-preloader/
The Lowdown:
AI Preloader animation makes a good initial impression on the user and gives the webpage a more professional look. It shows the user your commitment to delivering a high-quality experience and that you don’t leave any stones unturned.
Rating 4 Dragons
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Amber's Plugin
Temporary Access
https://wordpress.org/plugins/temporary-access/
The Lowdown:
This is an interesting plugin created to give temporary access to users. There does not seem to be a limit to how many users you can give limited access to at once, though you do have to create the user role before limited access can be granted.
First, create a user account. Then, go to settings of the plugin – you will find ‘Temporary Access' in your left hand menu – choose the user, check off ‘Enable Temporary Access', choose the time in seconds, minutes, hours, or days, than hit ‘Generate Temporary Access Link'.
Once you have hit ‘Generate Temporary Access Link', you will be given a code on the page that you can then copy and paste to send to the new user.
Regarding amount of time, I added 42 digits before I gave up. I don't think there is a limit on how many digits you can enter to specify the number of seconds, minutes, hours or days.
This could be very useful for when you want to provide access to someone short term so that they can diagnose your site or help you with a project, but don't want to give them forever access.
Temporary Access Plugin!
Rating: 5 Dragons
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John's Plugin
Estimated Delivery Date Per Product For Woocommerce
https://wordpress.org/plugins/estimated-delivery-date-per-product-for-woocommerce/
The Lowdown:
This Plugin allows you to Display Estimated Delivery Date or Shipping Date Per Product. You can Display Estimated Delivery Date on Product Page, Cart Page, Checkout Page, Order Page and Order Email. You can Display Estimated Delivery Date For all your products that have the same delivery time.
Rating 4 Dragons
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Amber's Plugin
Magic robots.txt
https://wordpress.org/plugins/magic-robots-txt/
The Lowdown:
This is a plugin I can see going far. It's a newer fresh-out-of-the box plugin, but it's coming out of that box swinging!
This plugin was designed to stop the robots wasting your resources and slowing down your site. This is designed to optimize your SEO results, and to reduce your operation costs in both time and money!
Setting this up is pretty easy, very straightforward – You will find the settings in your left hand menu under ‘Magic robots.txt'; from there, they use leyman's terms to help you decide what server load to choose the optimization for, the savings desired, whether or not you want to exchange links – again, leyman's terms explanation of ‘uncheck if you are not interested in being located to exchanging or selling links or guest posts', and whether you want to use a real or virtual file.
They WILL have the option of being able to see advanced settings – though they have not come out with that bit as of yet.
Setting it up on my site, I actually did notice a difference. The site is running better – and since it's a sandbox with millions of random things on it, I would say that's pretty good! I am going to be trying it out on a few other sites that have slowed down over the years as well.
This is a pretty awesome find I think, well worth the less than 10 minutes it takes to install and setup.
Magic robots.txt – I would say to grab it up before they start charging for it!
Rating: 5 Dragons
We Interrupt the Meat and Potatoes of Plugin Depravity Edition to bring you our Donations Segment and to thank our Producers!
Remember, this is YOUR show! We're just the Worker Bee's here. Don't forget to restock the show's larders with some Time, Treasure, or Talent Donations! Need more info on how to do that? Check out our site wppluginsatoz.com – right up in the menu you will see each one under ‘Donations'!
Special thanks goes to:
Free-Lance Producers popping in and out:
Though always showing up at unexpected times, these Producers are surely part of the reason our name is getting out there! Thank you!
…If you have listened to even 10 minutes of this show, or shown up a single time to one of our live shows on YouTube, you are one of our many Free-Lance Producers! Although you guys are always popping in and out at unexpected times, we appreciate your support and periodic help with one thing or another – thank you!
Back Room Producers hanging-out in the Lounge:
Always about the place consuming all the coffee and donuts, these Producers earn it by helping out with our contests, artwork, site organization, notes, questions, suggestions, licenses, and by hiring us! Your Time and Talent Donations are equal to your Treasure Donations of under $50, and we would not be here without you – thank you!
…Back Room Producers, if you ever notice something that needs some work feel free to reach out to us and let us know – you can offer to take it up yourself, or just let us know and we will add it to our list.
War Room Producers:
With their donations of $50 or more these Producers receive a few extra perks – an official AtoZ Handle of their choice, a spotlight in that weeks show for a short speech, an official Executive Producership Credit, and seeing the ‘Magic' as it happens up in the War Room before we send the show out into the netherworld of the internets! Thank you for sticking by us and helping to keep the Back Room Producers stocked in coffee and donuts!
…**If you prefer to stay anonymous, please let us know at the beginning of your note to us regarding your donation! We are more than happy to keep you anonymous from the world – nobody is ever forced out of the tender embrace of the shadows on this show!**
…To receive your Official AtoZ Handle, think up an original name, and send it into us! Be sure to note down the show number and title of the show so that we know when to log it!
…Your spotlight can be an elevator pitch for your business, a note, or you can just skip it!
…The Producership Credit we offer is REAL! When you send your donation in to us of $50 or more, please be sure to note down the number and title of the show your donation shows up on, and we will back up your right to claim Producership!
…'Seeing the Magic Happen' refers to being part of the show – if you are interested in taking up a larger part in the show, reach out to us and let us know! We will be happy to discuss the options!
…War Room Producers, same as for the Back Room Producers, reach out to us if you notice something that needs work! Whether you are wanting to take up the job yourself or just inform us and leave it, we will add it to our list!
Thank you, now back to the Meat and Potatoes of Plugin Depravity Edition!
John's Plugin
Widget Speed Test for Elementor
https://wordpress.org/plugins/widget-speed-test-for-elementor/
The Lowdown:
Identify Elementor widgets that are slowing down page rendering and load times.
How to use:
When logged-in, go to any front-end page and click the “Widget Speed Test” button in the WordPress toolbar (the black bar across the top).
Rating 4 Dragons
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Amber's Plugin
Inactive Logout
https://wordpress.org/plugins/inactive-logout/
The Lowdown:
This is a fairly straight forward plugin – it's made so that when your users have gone inactive, their session will be automatically terminated – in other words they will be auto-logged out.
Very easy to set up, you will find the settings in your left-hand menu under ‘Settings -> inactive logout'.
Here you can choose the idle time before they are auto-logged out, what message they get, timeout countdown period before the actual logout – this will show up as a tiny pop up.
Cool thing about this is that you can actually set it to role based – so an admin can have hours of idleness if you want, while a subscriber is only allowed half an hour.
Another cool aspect is the option of preventing multiple logins from multiple locations, and even choose a special page where the auto-logged out user will be sent. If you don't want to bother though, the user will simply be sent to the login screen after timeout.
Also, there is a ‘wakeup!' button – you have the option of this message being shown instead of being logged out.
The Pro version has a lot more options and lots of fun little goodies to add as well!
Inactive Logout…
Rating: 4 Dragons
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ClassicPress
We have sadly neglected ClassicPress… we are working to remedy this.
…A little about ClassicPress for those who aren't sure: ClassicPress is WordPress frozen at version 4.9. Once WordPress moved to 5, they added in a whole lot of new folders, and the experimental additions to the Core started in earnest. ClassicPress is literally the Classic version of WordPress. A few plugins have been made over the years for just ClassicPress, though all Plugins compatible with WordPress 4.9 should work for ClassicPress.
To any ClassicPress user listening right now: I challenge you – yes YOU – to write a review of your favourite, or least favourite ClassicPress plugin, and send it into us! You can do so by hitting us up at https://wppluginsatoz.com/submit-plugin-review/!
…And feel free to add more to this section by reaching out to me at amber@wppro.ca.
ClassicPress Resource Section:
This information is like Fruit Cake! It doesn't wither away and will still be good years down the road so it's great for learning! Go and check this section out in our Show Notes if you have an interest!
…We have thrown some ClassicPress Resources in here for you – and they appear to have stuck like well cooked pasta! Glad you made it to this part of the notes since we only mention it lightly on the show – If we missed something, let us know!
…Learn 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
…ClassicPress Tutorials on their site:
…https://www.classicpress.net/category/tutorials/
…ClassicPress's “Must Have” Plugins List:
…https://forums.classicpress.net/t/must-have-plugins-list/1163
…ClassicPress Repository!!
…https://directory.classicpress.net/plugins They now have 71 plugins (and counting!) available.
…WordPress Plugin Section compatible with ClassicPress:
…https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/classicpress/
Questions, Notes, and Feedback from our Producers out there:
…Send us your thoughts and opinions, but most of all send us your questions! No such thing as a stupid question people! I was new not too long ago, and I know how overwhelming it can be stepping into this world at this stage – I know for a fact that questions you have are the same questions others out there have!
How to be part of your own production!
Interviews – get yourself out there using us as your tool!
…Looking for a way to get your name and work out there? Use us as a stepping stone! Hit us up at https://wppluginsatoz.com/interview
Send in Plugin Reviews, or suggestions for Plugin reviews!
…Have a plugin you love? Or one you really think people should avoid? Reach out to us and get your words and opinion out into the world by hitting us up at https://wppluginsatoz.com/submit-plugin-review/
Send in questions and/or comments!
…Have a thought to share? Send it in! You can stay anonymous or belt your name out in all caps!
Stuff and reminders about Stuff:
Meetups:
Nothing new has been set out yet, it all depends on how moody our island is going be this winter and how much snow/rain we get – no sense having a meetup if the main highway gets washed out again!
Keep an eye here for the next Meet Up, eventually we will get it going!
Random:
Remember you can check out our Show Notes on our site wppluginsatoz.com! There is extra information to grab up there that we don't even speak out loud on the show!
Today's Plugins we covered were:
John’s Plugins: AI Preloader – 4, Estimated Delivery Date Per Product For Woocommerce – 4, Widget Speed Test for Elementor – 4
Amber's Plugins: Temporary Access – 5, Magic robots.txt – 5, Inactive Logout – 4
Ways to support the show!
You can support us by Subscribing to our Newsletter, Donating, or reviewing us on Stitcher Radio, Google Play, or the iTunes Store.
Join us on our Facebook, and hit the *Like* button on our YouTube Channel!
…Just showing up to our YouTube Channel and joining us live every Thursday at 11am PDT is a FANTASTIC show of support! So is joining our FaceBook page and hitting *Share* on our posts every once in a while!
…Giving a review of us on any of the platforms listed above would be super helpful too!
Want to get ahold of us???
If you still do Snail Mail, you can send an actual, physical letter or item to this Brick and Mortar address:
…(Pssst! I love receiving things that are not bills! Especially art if you enjoy drawing – no matter what age!)
WP Plugins A to Z
C/O John Overall
20-754 E Fairview Rd.
Victoria, BC V9A 5T9
Canada
OR, you can email us!
Amber: amber@wppro.ca
John: john@wppro.ca
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 – let's see if we can stump my dad!
- What do you think the best thing to start someone new to the scene on is – learning to build sites, or learning to fix sites?
- How would you explain being a Developer to someone who doesn't have a clue what that word means?
I have a couple more questions for my dad just after the closing credits, for those listening elsewhere, you will have to make your way over to the YouTube's!
Questions asked after closing credits:
- How would you explain the way updates work to someone who doesn't know anything?
- So, we pay out the nose for that high speed internet – but doing anything when everyone is home for the weekend is so hard since despite that new and shiny modem our internet is moving slower, files transfer painfully slow…. why is that?
One more time for the ways to contact us!
Our Brick and Mortar Address – just in case you decide to send along a gift!
(Especially art if you enjoy drawing – no matter what age!)
WP Plugins A to Z
C/O John Overall
20-754 E Fairview Rd.
Victoria, BC V9A 5T9
Canada
Fastest way to contact us:
John:
- My website: http://www.johnoverall.com/
- WordPress Emergency Support: http://wppro.ca/wpemergency
- email: john@wppro.ca
Amber:
- email: amber@wppro.ca
