I agree. I constantly forget the plugin name and always think it’s called Content Blocks.
You are absolutely right about this, the name is quite confusing. Initially I made the plugin to display a custom post in my widget area but now it can do more than that, changing the name to Content Blocks plugin would be much better.
I am not sure if it is possible to change the name of my plugin and I am a bit afraid that I will lose links from other sites and that people who are looking for the Custom Post Widget plugin will not be able to find it anymore after changing the name.
Any help/suggestions in this matter would be highly appreciated!
I agree on the above!
Awesome plugin though, I use it loads 🙂
Well, frankly, seeing as “Custom Post Widget” doesn’t really sound accurate, and as one would think it has more to do with Custom Post Types, you’ll probably gain more users by calling it “Content Blocks” or something similar.
You could just post it as a new plugin, and just note on the old plugin page, that it’s got a new name and link to it. I’m not sure if WordPress.org offers any URL redirection for renamed plugins. They should.
The other issue is there’s an experimental WordPress plugin called “Content Blocks” which is something they are developing/considering for the core.
Also, there are similar plugins already called “Global Content Blocks” and “iSoftware Blocks” amongst a few others.
Do a search for “Content Blocks” and you’ll see them all.
Maybe “Content Modules” to differentiate? Just a thought…
-Michael
Ha. I’d written a follow-up post to suggest calling it “Custom Content Blocks” not remembering/realizing that that’s what I’d suggested in t the opening of this thread. Duh! Anyway, I still think it’s a good name alternative. 🙂
Oh I’d LOVE to see the name changed too! This has long been a frustration to me – searching on my Plugin page for “content blocks”, because I’ve forgotten that the name is actually custom post widgets! 🙂
Isn’t it possible to change the name of a Plugin here at wordpress.org without changing its URL? I know I’ve seen other plugins do exactly that – the URL is the same (so links are not lost, no need to start with a brand new plugin) – but the name itself changes – by that I mean the big name in the black panel at the top of http://wordpress.org/plugins/custom-post-widget.
I think it’s also possible to change the name of the plugin as it appears on the Plugins page within WordPress, independently of the name it uses here on wordpress.org, right? They are two separate things.
Also, if you keep the text “Custom Post Widget” somewhere in the description of your plugin at http://wordpress.org/plugins/custom-post-widget then folks who search for that on wordpress.org will still find it.
As for a good alternative name to use: my vote would also be for “Custom Content Blocks”. Actually I’d prefer just “Content Blocks”, but as there are already other plugins with similar names to that, I think “Custom Content Blocks” is the next-best option. 🙂
Ok, you have all convinced me that I should change the name of the plugin 🙂
Now there are two options;
1. Change the name in the code and leave the folder and permalinks alone (keeping all reviews, download stats and support topics).
2. Release a new version of the plugin with a new name so that the permalink on of the plugin page, the folder- and filenames are exactly the same as the plugin name.
I am really sorry there is no possibility to add a 301 redirect of the old url to the new one, because having a different page slug and filenames would really irritate me. Then again, it would be a waste to create a completely new plugin lose all the reviews and download stats.
I guess I shall sleep on this a couple more nights 🙂
whatever is best for you is good for me. Changing the name is a luxury anyway, not vital, just desired 🙂
Yeah likewise. There are clearly pros and cons to both options. It’s a pity that WordPress.org don’t allow you to change the URL.
BTW, whatever happened to this old topic of changing the plugin name to something like “Content Blocks” (the name of the WP menu item) make it clearer?! Is this still on the agenda for you, Johan?! 🙂
No, I won’t be changing the name of the plugin as I have received feedback from some users that this will be confusing to them.
I might one day release a separate (premium) plugin which uses the term content block in the name.
