Title: Writing a Plugin
Last modified: August 22, 2016

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# Writing a Plugin

 *  [mythusmage](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mythusmage/)
 * (@mythusmage)
 * [11 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/writing-a-plugin-1/)
 * Request: A point by point, complete with explanations, tutorial to writing a 
   plugin. Show, don’t tell. Don’t assume everybody knows everything about writing
   a plugin, explain in detail.

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)

 *  [Andrew Nevins](https://wordpress.org/support/users/anevins/)
 * (@anevins)
 * WCLDN 2018 Contributor | Volunteer support
 * [11 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/writing-a-plugin-1/#post-5362489)
 * Just curious, have you deleted the hello-dolly plugin?
 *  Thread Starter [mythusmage](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mythusmage/)
 * (@mythusmage)
 * [11 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/writing-a-plugin-1/#post-5362567)
 * Nope. Why?
 * BTW, the files don’t show you how, explanations are needed.
 *  [Andrew Nevins](https://wordpress.org/support/users/anevins/)
 * (@anevins)
 * WCLDN 2018 Contributor | Volunteer support
 * [11 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/writing-a-plugin-1/#post-5362568)
 * How granular, like how to create a file locally using example IDEs and upload
   it through FTP software?
 *  Thread Starter [mythusmage](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mythusmage/)
 * (@mythusmage)
 * [11 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/writing-a-plugin-1/#post-5362595)
 * No, like how to make a plugin or php file. How to construct them.
 * Start with, “First you place the start here, formatting it in just this way. 
   For your information, here are the parts of the start, what they are and what
   they do. To do a function you must format it this way, and here is how it is 
   constructed and what it does.”
 * Not everybody works the same way. I don’t process information the way most people
   do, and I can’t be told what to do, I need to be shown.
 *  [catacaustic](https://wordpress.org/support/users/catacaustic/)
 * (@catacaustic)
 * [11 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/writing-a-plugin-1/#post-5362609)
 * There’s a fantastic guide here. That explains the process better than anyone 
   in a forum thread here can. 🙂
 * [http://codex.wordpress.org/Writing_a_Plugin](http://codex.wordpress.org/Writing_a_Plugin)
 *  Thread Starter [mythusmage](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mythusmage/)
 * (@mythusmage)
 * [11 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/writing-a-plugin-1/#post-5362628)
 * Catacaustic,
 * The header and license stuff I get, but guidelines on how PHP is structured an
   what each part does is still obscure to me. Not everybody has the same background.
   What I need is a break down of each PHP function, and how it is implemented. 
   For example, from the Hello Dolly plug in we find…
 * lines 46-51: // Here we split it into lines
    $lyrics = explode( “\n”, $lyrics);
 *  // And then randomly choose a line
    return wptexturize( $lyrics[ mt_rand( 0,
   count( $lyrics ) – 1 ) ] ); }
 * Now, where does one find a good _introduction_ to PHP? One that doesn’t assume
   everybody knows what PHP experts do.
 *  [catacaustic](https://wordpress.org/support/users/catacaustic/)
 * (@catacaustic)
 * [11 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/writing-a-plugin-1/#post-5362632)
 * If you don’t know basic PHP then you’re going to be in for a whole world of hurt!
   BUT… it’s just a learning process, so don’t get too discouraged yet. 🙂
 * Some links that may help:
 * [http://php.net/manual/en/introduction.php](http://php.net/manual/en/introduction.php)
 * [http://www.codecademy.com/courses/web-beginner-en-StaFQ/0/1?curriculum_id=5124ef4c78d510dd89003eb8](http://www.codecademy.com/courses/web-beginner-en-StaFQ/0/1?curriculum_id=5124ef4c78d510dd89003eb8)
 * [http://www.tizag.com/phpT/](http://www.tizag.com/phpT/)
 * [http://www.php-intro.com/](http://www.php-intro.com/)
 * As far as what functions to use where… that’s determined 100% by what the plugin
   needs to do. There’s no one thing that can tell you what to do because your plugin
   will be different to everyone elses.

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)

The topic ‘Writing a Plugin’ is closed to new replies.

## Tags

 * [tutorial](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/tutorial/)

 * In: [Requests and Feedback](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/requests-and-feedback/)
 * 7 replies
 * 3 participants
 * Last reply from: [catacaustic](https://wordpress.org/support/users/catacaustic/)
 * Last activity: [11 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/writing-a-plugin-1/#post-5362632)
 * Status: not resolved

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