LAB #2 Part B

1. Describe plugin management as it is implemented in the framework.

Below is the plugin manager page, plugins are an extremely useful utility in WordPress with their being thousands of option to tailor to your websites niche attributes & needs.

Many plugins can live within your website, activated or deactivated depending on if they are currently needed, overloading with plugins can slow your website down although there are plugins that counteract this!

Pictures below is the add plugins page, I have highlighted some of the key features of this page, with thousands of plugins to browse it can be a little daunting to navigate through this area but if you follow the plugins with top user reviews combined with a high amount of downloaded it is unlikely you will go wrong, further research is advised though!

Adding a plugin is as simple as going to this page, locating the plugin you desire via the search & sort features, installing then activating it.

Plugins greatly extend the functionality of the WordPress framework and are the true magic of framework based development, making what would be a strenuous task trivial with the click of a few buttons, this allows developers to efficiently create websites customized to the clients needs & potentially have more time to spend on the design aspects than slaving over the raw code.

Some main types of plugins include:

• search engine optimization 

helps ensure your website is correctly configured for optimal search engine results, this is huge!

• Anti spam & security plugins
• Limit login attempts
• Shop/ecommerce plugins
• Google analytics
• Captcha

Just to name a few of the more popular choices.

2.  Explore a range of plugins – extend functionalities vs. adding features:  Contact form. 



Looking at contact forms I've decided to go with contact form 7, which is actually the most popular plugin used in WordPress, contact forms are rather simple features although customization is required across different types of websites.

Below is some statistics that support this plugin, the share popularity of this plugin made me feel that it was worth a try. Due to this plugins simplicity. 

Below is the editing page for customizing/creating contact forms, as you can see this plugin allows maximum customization and it very flexible! 

Below I have added a contact me page with the default settings for the Contact Form 7 plugin, if required I can go back to edit that names of the fields, which pieces of information are required to send a message and so forth. Breezy process once again brought to you by the magic of WordPress.

What are some other contact form plugins or plugins users can use to help locate your business?

Below is the runner up in terms of contact forms it carries a couple niche features that may push you to use it over the ever popular Contact Form 7 but these features are rare and hard to obtain with what the average user desires this category of plugin for.

Below is the wpforms spin on a contact form plugin, even in the title they are already advertising something contact form 7 does not have, drag n drop. I can understand how this appeals greatly to anyone who is a noobie or just looking to simplify a simple process even further.

Upon reviewing this plugins drag n drop feature it is highly intuitive compared to the options you have to customize Contact Form 7, I would personally recommend this plugin over Contact Form 7 at this stage.

picture sourced from [plugintut.com/7-best-contact-form-plugins-for-wordpress/] [12/8/2017]

WPForms

Pros

• WPForms’ drag & drop online form builder makes it the most user-friendly form plugin for WordPress.
• WPForms Lite is available for free in the official WordPress plugin directory meaning you can install it on as many sites as you like for free.
• The premium version allows you to extend the functionality and build multi-page forms, email subscription forms, payment forms, order forms, use smart conditional logic, and more.

Cons

• While the lite version is free, you need to upgrade to Pro to unlock more powerful features.
• Even though WPForms is powerful, the #1 goal of this plugin is to make it user friendly. That’s why it doesn’t have the more complex features that some other form plugins offer.
• WPBeginner users can use this WPForms coupon that will give you 10% off the premium version of WPForms.

Contact Form 7

Pros:

• Price is probably the most important advantage of using Contact Form 7. You are free to install it on as many sites as you want.
• There are several third-party plugins that act as add-on plugins for Contact Form 7. Most of them are available for free.
• It is great for creating a basic contact form for your blog.

Cons:

• Contact Form 7 can be a bit difficult to set up for absolute beginners. The user interface is not very intuitive.
• Since it is a free plugin, support options are limited.
• There are several third-party add-ons available for Contact Form 7, but the official plugin website doesn’t have an add-ons directory which makes it difficult to find add-ons to extend the functionality of the base plugin.

http://www.wpbeginner.com/plugins/5-best-contact-form-plugins-for-wordpress-compared/

Caldera

Pros

• Great for developers
• I like the column builder in the free version

Cons

• Some of the options might feel overwhelming to a beginner
• Builder lagging in some areas

https://plugintut.com/7-best-contact-form-plugins-for-wordpress/

Below are a couple options for placing a location or mapping tool on your website

Maps can be a valuable addition to a business website, helping new customers locate your site quickly without having to search it on their own can be the make or break of simplicity needed to earn their business. If I was building a website for a business that relies heavily on walk-in customers for its profit placing this map in a prime location would be of great importance.

Sources: 

http://www.wpbeginner.com/plugins/5-best-contact-form-plugins-for-wordpress-compared/
https://www.codeinwp.com/blog/best-contact-form-plugins-wordpress/
https://plugintut.com/7-best-contact-form-plugins-for-wordpress/

3.  Explore a range of plugins – extend functionalities vs. adding features:  Shop (inc. PayPal) 

WP Ecommerce vs WooCommerce

WP Ecommerce

Advantages

• Well known, due to how commonly the plugin is used customers will likely already be versed in it.
• Pre Installed Payment Gateways.
• Free, plenty of eCommerce plugins require either upfront or subscription fees.
• Easy to Customize
• Due to a large install base, its well optimized and tested, with easy access to customer support and other users advice/forums.

Disadvantages

• Like any non platform sales front [ala, Amazon/Etsy/Ebay] marketing is limited by budget, will and notoriety [positive or negative]
• Insecurity, due to the fact that WP is the most popular CMS it's a ready target for rogue actors and phishers.
• Requires web design experience and skills, It’s easy to list a good on amazon or ebay but to run a WP eCommerce blog you’ll need to know at least some HTML, CSS and PHP.

WooCommerce

Advantages

• ease of use
• free
• customizable
• analytics
• security
• flexibility.

Disadvantages

• customers dissatisfied with updates
• customizing can be costly
• you need knowledge to use it.

Based on my classmates research I decided to give WP Ecommerce a shot as this option has the most work put into it in terms of research, I found out that it did not operate on my version of wordpress(latest version), so I carried on with WooCommerce which appears to receive more frequent updates and has significantly more active installs.

It installed without a hitch, I followed the process all the way through and added a test product to see how it displays with default settings. Very neat addon, setup is a breeze, I would recommend when choosing an ecommerce plugin that it be integral it has frequent updates & active support.  

Source:

Class presentation "Ecommerce Plugins for CMS Solutions"

4.  Explore a range of plugins – extend functionalities vs. adding features:  Social media. 


Below is a table I made comparing three different top 5 lists for Social media plugins in 2017 from non-biased sources.

Based on this information I've installed Social warfare into my test environment to see how it runs.

Below is part of the lengthy customization page for this plugin, it slots into practically every place you would expect it to with easy on/off buttons for enabling & disabling the social media buttons in certain locations.

Pictured below I have highlighted the social media buttons alongside a few test blogs, using the global icon for sharing it takes up minimal space on the users screen, reserving white space which is an important design aspect to keep in mind, I would consider removing the share counter depending on what element this was attached too in order to make it even more simplistic.