Time for WordPress plugin developers to take note of changes

by Dave Jackson (Scoop0901) on Friday, August 8, 2008

WordPress icon WordPress 2.6 is the current stable version of the popular blogging software, although WordPress 2.6.1 beta 1 is available for download and testing.

Like with all tech development, plans must be made ahead of time for changes, whether it’s for a new operating system, new kernel in Linux/Unix, or changes to online software, such as WordPress or even a Webmail interface. With development, though, comes testing, trials, and of course, changes. Yes, I said that ominous word that many simply hate: change.

While some people dislike change because it means something new to learn, others dislike changes because it means there is something – at least one thing – new to test, ensuring there’s compatibility with all legacy components of the product. In this case, the product is WordPress.

has written a cool tutorial for plugin developers about the WordPress 2.7 Plugin Uninstall Methods, which will be changing, and most notably on the developer end rather than the user/admin end.

In his post about the WordPress 2.7 plugin uninstall methods, Santos writes:

The "uninstall" hook runs when the user deletes a plugin that is deactivated. The implementation is basic and doesn’t allow for much in the way of what the original implementation calls for, but hey at least it exists. …

… It will make the uninstall process a lot easier. Not to mention that deleting a plugin isn’t going to be so bad, since you can always use the Plugin Installer to automatically download and activate the plugin again. That should allow for more plugins to support uninstall feature.

Santos gets down to the meat-and-gravy of WordPress 2.7 plugin uninstall coding without wasting time. He touches on the topics of:

  • Registering the Plugin Uninstaller

  • Uninstall.php Uninstaller Method

  • Register Your Plugin’s Uninstall Hook

Following a short description of each function, he offers sample coding which should be of assistance to plugin developers. Be sure to check out Santos’ post, but, more importantly, get your plugins ready for WordPress 2.7.

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