Plugin Installation
in Tips
as how-to, option panel, plugin, settings, WordPress
To install a WordPress plugin is in most cases fairly straight forward but if you have never installed one before the first time can be a bit awkward. Lets install two plugins with these step-by-step instructions.
First, you will need to be logged into your administration pages. This should be a familiar process. Remember this?
The typical WordPress login form
Next, on the left hand side of your screen you should see your administration pages menu. It will looks very much like this.
The admin. menu
To install a new plugin there are essentially two methods that can be done from these administration pages. Both methods make use of the menu at the top of the “Install Plugins” page. Here is a screen snippet of the page:
A screen snippet of the Install Plugins page. Click to enlarge. Click back to return.
Let’s look at the upload method first. This method only works for plugins you have downloaded to your local computer. Click on the upload link at the top of the Install Plugins page and you should see something like this on your screen:
Click on the Browse button to open the file browser for your computer.
Next, locate the plugin zip file on your local computer. In this example we will use a modified version of the Facebook Sharecount plugin by Snowball Factory, Inc. Your screen may look something like this:
An example of locating a plugin zip file
Click the “Open” button (see example image above). This will populate the field on the Install Plugins page under uploads. Click the “Install Now” button. The next step is activating the plugin which we will look at in a moment, after going through the steps to use the “Search” method(s). The “Featured”, “Popular”, “Newest”, and “Recently Updated” options are simply pre-configured special “Search” criteria. Here is a screen snippet:
Large Image. The results for searching on the term: Support. Click to enlarge. Click back to return.
Locate the plugin you are interested in using, for this example we will look at the BNS Support plugin. The plugin name itself will link to the page the plugin author has designated, the link to the far right will start the installation process. Clicking on the “install” link will open a pop-up style interface, very similar if not identical to this one:
The install now pop-up window
Clicking the big red “Install Now” button will display a screen with information like this:
After the plugin is installed it needs to be activated.
An example of the Manage Plugins page after plugin activation.
Some plugins offer functionality simply with their activation, for example the BNS Login plugin, other plugins require they are placed in a widget area of the theme. To add a plugin to one of these widget areas, you will need to click on Appearance, then click on Widgets; and, the Available Widgets page should be displayed. It will have a similar look to this example:
Large Image. An example of possible available widgets. Click to enlarge. Click back to return.
To use the plugin, drag-and-drop its title bar into an open widget area. Widget areas are theme dependent. If the widget area you want to use is not “open” first click on the small triangle on the right side of the widget area title. Now you can drag-and-drop the plugin title bar there. As you drag the plugin into the widget area, an outline of the plugin title bar will appear showing the plugin can be dropped. Once the plugin has been dropped into a widget area, if it exists, the plugin option menu will pop open. Similar to these next screen snippets:
A plugin being dragged into a widget area.
Once dropped, the plugin will pop open its option menu.
Some plugins have full pages to manage their options, either in addition or as their only method of control. This is more common for plugins that do not need or have use of being placed in a widget area. These option pages are generally placed in the admin menu at the author’s discretion. The most common area to find the plugin settings page is under … Settings, as this example shows:
A common place to find plugin settings pages is under the admin Settings.
Now you can return to your home page and see your newly installed, and configured, plugin. Congratulations!
How does one put on the cover or index?
@luchosar – Although I am not certain of your question I believe you are asking how to implement a plugin on your site as part of your page or post content … this generally can be accomplished with the use of a “shortcode” but that functionality must be implemented in the plugin first. If the plugin does not offer a shortcode to be used it will need to be modified to do so.
Right, that’s what I mean, I put it in the index, which is the code? thanks.
@luchosar – The code you need is dependent on the widget you are using and if it includes an appropriate ‘shortcode’. You can also read this post for more ideas: http://wpfirstaid.com/2010/09/the_widget-shortcode-base/
Hi
Sorry, but i’m a bit confuse with the so called name widget sometime called plugin
W’d please fix widget vs plugin to make the infos clearer
2nd= You talk about a shortcode..what this function key do ? how does figure the shortcode?
I red above: “If the plugin does not offer a shortcode….”
Where the shortcode come from? the plugin source provider?
As a first aid, currently replies put me in a mess!
thanks for a reply
@Jean-Marc – A widget is just a special type of plugin, generally offering more functionality than a standard plugin would offer on its own. This is usually done via options available to the end-user as designed by the plugin author.
If you follow the link in the above comment referencing a ‘shortcode’ you will be able to learn more about what they are as well. In this case, the ‘shortcode’ is referring to code found within the plugin.
Since my last contact above I’m a bit more advanced WP user
and big thanks for your help reply, but yet i’ve got troubles again through a classic application’ plugin
dixit that one “polldaddy” which is running well in my WP.COM blog but won’t run at all in my replicated local hosted <strong<WP.ORG following the use of WordPress “import tool service “.(full files’site uploading successfully, yet)
That’s it: from the debugging program tools, I received the error message below:
” Notice: wp_specialchars is deprecated since version 2.8! Use esc_html() instead. in C:\xampp\htdocs\wordpress\wp-includes\functions.php on line 3382″
Clearly, i’ts appear like a breaked link to my previous Polldaddy account -of course a new registration is submitted to me-
but my point is to get in back all and see again my old creations ‘polls rating’
Don’t you see a way to solve my PB please (some codes to change in a particular file, maybe)
Thousand thanks for your answer
Jean-Marc
Don’t hesited to ask me for more details needed
@Jean-Marc – The error message points to an issue that should be corrected before any further items are addressed. There is not enough information there to specify if this is a theme or plugin related issue but first make sure all are current, including the WordPress core files on your test server.
Hi there. I have a real big problem here. I am a newbie in WordPress too and find this real hard because I can’t seem to find here how can I possibly add some widget bec. I can’t seem to find the add plug-ins in my dashboard as your representation shows. And by the way I am using the free version. Is the add plug in function only available for those in premium account???? Please help me.
@Johnnedel – From what I see as your URL, you have a dot-com blog … that being the case, the content of this post does not apply. You would be better trying: http://support.wordpress.com
I’m using your plugin for putting a logo on my pages. I know how to upload jpg with fireFTP. If I load it on my child theme folder, what is the url? For instance, if I load it onto the root folder of annmariedavis.com is the url annmariedavis.com/webpagelogo.jpg? do I need to put the picture into a html page?
@Ann Marie – I can only guess you are referring to the ‘BNS Corner Logo’ plugin, if that is the case and you are still having issues with getting it to work the way you want it would be better to seek help on the plugin’s home page, here.
Never mind. I just figured it out! Thanks for your plugin.
Never mind. I didn’t figure it out. Sigh.