Today the topic of our review is "plugins". What are these things, where are they used and why are they needed - the problem that we must consider today.
For most users, this question remains behind the scenes. Until an urgent need arises, no one will specifically study the question of "how to install the plugin", where to get it and how to use it for its intended purpose. Let's talk about everything in order.
1. What is a "plugin"? In short, this is an addition to the main program that can expand its functionality. For example, the Noise Ninja plugin for Photoshop is used to remove "noise" in digital photos. If we draw an analogy with household appliances - these are those that allow you to use the main device (vacuum cleaner) more fully and for a wider range of tasks. Apartment cleaning, washing soft coatings, disinfection or removal of stubborn dirt in the apartment, kitchen, car or garage.
Many applications (programs) use the option of additional installation of plugins. This opportunity is provided by the software developer for their own solutions or for third-party developers. Without going into technical details and details, we can say that with the help of plugins you can expand the basic functionality of any program for your own needs.
Plugins can be paid or free. Whether to install them or not is up to the user. With minimal knowledge (which plugins, where to get them and how to install), you can achieve the desired result with minimal cost time and resources.
2. How do I install the plugin?The answer to this question is best seen through an example. Let's take a look at how to install the Wordpress plugin.
Quick reference: Wordpress is a popular platform for implementing various web projects (website, blog, personal page). There are a huge number of plugins for this platform. They are built into the engine and serve either to speed up work or to change appearance, or to expand the functionality of the theme.
Before starting a plugin, you need to clearly understand why you need it, how it will work and how necessary its installation is. A feature of plugins is a slight slowdown of the resource. In other words, the more plugins you install on your site, the longer it will load and the slower it will work.
The plugin can be installed directly from the admin panel, which implements the search and installation function, or downloaded as an archive on your PC and then uploaded to the site directly from hard disk... The installation procedure is extremely simple: find a plugin, click "install", after which it will appear in the list of installed plugins. In order to start using it, the installed add-on must be activated. That's the whole secret.
If you are not using an add-on, it is best to remove it. Some experts believe that plugins should only be used when they are absolutely essential. Which is better in your case - you can decide for yourself. The easiest way to check this is experimentally.
Another question that a large number of users want to hear an answer to: what is it for and how to install the Windows plugin Media Player... This plug-in is used by Internet browsers to display digital content (audio and video files) posted on web pages on the Internet. For earlier windows versions it has been integrated into the system, for later versions it must be downloaded and installed in a separate file.
In order to check the presence of this plug-in, for example, in Mozilla Firefox, you need to find the ADDITIONS item on the TOOLS tab (as an option, the Ctrl / Shift / A key combination). There you can see a list of installed add-ons. If Windows Media Player is not installed and you still need it, download it, save it on your PC, then launch and install it. After installation, restart the "Fire Fox" and observe the installed add-on.
In conclusion, I would like to briefly summarize: today we looked at what a plugin is, how to install a plugin and how to prepare it for work. If you have any questions, google to help you.
Modern plugins and extensions for Mozilla Firefox extend the basic capabilities of the browser. Watching Flash videos, listening to music tracks, launching games, customizing the design - all this and much more is available thanks to various browser add-ons.
Users often confuse plugins and extensions with each other. Plugins are not part of the browser and are typically developed by well-known companies such as Adobe, Unity Technologies and Apple Inc. That is, you have to download them from the official sites or the MyDiv site. Extensions are mostly independent developers and can be found easily in the Firefox store. It should be borne in mind that extensions and plugins are combined in the browser into one general category - add-ons. Let's try to analyze the installation process in more detail.
Firefox extensions
Step 1. Finding an extension
Open our browser and click on the tab in the top panel Tools → Supplements (Hotkeys Ctrl + Shift + A):
The screen will automatically open Get add-ons... Find the block on the page Gaining popularity and click on Show all:
A catalog of all add-ons for Mozilla Firefox will open, sorted by category and a convenient search:
Step 2. Installing the extension
Let's try to install the Google Translator plugin. Enter the name of the plugin in the search form and click on it in the drop-down menu or click on the icon with an arrow:
On the page with the description of the add-on, click the button Add to Firefox:
A window will appear in the left upper corner with a request to install the add-on files. Click on the button Install:
We restart our browser to enable the extension. After restarting, the extension icon will appear in the top panel, and Google Translator will appear in the tab Extensions:
Firefox plugins
Step 1. Finding a plugin
Let's try to install the plugin Unity Web Player required to run many browser games. Go to the download page of the Unity Web Player plugin and click on the link, which is highlighted in green:
Step 2. Installing the plugin
Run the plugin installer and press the button I Agree:
We are waiting for the installation to complete and click on Finish:
That's it, the plugin is installed. It will appear in the tab Tools → Supplements → Plugins.
To manage already installed plugins and Mozilla Firefox extensions, you need to go to the extension manager. To do this, click on the browser launch icon to open the main program window. After that, click on the Firefox button located in the upper left corner of the screen. You will see the browser menu, with which you can change the application settings, as well as select the functions of some extensions installed earlier. Click on "Add-ons". A tab will be displayed in front of you, on the page of which already existing plugins will be shown. Click on the "Enable" button to activate the desired extension in the program window.
If the plugin is already activated, you can disable it in the same way. The "Disable" button will be located opposite the already enabled extension.
If you want to see a list of all the extensions available for inclusion in the browser, click on the "Plugins" item on the left side of the page. In the drop-down list in the name line of each element, you can select launch parameters. To disable the use of the extension, select "Never enable". If you want to fully activate the module, click on the "Always enable" item. In some cases, you can also select Include On Demand if you want to run the extension only on certain pages.
If you want to download or activate a new extension for your browser, in the "Add-ons" section of the browser menu, select "Get add-ons", which is located on the left side of the plug-in manager. You will be presented with a web interface that allows you to download any extension available for your program. Using the line "Search among add-ons" you can enter the name of any specific application. To find a suitable extension, you can also use the category list or the list of the currently most popular extensions.
Some plugins require a browser restart to complete the installation.
Having chosen the required plugin, check out its functionality. Click "Add to Firefox" to install the plugin. Click on the "Allow" button to download the add-on. After the download is complete, wait for a window to appear warning you about the dangers of installing plugins from unknown authors. Click "Install Now" to apply the changes and automatic activation element.
Plugin Is an additional software, which expands the functionality of the site, from this article you will learn how to install the plugin and activate it on the engine.
The main function of any plugin is to expand the capabilities of the WordPress engine through additional code that is embedded separately.
Plugins are usually divided into the mainthat any site needs, such as SEO plugins and additionalthat perform secondary functions or are necessary for certain types of sites, for example, plugins for creating a forum or online store from a site.
It is also worth noting that there are both free and paid plugins. Paid plugins, as a rule, are sharpened for a specific function, which is not easy to implement for people who do not know programming, and if you write a tutorial on creating such a plugin, a whole tutorial will be released. Many plugins provide some functionality in free version, and basic features for a certain fee, for example, a plugin for proper SEO optimization of a blog on WP - WordPress SEO by Yoast.
Where and how to download WordPress plugins
For the sake of security and protection of your site from hacking, malware and viruses, I recommend downloading all plugins from the official site. What is WordPress.org/plugins is the official plugin database for WordPress where you can find any plugin for any purpose. Most importantly, there are only plugins that have been approved by Wordpress.org experts.
How to find the required WP plugin in Wordpress.org/plugins
We go to the site and see that it is completely in English, so it will be difficult to search. But still there is a way out:
Figure 1. WordPress.org/plugins - Official WordPress Plugin Database
1st way to find plugins... In the screenshot above, pay attention to the places that I highlighted with a red frame. The first frame is the tabs:
- Featured - recommended plugins;
- Popular - popular;
- Favorites - favorites;
- Beta Testing - beta testing of plugins for new WP versions.
Using these tabs, you can filter plugins, I often use the Popular tab - this is a kind of rating for plugins by downloads, and they download the most the main plugins.
The second frame is a search, we are looking, of course, in English, for example, seo or content.
And yet, when you are in the Featured tab at the very bottom of the page, there is a plugin filter by popular tags.
Figure 2. Filter plugins by popular tags
2nd way to find plugins... But personally, I search for plugins through search engines (poor knowledge of English affects), but still download from WordPress.org/plugins. How does this happen? For example, I saw a certain functionality on a site and decided to implement it on my own, but I'm not a programmer, so I start to create a search query. For example, like this: WordPress Cooking Plugins, WordPress Recipe Plugin, etc. Then I enter them into any search engine and study the search results:
Figure 3. Analysis of search results for the query "WordPress culinary plugins"
After reading the Runet Guru, I am forming a list of plugins that can help me in implementing my plans. Usually the list consists of 3-4 plugins, if any. For example, for the task set above, the following plugins are suitable:
- Ziplist-Recipe-Plagin;
- WP Ultimate Recipe;
- Recipe Card;
- And you can also choose a Culinary template, which can contain all the necessary functionality.
The second safe source for downloading plugins is the plugin developer site, if available, and you should be able to find it. All plugins are developed by programmers for a specific purpose, and most of them have official web pages with a Download button.
The advantage of this way of downloading plugins for WP is that you definitely download the most latest version plugin and you can see detailed instructions on setting up the plugin, albeit in English, but firsthand.
You can also not download plugins, but install directly through the admin panel.
Figure 4. Installing plugins via the WordPress admin
This method is similar to Wordpress.org/plugins, or rather, it is the same thing. But it is much more convenient and easier to install through. I'll tell you in more detail below.
Ways to install plugins on WordPress
Almost any plugin can be installed on WordPress in two ways:
Installing WordPress plugins via Admin
As I promised above, I'm talking about installing plugins through the Admin Panel. This method is very convenient and simple, suitable for all WordPress users.
In the Administrative Panel, go to Plugins\u003e Add New (shown in the screenshot above).
The following window for adding new plugins will load:
Figure 6. The window for installing new plugins on WordPress
Above, I said that adding plugins through the Admin Panel resembles Wordpress.org/plugins. But the very first thing that catches your eye is that everything here is in Russian and, of course, there is no download of archives, the plug-in is installed automatically, immediately to your blog. In the red frame, all the same tabs, switching between which you can look for a suitable plugin, and a search box, in which you can search in Russian. Plugin installation starts when you click the Install button.
The Download Plugin button (located above the tabs) allows you to download the plugin if you have downloaded it to your computer. Click on it, the add plugin window will open:
Figure 7. Adding a plugin through the WordPress admin panel from a computer
Click on the Select file button, a Windows Explorer window will open:
Figure 8. Selecting a plug-in file on a computer
Select the desired plugin and click on the Open button.
Figure 8. Installing the selected WordPress plugin
Here you will see the name of the selected plugin and you can make sure you did everything right. Click on the Install button.
Figure 9. Completing the WordPress plugin installation
This method is convenient, but the disadvantage is that loading through the Admin panel occurs 1 plugin at a time, over time you will have a standard collection or a selection of plugins of 5-10 pieces, so as not to install them one by one, we upload them to the hosting in a special folder where all plugins are stored.
Installing WordPress plugins on Hosting via FTP or hosting file manager
For multi-loading plugins, they must be uploaded directly to the hosting in the folder plugins:
Figure 10. Path to the plugins folder in the WordPress system
In folder plugins all loaded plugins are stored unpacked. Uploading with FTP client and hosting file manager are similar, but I use Beget hosting file manager.
We launch the file manager, in the main panel of the Beget hosting, this is done by pressing 1 button:
Figure 11. Startup file manager hosting Beget
The file manager will open, this is how it looks:
Figure 12. View of the Beget hosting file manager
In general, the functionality and structure practically do not differ from the popular FileZilla FTP client.
Let's open the plugins folder, the path might be like this:
/ samsebewebmaster / public_html / wp-content / plugins
/ samsebewebmaster / wp-content / plugins
Depending on how you installed WordPress. Remember that the path to plugins in WP will always be like this:
Remember this path in order to quickly navigate in any situations in the future and contact the appropriate authority!
Once you got into the folder plugins, you will be able to delete and edit them, and most importantly download new plugins in batches.
Uploading multiple WordPress plugins to hosting at once
Let's load two plugins at the same time:
After unpacking the plugins will appear in the admin area, after which you can activate and configure them.
Activating the WordPress plugin and subsequent configuration
What is plugin activation? The fact is that uploaded plugins in WordPress can be enabled (activated) and disabled (deactivated). This function is very convenient, as it allows you to disable plugins that act at the same time, for example a plugin Optimize Database after Deleting Revisionsrather than deleting them after completing their task.
All plugins are activated through the Admin. To do this, go to Plugins\u003e Installed and see which plugins are currently enabled and which are not:
Figure 21. Plugin activation
To activate a plugin, click on the Activate button, and to disable an unnecessary plugin, click on the Deactivate button. It's simple!
Setting up various WordPress plugins
After you have downloaded and activated any plugin, it must be configured correctly so that it works correctly and performs the required function. Each plugin has different settings. Some, for example, do not need any settings at all, as a rule, such plugins are single-tasking. Others have a complex setup, and still others can only work after changing some settings in WordPress or installing some code on the site.
So how do you configure the downloaded plugin? And where to look for these settings?
To be honest, every new plugin that I install on my sites, I have to customize by articles from the search. I advise you the same. For example, I decided to install a plugin on my blog. In Yandex, I type the following phrases:
- plugin setup RusTolat;
- plugin RusTolatcustomization;
- RusTolat reviews;
- how to properly configure the CNC.
As you can see, for the first three requests, I look at the settings, functionality and what they write about the plugin itself. Then I look at other solutions to the problem. So remember:
Each plugin has specific settings. And depending on the type of blog, the setting of some plugins may be different (for example, for an article blog, a photo blog, and a video blog). I recommend searching the Internet for instructions on setting up a specific plugin.
As a rule, all plugin settings are available from the admin area.
Why you shouldn't abuse plugins
You cannot use a large number of plugins on any WordPress blog because each plugin affects the loading speed of the blog, slowing it down. That is, the more theme plugins you add, the longer your blog will load. This double minus:
- search engines don't like long loading plugins. These sites go down in search results. Therefore, keep an eye on the loading speed of your site constantly.
- the visitor may not wait for the complete loading of your site materials and leave it. And this is a deterioration in behavioral factors and, as a result, a decrease in search.
These are two main reasons why plugins should not be overused. Therefore, I recommend not installing a bunch of plugins on the site and, if possible, look for workarounds. For example, a more functional template or looking for solutions without using plugins, such solutions are often implemented in PHP in several manipulations.
That's all, I hope my article helped you with installing and activating plugins.