{"id":76,"date":"2005-09-26T16:56:49","date_gmt":"2005-09-26T06:56:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thunderguy.com\/semicolon\/wordpress\/plaintext-wordpress-plugin\/"},"modified":"2006-12-04T20:10:54","modified_gmt":"2006-12-04T10:10:54","slug":"plaintext-wordpress-plugin","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thunderguy.com\/semicolon\/wordpress\/plaintext-wordpress-plugin\/","title":{"rendered":"Plaintext: a WordPress plugin"},"content":{"rendered":"

Latest version is 1.4.<\/em><\/p>\n

Plaintext<\/cite> is a WordPress<\/a> plugin that helps you to distribute your Web source code to an admiring public, whether it’s PHP, HTML, ASP or anything else.<\/p>\n

Here’s the problem. When distributing code such a a WordPress plugin, developers use all kinds of tricks to allow users to download the PHP source code — you can’t just download a PHP file because the server will execute the code before you can download it. Some developers put their code into a zip file, so users have to open the zip to see the source. Some distribute files with a .txt<\/code> or .phps<\/code> extension, so users have to rename the file before saving it. It all adds up to a slightly inconvenient user experience.<\/p>\n

Here’s the solution! Install Plaintext. To distribute a source file, simply put it into your wp-content\/plaintext\/<\/code> directory inside your WordPress installation. Then, users can view or download the file simply by going to \/plaintext<\/code> inside your blog directory. This works for PHP files, HTML files, ASP files — in fact, any kind of text file at all. For example, you can upload a file to your server as wp-content\/plaintext\/example.php<\/code>. Then your readers can simply go to yourblog.com\/plaintext\/example.php<\/cite> to view or save the source code.<\/p>\n

Compatibility<\/h2>\n

Plaintext works with WordPress versions 1.5 and 2.<\/p>\n

Download and Install<\/h2>\n
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  1. Download the plaintext.php file (see the end<\/a> of this article for download location).<\/li>\n
  2. Copy plaintext.php into your WordPress plugins directory (wp-content\/plugins).<\/li>\n
  3. Log in to WordPress administration. Go to the Plugins page and click Activate for Plaintext.<\/li>\n
  4. In WordPress administration, go to Options and click Permalinks to complete installation.<\/li>\n
  5. Create a directory called plaintext<\/code> in your wp-content<\/code> directory.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Problems, questions or requests?<\/h2>\n

    If you find any problems, please let me know by leaving a comment at the bottom of this page. You can also leave a comment if you have any questions about how it works, or if you would like to request a feature.<\/p>\n

    Technical notes<\/h2>\n

    If your server setup does not allow fancy permalinks, then Plaintext will not work.<\/p>\n

    <\/a>Download<\/h2>\n

    You can download plaintext.php<\/a> or view the source code<\/a>. Don’t forget to check out all the other plugins available here — there’s bound to be one that you will find useful.<\/p>\n

    I write these WordPress plugins because I enjoy doing it, but it does take up a lot\r\nof my time. If you think this plugin is useful, please consider donating some appropriate\r\namount.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

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    Full WordPress plugin list<\/h2>\n