[wp-hackers] Plugin options page

[Stephen Rider]

On Jun 13, 2007, at 1:26 PM, Jeremy Clarke wrote:

>> Sabin's and Stephen's suggestion for a standardised link to each
>> plugin's options page in the plugin screen is excellent.
>>
>
> Definitely the best solution. Lets the manage/options distinction
> remain and have meaning while also letting users only have to check
> one place (and only click once to get there, which is nice) to find
> any special plugin related pane. Two clicks and you're there, with no
> confusion or risks of long unweildy pages.

We still might consider a distinction (to be made by each plugin's  
programmer) between plugins that are "Set and Forget" ("SaF") and  
those that require a persistent Options page.

Thus, the first group would have an options page that ONLY is linked  
from the Plugins page, while the latter will have the usual link  
under the Options "tabs".  There are a lot of SaF plugins that simply  
need a path set or something, and _really_ don't need a full Options  
page cluttering things up.  Make this easier to do, and you will  
discourage plugins that ask the user to text-edit the plugin file to  
set that one setting.

If JavaScript is available, clicking an SaF options link could maybe  
use some Ajaxy goodness to display the one-or-two options right there  
in the plugin screen.  Sans JavaScript it would of course do a reload  
to a full page for those options.

Stephen Rider