Generate complete WordPress plugins with houtini-lm

Quick Start

Transform your plugin ideas into working WordPress plugins instantly:

Create a WordPress plugin called "Advanced Contact Forms" that handles contact form submissions with email notifications

Generate a WordPress plugin for "Event Manager" with custom post types for events, venues, and speakers

Build a "User Analytics" plugin with custom database tables, REST API endpoints, and admin dashboard

What It Does

Think of this as having a senior WordPress developer create your entire plugin structure whilst you focus on the business logic. generate_wordpress_plugin creates complete, production-ready WordPress plugins that follow all the coding standards and security best practices.

This isn't just scaffolding - you get a fully functional plugin with:

• Complete File Structure - Proper plugin organisation with all necessary files
• Security First - Nonces, sanitisation, capability checks, and prepared statements
• Admin Interface - Professional settings pages and management interfaces
• Database Schema - Custom tables with proper indexes and relationships
• WordPress Standards - Coding standards, internationalisation, and best practices
• Modern Features - REST API endpoints, AJAX handlers, Gutenberg blocks

Perfect for WordPress developers who want to move from idea to working plugin in minutes, not weeks. You get the foundation, structure, and security handled professionally - then you customise the specific business logic.

Parameters

Customise your plugin generation to get exactly what you need:

Real-World Examples

Here's how to create different types of plugins:

Event Management Plugin

houtini-lm:generate_wordpress_plugin with:
- name: "Event Manager Pro"
- description: "Complete event management with bookings, venues, and speaker profiles"
- features: ["custom_post_type", "event_booking", "venue_management", "speaker_profiles"]
- prefix: "emp"
- includeAdmin: true
- includeDatabase: true
- includeAjax: true
- wpVersion: "6.0"

E-commerce Enhancement Plugin

houtini-lm:generate_wordpress_plugin with:
- name: "Advanced Product Reviews"
- description: "Enhanced product review system with ratings, photos, and moderation"
- features: ["product_reviews", "photo_uploads", "rating_system", "review_moderation"]
- prefix: "apr"
- includeAdmin: true
- includeDatabase: true
- includeRest: true
- includeGutenberg: true

User Analytics Plugin

houtini-lm:generate_wordpress_plugin with:
- name: "User Behavior Analytics"
- description: "Track user interactions, page views, and engagement metrics"
- features: ["user_tracking", "analytics_dashboard", "reporting", "data_export"]
- prefix: "uba"
- includeAdmin: true
- includeDatabase: true
- includeRest: true
- includeAjax: true
- phpVersion: "8.0"

Simple Utility Plugin

houtini-lm:generate_wordpress_plugin with:
- name: "Site Optimizer"
- description: "Collection of performance and SEO optimization tools"
- features: ["image_optimization", "cache_management", "seo_tools", "performance_monitoring"]
- prefix: "so"
- includeAdmin: true
- includeAjax: false
- wpVersion: "5.8"

What You Get Back

A complete, production-ready WordPress plugin structure that you can immediately install and customise:

📁 Complete Plugin Structure

• Main plugin file with proper headers and activation hooks
• Organised directories for admin, includes, public, and assets
• Class-based architecture following WordPress best practices
• Autoloader implementation for clean, maintainable code

🔐 Security Implementation

• Nonce verification for all forms and AJAX requests
• Input sanitisation and output escaping throughout
• Capability checks restricting access appropriately
• Prepared statements for all database interactions
• Security headers and direct access prevention

⚙️ Admin Interface

• Professional admin pages with WordPress UI standards
• Settings API integration for configuration options
• Help tabs and documentation built into admin screens
• Bulk actions and list tables for data management
• Admin notices and feedback for user guidance

🗄️ Database Management

• Custom table creation with proper indexes
• Version upgrade scripts for seamless updates
• Data validation and relationships between tables
• Cleanup procedures for plugin uninstall

🔌 Modern WordPress Features

• REST API endpoints with authentication and validation
• Gutenberg blocks with ES6 JavaScript and JSX
• AJAX handlers with proper error handling
• Custom post types and taxonomies with proper capabilities
• Shortcodes and widgets for flexible content display

📚 Documentation & Standards

• Installation instructions and setup guide
• Code documentation following WordPress standards
• Internationalisation support with translation files
• Coding standards compliance ready for WordPress.org submission

Available Plugin Features

Choose from these pre-built features to include in your plugin:

Content Management

• custom_post_type - Custom post types with full CRUD interface
• custom_fields - Meta boxes and custom field handling
• taxonomies - Custom taxonomies and term management
• media_management - File upload and media handling

User Interaction

• contact_forms - Form builder with validation
• user_registration - Custom registration and profile fields
• commenting_system - Enhanced commenting with moderation
• rating_system - Star ratings and review functionality

E-commerce & Business

• payment_integration - Payment gateway connections
• booking_system - Appointment and reservation management
• inventory_management - Stock tracking and management
• invoice_generation - PDF invoice creation

Analytics & Reporting

• user_tracking - Visitor behaviour analytics
• performance_monitoring - Site performance metrics
• reporting_dashboard - Visual data reporting
• data_export - CSV/JSON export functionality

Communication

• email_notifications - Automated email system
• sms_integration - SMS notification support
• push_notifications - Browser push notifications
• newsletter_management - Subscription and campaign management

Technical Features

• api_integration - External API connections
• caching_system - Performance caching implementation
• backup_functionality - Data backup and restore
• security_scanning - Security monitoring and alerts

Perfect Use Cases

Here's when this function becomes your WordPress development superpower:

🚀 Client Project Kickstarts

Generate the complete plugin foundation in minutes, then spend your time on the specific business logic rather than boilerplate code. Perfect for agencies who need to deliver custom functionality quickly.

💡 Rapid Prototyping

Test plugin ideas without weeks of development. Create a working prototype, show it to stakeholders, then iterate based on feedback before investing in full development.

📚 WordPress Learning

Study how professional WordPress plugins should be structured. The generated code follows all best practices and includes extensive comments explaining why certain patterns are used.

🛒 WooCommerce Extensions

Create extensions that integrate with WooCommerce, adding new functionality like enhanced product options, custom checkout fields, or advanced reporting.

🎯 Niche Solutions

Build plugins for specific industries or use cases - event management for venues, booking systems for consultants, or inventory management for small retailers.

🔌 WordPress.org Repository

Generate plugins that meet WordPress.org standards from day one. The code follows all guidelines and includes proper documentation for repository submission.

Best Practices

Get the most out of your WordPress plugin generation:

📝 Plan Your Features Carefully

Before generating, think through exactly what your plugin needs to do:

• List all the main features and functionality
• Consider user roles and permissions needed
• Think about data storage requirements
• Plan for future expansion and updates

🔧 Choose the Right Prefix

Your prefix prevents conflicts with other plugins:

• Use 2-4 characters based on your plugin name
• Check it's not used by existing popular plugins
• Keep it memorable for your own development
• Avoid generic prefixes like "wp" or "my"

🎯 Be Specific About Features

The more specific you are, the better the generated plugin:

• Instead of "contact forms", specify "multi-step contact forms with file uploads"
• Rather than "user management", say "extended user profiles with custom fields"
• Include integration requirements like "WooCommerce compatibility"

🔐 Security First Approach

Even though security is built-in, understand what's implemented:

• Review the nonce implementation in forms
• Understand the capability checks for different user roles
• Check the input sanitisation and output escaping
• Test the plugin with different user permission levels

📚 Version Control from Day One

Set up proper development practices immediately:

• Initialize a Git repository for the plugin
• Set up a development workflow (local, staging, production)
• Plan your release versioning strategy
• Document your customisations and changes

🧪 Test Thoroughly

Generated plugins need testing in your specific environment:

• Test with different WordPress themes
• Verify compatibility with popular plugins
• Check performance with realistic data volumes
• Test all user roles and permission scenarios

Troubleshooting

Common issues and solutions when generating WordPress plugins: