Asymptomatic

There must be intelligent life down here

Admin, We Have a Problem...
March 11, 2005

Ack! There has been a sudden surge in plugin releases that make use of the new add_options_page() function. I think it’s great that the community is so interested in extending WordPress this way with such great features. But there’s a problem…

If your plugin’s options page only has one item on it (like a single checkbox or a textbox), then you’re taking up a relative ton of real estate on the admin console to enable your options.

Take this Amazon ASIN linker plugin for example. It’s a great idea. But it you install 4 of these options-light plugins, you’ve got an Options menu that streches all the way across the screen!

It’s not a problem with the design of any one plugin, but unless plugin devs start interacting with one another, the issue could escalate.

So what’s a plugin developer to do? Here’s an idea…

MicroWiki 1.3 Update
March 11, 2005

I have updated the MicroWiki code to fix a couple of bugs and add move and delete capabilities.

For those who are unfamiliar with MicroWiki, you can use it with my EzStatic plugin (or by itself) to create a wiki inside your WordPress layout that is independent from the posts/pages structure of WordPress. You can choose to use WordPress authentication (only WordPress authors on your blog can modify the wiki), integrated authentication (where every user has a password that is maintained by MicroWiki), or no authentication (like most vanilla wikis). It’s a nice and simple one-file solution if you’re looking to add user-contributed documentation to your blog. Check out my installation of MicroWiki.

Votio
March 11, 2005

I don’t know when I’m going to find time, but I need to write this new little thing. It’s going to let you attach an Amazon-style “star vote” bar to the bottom of posts in a particular category. It should also provide a way to list posts (perhaps even within a specific date range) ranked by their average vote.

Why? For Free For All Friday, of course.

Bill Clinton Must Die
March 10, 2005

Before you think I’m begging to be hanged for treason, allow me first to state that Clinton’s demise isn’t a thing that I wish to happen. I don’t want Bill Clinton to be harmed any more than I would want to be harmed myself. No, what I’m offering here is a condition.

It occurred to me today while listening to the news that Bill Clinton is an icon for Democrats everywhere. He’s a legendary figure - the guy who messed around in the highest political office in the country. He rides the persona well, socially clicking with youth groups and liberals. But that’s a bad thing, I think.