Step 2: Setting Up Your Plugin

Creating the Plugin Folder & Files 📂

Every WordPress plugin lives inside the wp-content/plugins/ directory. To create a new plugin, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to wp-content/plugins/ in your WordPress installation.
2. Create a new folder with your plugin name, e.g., my-noob-plugin.
3. Inside that folder, create a new PHP file with the same name:

my-noob-plugin/
│── my-noob-plugin.php  # Main plugin file

4. Open the file in a code editor.

Understanding the plugin.php(my-noob-plugin.php) File 📜

The main plugin file must include a header comment so WordPress recognizes it.

Paste this into your my-noob-plugin.php file:

<?php
/**
 * Plugin Name: My Noob Plugin
 * Plugin URI:  https://developernoob.com
 * Description: A simple WordPress plugin to do noob things!
 * Version:     1.0.0
 * Author:      Your Noob Name
 * Author URI:  https://yourwebsite.com
 * License:     GPL-2.0+
 */

🔹 What These Lines Mean:

• Plugin Name: The official name of your plugin.
• Plugin URI: A link to your plugin’s homepage (optional).
• Description: A short description of what your plugin does.
• Version: The version number (start with 1.0.0).
• Author: Your name or company name.
• License: Always use GPL-2.0+ to meet WordPress guidelines.

Once this file is saved, your plugin will appear in the WordPress admin under Plugins! 🎉

Activating Your Plugin ⚡

1. Go to WordPress Dashboard → Plugins
2. Find My Noob Plugin in the list.
3. Click Activate.

Congratulations! 🎉 Your plugin is now live, even though it does nothing yet!