This chapter covers the creation of a very sleek and stylish looking WordPress enhancement. The purpose of the Snazzy Archives plugin will be to present your site archives in a unique visual way.
In order to achieve this visual output, we will read all posts from the WordPress database and display them using a combination of HTML, CSS, and jQuery.
We will incorporate our plugin into a PHP class to make it easier to use and maintain. We will also learn a few template tricks and how to integrate the plugin output to WordPress pages easily.
Finally, we will create an options page so that users can control various aspects of the plugin.
In summary, this chapter will teach you how to:
Use a PHP class to describe your plugin
Use shortcode API to display output on your pages, and use custom templates when you want more control
Manage options for your plugin
Create options page and add administration menus
Create simple caching mechanism to speed up the output of your plugins...