![[ WordPress: Developing Secure WordPress Sites ]](https://perishablepress.com/wp/wp-content/images/2016/secure-wordpress-sites.png)
After months of preparation and production, my new video course on developing secure WordPress sites is now available at Lynda.com. This is my second video course on securing WordPress; the first one was originally launched in 2011 and remained in Lynda’s library for over five years. I received a lot of great feedback on the course, and so I jumped on the opportunity to do another one. If there is one thing that I enjoy doing, it’s helping people with […] Continue reading »
![[ Dashboard Widgets Suite ]](https://perishablepress.com/wp/wp-content/images/2016/dashboard-widgets-suite.jpg)
1 Plugin. 9 Widgets. Awesome Dashboard. Over the years, I’ve assembled a collection of Dashboard widgets that I use frequently on various sites. I find the WordPress Dashboard to be a convenient location for posting notes, viewing debug and error logs, and displaying social media icons, RSS feeds, and other useful information. I find these widgets essential, but I was spending way too much time installing and managing them on all of my sites. Continue reading »
![[ Blackhole for Bad Bots ]](https://perishablepress.com/wp/wp-content/images/2016/blackhole-bad-bots.jpg)
Image Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech. Update: Pro version now available! Check out Blackhole Pro » Finally translated my Blackhole Spider Trap into a FREE WordPress plugin. It’s fun, fast, flexible, and works silently behind the scenes to protect your WordPress-powered site from malicious bots. Here are some of the features: Continue reading »
![[ Enable WP Database Tools ]](https://perishablepress.com/wp/wp-content/images/2018/enable-database-tools.jpg)
Here is a lightweight WordPress plugin that enables you to optimize and repair InnoDB and MyISAM database tables. It uses WordPress’ built-in database optimization tools to get the job done. There are lots of great database optimization plugins out there, but this one is aimed specifically at easily optimizing and repairing InnoDB tables. Although it also works on other types of tables, such as MyISAM. Continue reading »
s2Member (s2) and Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) are two of the top eCommerce plugins for WordPress. I’ve been using both plugins for quite awhile now and would like to explain some of their main differences. Both plugins are awesome in their own right, but there are some clear distinctions that could make one or the other an ideal choice depending on the scope and goals of your project. Hopefully the following comparison will help anyone out there arrive at the […] Continue reading »
If you are new to WordPress, or even if you have some experience, it may seem impossible to figure out why something isn’t working as expected. It would be nice if we could just wave a magic wand and have everything “fixed” automatically, but reality requires a bit more effort to diagnose and resolve issues. It would be impossible to describe troubleshooting steps for every possible issue, so this post stays focused on troubleshooting things in general. The goal here […] Continue reading »
The free version of my WordPress plugin User Submitted Posts is better than ever, with a wealth of new action and filter hooks, enabling developers to customize everything from shortcode output to post data, alert messages and more. Drop in for a quick summary of all new USP hooks. Continue reading »
When developing WordPress themes and plugins, I like to enable PHP’s strict error reporting. That way all errors and notices can be recognized and dealt with accordingly. Plus, enabling PHP strict error reporting is pretty easy to do using a simple must-use plugin. Here’s how to do it.. Continue reading »
I use s2member (free version) and s2member Pro on a few of my sites. Have been for several years now. Over the course of time, I have amassed a healthy collection of notes, code snippets and techniques for customizing default functionality, adding features, and so forth. Gonna post the collection online for the benefit of any others who may be seeking for similar modifications and/or related information. Continue reading »
BBQ Firewall is a lightweight, super-fast plugin that protects your site against a wide range of threats. BBQ checks all incoming traffic and quietly blocks bad requests containing nasty stuff like eval(, base64_, and excessively long request-strings. This is a simple yet solid solution for sites that are unable to use a strong Apache/.htaccess firewall. Continue reading »
![[ SES Pro ]](https://perishablepress.com/wp/wp-content/images/2015/ses-pro-125x125.png)
SES Pro is a premium email newsletter plugin for WordPress. It is 100% shortcode-based with Ajax-powered signup forms that can be displayed anywhere. There are no monthly fees or limits on the number of subscribers, how many emails you can send, or anything else. It’s just a lightweight yet full-featured email-signup plugin that’s super-easy to use. Continue reading »
Today I am pleased to announce the winners of the 2014 Book Giveaway, wherein 9 contestants win free copies of my books — The Tao of WordPress, WordPress Themes In Depth, and .htaccess made easy — including all bonus material and updates. Continue reading »
A few days ago, I launched a Thanksgiving-themed book giveaway for Digging Into WordPress. The post has received some great comments that reminded me of how absolutely awesome people can be. So to chase the feeling and keep the momentum going, I’m giving away more books to 9 lucky winners. Continue reading »
Book Launch! My fourth book, WordPress Themes In Depth, focuses entirely on WordPress theme development. It goes in-depth on how to build, customize, and distribute your own WordPress themes. It’s 10+ years of experience with WordPress jam-packed into 450 pages of non-stop theme-building action. Continue reading »
![[ USP Pro ]](https://perishablepress.com/wp/wp-content/images/2014/125x125-usp-pro.png)
After months of deleopment and a low-key “soft-launch”, I’m pleased to announce my first premium WordPress plugin, USP Pro, the supercharged version of my free WP plugin, User Submitted Posts. USP Pro enables you to create and customize infinitely many front-end forms and display them anywhere on your WordPress-powered site. Continue reading »
As mentioned, I’ve been super busy updating stuff, and have new versions available for Digging Into WordPress, .htaccess made easy, and The Tao of WordPress. To celebrate the updates, I’m having a “Fall Sale” on all books, with combo deals available for bundled books. Continue reading »
Perishable Press is operated by Jeff Starr, a professional web developer and book author with two decades of experience.
Here you will find posts about web development, WordPress, security, and 