[wp-hackers] Menus and Labels and Plugins, oh my!

[Rich Pedley]

Stephen Rider wrote

> To me the best plugins are designed in such a way that, once activated, you
> would never know that functionality is coming from a plugin.  For the "set
> and forget" plugins, a sectioned "Plugin Settings" page as you describe
> would be a great idea, but plugins with more significant settings pages
> should not be relegated to that area.  If the setting has enough settings
> that it needs its own tab, it's probably best served with its own page.

If there is a 'Settings' top level then I would expect plugins that
need a full page to create a full page under that settings menu.
Whether your bulk standard user thinks that is perhaps another thing.

> Virtually every plugin has (at least) a slight learning curve.  Shoving all
> settings under the Plugins section is handy the first time you turn it on
> and look for settings;

agreed. maybe there should be the possibility of adding a link to a
settings page, no matter where the actual settings page is located?
(or was that what was actually suggested?)

> but in the long run, plugins with which you interact
> directly are best located in the context wherein that _functionality_ makes
> sense.  Stashing it all under Plugins is thinking from the coding side of
> things.  Putting it in the proper GUI context is thinking from the user end
> of things.

If you saying that plugin settings page should go in the plugins
section then I agree.

> Putting it another way  -- If someone sets up your blog program for you (you
> being a relative n00b) it makes more sense to find that page under "Tools"
> or whatnot than to have to remember that, no, that comes from a plugin and
> is stashed under Plugins.  Where would that page be in the menu **if it were
> part of Core**?  That's where it should go.

exactly, plugin created admin pages should generally be added to the
correct section. Unless there are times when a new top level menu item
is required whereby most pages for that plugin should then go in that
newly created section.

Sometimes trying to find the newly created page or section from a
plugin isn't as intuitive as it should be. A recent one I installed
was added to the Dashboard. Perhaps if I'd read things more closely
I'd have seen the subtle hint, but my brain decided that the manage
section was better for it (or even settings).

Rich Pedley
-- 
my mind is on a permanent tangent
http://cms.elfden.co.uk/