[wp-hackers] Facebook API and WordPress Plugin Development - Insight / Best Practice

[Mike Schinkel]

On Nov 15, 2012, at 12:37 AM, Bryan Petty <bryan at ibaku.net> wrote:
> Not that any of that helps here...

Agreed.

Maybe I should present some assumed goals:

- Smallest changes to WordPress core that would reasonably address the problem.
- Does not require a version of PHP later than PHP 5.2.4.
- Allows inclusion of PHP libraries from GitHub and other sources with zero modification to the library's packaging and source code 
- Allows multiple plugins to include a library in their distributed source code and the loading of only one of those if they are the same.
- Ensures against conflicts if a simple rules are followed by plugin developer: use a well-known name and well-known version #.
- Plugin developers could effectively state "Use any version >= version X" or "Use only version X"
- If a conflict occurs WordPress to present admin with enough information to know which plugins are in conflict.

Where I see this being most useful is for libraries specifically developed for use with WordPress, libraries like Mark Jaquith's library for transients.  I have several libraries I'd like to release but what's holding me up is this issue. Without solving this problem using 3rd party libraries isn't really a good solution for plugin or theme developers.

-Mike
P.S. if we solve the issue of theme developers using custom post types[1][2]. With library support their end users could switch themes and then use a library loader plugin to use the same custom post types in another theme.

[1] http://www.wpbeginner.com/opinion/wordpress-custom-post-types-debate-functions-php-or-plugins/
[2] http://themeforest.net/forums/thread/wp-theme-forward-compatibility-shortcodescpts/75050