Can ChatGPT Construct a Helpful WordPress Plugin That Truly Works?

Can AI flip non-coders into professional WordPress plugin builders? To seek out out, we requested ChatGPT to construct a customized WordPress plugin from scratch after which had our crack workforce of builders study the code…

AI is the world’s hottest two-letter phrase proper now. With all of the latest information headlines about whether or not AI will take our jobs away, we needed to know… can ChatGPT really develop a practical and helpful WordPress plugin with out having to jot down code from scratch? And does the plugin meet finest coding practices?

Thankfully, WPMU DEV builds a few of the most sturdy WordPress plugins on the earth, so we’ve got loads of skilled WordPress plugin builders who can put ChatGPT to the check.

In truth, in the event you take a stroll round our firm’s digital corridors, you possibly can’t assist however stumble upon WordPress coders and builders. It appears everybody round right here can have a look at a WordPress plugin and see PHP the best way Neo sees the Matrix’s digital rain code.

What PHP code seems to be wish to skilled WordPress plugin builders. Supply: Giphy.com

Everybody, that’s …besides me!

I’m only a weblog author with no coding expertise and a burning want so as to add “immediate engineer” to my CV.

So, on this submit, we’ll discover tips on how to leverage the ability of ChatGPT to construct a easy customized WordPress plugin rapidly and securely, even in the event you lack in depth coding expertise.

We’ll do that by:

1) Asking ChatGPT to generate the code for a helpful plugin that we are able to check, and

2) Working the code generated by ChatGPT previous our workforce {of professional} plugin builders to allow them to evaluate it and supply their trustworthy suggestions.

We’ll cowl the next:

Step 1 – Outline the Plugin’s Performance
Step 2 – Generate Code Snippets with ChatGPT
Step 3 – Check the Customized Plugin
Suggestions from Our Knowledgeable Plugin Builders
Can ChatGPT Flip You Right into a WordPress Plugin Developer?

Step 1 – Outline the Plugin’s Performance

Earlier than utilizing ChatGPT to generate code, we have to have a transparent understanding of the performance we would like our plugin to offer.

This begins by outlining the precise options, actions, or modifications we’ll need to obtain with our plugin. This can then assist us generate correct prompts for ChatGPT and be certain that our AI-generated code aligns with our desired outcomes.

Step 2 – Generate Code Snippets with ChatGPT

To generate our code snippets utilizing ChatGPT, we’ll maintain issues easy (and free) and use the freely obtainable interface supplied by OpenAI.

Take #1…

Word: My first try at utilizing ChatGPT to create a WordPress plugin from scratch was means too bold. I requested ChatGPT to construct me a easy WordPress time-travel dummy textual content producing plugin, utilizing the immediate beneath…

This immediate will certainly kick ChatGPT’s WordPress plugin improvement tyres.

As somebody who spends a variety of time writing WordPress tutorials, I typically want dummy content material to check plugins, create screenshots, and many others.

So, I assumed it could be nice to mannequin my AI-generated dummy content material plugin on a plugin I typically use known as FakerPress.

ChatGPT pushed again on my request and let me know that creating a totally practical WordPress plugin with all of the options I requested was past the scope of a single response.

Nonetheless, it did supply to offer me with a fundamental template, information me on tips on how to implement a few of the options I discussed, and even gave me directions on tips on how to create a plugin listing and file…

Mmm…perhaps my first try at making a WordPress plugin was too bold!

At first, ChatGPT output code that regarded fairly spectacular…

To somebody who is aware of ‘zip’ about coding, the above code snippet certain seems to be spectacular!

ChatGPT additionally output all the extra code required to finish the subsequent steps.

Missing coding expertise, I relied on ChatGPT to information me by means of every step of the plugin improvement course of.

With the plugin code output, the subsequent step was to add the plugin to my check website and check it to verify it really works.

Step 3 – Check The Customized Plugin

After importing the folder containing the plugin code to the wp-content > plugins listing of my check website and activating it contained in the Plugins display…

And now for the second we’ve all been ready for [drumroll]…I acquired a deadly error!

What an anticlimax…the bottom level of my WordPress plugin improvement profession!

Assuming that perhaps I didn’t add the extra snippets that ChatGPT supplied accurately, I went again and requested for all of the code to be supplied as a single file that I might merely copy and paste to overwrite and replace the uploaded plugin file…

Why couldn’t it simply have given me your complete copy and paste code the primary time?

There was a variety of code to output, so at any time when the method got here to a standstill, I instructed ChatGPT to proceed…

ChatGPT generally simply wants a bit of light encouragement to maintain going.

After repeating this course of a number of instances, ChatGPT output your complete code and even supplied some useful data.

After ready a complete 2 minutes…ChatGPT lastly output all the plugin code!

I uploaded the plugin file with the brand new code to my check website, then jumped into the location’s admin space and activated the plugin.

It labored! Or, so it appeared.

ChatGPT gave the plugin its personal menu merchandise…

ChatGPT created all this!

And a settings display with numerous fancy bins and fields…

Appears spectacular…however will it work?

However I couldn’t see a discipline to specify what number of posts or pages to create, so I merely ticked some bins, entered some values, and clicked on the “Save Modifications” button to see what occurs.

And now, for the second of reality…

And…completely nothing occurred!

The most recent lowest level of my WordPress plugin improvement profession…a plugin that does nothing!

My fancy-ass plugin was all make-believe, identical to a kind of youngsters’s playground spaceships that’s stuffed with ineffective knobs you possibly can flip and buttons you possibly can press whereas pretending to be flying in outer area.

So, I reached out to one among our builders through Slack and requested them to take a look at the plugin file.

Among the feedback that got here again included the next:

“The plugin tries to generate random content material on every admin web page load”
“It calls a perform dummy_content_generator_generate_content_paragraphs which, in flip, makes an attempt to name dummy_content_generator_get_random_paragraph for each paragraph it tries to generate. The issue is that there isn’t any dummy_content_generator_get_random_paragraph perform.
“The web page masses to a degree, then it errors out as a result of there’s extra lacking stuff”
“Aside from all of the talked about points, there’s no validation in anyway, and no escaping of the output, which is horrible”
“When it comes to having one thing as place to begin, it is a very, very poor one. When it comes to having a working plugin, that is nowhere close to that”

After some backwards and forwards discussions , it was deemed that there was rather a lot unsuitable with the plugin, that it could take a variety of work to repair it, they usually instructed I scrap the undertaking.

At this level, nonetheless, I used to be too invested in my mission to easily abandon the whole lot and quit. Recalling Sir Winston Churchill’s well-known phrases (“Fetch me one other brandy” “By no means give in, by no means give in, by no means, by no means, by no means…”), I made a decision it was time for…

Take #2…

Okay, so my first try to get ChatGPT to construct a WordPress plugin from scratch was a dismal failure. This in itself supplied some invaluable insights into ChatGPT’s potential to carry out advanced coding duties (or, as somebody within the workforce put it, “you possibly can’t code utilizing ChatGPT with out having in depth coding information.”)

So, for “Take #2,” I made a decision to strive once more with an easier plugin request.

Going again to the drafting board, a genius lightbulb second lit up in my thoughts…why not ask ChatGPT to counsel concepts for easy WordPress plugins it might then generate the code for?

So, that’s what I did. Right here’s the immediate I promptly engineered…

My genius immediate.

And right here’s the record of instructed plugins ChatGPT replied with…

The blueprint of my WordPress plugin empire.

I appreciated the final suggestion, so I requested ChatGPT to generate the code for a practical content material duplicator plugin, and it instantly went to work.

That is what a license to print cash seems to be like!

ChatGPT generated the next code for the plugin within the blink of a watch:

<?php
/*
Plugin Title: Content material Duplicator
Description: Permits customers to duplicate posts, pages, or customized submit sorts with one click on.
Model: 1.0.0
Creator: Your Title
Creator URI: https://yourwebsite.com
*/

// Add duplicate motion hyperlinks to submit row actions
perform content_duplicator_add_duplicate_link( $actions, $submit ) {
if ( current_user_can( ‘edit_posts’ ) ) {
$actions[‘duplicate’] = ‘<a href=”‘ . wp_nonce_url( admin_url( ‘admin-post.php?motion=content_duplicator_duplicate_post&post_id=’ . $post->ID ), ‘content_duplicator_duplicate_post’ ) . ‘” title=”Duplicate this merchandise” rel=”permalink”>Duplicate</a>’;
}
return $actions;
}
add_filter( ‘post_row_actions’, ‘content_duplicator_add_duplicate_link’, 10, 2 );

// Duplicate the submit
perform content_duplicator_duplicate_post() {
if ( isset( $_GET[‘post_id’] ) ) {
$post_id = absint( $_GET[‘post_id’] );

if ( current_user_can( ‘edit_posts’ ) && wp_verify_nonce( $_GET[‘_wpnonce’], ‘content_duplicator_duplicate_post’ ) ) {
$submit = get_post( $post_id );

$args = array(
‘post_title’ => $post->post_title . ‘ (Duplicate)’,
‘post_content’ => $post->post_content,
‘post_type’ => $post->post_type,
‘post_status’ => $post->post_status,
‘post_parent’ => $post->post_parent,
‘post_author’ => get_current_user_id(),
);

$new_post_id = wp_insert_post( $args );

if ( $new_post_id ) {
// Duplicate meta fields
$meta_fields = get_post_custom( $post_id );
foreach ( $meta_fields as $key => $values ) {
foreach ( $values as $worth ) {
add_post_meta( $new_post_id, $key, $worth );
}
}

// Redirect to the duplicated submit
wp_redirect( admin_url( ‘submit.php?motion=edit&submit=’ . $new_post_id ) );
exit;
}
}
}
}
add_action( ‘admin_post_content_duplicator_duplicate_post’, ‘content_duplicator_duplicate_post’ );

It even supplied a set of directions after producing the code.

The code not solely comes with directions, however ChatGPT even says “Please”!

I then uploaded the brand new plugin file to the wp-content > plugins listing of my check website utilizing The Hub’s file supervisor.

There’s a variety of motion to unpack on this screenshot.

And created a dummy submit to check the plugin with…

Did the plugin duplicate this tacky submit? Let’s discover out!

Listed here are the submit’s menu choices earlier than activating the plugin…

A default submit with default choices.

After activating the plugin…

“Activate Content material Duplicator” – Appears like a line from a Star Trek film.

Success!

A gratuitous screenshot proving that the plugin efficiently activated.

The plugin activated. However did it really work?

Right here’s my check submit once more (observe that the plugin added a brand new “Duplicate” merchandise to the menu after activation). I then clicked on “Duplicate” to see what occurs…

ChatGPT even added a “Duplicate” menu merchandise tooltip to the code!

And a reproduction submit was created!

A replica of the unique submit.

Right here’s the desk of posts displaying entries for the unique and duplicated submit.

The unique submit and its cloned model.

I’m certain that with higher immediate engineering and a few code tweaking, the plugin might have been considerably improved. For instance, I would like if the plugin set the submit standing of the newly-duplicated submit to ‘draft’ as an alternative of publishing it, however ChatGPT delivered a easy WordPress plugin that labored. It was fundamental, however it did the job.

The final step was to ask somebody who codes WordPress plugins for a dwelling to scrutinize the code and get their opinion about utilizing a software like ChatGPT to code plugins.

Suggestions from Our Knowledgeable Plugin Builders

Shortly after importing the plugin to one among our testing channels, I acquired a ping from one among our builders. Listed here are a few of the key factors supplied of their suggestions:

“ChatGPT et al are respectable at answering questions you already know the reply to.”
“I additionally used it prior to now to construct a easy plugin for me, however so long as I used to be giving extra advanced prompts, it began to mess issues round, so finally I manually debug the given code to work, trigger else it’d take ages for it to really debug it line by line.”
“Principally, it does what it says. Nonetheless, it does what it says very actually. As in, it can duplicate a submit and its corresponding postmeta (customized) fields. Nonetheless, it doesn’t seem to be it can propagate any taxonomies to the duplicated submit (the plugin ought to copy and assign the identical taxonomy phrases, corresponding to classes or tags, from the unique submit to the duplicated submit).”
If I used to be to be super-nitpicky about this, I’d additionally point out that it’s not L10n-ready – there received’t be an choice to translate this plugin. However, that’s simply being very nitpicky – I don’t actually suppose, nor would I count on, a prompt-generated plugin to be generic sufficient to be needing one thing like that in any respect. To me, it’s extra of a “very particular downside area” type of a factor, together with the language used. On the finish of the day, it does do what it says it can, which may be very good.”

Along with inspecting the WordPress plugin code generated by ChatGPT and offering suggestions as proven above, our builders additionally agreed with the next key factors after assessing ChatGPT’s present capabilities to generate code:

1 – It’s necessary to train warning and never blindly settle for ChatGPT-generated code as right.

ChatGPT can present solutions, however it’s as much as the consumer to evaluate whether or not the reply is right or not.
There’s a danger of receiving incorrect or nonsensical solutions from ChatGPT, each apparent and delicate.
It’s necessary to train warning and never blindly settle for the generated code as right.
ChatGPT’s output must be handled as autocomplete, making life simpler however requiring warning and verification.

The power to discern good code from unhealthy or nonsensical code, nonetheless, implies that…

2 – Customers ought to have enough information and understanding of WordPress plugin improvement to guage and modify the generated code as wanted.

ChatGPT can assist simplify and expedite the method of constructing easy customized WordPress plugins, generate code snippets, and supply explanations. Something extra advanced, nonetheless, requires plugin improvement expertise and coding expertise.
Utilizing ChatGPT with out enough information can result in adverse penalties or unreliable code.
Relying solely on ChatGPT with out essential pondering is just like blindly copying the primary reply from Stack Overflow (Stack Overflow threads present extra context, a number of solutions, and suggestions from different customers, making it a extra dependable useful resource, however Stack Overflow threads are typically extra generic, whereas ChatGPT can present particular solutions to particular person queries).

3 – Using different assets, corresponding to WordPress documentation, tutorials, and neighborhood boards, alongside ChatGPT can present a extra complete understanding of WordPress plugin improvement.

As you discover the probabilities of utilizing ChatGPT for WordPress plugin improvement, it’s invaluable to interact with the WordPress neighborhood. Share your experiences, ask for suggestions, and search steering from skilled builders. Collaborating in boards, attending WordPress meetups, or becoming a member of on-line communities can present invaluable insights and provide help to refine your plugin improvement course of.
Moreover, take into account following WordPress safety finest practices to safeguard your web site from potential vulnerabilities. ChatGPT can present suggestions on safety measures you possibly can implement to guard your plugin.
It’s additionally important to take care of a transparent understanding of your required performance and totally evaluate and check the generated code and safe your customized plugins earlier than deploying them to a manufacturing surroundings.

Can ChatGPT Flip You Right into a WordPress Plugin Developer?

On this article, we’ve explored how one can make the most of ChatGPT to construct easy customized WordPress plugins, even when you’ve got restricted coding expertise.

In different articles, we’ve seen that AI-powered instruments like ChatGP can streamline your workflow, increase productiveness, and unlock new potentialities (try our latest article on ways in which ChatGPT can assist you as a WordPress developer).

Whereas there are over 60,000 free WordPress plugins obtainable masking each kind of performance you possibly can think about, generally chances are you’ll want a customized answer to fulfill a consumer’s particular necessities.

Past the core performance of your plugin, you may as well leverage ChatGPT to generate code for customized consumer interfaces. With its potential to grasp prompts and generate HTML, CSS, and JavaScript snippets, you possibly can create intuitive admin interfaces, front-end elements, and interactive components that may improve the consumer expertise and permit you to ship a refined closing product.

By using the language mannequin’s capabilities, you possibly can generate code snippets, optimize performance, and create user-friendly interfaces. Nonetheless, it’s essential to grasp the generated code, evaluate and refine it, and totally check your customized plugins earlier than deploying them to your dwell web site.

The generated code might also require changes to align with coding requirements, naming conventions, or particular undertaking necessities. This requires a certain quantity of coding information and expertise, as does optimizing the code and guaranteeing it follows WordPress coding tips for higher maintainability.

The underside line:

Listed here are my findings after making an attempt to get ChatGPT to code me a plugin from scratch:

I couldn’t have gotten this carried out with out the assistance of our skilled builders.
Utilizing ChatGPT to generate code with out coding information is absolutely difficult – it helps to know what you’re doing 🙂
Whereas ChatGPT is a robust and invaluable software, it doesn’t seem to be AI will substitute expert coders any time quickly.

Enthusiastic about Creating WordPress plugins?

Take a look at a few of our tutorials and articles on WordPress plugin improvement:

Getting Began with WordPress Plugin Growth
A Fast and In-Depth Information to WordPress Hooks
Creating WordPress Plugins in An Object Oriented Method