Register Plugin

Boot a plugin only when what it needs is actually there, and say so plainly when it is not.

What it does

Every plugin has requirements — a PHP version, a WordPress version, another plugin it extends — and the usual handling is a version_compare() at the top of the main file, or nothing at all. Without it, a plugin installed on an old PHP fatals on activation and takes the site with it.

This wraps the bootstrap. Requirements are checked first; if they are not met the plugin does not load, and an admin notice explains which one failed and what to do about it.

Features

• Boot only when the PHP and WordPress versions are high enough
• Require another plugin, and check its version too
• Say which requirement failed, rather than white-screening
• Detect a conflicting plugin and refuse to run alongside it
• Get shorthand for the common hosts — EDD, WooCommerce, network-wide
• Deactivate cleanly instead of fatalling when something disappears later

Installation

composer require arraypress/wp-register-plugin

Quick start

In the plugin's main file, in place of calling your bootstrap directly:

register_plugin( __FILE__, function () {
	MyPlugin::init();
}, [
	'requirements' => [
		'php' => '8.3',
		'wp'  => '7.1',
	],
] );

MyPlugin::init() runs only if both are satisfied. If not, nothing loads and the notice names the version that is missing.

For a plugin that extends something:

register_edd_plugin( __FILE__, function () {
	MyPlugin::init();
}, [
	'requirements' => [ 'easy-digital-downloads' => '3.6.1' ],
] );

Requirements

• PHP 8.3 or later
• WordPress 7.1 or later

License

GPL-2.0-or-later