How to Manage and Use Code Snippets in WordPress

Hey there! So, in some of my previous posts, we talked about how we can customize our WordPress sites by adding a little bit of code to the functions.php file. This code helps us make our themes even better!

Remember that WordPress Login Page tutorial we went through? It was awesome, right? We were able to redirect users from the boring old login page to our very own customized login page. And not only that, we even figured out how to redirect them to another page after they logout. How cool is that?

But here’s the thing. As time goes on, the list of all the codes we’ve added to functions.php starts to grow and grow. And before you know it, it can become a big mess! Trust me, I’ve been there. But don’t worry, I’ve got some tips for you to help you deal with this.

Breaking Things Up with Multiple Files

One way to effectively manage our codes is by organizing them into separate files. For example, if we have a few new functions that modify the Login Page, instead of putting them directly into the functions.php file, we can create a new file called custom-login.php and store these codes in it. To use these codes in functions.php, we simply refer to the custom-login.php file using the require or require_once function, like this:

require_once get_template_directory() . ‘/inc/custom-login.php’;

And that’s it! It’s important to be cautious when separating the codes to avoid any issues that could potentially break the site. Additionally, it’s crucial to be clear in naming the files so that anyone working on your theme, especially if you’re working in a team, can easily understand the relationship between each file.

Code Snippet Plugin

Hey there, let me tell you about this cool plugin called Code Snippets. It was created by Shea Bunge and it’s really handy if you want to add your own code to your WordPress site. What’s great is that you can do it all from the WordPress admin area, so you don’t have to mess around with the functions.php file.

After you’ve installed and activated the plugin, you’ll see a new menu item under “Plugins”. Just click on it and you’re ready to go!

Creating a new code snippet is just as easy as creating a new post or page. So go ahead and give it a try. Have fun experimenting with your code!

When you click the Activate button, you’ll be able to use the code on your website. This means we can not only keep the codes, but we can also activate them so they work properly on the site.

Another option is to click the Export button and download the code as a PHP file.

There’s a cool thing called Code Snippets that can save you a lot of time. Instead of having to put all the codes into the functions.php file of your theme again, you can just use Code Snippets to make them work. Even if you change your theme, the codes will still run.

My Final Thought

So those are the two tips I wanted to share with you. Now it’s up to you to decide which one is right for you. I hope you found these tips helpful. And if you know any other ways to do it, please let me know in the comments!