In this chapter, you’ll look at plugins from a slightly
different standpoint than you did in the themes
chapters. The reason for this is simple: Your plugin
can do anything. It is basically a way for you to add
whatever functionality you want; compare that to
doing funky stuff with a select few template tags,
and you see the difference.With plugins, it is not a matter of what you can
do, it is more a question of why you would want
to do it. With that in mind, treat this chapter as
an introduction to a whole new world.IT GOES WITHOUT saying that plugins are
different from themes, but they have a lot in
common. You could say that when you’re adding
functionality to your theme by adding code to
the functions.php template file, you’re actually
writing a plugin.But there is a huge difference. Themes are there
to display the WordPress site, using the tools
available. Plugins, on the other hand, are used
when you need to extend the WordPress func-
tionality with additional features. You should
remember that because bloating your theme’s
functions.php with features isn’t always the best
way to go.MAKING THE
MOST OF
WORDPRESS