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Plugin Notes Plus

By jamiebergen

Site Administration & Utilities / URL Redirects & 301 Management

Plugin Notes Plus Review - In-Depth Analysis

Plugin Notes Plus adds a column to the Plugins page for managing notes about installed plugins. Users can add, edit, or delete notes to document plugin usage.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.67/10

User Rating

5/5 (based on 61+ reviews)

Active Installations

9,000+

Update Frequency

Below Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

1 / 10 (Very Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

Have you ever returned to a site that you built a while back and asked, 'Why did I install this plugin?' This plugin provides an extra column on the Plugins page that enables you to add, edit, or delete notes about the plugins you have installed on a particular site. These notes are intended to provide documentation regarding why a particular plugin was installed and how or where it's being used.

With Plugin Notes Plus, you can add as many or as few notes as you need for each plugin. You can edit or delete notes as desired. Additionally, you can select an icon to go with each note to quickly convey what type of content it contains, such as info, warning, or link.

Notes can be formatted using basic HTML tags if desired, and any links included in the note will be automatically converted to target='_blank'. The notes are added and updated via Ajax, which avoids slow page reloads. Furthermore, notes also display on the WordPress Updates page for any plugins that need to be updated. There is a filter provided if you would like to display notes beneath the plugin description instead of in a separate column, and another filter is available to selectively hide or display plugin notes in the admin.

Comparing to Alternatives

Plugin Notes Plus stands out as a simple yet effective tool for managing notes directly on the Plugins page, unlike other plugins that may require external documentation or lack integrated note features.

Top alternatives

Plugin Notes Plus

Strengths

Integrates notes directly on the Plugins page for easy access.
Helps administrators remember plugin purposes and usage.
Eliminates the need for external spreadsheets or documentation.
User-friendly and straightforward interface.

Weaknesses

Limited to note-taking functionality without additional plugin management features.
No pro version available for extended capabilities.
May not support collaborative note editing or advanced note organization.

User Sentiment Analysis

Users consistently praise Plugin Notes Plus for its simplicity and indispensability in managing plugin information.

Positive highlights

"Great tool to help remember why a plugin is installed." - manjas
"Does exactly what it says. Can't live without it." - johnpoz
"I'd give it 10 stars if I could." - cnyrpdbwebmaster
"Very useful. Thank you very much." - denizci88
"Absolutely brilliant plugin. Works great as described." - khrisme

Common complaints

Weaknesses

Lacks advanced features beyond note-taking.
No premium version to unlock additional functionalities.

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Administrators and site managers who want a simple, integrated way to keep notes about their installed plugins directly within the WordPress dashboard.

Not ideal for

Users seeking advanced plugin management tools or collaborative note-taking features may find this plugin too basic for their needs.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers all core functionalities, allowing users to add and view notes on the Plugins page without restrictions.

Final Verdict

Plugin Notes Plus is a highly practical and user-friendly tool that fills a niche need for plugin note management within WordPress.

Its simplicity and direct integration make it indispensable for administrators, though users looking for more advanced features may need to look elsewhere.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Plugin Notes Plus plugin.

plugin notes

plugin management

memo

Screenshots

FAQ

As of version 1.2.4, you can use the filter plugin-notes-plus_note_placement to move notes beneath the plugin description.

Here is an example of a snippet that places plugin notes beneath the plugin description. It can be added to your child theme’s functions.php. Without this, the note position will default to a separate column on the plugins page.

function pnp_change_note_placement( $note_placement ) {      $note_placement = 'description';      return $note_placement;  } add_filter( 'plugin-notes-plus_note_placement', 'pnp_change_note_placement' );

Yes, you can use the filter plugin-notes-plus_icon_options to modify the set of icons available. The icons must be selected from the list of available WordPress dashicons.

Here is an example of a snippet that removes one icon and adds an additional icon to the list of options. It can be added to your child theme’s functions.php:

function pnp_change_icon_options( $icon_options ) {      // Remove key option     unset( $icon_options['dashicons-admin-network'] );      // Add smartphone option     $icon_options['dashicons-smartphone'] = 'Smartphone';      return $icon_options; } add_filter( 'plugin-notes-plus_icon_options', 'pnp_change_icon_options' );

You can use the following HTML tags: a, br, p, b, strong, i, em, u, hr.

To modify the list of available tags, use the filter plugin-notes-plus_allowed_html. Be careful, however, to avoid allowing tags that could leave the site vulnerable to an XSS attack.

function pnp_change_allowed_html_tags( $allowed_tags ) {      // Remove br from allowed tags     unset( $allowed_tags['br'] );      // Add img to allowed tags     $allowed_tags['img'] = array();      return $allowed_tags; } add_filter( 'plugin-notes-plus_allowed_html', 'pnp_change_allowed_html_tags' );

As of version 1.2.6, you can use the filter plugin-notes-plus_hide_notes to show or hide plugin notes.

Here is an example of a snippet that hides plugin notes from a specfic user. It can be added to your child theme’s functions.php. Without this, plugin notes are displayed by default to all users who can view the plugins page.

function pnp_hide_notes( $hide_notes ) {      // logic to set $hide_notes to TRUE or FALSE      return $hide_notes;  } add_filter( 'plugin-notes-plus_hide_notes', 'pnp_hide_notes' );