# WP Code Generator — Tips & Tricks > Strategy and gotchas for the WP Code Generator: checking the output, shared fields, readme.txt rules, 7.x snippets, and useful combinations. Source: https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/tools/wp/tips/ Back to the overview: [WP Code Generator](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/tools/wp/) · Open the tool live: [www.jpkc.com/tools/wp/](https://www.jpkc.com/tools/wp/) The [manual](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/tools/wp/manual/) describes every generator, the [examples](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/tools/wp/examples/) show the workflows. This page is about what both assume but rarely state: what the generated code does and doesn't do for you, where you should look more closely, and how to fit the tool sensibly into your workflow. ## Scaffold, not a finished function The most important point first: the WP Code Generator delivers **boilerplate, not a solution**. It takes the same error-prone typing off your hands every time — the plugin header, the `register_post_type()` signature, the Settings API cascade, the permission checks of a REST route —, but the actual logic lives in the function bodies you fill in yourself. - **Read the code before you adopt it.** The new generators in particular comment in detail *why* something is built the way it is: why a number sanitizer is a helper of its own, why a taxonomy's default term stays untranslated, why a password field may stay empty. The tool doubles as a cheat sheet. - **Take the warnings seriously.** The yellow list above the output doesn't just flag typos but real pitfalls — that `wp_insert_post()` rejects a post without title, content, and excerpt, for example, or that a meta key starting with an underscore can't be bound to a block through the core source `core/post-meta`. - **Watch for substitute values.** Not every generator checks every field. Where it doesn't, it quietly uses a default for empty fields — in *Nav Menus*, for instance, only the `primary` location is created without an entry of your own, even though the form shows two rows with placeholder text. So check the output for everything you expect. - **The tool doesn't know your installation.** It doesn't know whether a hook exists, a slug is taken, or a capability is assigned to your roles. In the *Custom Post Type*, *Taxonomy*, and *Post Status* generators, it mentions some hard WordPress limits only in the info text: post type slugs may be at most 20 characters long, taxonomy slugs at most 32, and a custom post status must not share its name with a core status. ## WordPress 7.x, PHP 8.3, and coding standards The generated code targets **WordPress 7.0** as the minimum and **PHP 8.3**. A few things to keep in mind: - **Set `Requires PHP` honestly.** The code uses modern syntax such as typed signatures, `mixed`, the nullsafe operator `?->`, and in the plugin generator a typed class constant (`public const string VERSION`), which only exists from PHP 8.3. If you lower *Requires PHP* in the plugin generator, it drops the constant's type — the rest of the code isn't adapted. If you have to serve older servers, check the syntax yourself. - **Don't cut the `ABSPATH` guard.** The line `defined( 'ABSPATH' ) || exit;` prevents a PHP file from being called directly through its URL. Where the tool leaves it out, there's a reason: `uninstall.php` checks `WP_UNINSTALL_PLUGIN`, WP-CLI files check `WP_CLI`. - **Text domain equals folder name.** In *Plugin*, *Theme*, and *Block Bindings*, the text domain follows the slug. If you overwrite it, the tool warns — wordpress.org requires them to match, because it keys language packs by the slug. Thanks to `Domain Path` in the header, you no longer need `load_plugin_textdomain()`. - **Versions without upkeep.** For your own CSS and JS files, the `filemtime()` version strategy in the *Asset Enqueue* generator is a good choice: the browser reloads a changed file automatically. If you build with `@wordpress/scripts`, use `build/*.asset.php` instead — then version **and** dependencies are right. - **Use newer options deliberately.** Some theme and block options only exist in WordPress 7.1 (custom breakpoints or responsive styles, for example). The tool marks them and warns when they're newer than your minimum version — WordPress 7.0 would silently ignore them. ## Use the shared fields deliberately Copying author, text domain, and prefix live saves a lot of typing if you use it on purpose: - **Start with the plugin.** Enter author and author URI in the *Plugin* generator first. The author lands in *Theme* and *Block Bindings* right away, the author URI in *Theme*. A text domain or prefix you type yourself spreads the same way to the other plugin-style generators — except *Plugin* and *Block Bindings*, whose text domain always follows their slug. Values the tool only derived are not copied. - **Theme and plugin are separate.** The theme generators and the *Text Domain / Prefix* field of the snippets share a text domain of their own. That way you can build a plugin and a theme side by side without their values overwriting each other. - **Values you typed are safe.** The copying only fills fields you haven't touched in the target generator. For a special case in a single generator, just enter it there. - **Clean up on shared computers.** The tool remembers the values in the browser. If you work on a shared computer, click **Forget saved defaults** at the end — or use a private window from the start. ## `readme.txt` and wordpress.org If you want to publish a plugin in the wordpress.org directory, treat the plugin generator's warnings as a checklist: - **At most five tags**, and `plugin` and `wordpress` don't count — the directory ignores both, and everything after the fifth tag as well. - **The short description** below the header has at most 150 characters and no markup. The tool takes it from the *Description* and trims it like the wordpress.org parser does. - **Stable tag is never `trunk`.** In the tool it follows the version; if the two differ, it warns. - **Tested up to and Stable tag don't belong in the plugin header**, but in `readme.txt` — exactly how the tool splits them. - **GPL-compatible only.** If you pick *Proprietary*, the tool points out that wordpress.org only accepts GPL-compatible plugins. ## Use snippets deliberately The snippet library is convenient, but not a no-brainer: - **Must-use plugin rather than `functions.php`.** The default format is a separate file for `wp-content/mu-plugins/`. It loads automatically, without activation, and is already active before the regular plugins load. The `functions.php` variant only loads after all plugins — too late for settings that plugins read while loading. - **Set a prefix, avoid collisions.** The **Text Domain / Prefix** field gives the snippets' functions a prefix of your own. When you combine several snippets or work alongside third-party code, that prevents duplicate function names. - **Check the options, don't copy blindly.** 24 snippets have an options panel. *Disable Comments*, for example, can keep the comment REST endpoints for logged-in users — the Notes feature in the block editor needs them. *Add Security Headers* only sends `Strict-Transport-Security` when you tick it explicitly. - **Understand what gets switched off.** *Disable XML-RPC* cuts off services that still talk over XML-RPC. *Disable Public REST API* and *Hide Users REST Endpoint* can break plugins that use the REST API without logging in. Only use such snippets when you know the dependencies. - **Security headers belong on the server.** The *Add Security Headers* snippet sets headers through PHP, and only for the front end. Where you have access to the server configuration, they're usually better placed there — the snippet is the portable fallback. - **Know the 7.x switches.** The *WordPress 7.x & Editor* group bundles what clients often ask for: turn off AI features, turn off Notes, turn off the Font Library (optionally including the Google Fonts collection), run the editor without content from wordpress.org, or take abilities out of the REST API. For AI there's also the `WP_AI_SUPPORT` constant in the *WP-Config* generator. ## Combine the right generators Many tasks need several generators in a row. Typical chains: - **Plugin + data types + Block Bindings.** First the **Plugin**, then **Custom Post Type** (with `show_in_rest` and `custom-fields`) and **Taxonomy**, then the fields — either as a **Post Meta Field** with the *Block Bindings* switch, which makes the field bindable to core blocks, or straight away as your own source with the **Block Bindings** generator. - **Block theme + patterns + styles.** The **Theme** generator already ships a pattern and style variations. You get more patterns from **Block Patterns** in *Theme* mode, custom styles for core blocks from **Block Styles**, and variations from **Block Variations**. - **Open content to AI and automations.** An **Abilities API** ability describes what an agent may do, including schemas and permissions. If you need a classic endpoint for your own applications, use **REST Route**. If you want to talk to an AI model yourself, **AI Prompt** provides the function. - **Settings + notice.** A **Settings Page** for the API key, plus an **Admin Notice** on the settings page — the preset "API key missing." and the screen ID `settings_page_` fit exactly; you add the check whether the key is missing to the function yourself. - **Dashicons as a supplier.** Whenever a generator wants an icon — custom post type, block, block variation —, the **Dashicons** browser delivers the name with one click, optionally already in the format for `block.json`. ## Combine with other JPKCom tools The WP Code Generator produces the scaffold — these tools round out the workflow: - **[Beautify](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/tools/beautify/)** — formats JavaScript, CSS, and HTML. When you want to re-indent a generated block's JS or the theme CSS after your own edits, this is the place. (Note: Beautify covers JS/CSS/HTML, not PHP.) - **[Source Viewer](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/tools/source/)** — view source code in 100+ languages with syntax highlighting; good for reading, checking, or sharing a generated snippet. - **[SEO & GEO Analyzer](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/tools/seo/)** — once the plugin or theme is live, audit the delivered page here for SEO, AI readiness, and technical health. That closes the loop from code to a finished, optimized site. --- More context: the [overview](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/tools/wp/) for the big picture, the [manual](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/tools/wp/manual/) for every generator, and the [examples](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/tools/wp/examples/) for the step-by-step workflows. You can try everything directly in the [tool](https://www.jpkc.com/tools/wp/).