I’ve been meaning to tidy up the Book Reviews plugin I wrote for a while, to sort out a couple of errors and make it run a little smoother. The launch of WordPress 2 and some free time due to the Christmas period has provided that opportunity, so I’m now releasing version 1.0 (beta).
First off, I should point out that this only works under WordPress 2.0 (and higher, presumably). This is because they’ve changed the way plugins can interact with the backend to make it neater, and boy is it. The whole plugin is now contained in two files.
Aside from making it easier to install, I’ve removed the need for editing the files manually and built an options page (under Options->Book Reviews) which adds a bit more choice and should make it a little easier to use. This allows you to specifiy which categories you’re using for the book reviews as well as hiding fields you don’t plan to use in the writing screen. I’ve amended the writing screen to fit in with the new look admin area too.
Also new is the review management screen (found under Manage->Manage Book Reviews), this lists all the reviews you have written and allows easier access to editing and deleting them (instead of trawling through all of your posts for them).
I have also added an extra option for adding links to a second hand copy of the book. I’ve done this because one of the things I do on my blog is link to the copy I’m selling I was selling on another of my sites. Use it or don’t use it, it’s up to you.
Something to make note of if you’re upgrading, I’ve renamed the functions as well, this is to try and avoid any possibly conflicts in future, but it does mean anyone running an old version will need to update all the template files to change the names of the function calls (all the functions have had br_ put on the front).
I’ve released it as a beta version because I’ve played around with it but not given it a thorough testing, hopefully it’s solved any existing problems, but I may have created more.
