Yay! Here’s the first ever plug-in for WordPress blog-engine created by yours truly!
🙂 It’s not the best plug-in in the world but it’s a great start! I hope you guys love what this plug-in can do.
The Random Blogroll Plug-in chooses a fixed number of links from your blogroll at random and displays them.
Look at the 3rd column (the right most column) on this page, the Random Blogroll plug-in is placed just above the RSS link section. I’ve set my plugin to show only 5 links. Here’s my complete blogroll. See how it chooses only 5 out of the entire list on each page load? Yeah, that’s what it does.
Installation
Here’s how you do it –
Step 1 – Upload the file goldfries_randomblogroll.php to your plugins directory. (the location is usually at : installation_directory/wp-content/plugins/ )
Step 2 – Enable the plugin. Click PLUGINS and ACTIVATE Random Blogroll.
Using It On Your Blog – Widget
Here’s how you do it. Just click PRESENTATION, and click WIDGET.
If your theme is Widget-Aware, then you should have no problem dragging Random Blogroll widget into the Sidebar column as shown in the illustration below.
Using It On Your Blog – Non-Widget (manual coding)
For those who are familiar with coding, all you need to do is edit your sidebar.php or whichever file you wish to place the Random Blogroll by placing the following code
<?php goldfries_randomblogroll(); ?>
Options For This Plugin
Just click OPTIONS, and click RANDOM BLOGROLL. You’ll see a host of options on that page.
Should you so happen to key a number that’s greater than your total number of blogroll links, the plug-in will automatically adjust to display whatever it is that you have.
You could also set Title for the Random Blogroll (like “people I love” or “sites you must visit“) and even mark-up the title with tags like <H2> for example.
Lastly, do remember to contact me or leave a comment here if you have problem using it or if it’s giving you problems.
; ?>/images/download.jpg” alt=”download” class=”centered” /><br />Total Downloads : [download#1#hits]</a><br />Current Version : 2.1.1</p>
<h3>Version Info</h3>
<p><strong>1.0.0 : </strong><br />
– Plug-in version.</p>
<p><strong>2.0.0 : </strong><br />
– Widget version.<br />
– Options available via Administration Panel.<br />
– Allows adding title.<br />
– Allows appending title.</p>
<p><strong>2.1.0 : </strong><br />
– Optimized code.<br />
– Bug / Error fix.</p>
<p><strong>2.1.1 : </strong><br />
– Displays only entries that are set to VISIBLE</p>
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It’s a good one, but not having the widget-function means I have to edit the sidebar using text editor, and it didn’t went well: i had to manually arrange my sidebar using text editor.
Prefer it to be widget-friendly. xD
p/s: I moved my blog back to http://www.joisu.org, addicted-to-hacks.com is a dead link now.
Add on:
I think making it widget-friendly will make life easier to those who don’t have much php knowledge.
I can’t deny that Joyce! I’m still looking into how to make it WIDGET. 😀
Hehe. My first plugin. Please bear with me. 😉 Thank you!
UPDATED : Joyce, thank you for your feedback. After reading your comments, I immediately worked on finding out how to make it a Widget. A lot of “Googling”, code-modding, code-understanding (referring to other people’s widgets and all) and finally I’ve created a WIDGETIZED version!
Still testing and I’m just looking at what else could I enhance before rolling it out. I can’t promise it’ll be out today but there will definitely an upgrade!
Yes, with the new version you can configure the # of links just by using the Administration menu. 😉 Cool eh? Stay Tuned!!
you da man goldfries! I think this is very useful plugin if you have too much blogrolls but refuse to show all everytime, i might use this
Thanks again.
This is what I am looking for all the while. I guess I will remove my “Links” page and use this.
Nice one from you, Goldfries!
Tested it out but it seems that it caused a fatal error. I am using the Executable PHP widget to run PHP scripts like the Top Commentators plugin. Can this problem be solved?
Yeah, such conflicts can be solved. Just e-mail me the full error message and whatever else that’s seen. 🙂
I’m using PHPExec but……. wait, are you placing it on your post or on a sidebar or any other wordpress files?
oh btw I will be looking into it but probably later, got work to do at the moment. 😀
Fatal error: Call to undefined function: randomblogroll() in /home/wayne19/public_html/wp-content/plugins/execphp.php(24) : eval()’d code on line 1
The above is the message. I placed the code in my sidebar.
Take your time. 🙂
It’s my mistake. Check the updated post!
I changed the function name with my nickname append on the front to avoid conflict. 😀 I forgot to update the post!
My apologies to all!
It works! No wonder error in line 1. Thanks, you provided a great support for your plugin. Nice start, have you submitted this plugin to WordPress database? Nice one, deserved it.
Going to! I just need people to try it out first. Hehe. First timer create plug-in.
Another problem, the limiting function seems not to be working. All links came out…
OK. noted. Try downloading it again. I’ve re-uploaded the file.
Cool! All done! I guess all the tests have been completed! 😛
Hope to see it on the next plugin update on Weblogs Tools Collection.
Hehe. I’ve completed the upgrade and I’m finalizing the tests.
I have to get other work done before I proceed to upload. The new version will allow you to
1. Use it as Widget!
2. Customize # of links through WP-Admin panel
3. Customize title through WP-Admin panel
4. Style title (a bit la) through WP-Admin panel
Interesting? I’ll leave that for tonight. 😉
Just a short request :p
Can you do it for the blog post as well? :p
I mean sometimes it is good to have random post title to pop up from all the blog post.
Good news for you is that it’s already part of the project pipeline! You just have to wait for it a little. 😀
Let’s just see how “Malaysia Boleh!” I can be. 😉
do you do plugins for blogger? =P
sorry chingy, I’m not familiar with Blogger and working on WordPress alone is enough work. 🙂
Wei, your version 2 disappoints me ler. I prefer 1. Although I downloaded and installed your 2, I don’t use your widget (do you noticed that there’s an error contained inside your widget? It doesn’t messed up the functions but it shows an error message there), preferred using the PHP code though. 🙂
What’s so disappointing la? 🙂 It’s same like the first one with just loads more features. 😉
The latest version opens a more more convenient way to use the plugin. Now you don’t have to edit the code each time you want to change the numbers or title or whatever. 😀
*btw from my tests so far, no show of errors. Do remember to tell me what you face so I can fix whatever needs to. ;)*
http://www.joisu.org/error.jpg
I think he’s talking bout that.
Hrmm. I don’t face this problem, not on my development server nor my live server.
I can’t solve what I can’t emulate. Can you guys tell me which PHP version installed on the server?
Does it happen if there’s only 1 widget?
Thank you
UPDATED : Alright, I studied the JPG file and I have done something to the file and I hope it fixes the problem. Yes, I can’t emulate the error but the best I can do is to work on what I saw. Kindly try the new file and see if it works. 😉 Thank you!
Problem gone now for me 😀
It happened when I tried to configure the widget, by pressing the button beside the widget.
Check out the latest version, the button shouldn’t be there already. Hehe. I’ve disabled it until further notice……… or at least until I understand widgets better. 🙂
Thank you everyone for your support!
I’ve found the plugin for the random post at http://www.texthelden.de/2007/01/14/wordpress-plugin-get-random-posts-from-database/
perhaps you can use this and improve the function?
*this plugin only usable on coding and not widget
Nah don’t worry, my GET RANDOM POST is already under way. It’ll be better than that one. 🙂
bro, im using ur plugin liao, thanks buddy 😀
btw, i found out that when the random blogroll in action, it also grabs the blogroll links which i put visibility to NO.
is there anyway to fix this?
Noted. It’ll be coming along with my next version. 🙂
I use your plugin on kmu-blog.de. Ich widgetized the sidbar according to instruction and have most likely still standard mark up, wbich includes a class in the h2-tag.
To address the heading properly the class is necessary:
<h2 class=”widgettitle”>Random Blogroll</h2>
Unfortunatly your option append Title cant cope with classes.
I altered line 78 from:
if($appendtitle=="1" && $appendinfo!=""){ echo "";}
to
if($appendtitle=="1" && $appendinfo!=""){ echo "";}@Silke – the CLASS support is part of the next version release. 🙂
I need the widget to appear under a –li class=”boxr”–.
How can I format the widget to do that?
Looks like (based on what you posted) you either
1. edit the location it’s placed
2. edit the plugin
a limitation of plugins / widgets.
Hi Goldfries! I am using this plugin in my personal blog and I just want to thank you for this. I just have a suggestion. Maybe you can make the plugin a bit more manageable like we can configure it the way we want it 🙂 For example, if you look at the links in my sidebar, it is not under that’s why the links are far apart.
Anyway, great plugin still 🙂 Happy weekend!
Glad to know you like it Sasha! I’m coming up with a few updates on both my plugins soon.
Dude, this is the one main reason why I migrated from Drupal to WordPress; your plugin! Serious! I was looking for a similar plugin in Drupal and I can’t find it, so I have decided to migrate my entire system to WordPress just to accomodate your wonderful plugin! Kudos to a job well done!
Thank you! I couldn’t find something like this for WordPress so I made it. Hehe.
I love this plugin! I’ve got it to have a random 5 in my smallish head-sidebar. The only problem is that the sites that I’m linked aren’t getting picked up in technorati – is this due to them not being in hard HTML coding? It’s a bit annoying having my links almost “wasted” by not achieving their full possibility!
Yes, it’s a plugin to save space but it’s not helpful in giving links since it’s randomized.
Hmm might be back to the drawing board then …
Yeah, it’s a plugin to give random blogroll but not one that’s good for giving people links. 🙂
Hey, wow thank you! I’ve been trying to get something like this for so long. However, I’d love to have this connected to a different blogroll – any way to change it?
Unfortunately this is not possible with the current plugin, assuming your DIFFERENT blogroll refers to another website.
Hi, first of all nice plugin! It was just what I needed.
I want to make some adjusments to this plugin to fit to my theme.
I’m not programmer and I don’t know where to add the tag, so the widget should look from http://i38.tinypic.com/ruquk7.jpg to http://i35.tinypic.com/2h6t828.jpg
Thanks.
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hey
is it possible to show only links from a certain category?
cya max
Seems like people won’t want to exchange blogroll links though if sometimes their links show up and sometimes it doesn’t.
@max – not possible at the moment. sorry.
@muscle (another odd linker) – yes, that’s the drawback. the idea behind this plugin is to be limited and random. I personally don’t like 100 links appearing on the side bar.
Nice Plugin! Using it on my Blog! dope!
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