Helpful Tools

Avoiding Overlapping Replies #Avoiding Overlapping Replies

WordPress.org Also Viewing is a script which lets you know if someone else who has the script installed – like another forum helper – is looking at or typing in the same thread you have open. This helps avoid duplicate replies on the same thread. To use the Also Viewing script:

1. First, install the Tampermonkey or Greasemonkey browser extensions.
2. Next, click here to install the Also Viewing script. (You can also click the “Raw” button next to the /src/alsoviewing.user.js file there.)

Once you and another person viewing the same thread both have the script installed, you’ll see an orange banner at the top of the thread that looks like this:

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Clearer PluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party and Theme Support #Clearer Plugin and Theme Support

WordPress.org Plugins and Themes Topic Highlighter is a script which provides some color-coding for the status of plugin and theme support topics. To use the highlighter:

1. First, install the Tampermonkey or Greasemonkey browser extensions.
2. Next, click here to install the highlighter script. (You can also click the “Raw” button on the /src/wordpress-plugins-topic-highlighter.user.js file there.)

Once installed, you’ll see some handy highlights clearly identifying unanswered, resolved, and stale topics over a week old:

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Add an OP Badge #Add an OP Badge

WordPress.org Topic Original Poster is a script which provides a small badge to highlight the original poster, and it’s very handy in long topics. Here’s to install it:

1. First, install the Tampermonkey or Greasemonkey browser extensions.
2. Next, click here to install the OP Badge script. (You can also click the “Raw” button on the /src/wordpress-topics-op.user.js file there.)

Once installed, a handy badge will follow the original poster throughout the topic:

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Check for Spam Elsewhere #Check for Spam Elsewhere

Stop Forum Spam Checker adds a handy button which will check the IP against Stop Forum Spam. To use the Stop Forum Spam Checker script:

1. First, install the Tampermonkey or Greasemonkey browser extensions.
2. Next, click here to install the Stop Forum Spam Checker script. (You can also click the “Raw” button next to the /src/stop-forum-spam-checker.user.js file there.)

Once installed, click the “Check IP” button, and it will either report “Ok”, “TOR Proxy”, or list the number of sites spammed elsewhere along with the timestamp of the most recent report.

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Automatically see archived and pending posts #Automatically see archived and pending posts

In order to see archived and pending posts, moderators may need to add the URLURL A specific web address of a website or web page on the Internet, such as a website’s URL www.wordpress.org parameter view=all to the URL they’re viewing. This is a script that automatically tags on this parameter when you’re visiting forum URL’s.

1. First, install the Tampermonkey or Greasemonkey browser extensions.
2. Next, install the WordPress topic redirect script.

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Searching Documentation #Searching Documentation

If you use Alfred, along with its paid Powerpack, there are Workflows to search the Developer Reference and search the Codex Function Reference. Alfred has documentation on how to install Workflows.

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Saving Form Fields #Saving Form Fields

We used to recommend Lazarus: Form Recovery here, it was a wonderful cross-browser extension that stored your form data in local storage, so you could recover your brilliantly crafted reply, even if the forums or your browser crashed. Lazarus is dead now (ironic, we know), so we can no longer recommend it. If you have any better recommendations than what follows, please let us know in #forums on SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/..

If you use Chrome, try Typio Form Recovery.

If you use Firefox, and you don’t want to risk losing what you’re writing, you’re probably better off drafting your replies in a plain text editor.

Last updated: March 17, 2020