Reasons for Plugin Manager Plugin Configuration

I just want to give all the plugin developers out there a quick overview of why using the Plugin Manager to perform configuration is a good thing.

The main reason is that, since the Plugin Manager works with entire files, there is currently no way to upgrade a particular plugin without a completely replacing all the associated files. And because the plugin files are removed and replaced with updated versions, any configuration settings set within the files itself are reverted back to their distributed defaults.

In addition to that, configuration through the Plugin Manager will remove the need to write file parsing code if you currently store configuration information in a file outside of the plugin itself (though, if that file is distributed with the plugin itself, it will currently suffer the same fate as the plugin file, but that can be tweeked).

There is also the basic validation that the Plugin Manager can provide, along with a consistent interface for the user. And I am sure there are probably a few more benefits that have not come to light just yet.

So, to sum up, here is why Plugin Manager Plugin Configuration is a good thing:

• No loss of configuration data during upgrades
• Use of existing code to store and access configuration data
• Consistent interface for the blog administrator

I hope that has cleared things up a little. I apologize for getting a little too ahead of myself and not giving any insight into my reasoning. :)