Where I Started
Like many others, I used the Code Snippets plugin, a widely-used, free plugin found within the WordPress repository. Whether it was for my projects or a client project, it did the job I needed it to do.
WPCodeBox Was My Next Move
WPCodeBox is a fantastic plugin, and I’m equally impressed with Ovidiu Maghetiu, the developer behind it. Security and performance are top of mind for him, which is very reassuring given that there can be a lot riding on some WordPress websites.
Ovidiu also looks out for the WordPress community as a whole, just recently working with a competitor to let them know of vulnerabilities he discovered within their plugin as part of evaluating the competition. This approach is impressive on multiple levels, giving me hope for humanity.
Why spend so much time talking about the developer? Easy. When I think about the Code Snippets plugin, I think about a plugin and don’t have that “personal” connection with those behind it. It’s just different with WPCodeBox, and to see for yourself, feel free to join the WPCodeBox Facebook Group.
Code Snippets – Deal Breaker #1: Poor Communication
I had a meeting with a member of the Code Snippets plugin long ago regarding their “Pro” version that was supposedly in the works. They collected my information, collected my use cases, said they would be in touch, and I’ve heard nothing.
To me, this is a bad look, especially when you consider that the team member I met with is currently publishing posts in a very well-known WordPress community at a rapid pace. In other words…he is around.
Code Snippets – Deal Breaker #2: No Premium Offering
The team behind the Code Snippets plugin has been working on a “Pro” version for a very long time, and long enough that it throws up several red flags for me, especially when WPCodeBox has already done it.
Is the team not committed? Are they spread too thin? Do they look at solutions like WPCodeBox and think it’s too late to the game at this point?
This is not to say that a solution must have a premium offering for the vendor to be taken seriously. It’s more about the overall picture portrayed here.
Code Snippets – Deal Breaker #3: No Snippet Repository
While WPCodeBox allows you to save code snippets to the Cloud and pull them down for use on your various projects, the Code Snippets plugin only provides an option to export snippets to your local workstation.
Sure, you could (and I have) save the snippets to another repository, but this creates extra work and increases the potential for missteps.
Code Snippets – Deal Breaker #4: Overall Lack of Features
I won’t go into all the features WPCodeBox offers over the Code Snippets plugin, as I already have a guide for that, but I’ve listed some of the features below.
- Save Snippets to the Cloud Repository
- WordPress Code Snippets Repository
- Advanced Conditional Loading
- Organize Code Snippets in Folders
- React-based UI With No Need for Page Refreshing
- Snippets Are Automatically Disabled if They Contain Errors
WPCodeBox Is Where It’s At
I partnered with WPCodeBox, bringing a discount to WP Turned UP members, and I’ve also written an Easily Manage Code Snippets for Your WordPress Website With WPCodeBox guide.
Wrap Up
The Code Snippets plugin served me well for quite some time, and overall I think it’s a good solution that will work perfectly well for some businesses. For me, I needed it to do more.
To provide the best service possible, I needed a code snippet solution with the feature set I was looking for right then and one that would challenge me to branch out and do more.