Converting to a Plugin

Converting to a Standalone Plugin

By default, adding code to your theme's functions.php file ties the functionality to that specific theme. If you switch themes, the shortcode will stop working. To make the User Role Frontend functionality theme-independent, you can package it as a standalone WordPress plugin.

Why Use a Plugin?

• Theme Independence: The [user_role] shortcode remains active even if you change your site's design.
• Organization: Keeps your theme's functions.php clean and focused on layout/styling.
• Portability: Easily move the functionality between different WordPress installations.

Implementation Steps

Follow these steps to create your plugin:

1. Create a Plugin Folder: Navigate to your WordPress directory at /wp-content/plugins/ and create a new folder named wp-show-user-role.

2. Create the Main Plugin File: Inside that folder, create a new file named wp-show-user-role.php.

3. Add Plugin Metadata and Code: Open the file and paste the following code. This includes the required WordPress Plugin Header and the logic from app.php:

<?php
/**
 * Plugin Name: WP Show User Role Frontend
 * Description: A lightweight plugin to display the current user's role using a shortcode.
 * Version: 1.0
 * Author: Your Name
 */

// Prevent direct access to the file
if ( ! defined( 'ABSPATH' ) ) {
    exit;
}

/**
 * The logic from app.php
 * Registers the [user_role] shortcode
 */
function ur_show_user_role() {
    if ( is_user_logged_in() ) {
        $user = wp_get_current_user();
        $roles = ( array ) $user->roles;
        return esc_html( ucfirst( $roles[0] ) );
    }
    return '';
}
add_shortcode( 'user_role', 'ur_show_user_role' );

1. Activate the Plugin:
   • Log in to your WordPress Admin Dashboard.
   • Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
   • Find WP Show User Role Frontend in the list and click Activate.

Usage

Once activated, the public interface remains the same. You can place the shortcode anywhere in your editor, widgets, or templates:

[user_role]

The shortcode will output the role of the currently logged-in user (e.g., "Administrator", "Editor", "Subscriber"). If the visitor is not logged in, it will return an empty string.