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6 WordPress plugins to help you develop themes

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 04:23 PM PDT

As a web designer or developer, you should always be trying to improve your toolbox in order to become more productive. I had quite a lot of WordPress theme development to work on recently, so I looked for tools to help me work faster and better, here they are.

1. Theme test drive

Plugin page – Download on WordPress.org

Test your new theme before letting it go live. Once you activate this plugin, only the admin (or connected users, depending on the viewing rights you chose) can see the new theme in action. Perfect if you want to make a few changes to your theme in real life confitions.

2. Test data creator

Download on WordPress.org

Install in a couple of clicks the data you need to build and test your WordPress theme. The data installed by this plugin includes posts, pages, comments, and many html tags included in the posts to make sure you don’t forget to style some elements.

3. Device theme switcher

Download on WordPress.org

Makes creating specific themes for tablets and smartphones much easier. Install the plugin, then select which theme you want for each device.

4. Hyper cache clear link

Download on WordPress.org

Obviously only works if you are using Hyper cache caching plugin. Adds a button to your admin bar so you can delete the cache in one click. A time-saver if you are developing on a cached site.

5. Theme check

Download on WordPress.org

Test your theme to see if it complies with the latest theme review standards. In your admin, you will be able to run the same automated testing tools as WordPress.org does when you try to upload a theme. Definitely a must have if you want to comply with good coding standards.

6. Plugin test drive

Download on WordPress.org

Test a plugin to see if it does what you want and integrates well to your site. Perfect to work on the integration of a plugin to your template without destroying the look and feel of your site.