WordPress Plugins for Database Maintenance and Plugin Listing

Thanks to the list of recommended WordPress plug-ins from Studiopress, I discovered Lester Chan's WP Database Manager plugin and WP-PluginsUsed plugin today. These are both free and can add valuable functionality to self-hosted WordPress blogs.

WP Database Manager provides a web-based interface for mySQL backups, repairs, and optimizations. "Removing overhead" from your WordPress mySQL blog is a good idea, and can become vital in extreme situations when it has not been done. My post from May 2009, "WordPress commenting restored thanks to phpMyAdmin table repair" gives some additional background. If you opt to use WP Database Manager, you don't need to use phpMyAdmin to "remove overhead" / repair your database.

WP-PluginsUsed provides a dynamic way to list your WordPress plugin colophon. After activating this plugin, I added the following code to my blog's "about page" to display my current active and inactive plugins:

Now I no longer need to edit my about page when I install or uninstall a WordPress plugin to share that fact, it's done automatically.

On this day..

• Harry Potter Whiteboard Wands, Responders, and the Palm Pre - 2009
• The MegaVCR: Media and More in Your Pocket - 2007
• Simple Podcasting on a Global Scale - 2007
• Engaging Brains Through Games and Simulations by Bernie Dodge - 2007
• Building A Better Mousetrap: How Technology Will Improve Achievement - 2007
• Perspectives on classroom blogging video (final) - 2007
• Worthwhile thoughts from Gary Stager - 2007
• Tech conference coverage from PodTech - 2007
• Good articles on educational reform - 2006
• Envisioning the Crusades - 2006