Web Dev + WordPress + Security
Very excited to launch my latest WordPress plugin, REST Pro Tools. This is the premium/pro version of the free plugin hosted at WordPress.org, Disable WP REST API. The free version is very basic and does exactly what it says: disables the WP REST API, no options just activate and done. But some users wanted more features, like denying access to specific routes while allowing others. So I packed…
Simple Download Counter (SDC) version 2.3 features a very basic API that returns the number of times a specified file has been downloaded. For lack of a better name, I call it the Micro API . This tutorial explains how it works, and provides a real-world example showing how to use it. Simple Download Counter Home Page Simple Download Counter @ WordPress.org Note: This tutorial applies to Simple…
There are many ways to do this. I wanted the quickest and easiest. I run Yourls on several sites to create shortlinks for my books. Each instance of Yourls contains many URLs. I like to keep my books current. URLs tend to change and break over time. It is a chore to check 800+ links in each of my books, page after page. So I wanted a quick way to check for 404 and other broken links. In this post,…
Here is a simple blank (empty) .htaccess file, ready for download. 👉 Read notes below. Why? Because .htaccess files by default are hidden on most systems. In some cases it is easier to simply download a blank copy instead of trying to create one manually. As someone who works a lot with Apache/.htaccess, it s nice to have a go-to place for downloading and sharing a blank/empty .htaccess file.…
For years, I thought of Google as a trustworthy helper on the Web. Especially where it mattered most, removing pirated copies of my books from Google search results. After publishing a new book, I would monitor the search results and file a DMCA notice with Google whenever the inevitable pirated copies of my book were listed. Google always was very helpful in this regard, swiftly removing any…
For those who know, YOURLS makes it super easy to host your own URL shortening service. I use Yourls on several sites and it works great at generating shortlinks for otherwise long and tedious URLs. So they re easier to share, remember, social media, etc. Yourls is developed by a well-respected developer and is 100% FREE and open source for everyone. It s a truly great app and highly recommended.…
One of my new year s resolutions is to learn AI more deeply. Although I ve kept up with how things are changing in the AI/LLM world, I actually use AI very rarely. It s just not necessary for anything that I do. And before you say, well then you must not do anything , I should mention that my online books, scripts, and plugins enjoy well over one million active users. It s a LOT of responsibility…
For several years, Apple Mail would specify the wrong name for the To field when sending email messages. It was very frustrating and confusing for numerous reasons. Whatever I tried to resolve the issue, nothing seemed to work. So for years using Apple Mail, which for the most part works very well, I was stuck sending messages that specified incorrect names for the To field. Well praise the Lord,…