Plugin dependency management

Contributors: scribu
Tags: plugin, dependency
Requires at least: 3.1
Tested up to: 3.3
Stable tag: 1.2.1
License: GPLv2 or later

This meta-plugin allows regular plugins to specify other plugins that they depend upon.

Example:

/* Plugin Name: BuddyPress Debug Depends: BuddyPress, Debug Bar */

What this does:

• Disables activation of BuddyPress Debug until both BuddyPress and Debug Bar are already activated.
• When either BuddyPress or Debug Bar are deactivated, BuddyPress Debug will also be deactivated.

Links: Plugin News | Author's Site

Make sure your host is running PHP 5. The only foolproof way to do this is to add this line to wp-config.php (after the opening <?php tag):

var_dump(PHP_VERSION);

Nothing. The Depends: header will simply be ignored.

Yes, the dependency chain can go as deep as you want.

Say you have some useful functions that you would like to package up as a library plugin:

/* Plugin Name: Facebook Lib Provides: lib-facebook */

Now, dependant plugins can specify 'lib-facebook' as a dependency:

/* Plugin Name: Cool Facebook Plugin Depends: lib-facebook */

Besides being more robust, the Provides: header allows multiple plugins to implement the same set of functionality and be used interchangeably.

• fixed notices. props cfoellmann

• added ability to use plugin names as dependencies
• more info

• added 'Provides:' header
• replaced 'Dependencies:' with 'Depends:'
• more info

• fixed critical bug when not running MultiSite
• better network activation handling

• initial release
• more info