Creating a WordPress plugin can be a great way to extend the functionality of your WordPress site or to create a plugin that you can sell to others. In this tutorial, we will go through the steps of creating a simple WordPress plugin that adds a new widget to the dashboard.

Prerequisites

• A working WordPress installation
• A text editor (such as Notepad++ or Sublime Text)
• Some basic knowledge of PHP

Creating the Plugin Files

• Create a new folder for your plugin. You can name the folder anything you want, but it is a good idea to use a name that is related to the purpose of your plugin. For example, if you are creating a plugin that adds a new widget to the dashboard, you could name the folder “dashboard-widget”.
• Inside the plugin folder, create a new PHP file. You can name the file anything you want, but it is a good idea to use a name that is related to the purpose of your plugin. For example, if you are creating a plugin that adds a new widget to the dashboard, you could name the file “dashboard-widget.php”.
• Open the dashboard-widget.php file in your text editor.

Adding the Plugin Header

• At the top of the dashboard-widget.php file, add the following code:

<?php
/*
Plugin Name: Dashboard Widget
Plugin URI: http://example.com/
Description: Adds a new widget to the dashboard.
Version: 0.1
Author: John Doe
Author URI: http://johndoe.com/
License: GPLv2 or later
*/

This code is called the plugin header. It tells WordPress some basic information about your plugin, such as its name, description, and version.

Testing the Plugin

• Save the dashboard-widget.php file.
• Go to the Plugins page in your WordPress admin.
• Activate the Dashboard Widget plugin.
• Go to the Widgets page in your WordPress admin.
• Drag and drop the Dashboard Widget widget to the dashboard.

You should now see a new widget on the dashboard that displays the text “This is a dashboard widget.