Members: WordPress Plugin

The Members plugin is a user, role, and content management plugin. Its purpose is to make WordPress a more powerful CMS by giving you fine-grain control over the users of your site.

I created this plugin because I wasn’t satisfied with the current user, role, and permissions plugins available. Yes, some of them are good, but nothing fit what I had in mind perfectly. Some offered few features. Some worked completely outside of the WordPress role and capability system. Others lacked an appropriate license.

This plugin is still a long way away from my goals, but it’ll get there eventually.

What does the plugin do?

Members has what I call “components.” Instead of normal plugin settings, you get a components-selection page that allows you to choose only the features that you want to use.

The current components are (more will come in future versions):

  • Edit Roles: Edit your user roles and their capabilities.
  • New Roles: Create new roles for use on your site.
  • Content Permissions: Adds a meta box on your write post/page editor that allows you to restrict content to specific roles.
  • Widgets: Adds a login form widget and user-listing widget that you can use in any widget area on your site.
  • Shortcodes: Creates shortcodes that you can use to restrict or allow access to certain parts of your posts and pages (or any other shortcode-capable area).
  • Template Tags: New functions for use within your WordPress theme for various things.
  • Private Blog: Allows you to create a private blog that can only be accessed by users that are logged in (redirects them to the login page).

Screenshots of the plugin

I’ve uploaded a few screenshots so you can see what part of the plugin looks like:

Ideas for future versions

Version 0.1 has been all about role and capability management, but that’s just the beginning. Version 0.2 will be about user management.

But, it’s not all about my ideas. I’ll be working through many of the ideas presented in my original post on this plugin. I’m also open to any new ideas you might have.

Download the plugin

Before using this plugin, please read the readme.html file included in the plugin download. It will guide you through everything you need to know about using it.

Please don't use my contact page or the comments section below to ask support questions. Use my support forums at Theme Hybrid, which is where I handle all support questions for my WordPress projects.