Remove Plugin Action Links From The Plugin List

gptAI

8 min read

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11-15- 2024

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Removing plugin action links from the plugin list in WordPress is a task that can help streamline the management of your site’s plugins. This article delves into why you might want to do this, how to go about it, and the potential benefits of cleaning up your plugin list.

Understanding Plugin Action Links

WordPress plugins are an essential part of extending the functionality of your website. When you look at the list of plugins installed on your WordPress site, you will notice several action links next to each plugin. These links allow you to quickly activate, deactivate, delete, or configure the plugin settings. While these action links are helpful, they can also clutter the interface, especially if you have many plugins installed.

Why Remove Action Links?

There are several reasons to consider removing or hiding action links from the plugin list:

1. Clutter Reduction: A long list of action links can make it difficult to navigate, particularly for users who are new to WordPress.
2. Focused Management: By simplifying the plugin list, you can focus on managing essential plugins without being distracted by those that are less critical.
3. Custom User Roles: If you have multiple users with different roles on your site, you might want to limit the actions available to certain users for security and management purposes.

How to Remove Action Links from the Plugin List

Now that you understand the reasons for removing action links, let's dive into how to achieve this. Below are a couple of methods to hide or remove plugin action links using custom code.

Method 1: Using a Custom Function

You can add a custom function to your theme’s functions.php file to remove specific action links. Here’s how:

1. Access Your WordPress Dashboard: Go to the WordPress admin area of your website.

2. Open Theme Editor: Navigate to Appearance > Theme Editor.

3. Find functions.php: Look for the functions.php file in the list of theme files.

4. Add the Following Code:

// Remove plugin action links
add_filter('plugin_action_links', 'remove_plugin_action_links', 10, 2);
function remove_plugin_action_links($actions, $plugin_file) {
    // Specify the plugin to remove action links
    if (strpos($plugin_file, 'your-plugin-folder/your-plugin-file.php') !== false) {
        // Remove specific action links
        unset($actions['activate']);
        unset($actions['deactivate']);
        // Add more unset actions as needed
    }
    return $actions;
}

5. Modify the Code: Replace your-plugin-folder/your-plugin-file.php with the path of the plugin for which you want to remove the action links.

6. Save Changes: Click on the ‘Update File’ button to save the changes.

Method 2: Using a Custom Plugin

If you prefer to keep your theme files clean or want to apply this change across different themes, you can create a simple custom plugin to achieve the same outcome.

1. Create a New Plugin File:

   • Create a new folder in your wp-content/plugins/ directory (e.g., custom-plugin-links).
   • Inside this folder, create a new PHP file (e.g., remove-links.php).

2. Add Plugin Header Information: