Weekly WordPress News: Jetpack #wpdrama Over Plugin Search Results

Howdy, WordPress friends.

This week, there was some controversy over the Jetpack plugin injecting itself into the in-dashboard WordPress.org plugin search results, including CTAs to upgrade to paid services (though they’re removing the paid CTAs after the attention, or because it was a mistake – you decide which).

Beyond that, Wordfence and Jem Turner found some peculiar code in the Pipdig Power Pack plugin, and then WP Tavern wrote a really in-depth report putting everything together.

Let’s get to all of this week’s news…

WORDPRESS NEWS AND ARTICLES

• WordPress 5.2 to Make Gutenberg Block Editor Use Mandatory for All WordPress Sites – make sure to check the publish date 🤣.
• Jetpack 7.1 Adds Feature Suggestions to Plugin Search Results – here’s WP Tavern’s first post about Jetpack.
• Jetpack Is Promoting Paid Upgrades on Plugin Search Screen, WordPress Plugin Team Says it “May be a Violation” of Directory Guidelines – and then here’s the follow-up showing how Jetpack has CTAs for paid services.
• WooCommerce 3.6 to Add Marketplace Suggestions, Despite Overwhelmingly Negative Feedback from Developer Community – finally, Automattic is also adding plugin suggestions to the WooCommerce product data box.
• Peculiar PHP Present In Popular Pipdig Power Pack (P3) Plugin – Wordfence investigates an issue with Pipdig Power Pack.
• Pipdig Updates P3 Plugin after Reports Expose Vendor Backdoors, Built-in Kill Switch, and Malicious DDoS Code – WP Tavern has a really in-depth post on that same Pipdig issue.
• One of the world’s most popular WordPress themes hits new milestone – Avada officially passed 500,000 sales. Pretty impressive.
• WordPress says iOS app bug exposed account tokens to third parties – TechCrunch has the details, though they really mean WordPress.com.

TUTORIALS AND HOW-TOS

• How to Create a Custom Gutenberg Block in WordPress (Without Code) – learn how to create your own custom Gutenberg blocks via a user-friendly interface.
• How to Add Wishlists to Your WooCommerce Store (In Just 5 Simple Steps) – here’s how to add wishlist functionality to WooCommerce.
• Understanding PHP Globals and Variable Scope in WordPress – a dev tutorial at WP Shout.
• How To Add Menu Notification Badges in WordPress – a simple tutorial from WP Doze.
• Finding the Destination of a Redirect with PHP – another dev tutorial, this time from Tom McFarlin.

RESOURCES & DEALS

• 5 Best WordPress WhatsApp Plugins: Add WhatsApp Click to Chat Button to WordPress – check out the best WordPress WhatsApp plugins.
• 40+ Handpicked WordPress Themes for Beauty Spas and Salons – the best themes for salons and spas.
• Generating $10,000 Per Month from a Freemium Business Model – an interview with Adrian of TranslatePress.
• $49 StockUnlimited Deal at AppSumo – get access to tons of stock photos with this AppSumo deal.