I’ve helped a few people to get started with WordPress, and often the biggest difficulty for them comes with using an FTP client to install new plugins and themes, and knowing where to put them etc.

This new plugin from Anirudh Sanjeev should solve this problem: OneClick.

Now admittedly you do have to install this plugin the old fashioned way, and CHMOD* some of your directories, but clear instructions are given, and once installed, all future theme & plugin installation will be a snap.

Once you have saved your chosen theme or plugin to your PC, simply go to your WP dashboard, go to OneClick, find the .ZIP file on your PC and click ‘Install’ – that should be it. Then just visit ‘Presentation’ or ‘Plugins’ as appropriate and activate as usual.

I have not installed this plugin yet, as I’m happy with the old way, and often do some tidying up whilst connected via FTP, but I will certainly be installing this plugin for any other people I help set up Wordpress for. Further improvements are promised as well, the one which I think would turn it into solid gold will be to install the plugin/theme directly from it’s host site without having to first download it. Get this right, and OneClick would have to be considered seriously for bundling with the core WordPress files, as it would improve the user-friendliness and adoption rate of WordPress immensely.

Good work.

*CHMOD: Altering the attributes of a file or directory in your webspace, determining who can edit or write to them. Usually achieved by connecting via FTP, finding the directory or file, right-clicking on it and setting the attributes e.g. 777 writeable by all, 755 writeable only by the owner etc.

Perhaps someone with more knowledge could comment as to how risky it is having your plugin/theme folders set to 777?