Environment Control

A flexible WordPress plugin that automatically controls settings based on environment detection (production vs non-production). Use this as a foundation to implement custom environment-based controls for any WordPress setting.

🎯 Overview

Environment Control provides intelligent environment detection and serves as a framework for implementing environment-specific WordPress configurations. The plugin includes search engine indexing control as a practical example, but can be extended to manage any WordPress setting based on your environment.

🚀 Key Features

Framework Capabilities

• Environment Detection Foundation: Robust detection using WP_ENV constant or URL comparison
• Extensible Architecture: Easy to extend for custom environment-based controls
• Developer-Friendly Functions: Clean API for building custom environment logic
• Safe Defaults: Fail-safe behavior prevents accidental production issues

Built-in Example: Search Engine Control

• Automatic Indexing Control: Prevents search engines from indexing non-production sites
• Production Override: Allows indexing only on production environments
• Configurable Behavior: Control what happens when plugin is deactivated

User Interface

• Status Dashboard: Clear environment status under Tools menu
• Visual Indicators: Color-coded production/non-production status
• Configuration Panel: Easy setup and management
• Admin Notices: Helpful notifications for non-production environments

📋 Requirements

• WordPress: 6.9 or higher
• PHP: 7.0 or higher
• Permissions: Administrator privileges for configuration
• Tested up to: WordPress 6.9

🛠️ Installation

From WordPress.org (Coming Soon)

1. Go to your WordPress admin dashboard
2. Navigate to Plugins > Add New
3. Search for "Environment Control"
4. Install and activate the plugin

Manual Installation

1. Download the plugin files
2. Upload the envcontrol folder to /wp-content/plugins/
3. Activate the plugin through the Plugins menu in WordPress
4. Go to Tools > Environment Control to configure

⚙️ Quick Setup

1. Configure Production URL

1. Navigate to Tools > Environment Control
2. Enter your production site URL (e.g., https://www.yoursite.com/)
3. Save settings

2. Environment Detection Setup

Method A: WP_ENV Constant (Recommended)

Add to your wp-config.php:

// Production environment
define('WP_ENV', 'production');

// Non-production environments
define('WP_ENV', 'development');
define('WP_ENV', 'staging');
define('WP_ENV', 'testing');

Method B: URL Comparison

If WP_ENV is not defined, the plugin automatically compares:

• Current site URL: home_url('/')
• Configured production URL (from settings)

🔧 How It Works

Environment Detection Logic

Is WP_ENV defined?
├── Yes: Is WP_ENV === 'production'?
│   ├── Yes: Production Mode ✅
│   └── No: Non-Production Mode ⚠️
└── No: Does current URL match production URL?
    ├── Yes: Production Mode ✅
    └── No: Non-Production Mode ⚠️

Built-in Search Engine Control

• Production: Search engines allowed to index
• Non-Production: Search engines automatically blocked
• Plugin Deactivation: Safe default (allows indexing)

🛡️ Extensibility Framework

For Developers

Use Environment Control as a foundation for custom environment-based features:

// Check environment in your custom code
if (env_control_is_production_environment()) {
    // Production-only functionality
    enable_analytics();
    enable_caching();
} else {
    // Development/staging functionality
    enable_debug_mode();
    disable_email_sending();
}

// Get plugin settings
$settings = env_control_get_settings();
$production_url = env_control_get_production_url();

Extend for Custom Controls

The plugin architecture makes it easy to add environment-based controls for:

• Email Settings: Disable email sending on non-production
• Analytics: Enable/disable tracking codes
• Caching: Environment-specific caching strategies
• Debug Settings: Automatic debug mode on development
• Payment Gateways: Sandbox vs live payment processing
• CDN Settings: Different CDN configurations per environment
• Social Media: Prevent social sharing on staging sites

Example Custom Extension

// Add custom environment-based email control
add_filter('pre_option_admin_email', function($default) {
    if (!env_control_is_production_environment()) {
        return 'dev@yoursite.com'; // Use dev email on non-production
    }
    return $default; // Use configured email on production
});

📝 Use Cases

Base Framework

• Multi-Environment Workflows: Consistent behavior across environments
• Custom Setting Control: Environment-specific WordPress configurations
• Development Safety: Prevent production issues during development
• Staging Protection: Isolate staging environments from production behaviors

Search Engine Control (Included)

• Development Sites: Prevent localhost indexing
• Staging Sites: Protect staging URLs from search engines
• Client Sites: Ensure development work stays private
• Testing Environments: Block accidental search engine discovery

🔌 Developer Functions

Available Functions

• env_control_is_production_environment() - Check if current environment is production
• env_control_get_settings() - Get all plugin settings
• env_control_get_production_url() - Get configured production URL

Hooks and Filters

• Use WordPress standard hooks to extend functionality
• Filter pre_option_{option_name} to control any WordPress option
• Add admin notices with admin_notices action

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! This plugin is designed to be a community-driven framework.

Development

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes and test thoroughly
4. Submit a Pull Request

Ideas for Contributions

• Additional environment detection methods
• New example implementations
• Documentation improvements
• Performance optimizations
• Security enhancements

📊 Roadmap

Framework Enhancements

• [ ] WP-CLI commands for environment management
• [ ] Multi-site (network) support
• [ ] Advanced environment detection methods
• [ ] Built-in logging and monitoring

Example Implementations

• [ ] Email control module
• [ ] Analytics control module
• [ ] Debug settings module
• [ ] Payment gateway control module

Integration

• [ ] Popular development tool integrations
• [ ] Docker environment detection
• [ ] Cloud platform integrations

📄 License

GPL2+ License - Free and open source

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

👨‍💻 Author

neodavet - Portfolio

🆘 Support

• Documentation: This README and inline code documentation
• Issues: GitHub Issues (coming soon)
• WordPress.org Support: Available after plugin publication

💡 Getting Started Tips

1. Start Simple: Use the built-in search engine control to understand the plugin
2. Extend Gradually: Add custom environment controls one at a time
3. Test Thoroughly: Always test environment detection in your specific setup
4. Use WP_ENV: More reliable than URL comparison for most hosting environments
5. Safe Defaults: The plugin is designed to fail safely - when in doubt, it assumes production

⚠️ Important: Always test in development before deploying to production. This plugin can modify WordPress core settings based on environment detection.

🎯 Perfect For: Developers, agencies, and teams managing WordPress sites across multiple environments who want intelligent, automatic environment-based configuration management.