Though I still this project may be useful for some, I've updated my personal opinions on this.

When it comes to working with WordPress, it’s no secret that I’m a fan of using the WordPress APIs as much as possible, and not circumventing the built-in functionality with vanilla PHP.

Arguably, one of the most complicated APIs to work with is the WordPress Settings API. It’s unintuitive, requires some small details to manage, and also requires a bit of repetitive code.

For many developers, the unintuitive nature and the way in which sections, settings, and options are built begs for a cleaner interface. And if you’re one of those developers, then you should check out Clif Griffin’s WordPress Simple Settings project.

WordPress Simple Settings

WordPress Simple Settings

WordPress Simple Settings on GitHub.

In short, WordPress Simple Settings is a library that provides a facade, or a cleaner interface, to the WordPress Settings API making it possible to build settings, sections, and options that communicate with the WordPress API and that are themed in the native WordPress skin, but without requiring as much code.

In short, the project offers the following functions:

  • `add_setting`
  • `get_setting`
  • `update_setting`
  • `get_field_name`
  • `the_nonce`
  • `save_settings`

All of which are self-explanatory.  Of course, project’s like this are always open for addition discussion and code contributions.

To that end, you can read more information and discuss the project on Clif’s original announcement post, and you can download and/or contribute to the project on its GitHub page.