WordPress Permanently Visible Log Out Link Plugin – Version 0.1
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Reading Time: 3 minutesThis post introduces a new WordPress Plugin I’ve created which adds a permanently visible Log Out link to the top toolbar within the WordPress Admin screens. At this stage the plugin is only available from this website, but I will be submitting it to the WordPress Plugin Repository soon.
Why use this plugin?
Existing log out links
Within the current major version of WordPress (3.5) the two links to log out of the admin screens can be hard to find for some people.
- There is one that is contained in the dropdown menu that appears when you hover over your username at the top right hand corner of the admin screens.
- The other appears if you tab beyond the toolbar links.
The first one is not really available to anyone who is not using a mouse, and so the second link was introduced with 3.5 and is reachable by those who are using screen readers or who are keyboard only users.
But neither of those links are easy to reach for some people.
People using touch devices
Those using devices like iPads or Android Tablets have neither the capability of using a mouse or of tabbing around the admin screens. The same is true for those using smartphones. So, for these users, logging out of WordPress admin can be very difficult.
The top-right dropdown menu does respond to touches but you have to be quick to hit the log out link that is revealed, and the link also requires a precise touch too – not so good for those with bigger fingers.
People on touch devices should benefit from the always visible link which gives them a one-touch method of logging out.
People using speech recognition software
Many people with motor impairments will be using speech recognition software like Dragon Naturally Speaking to control their computers and to help them browse the web. Using such software, it is not usually possible to access links that are hidden.
For this reason it is very difficult for these users to log out at the moment. Commands are available to move the mouse pointer but they are fiddly and tend to be used only as a last resort.
Speech recognition software users will also benefit from the readily available visible link. This plugin has been tested with Dragon Naturally Speaking.
Security of your WordPress site
If the Log Out links are hard to get to, I believe there will be an increased tendency for people to overlook or not bother to logging off. This obviously compromises security of a WordPress installation.
How it works
The plugin is very straightforward and uses standard WordPress hooks to add the Log Out link to the admin toolbar at the top of the Admin Screens.
A future enhancement would be to add an option to allow the administrator greater control of the positioning of the link within the toolbar.
What the plugin consists of
There are two files in the plugin folder:
- readme.txt – similar content to this post.
- permanently-visible-logout-link.php – a PHP file that contains the functionality for the plugin.
Download the plugin
Download the Permanently Visible Log Out Link plugin (zip)
Installing the plugin
Place the permanently-visible-logout-link folder into the plugins folder within your site. Then go to the plugins page in your WordPress Admin area and activate the plugin. There are no options for the plugin in version 0.1.
Uninstalling the plugin
Deactivate the plugin from the plugins page. If you wish to you can delete the permanently-visible-logout-link folder from your plugins folder.
Like to give some feedback?
If you’d like to try the plugin out I’d be really happy to receive any feedback or suggestions you may have. You can use the comments section below.
Other WordPress posts
- Building Accessible WordPress Themes – Featured Images - Apr 28th, 2019
- How to Build an Accessible WordPress Theme - Apr 28th, 2019
- Accessibility Checklist - Apr 7th, 2019
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