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# WP Desktop Mode |
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A WordPress plugin that reimagines `/wp-admin` as a desktop operating system. Admin screens open as draggable, resizable, minimizable **windows** on a **desktop**, with a left-edge **dock** built from the admin menu. Purely opt-in per user — the classic admin stays untouched for everyone else, and deactivating the plugin restores vanilla Core exactly. |
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Zero Core patches. Every feature is wired through public WordPress hooks. |
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[](https://wordpress.org/plugins/desktop-mode/](https://wordpress.org/plugins/desktop-mode/](https://wordpress.org/plugins/desktop-mode/) [](https://playground.wordpress.net/?blueprint-url=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/WordPress/desktop-mode/refs/heads/trunk/.wordpress-org/blueprints/blueprint.json](https://playground.wordpress.net/?blueprint-url=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/WordPress/desktop-mode/refs/heads/trunk/.wordpress-org/blueprints/blueprint.json](https://playground.wordpress.net/?blueprint-url=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/WordPress/desktop-mode/refs/heads/trunk/.wordpress-org/blueprints/blueprint.json) [](https://wp.com/open?deep_link=add-site%3Fblueprint_url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fraw.githubusercontent.com%252FWordPress%252Fdesktop-mode%252Frefs%252Fheads%252Ftrunk%252F.wordpress-org%252Fblueprints%252Fblueprint.json](https://wp.com/open?deep_link=add-site%3Fblueprint_url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fraw.githubusercontent.com%252FWordPress%252Fdesktop-mode%252Frefs%252Fheads%252Ftrunk%252F.wordpress-org%252Fblueprints%252Fblueprint.json](https://wp.com/open?deep_link=add-site%3Fblueprint_url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fraw.githubusercontent.com%252FWordPress%252Fdesktop-mode%252Frefs%252Fheads%252Ftrunk%252F.wordpress-org%252Fblueprints%252Fblueprint.json) |
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## Demo |
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<video src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/590aacc2-e9d7-4213-889e-b91e060e1bd8" controls width="720"></video> |
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|
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--- |
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|
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## Contents |
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- [](#demoDemo](#demo](#demo) |
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- [](#current-stateCurrent State](#current-state](#current-state) |
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- [](#still-aheadStill ahead](#still-ahead](#still-ahead) |
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- [](#repository-layoutRepository layout](#repository-layout](#repository-layout) |
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- [](#bundled-extensionsBundled extensions](#bundled-extensions](#bundled-extensions) |
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- [](#how-to-run-itHow to run it](#how-to-run-it](#how-to-run-it) |
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- [](#quick-installQuick install](#quick-install](#quick-install) |
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- [](#development-setupDevelopment setup](#development-setup](#development-setup) |
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- [](#requirementsRequirements](#requirements](#requirements) |
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- [](#for-plugin-authorsFor plugin authors](#for-plugin-authors](#for-plugin-authors) |
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- [](#licenseLicense](#license](#license) |
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|
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--- |
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## Current State |
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- **Per-user opt-in** |
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Admin-bar toggle sets the `desktop_mode_mode` user meta. A dedicated `/desktop-mode/` portal URL auto-enables desktop mode for first-time visitors (gated by `desktop_mode_portal_auto_enable`) and the `admin_init` redirect sends opted-in users from `/wp-admin/` to the portal (`desktop_mode_admin_redirect_to_portal`). |
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- **Desktop shell** |
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Fixed-viewport desktop that overlays `/wp-admin`: wallpaper area, unified dock (placement picked in OS Settings — left / right / bottom, default bottom), right-column widget layer, and full windowing system. `desktop_mode_mode_init`, `desktop_mode_shell_before` / `_after`, and the `desktop_mode_shell_config` filter are the main extension points. |
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- **Window system — iframe + native** |
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Iframe windows load admin pages with `?desktop_mode_chromeless=1` (chromeless mode). Native windows render directly in the parent DOM via `desktop_mode_register_window()` / `wp.desktop.registerWindow()` — multi-tab native windows are supported through `desktop_mode_register_window_tab()`. Both types share drag, resize, minimize, maximize, close, fullscreen, and detach-to-new-tab. |
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- **Dock** |
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One unified rail hosting every admin menu — core and plugin alike — plus shell-level system tiles. Placement (left / right / bottom) is the user's OS Settings preference. Core menus are ordered before plugin menus; per-item hiding via `desktop_mode_dock_placement` (`'hidden'`). Per-item multi-window support via `desktop_mode_dock_item_multi`. Letter-badge icon fallback for plugins without icon art. |
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- **Virtual desktops (“Spaces”)** |
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Multiple desktops per user, each with its own window set. Overview grid (zoom-out view) surfaces the Spaces switcher, thumbnails, and create/close controls. |
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- **Arrange & snap** |
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Admin-bar Arrange menu: Cascade, Tile, Overview, Snap to grid. Plugins contribute custom entries via `desktop_mode_arrange_menu_items` and react to clicks via `desktop-mode.arrange.custom-action`. Tile grid dimensions and snap cell size are both filterable. |
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- **Wallpaper registry** |
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Server- and client-side registration (`desktop_mode_register_wallpaper()` / `wp.desktop.registerWallpaper()`). CSS presets + canvas (WebGL/2D) wallpapers with collision-aware surface data (`wp.desktop.getWallpaperSurfaces()`) for snow/rain/physics effects. In-panel `renderEditor` callback for custom controls, shared vendor-module loader (`pixijs` pre-registered). |
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- **Widgets** |
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Right-column floating cards, optionally draggable / resizable outside the column. `desktop_mode_register_widget()` / `wp.desktop.registerWidget()`. Built-in clock. User placement persists per-user in `localStorage`. |
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- **Desktop icons** |
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Wallpaper-layer shortcuts via `desktop_mode_register_icon()` — targets a registered native window or an admin URL. |
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- **AI Assistant + slash commands** |
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Cmd+K palette backed by an OpenAI agentic loop whose `search_posts` / `search_pages` / `search_comments` tools run WordPress's native keyword search. Admin-configured API key + model picker. The only automatic AI analysis is comment spam scoring (on comment save), which feeds the comments-window spam score; posts, pages, and terms are not analyzed. `wp.desktop.registerCommand()` adds slash commands with autocomplete (`suggest()`), confirm dialogs (`ctx.confirm()`), and full lifecycle hooks (`before-run` / `after-run` / `error`). Built-in `/open [window]` is extensible via `desktop-mode.open-command.items`. |
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- **Palette registry** |
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Cmd+K cycles through all registered palettes (`wp.desktop.registerPalette()`) — the AI assistant is palette 0 by default; additional plugin overlays share the shortcut. |
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- **Cross-frame drag bridge** |
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Media-library attachments drag across iframe boundaries via coordinated postMessage. Site-wide toggle through the Extended Options REST endpoint. |
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- **Toast notifications** |
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Shell-level toasts rendered via the `<wpd-toast>` component. Plugins register their own tone/icon via the `desktop_mode_toast_types` filter. Iframe pages raise a toast through the `desktop-mode-notification` bridge message — it survives the iframe's own lifecycle. |
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- **OS Settings** |
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Native-window settings panel: wallpaper picker (with HD-only media filter), accent color swatches + custom gradient editor, dock size slider, AI platform config, and per-user default-on-startup window. Persisted via `/desktop-mode/v1/os-settings`. |
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- **Session persistence** |
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Full window stack (including desktops, focus, state) is debounce-saved to `/desktop-mode/v1/session` and restored without layout flicker. Viewport-shrink clamping keeps off-screen windows reachable. |
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- **postMessage bridge** |
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Typed messages for title changes, navigation (same-origin validated), focus, color-scheme sync, screen-meta panels (Screen Options / Help), external-link capture, iframe-ready handshake, and observability (`iframe-error`, `iframe-network`). |
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- **UI component library** |
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~25 `<wpd-*>` web components (`wpd-button`, `wpd-menu`, `wpd-panel`, `wpd-range-field`, `wpd-swatch`, `wpd-toast`, `wpd-tabs`, …) available to plugin authors — rendered server-side via `desktop_mode_component()` or imported in TS. |
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- **i18n** |
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Full gettext coverage across PHP and TypeScript; Spanish translation shipped. Strings go through `wp.i18n` (`__`, `_x`, `_n`, `sprintf`) directly — no shell-specific re-export. |
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- **Component registration API** |
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Stable `desktop_mode_register_*` functions for windows, widgets, wallpapers, icons, and window tabs. All return `true` / `WP_Error` with documented error codes. |
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- **Public hook API** |
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Comprehensive PHP and JS hook surface — dock items, placement, multi-window, native-window lifecycle, widget lifecycle, wallpaper lifecycle + surfaces, window lifecycle, iframe observability, arrange actions, virtual-desktop transitions, palette registration, command lifecycle, batch close, AI prompt + model + post-type filters, accents, toast types, default wallpaper. See [](./docs/hooks-reference.md`docs/hooks-reference.md`](./docs/hooks-reference.md](./docs/hooks-reference.md) and [](./docs/javascript-reference.md`docs/javascript-reference.md`](./docs/javascript-reference.md](./docs/javascript-reference.md). |
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--- |
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## Still ahead |
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- **Mobile (phone OS)** — purpose-built home-screen grid, full-screen apps, app switcher, gesture nav, bottom tab bar. |
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- **Tablet hybrid** — split view, slide-over, horizontal dock. `wp.desktop.mode = 'desktop' | 'tablet' | 'mobile'` surface. |
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- **Cross-window drag & drop (the North Star)** — extend the current drag bridge to Media → Gutenberg block insertion, with pluggable mime-type negotiation. |
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- **Polish** — color-scheme-aware variables across all shell surfaces, View Transitions API animations, full a11y audit (ARIA, focus traps, keyboard nav). |
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- **…and a whole lot more hooks, filters, and actions** — every new surface lands with its own extension points, so this list keeps growing. |
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See [](./docs/architecture.md`docs/architecture.md`](./docs/architecture.md](./docs/architecture.md) for how the pieces fit together and [](./docs/hooks-reference.md`docs/hooks-reference.md`](./docs/hooks-reference.md](./docs/hooks-reference.md) for the hook surface (current and planned). |
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--- |
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## Repository layout |
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``` |
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. |
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├── desktop-mode.php # bootstrap: header, constants, require_once of includes/ |
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├── includes/ # PHP subsystems |
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│ ├── helpers.php admin-bar.php ajax.php |
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│ ├── assets.php render.php portal.php |
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│ ├── session.php default-window.php components.php |
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│ ├── os-settings.php extended-options.php |
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│ ├── accents.php wallpapers.php toast-types.php |
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│ ├── media-query.php |
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│ └── ai-copilot/ # AI assistant (OpenAI client, analysis, search, jobs) |
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├── assets/ # hand-authored CSS + JS build output |
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│ ├── css/ desktop.css, windows.css, dock.css, chromeless.css, variables.css |
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│ └── js/ Vite bundles (gitignored; regenerate with npm run build) — only |
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│ admin-bar.js and media-library-enhanced.js are hand-written and tracked |
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├── src/ # TypeScript source — compiled by Vite |
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│ ├── desktop.ts / dock.ts / hooks.ts / commands.ts / palette-registry.ts |
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│ ├── ai-assistant/ + drag-bridge.ts / toast.ts / desktop-icons.ts |
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│ ├── native-windows.ts / built-in-commands.ts / public-api.ts / types.ts |
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│ ├── window/ # Window class — DOM, pointer, tabs, iframe bridge |
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│ ├── window-manager/ # stack, desktops, arrange, snap, overview |
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│ ├── wallpapers/ # registry, layer, surfaces, server sync, vendor loader |
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│ ├── widgets/ # registry, layer, frame, picker, storage |
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│ ├── settings/ # OS Settings panel sections |
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│ ├── ui/ # <wpd-*> web components |
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│ ├── modules/ # vendor-script lazy-loader |
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│ └── plugins/ # built-in demos (animated-logo-wallpaper) |
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├── docs/ # developer-facing docs (source of truth for plugin authors) |
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├── extensions/ # bundled sibling plugins (see "Bundled extensions" below) |
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├── tests/ # PHPUnit + Vitest |
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├── languages/ # .po / .mo (es shipped) |
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├── bin/ # package-zip helpers |
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├── package.json # devDeps (vite, typescript, vitest) |
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├── vite.config.js # Vite lib-mode: src/desktop.ts → assets/js/desktop[.min].js (IIFE) |
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├── vitest.config.ts |
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└── tsconfig.json |
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``` |
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--- |
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## Bundled extensions |
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The `extensions/` directory hosts sibling plugins that build on Desktop Mode's public APIs. Each one is a standalone WordPress plugin (`Requires Plugins: desktop-mode`) installed from its own zip — run `./bin/package-extensions.sh` to build one `<slug>.zip` per extension under `dist/`; see [](./docs/RELEASE.md#packaging-extensions`docs/RELEASE.md`](./docs/RELEASE.md#packaging-extensions](./docs/RELEASE.md#packaging-extensions) for the full packaging steps. (`extensions/base/` is a shared base library for extension authors, not an installable plugin.) |
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- **Code Editor** (`desktop-mode-code-editor`) — a Monaco-backed Code editor native window for browsing and editing files inside `wp-content`. Editing requires the `edit_plugins` capability and is disabled entirely when `DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT` is set. |
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- **Cron Manager** (`desktop-mode-cron-manager`) — a Cron Jobs native window for browsing, editing, deleting, and running WP-Cron events. Gated by `manage_options`. |
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- **Popup Siege** (`desktop-mode-popup-siege`) — a 90-second Breakout-style archive rescue game with Desktop Mode leaderboards, play-time tracking, and score-to-beat challenges. The deterministic game runtime is lazy-loaded on first play. |
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- **SOL Inbound Monologue** (`desktop-mode-feed-buddy`) — an AIM-era RSS/Atom reader with a movable buddy-list widget, a native conversation-style reader window, per-user subscriptions and unread state, safe server-side feed discovery, and optional synthesized chimes. |
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- **phpMyAdmin** (`desktop-mode-phpmyadmin`) — embeds a bundled phpMyAdmin install as a native window. **Local environments only**: the window registers solely when `wp_get_environment_type()` is `'local'`, because the bundled phpMyAdmin runs with `auth_type=config` and reuses the WordPress DB credentials — any visitor who finds the URL gets full DB access. The `manage_options` check only hides the shortcut from lower-privilege users; it does **not** gate the underlying URL. |
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--- |
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## How to run it |
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### Quick install |
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Just want to try it? Grab the pre-built zip and upload it to any WordPress — [](https://developer.wordpress.com/studio/Studio by WordPress.com](https://developer.wordpress.com/studio/](https://developer.wordpress.com/studio/), [](https://developer.wordpress.org/block-editor/reference-guides/packages/packages-env/`wp-env`](https://developer.wordpress.org/block-editor/reference-guides/packages/packages-env/](https://developer.wordpress.org/block-editor/reference-guides/packages/packages-env/), or a hosted site. No Node, no build step. |
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1. Download [](https://github.com/WordPress/desktop-mode/releases/latest/download/desktop-mode.zip`desktop-mode.zip`](https://github.com/WordPress/desktop-mode/releases/latest/download/desktop-mode.zip](https://github.com/WordPress/desktop-mode/releases/latest/download/desktop-mode.zip) from the latest release (or pick a specific version from the [](https://github.com/WordPress/desktop-mode/releasesreleases page](https://github.com/WordPress/desktop-mode/releases](https://github.com/WordPress/desktop-mode/releases)). |
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2. In WP Admin: **Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin**, choose the zip, and activate. |
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3. Click the **desktop** icon in the admin bar's top-right corner. The admin reloads inside the desktop shell. Click the same icon again to return to classic admin. |
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### Development setup |
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For hacking on the plugin: clone the repo, run the build in watch mode, and load it into a local WordPress via symlink so every save is one browser refresh away. |
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#### 1. Install dependencies |
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```bash |
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npm install |
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``` |
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#### 2. Build the TypeScript bundle |
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The plugin uses **[](https://vitejs.dev/Vite](https://vitejs.dev/](https://vitejs.dev/)** in library mode. esbuild handles transpile and minify, so builds finish in ~70 ms per bundle. |
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**Full build** — runs the PixiJS vendor-copy step plus every `build:*` target defined in `package.json` (one Vite bundle each; the `scripts` block in `package.json` and the entry map in `vite.config.js` are the authoritative target list): |
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```bash |
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npm run build |
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``` |
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Writes one `assets/js/<target>.js` / `.min.js` pair per target, including: |
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- `assets/js/desktop.js` / `.min.js` — main shell bundle (loaded based on `SCRIPT_DEBUG`). |
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- `assets/js/iframe-bridge.js` / `.min.js` — opt-in bridge that gives any same-origin iframe access to `wp.desktop.iframe.*`. |
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- `assets/js/recycle-bin.js` / `.min.js` — Recycle Bin native window. |
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- `assets/js/posts-window.js` / `.min.js` — Native Posts window (the `<wpd-table>` replacement for the `edit.php` iframe; opt-in per user via OS Settings → Features). |
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**Development watch** — auto-recompiles the unminified bundle on save: |
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```bash |
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npm run dev |
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``` |
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Leave it running in a separate terminal; refresh the browser after each save. Set `define( 'SCRIPT_DEBUG', true )` in `wp-config.php` so WordPress picks up the unminified bundle during development. |
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#### 3. Load into a local WordPress |
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You need a running WordPress to load the plugin into. Pick whichever is easier. |
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##### Studio, wp-env, or a hosted WP |
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Run `npm run package` to build a zip from `HEAD` (with correct 0644 / 0755 permissions), then follow the [](#quick-installQuick install](#quick-install](#quick-install) steps 2–3 to upload and activate it. Re-package and re-upload after each change. |
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> If you changed source, run `npm run build` before `npm run package` — the Vite output is gitignored, and `bin/package.sh` splices the built files into the zip from your working tree. |
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##### Clone `wordpress-develop` and symlink |
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Gives you the full dev loop: `npm run dev` rebuilds on save, a browser refresh picks it up. |
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```bash |
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# clone Core's Docker-based dev host alongside this repo |
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git clone https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop.git |
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cd wordpress-develop |
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npm install |
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# symlink this plugin into the WP plugins directory |
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ln -s "$(pwd)/../alcazaba-plugin" src/wp-content/plugins/desktop-mode |
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# boot + install WordPress |
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npm run env:start # nginx + PHP + MySQL in Docker |
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npm run env:install # installs WordPress |
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``` |
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Site: **http://localhost:8889** |
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Admin: **http://localhost:8889/wp-admin/** |
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Credentials: `admin` / `password` |
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Stop the environment with `npm run env:stop` (from the `wordpress-develop` directory). Activate the plugin per [](#quick-installQuick install](#quick-install](#quick-install) steps 2–3. |
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--- |
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|
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## Requirements |
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|
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- WordPress **6.0+** |
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- PHP **7.4+** |
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|
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## For plugin authors |
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**This plugin is built to be extended.** Every significant behavior is hookable — drop an icon on the desktop, add a dock item, gate desktop mode by role, react to window events, or register a native window, all from your own plugin with zero patches here. |
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**See [](./docs/README.md`docs/`](./docs/README.md](./docs/README.md) — the developer documentation index.** |
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Quick links: |
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- [](./docs/getting-started.mdGetting Started](./docs/getting-started.md](./docs/getting-started.md) — the five-minute tour for plugin authors. |
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- [](./docs/architecture.mdArchitecture](./docs/architecture.md](./docs/architecture.md) — how the pieces fit together. |
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- [](./docs/hooks-reference.mdHooks Reference](./docs/hooks-reference.md](./docs/hooks-reference.md) — every action and filter we fire, with signatures and examples. |
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- [](./docs/javascript-reference.mdJavaScript Reference](./docs/javascript-reference.md](./docs/javascript-reference.md) — CustomEvents, `window.wp.desktop` API, and the iframe `postMessage` bridge. |
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- [](./docs/examples/Examples](./docs/examples/](./docs/examples/) — copy-paste recipes. |
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## License |
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GPLv2 or later. See [](LICENSELICENSE](LICENSE](LICENSE). |
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