When WordPress released version 2.7 with better plugin discovery, and installation features, I literally did a happy dance – now let’s hope for something similar for themes but that’s another post for another day. So when I saw the Improved Plugin Installation Plugin mentioned over at Weblog Tools Collection, I was kinda skeptical. As you know, I enjoy plugins but prefer to keep them at a minimum. Besides, can it really get any better? So I gave it a whirl and guess what? LOVE it. Here’s why.

After you install the plugin, when you go to Plugins >> New, you’ll see a new box on the page where you can quickly add multiple plugins at one go. Enter the plugin name or URL in the box, one per line then click Install Now and voila! It grabs the plugins, uploads it to your site and gets them installed. No more hunting down plugins on your computer or installing one by one.

But my favorite part has got to be the bookmarklet feature that comes with this plugin. Here’s how it works. Sometimes, plugins are not found in the WordPress plugin directory but on individual sites. You drag the bookmarklet from your Plugins >> Add New screen to your browser’s bookmarks. When you find a plugin you’d like to install, on  click the bookmark “Install Plugin” while you’re on the site. If you’re logged into your blog, it’ll immediately grab the plugin, upload and install it. If not logged in, you’ll be prompted to do so. That is a huge time saver for those of us who work on a lot of blogs or build blogs for others.

Out of curiousity, I wondered if the bookmarklet was able to install several plugins at once. So I created a simple HTML page on my computer with direct links to the zipped packages of 3 plugins I’d like to install. I clicked on the bookmarklet, it took a minute or two for it to try to detect and then it asked me for the URL of the plugin I’d like to install.

So looks like it can’t do that. So consider this a suggestion for feature addition/improvements in the future. Still a good plugin though.