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Show Plugin Version in plugin_row_meta (Code Snippet)

Jake Colins

When developing WordPress plugins, it’s essential to provide users with transparency and readily available information about the plugin version. One effective and professional way to achieve this is by displaying the version number directly in the plugin row within the Plugins screen in the WordPress Admin Dashboard. This ensures clarity, simplifies troubleshooting, and reinforces trust with your users.

WordPress provides various action hooks and filters that allow developers to customize the look and behavior of plugin listings. One such filter is plugin_row_meta, which lets us append custom data below the plugin’s description. In this article, we will explore how to utilize this hook to show your plugin version directly in the plugin list, complete with a code snippet, a breakdown of its implementation, and best practices.

Why Display the Plugin Version in plugin_row_meta?

Although WordPress already displays the plugin version in the main plugin file’s comment block, it’s often buried and only visible when a user clicks “View Details”. For power users and developers—especially those managing multiple sites or dozens of plugins—this information should be easily accessible at a glance.

By displaying your plugin version within the plugin_row_meta section:

Understanding plugin_row_meta

The plugin_row_meta filter is triggered when WordPress renders each plugin in the plugin management interface. By hooking into this filter, developers can append additional links or metadata beneath any given plugin’s name and description.

This filter passes three parameters:

  1. $plugin_meta — An array of metadata links already set by WordPress.
  2. $plugin_file — The path to the plugin file relative to the plugins directory.
  3. $plugin_data — An associative array of plugin metadata extracted from the plugin file headers.

With this understanding in place, let’s look at a complete solution to display the plugin’s version using this hook.

Implementation: The Code Snippet

Here is a simple code example that shows how to hook into plugin_row_meta to display your plugin version alongside other plugin meta items:


/
 * Display plugin version in plugin row meta.
 *
 * @param array $plugin_meta
 * @param string $plugin_file
 * @param array $plugin_data
 * @return array
 */
function my_plugin_show_version_in_row_meta( $plugin_meta, $plugin_file, $plugin_data ) {
    // Replace 'my-plugin/my-plugin.php' with the path to your main plugin file
    if ( $plugin_file === 'my-plugin/my-plugin.php' ) {
        $version = isset( $plugin_data['Version'] ) ? $plugin_data['Version'] : 'N/A';
        // Customize the label as needed
        $plugin_meta[] = 'Version: ' . esc_html( $version );
    }
    return $plugin_meta;
}
add_filter( 'plugin_row_meta', 'my_plugin_show_version_in_row_meta', 10, 3 );

This code achieves the following:

This version label will now appear under your plugin name and description in the Plugins admin screen alongside other helpful links like “Deactivate”, “Edit”, or “View Details”.

Best Practices for Using plugin_row_meta

When enhancing the Admin interface, user experience and clarity should be top priorities. Here are some best practices when extending plugin_row_meta:

1. Scope Your Condition

Always verify that the plugin file passed into the filter callback matches your plugin. This ensures you’re not injecting HTML into other plugins’ admin views and prevents side effects.

2. Keep Output Clean and Concise

Only display the most relevant data. Avoid long descriptions or verbose printouts that may clutter the UI or confuse users.

3. Use WordPress Sanitization Functions

Use functions like esc_html() to ensure nothing harmful or malformed makes its way into the admin interface. Even though this is your plugin, best practices still apply.

4. Localize for Translation

If your plugin supports international use, wrap displayed strings in __() or _e() with a text domain to allow for localization.


$plugin_meta[] = sprintf( '%s %s', __( 'Version:', 'my-plugin-textdomain' ), esc_html( $version ) );

Going Further: Adding More Useful Metadata

In addition to the version number, you can use plugin_row_meta to display more helpful metadata, such as:

Here’s an example that includes a changelog link along with the version number:


function my_plugin_show_extended_meta( $plugin_meta, $plugin_file, $plugin_data ) {
    if ( $plugin_file === 'my-plugin/my-plugin.php' ) {
        $version = isset( $plugin_data['Version'] ) ? esc_html( $plugin_data['Version'] ) : 'N/A';

        $plugin_meta[] = sprintf(
            '%s %s',
            __( 'Version:', 'my-plugin-textdomain' ),
            $version
        );

        $plugin_meta[] = sprintf(
            '— %s',
            esc_url( 'https://example.com/my-plugin/changelog' ),
            __( 'View Changelog', 'my-plugin-textdomain' )
        );
    }
    return $plugin_meta;
}
add_filter( 'plugin_row_meta', 'my_plugin_show_extended_meta', 10, 3 );

This presents a clean and actionable meta row that offers real value to administrators and developers alike.

Conclusion

Leveraging the plugin_row_meta filter to display your plugin’s version provides immediate and actionable insight for administrators. It lends professionalism to your plugin and enhances the user experience, especially in scenarios where efficient support and version control are critical.

By following the methods detailed in this article, you can easily insert the plugin version—or any custom metadata—into the WordPress Admin plugin row. Whether you’re an independent developer or part of a larger plugin team, implementing these features will elevate the perceived quality and utility of your plugin.

If you’re serious about maintaining plugin transparency and want to instill greater confidence in your users, displaying the plugin version directly in the admin area is a smart and low-effort improvement with high returns.

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