One of the reasons we decided to re-code Awesome Support from the ground up is because we didn't have enough time to improve it. With all the customer support, plus the file structure that wasn't designed to be so much extendable it really became a problem with version 2.

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

When we started working on version 3, we looked into the possibilities of speeding up development. One of the core components of a plugin such as Awesome Support is the options framework. With so many options available, we needed something better, well done and powerful.

To be honest, the settings page in versions 1 and 2 was not so good. It was messy, unorganized and super long. Even I struggled to find a specific option sometimes. We needed something better, but we didn't want to spend too much time developing it (there is already so much to do with the actual support features).

Awesome Support v2 Settings Page

A little while ago, while working on another plugin, I've been around and tested options frameworks for WordPress. Lots of them. My main criteria were:

• Takes advantage of the WordPress Setting API
• Easy to implement (easy to add new options)
• Large number of option types
• Easily customizable

I ended up identifying 2 impressive frameworks. Redux Framework and Titan Framework.

I ended up going with Titan Framework because it allowed me to create tons of option types in a snap. It was easy to integrate into an existing project and it didn't require too much resources. Not that Redux does all of this wrong. Redux is a good framework, but Titan offers a lot straight out of the box and has a nice community.

Titan Framework is the people

I've kept on working with Titan Framework since then. I used it in a couple of other projects, and it seemed to be the right choice for Awesome Support. I actually got to know Benjamin, the guy behind TF, and I tried to get involved with the development of TF.

If you look at the numbers, Titan is a little smaller than Redux. This has drawbacks of course, but it also makes Titan more approachable. I've asked Benjamin for new things and bugfixes countless times (sorry about that!) and he's always been very reactive and helpful. This is why I've been happy to add my modest contribution when I had the opportunity.

As it is used by its creator everyday, Titan never stops evolving. Benjamin as some really good ideas, the last one being to create a "Underscores-like" creation tool. You just need to give your theme a name, and in one click you have a ready to customize theme based on Underscores and Titan Framework.

Titan Framework Theme Generator

In the end, we're very happy to be working with Titan. It makes our settings pages crystal clear and we don't spend time debugging this part of the plugin. This framework offers good performance which helps keep Awesome Support lightweight.

General Settings in Awesome Support V3