Advanced Custom Fields – Code Area Field
by taylor.mitchellstjoseph · Uncategorized
Also makes 2 other plugins · 1.3K+ installs across the portfolio →
Adds a 'Code Area' textarea editor field type for the Advanced Custom Fields WordPress plugin.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
D 44/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
300+
≈350 estimated
Momentum
+14%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “acf”, “advanced custom fields” and “code” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
44 health vs 58 average across 25,763 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.3%
of downloads still active
At least 300 of 112.6K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,773 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Uncategorized plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 12+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 3.5.2, well behind 6.8.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Under-optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 4576 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 3.5.2; the current branch is 6.8
3.8★ over 10 reviews, smoothed to 4.05★ and held back under 25 reviews
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4576 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| acf your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| advanced custom fields your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| code your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “acf”, “advanced custom fields” and “code” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 7.7K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #10,100 to #11,100, alongside the other plugins at 300+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 1 Nov 2026.
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
13.4y ago
latest release · v1.0.0 · 20 Jun 2013
2
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “300+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 6 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 53% of the way through.
Install history since 6 Sep 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ shanemac104.2y ago
This plugin uses old ACF code the was deprecated in 2014. The plugin doesn’t even get past the init hook. This topic was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by shanemac10.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ GearNutsNet8.1y ago
Do not update to ACF v5 if you are using this plugin. It it will break your site, stay with ACF v4.4.12. Please add support for ACF v5!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ George Manousarides10.8y ago
Works perfectly. Exactly what I needed it to do. Awesome add-on for the awesome main ACF plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ IlTimpa11.6y ago
I was in need to save some html code in database, by a custom field. I’ve tryed with your plugin but it seams not running for this.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ModusPonen11.7y ago
Turned my html into “WordPress corrected” html, just like the WYSIWYG editor. Why can’t this just stick the html into the template? To be more specific… My INPUT: <p>stuff<a href="link"><h5>linkTitle</h5></a></p> <p><h4>title</h4>stuff</p> This plugin’s OUTPUT: <p>stuff<a href="link"></a></p> <h5>linkTitle</h5> <p></p> <br> <p></p> <h4>title<h4> then my paragraph completely outside of any p tag <p></p> See the difference? This is exactly the kind of garbage I would expect this plugin to NOT do. Now I know nesting headers in a paragraph isn’t “proper” coding. But this is ‘Merica and ain’t nobody gonna tell me I can’t nest headers in paragraphs. The point being, I was looking for a plugin that didn’t reorder code and this did not help me.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ps3hero11.8y ago
works superb!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Bryan Willis12.2y ago
Great plugin Taylor. @ashbryant started a support thread about V5 support. Started working on it myself, but if you already got it in the works let me know so I don’t waste too much time trying to figure it out!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Chad12.8y ago
This is exactly what I was looking for!
Read on wp.org ↗
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
3 of 8 pass · checked 1 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Adds a 'Code Area' textarea editor field type for the Advanced Custom Fields WordPress plugin."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions ACF.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 543 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 3 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-05-14 400+ → 300+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-05-13 300+ → 400+ up after 5 days in tier
- 2026-05-08 400+ → 300+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2026-05-06 300+ → 400+ up after 4 days in tier
- 2026-05-02 400+ → 300+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-05-01 300+ → 400+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-04-30 400+ → 300+ down after 517 days in tier
- 2024-11-29 500+ → 400+ down after 230 days in tier
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
ACF Content Analysis for Yoast SEO 100K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B -
Advanced Custom Fields: Font Awesome Field 90K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Table Field Add-on for ACF and SCF 50K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Advanced Custom Fields: Gravity Forms Add-on 30K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B -
ACF Field For CF7 10K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags B -
ACF Theme Code for Advanced Custom Fields 10K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Advanced Custom Fields – Code Area Field into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/advanced-custom-fields-code-area-field" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Advanced Custom Fields – Code Area Field — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Advanced Custom Fields – Code Area Field: 300+ active installs, 3.8★ (10 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/advanced-custom-fields-code-area-field
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