Preserve Code Formatting
by Scott Reilly · Uncategorized
Also makes 64 other plugins · 78.4K+ installs across the portfolio →
Preserve formatting of code for display by preventing its modification by WordPress and other plugins while also retaining whitespace.
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
B 70/100
Stale · Few reviews
Active installs
400+
≈450 estimated
Momentum
+20%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “code”, “content” and “post” for “content formatting”, “coffee2code” and “ellipsis”. “code” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “content formatting” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “content” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “coffee2code” sits at #12 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “post” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “ellipsis” sits at #16 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
70 health vs 58 average across 25,735 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.8%
of downloads still active
At least 400 of 50.1K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,766 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.
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.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 442 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.8.12, the current branch or newer
4.7★ over 3 reviews, smoothed to 4.13★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 442 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.
33
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.3
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
7%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.4
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| formatting your tag | #2 | #12 | up 1 |
| content formatting | #7 | #20 | down 1 |
| syntaxhighlighter | #7 | #7 | down 1 |
| whitespace | #13 | #16 | down 2 |
| escape your tag | #18 | #21 | 0 |
| coffee2code | #12 | #11 | down 1 |
| ellipsis | #16 | #17 | down 1 |
| short code | #24 | #23 | 0 |
| post formatting | #16 | #23 | 0 |
| code your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| content your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| post your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
17 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 9 listed. 8 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “code”, “content” and “post” for “content formatting”, “coffee2code” and “ellipsis”. “code” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “content formatting” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “content” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “coffee2code” sits at #12 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “post” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “ellipsis” sits at #16 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 436 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
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
1.2y ago
latest release · v5.0 · 15 Aug 2025
19
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 57% 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 “400+”. 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 54% of the way through.
Install history since 1 Apr 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ codesynch10.6y ago
Brilliant. I don’t know what it did in the background, but this plugin works like a charm. Wish it had more options to change the font and things like that for the .
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ General Seed10.6y ago
This plugin help me, works fine, thanks for it. Plase keep updated when need it. Regards
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Murphys Chaos11.5y ago
The format preservation feature is quite useful if you ever want to display code on your WordPress site. One limitation seems to be that it doesn’t protect against switching over to the “Visual” tab in WordPress’ editor. Leading whitespace will still be trimmed.
Read on wp.org ↗
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (5.0). Sites still on an older version should update.
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.8.2
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
5 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Preserve formatting of code for display by preventing its modification by WordPress and other plugins while..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 6 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 6 of 6 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("if you have"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 2 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,042 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "escape" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-05-15 500+ → 400+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-05-14 400+ → 500+ up after 47 days in tier
- 2026-03-28 500+ → 400+ down after 249 days in tier
- 2025-07-22 600+ → 500+ down after 5 days in tier
- 2025-07-17 500+ → 600+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-07-16 600+ → 500+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2025-07-13 500+ → 600+ up after 7 days in tier
- 2025-07-06 600+ → 500+ down after 5 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).
- A Advanced Excerpt 80K+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags A
- W WP Typograph Lite 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D
-
wpuntexturize 900+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags C -
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag A -
Code Snippets 1M+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
One Click Demo Import 1M+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Preserve Code Formatting into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/preserve-code-formatting" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Preserve Code Formatting — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Preserve Code Formatting: 400+ active installs, 4.7★ (3 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/preserve-code-formatting
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.