Is it mandatory to keep metadata.json file in plugin folder?

Question

Every plugin folder have metadata.json file.

Is it mandatory to keep metadata.json file in plugin folder?

Answer 1

It is not mandatory, but you will lose lot's of basic stuff such as: plugin name, ability to (really) disable the plugin, Q2A and PHP version checks, plugin version update checks, among others.

You could move that to the qa-plugin.php file but that behavior is deprecated and you won't be able to disable the plugin anyway, if you do so.

Considering it is just a single and considerable small file, it makes no sense at all to take any action on that.

Comments

The "Enabled" checkbox is disabled.  So all plugins without a metadata.json file are always enabled. That's why I said in my answer "ability to (really) disable the plugin"

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ok.. But there is one plugin which have metadata file but still checkbox is disabled. What could be the reason here...

{
  "name": "Q2A Social Sharing",
  "uri": "https://github.com/amiyasahu/q2a-social-share/",
  "description": "Adds Clickable Social Sharing Buttons Below Questions",
  "version": "1.7.0",
  "date": "2016-02-07",
  "author": "Amiya Sahu",
  "author_uri": "http://www.amiyasahu.com/",
  "license": "GPLv3",
  "update_uri": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/amiyasahu/q2a-social-share/master/qa-plugin.php",
  "min_q2a": "1.5",
  "min_php": "5.1.6"
}

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The metadata provides a way to disable the plugin in Q2A. However, the metadata.json file needs to be properly configured for that to happen.

Make sure it ends this way:

    "min_php": "5.1.6",
    "load_order": "after_db_init"
}

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That's just great ! You are a Q2a champion ! Thanks !!