Creating Virtual Files

Learn how to create different types of virtual files, configure them properly, and publish them to your WordPress site.

File Creation Process

Step 1: Access File Creation

1. Navigate to Virtual Files

   • In WordPress admin, click Virtual Files in left menu
   • Click Add New button
   • Or visit directly: /wp-admin/post-new.php?post_type=virtual_file

2. File Creation Interface

   • Title: Descriptive name for your reference
   • Filename: Actual filename that will be served (without extension)
   • File Type: Extension and MIME type selection via dropdown
   • Content Editor: Where you add file content (textarea or CodeMirror)
   • Status: Active/Inactive selector in sidebar
   • Enhanced Info Sidebar: Shows MIME type, public URL, and analytics (Pro)
   • Action Buttons: Copy URL, Visit File, Upgrade to Pro

Step 2: Configure File Details

Basic Information

• Title: Internal name for organization (e.g., "Main Robots File")
• Filename: The actual URL filename without extension (e.g., robots)
• File Type: Choose from supported extensions via dropdown

File Types and Extensions

File Type	Extension	MIME Type	Best For
Text File	.txt	text/plain	Documentation, logs, simple data
Markdown	.md	text/markdown	Documentation, readme files
JSON	.json	application/json	API responses, configuration
XML	.xml	application/xml	Sitemaps, RSS feeds, data exchange
RSS	.rss	application/rss+xml	News feeds, updates
CSV	.csv	text/csv	Data export, spreadsheets
YAML	.yml, .yaml	text/yaml	Configuration files
Log File	.log	text/plain	Debug logs, access logs

Step 3: Add Content

Content Editor Features

• Basic Editor (Free): Simple WordPress text area with monospace font
• CodeMirror Editor (Pro): Professional code editor with:
  • Syntax highlighting for all supported file types
  • Line numbers and bracket matching
  • Search functionality
  • Dark/light theme options (default/monokai)
  • Auto-indent and code folding
  • Keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl-Space autocomplete, Ctrl-/ toggle comment, F11 fullscreen)

Content Validation

• Real-time Validation: Shows file accessibility status
• Security Scanning: Automatic content sanitization (PHP tag removal, script/iframe filtering)
• Size Limits: 1MB maximum content size
• Uniqueness Check: Prevents duplicate filenames
• Character Validation: No forbidden characters (<>:"|?*)

File Type Examples

Text Files (.txt)

robots.txt Example

User-agent: *
Allow: /
Disallow: /wp-admin/
Disallow: /wp-includes/
Disallow: /wp-content/plugins/
Disallow: /wp-content/themes/
Disallow: /readme.html
Disallow: /license.txt

# Allow specific bots
User-agent: Googlebot
Allow: /

User-agent: Bingbot
Allow: /

# Sitemap location
Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml

# Crawl delay
Crawl-delay: 1

.htaccess Example

# Security headers
<IfModule mod_headers.c>
    Header always set X-Content-Type-Options nosniff
    Header always set X-Frame-Options DENY
    Header always set X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block"
</IfModule>

# Performance optimization
<IfModule mod_expires.c>
    ExpiresActive On
    ExpiresByType text/css "access plus 1 year"
    ExpiresByType application/javascript "access plus 1 year"
    ExpiresByType image/png "access plus 1 month"
    ExpiresByType image/jpg "access plus 1 month"
    ExpiresByType image/gif "access plus 1 month"
</IfModule>

# Gzip compression
<IfModule mod_deflate.c>
    AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/plain
    AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html
    AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/xml
    AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/css
    AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/xml
    AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/javascript
    AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/rss+xml
</IfModule>

Markdown Files (.md)

API Documentation Example

# API Documentation

## Overview
This API provides access to website content in JSON format.

## Authentication
All API endpoints require authentication:

```bash
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
     https://yourdomain.com/api/posts.json

Endpoints

Posts

URL: /api/posts.jsonMethod: GET Description: Retrieve all published posts

Response:

{
  "status": "success",
  "data": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "title": "Sample Post",
      "slug": "sample-post",
      "content": "Post content here",
      "date": "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z",
      "author": "John Doe"
    }
  ],
  "total": 1,
  "pages": 1
}

Pages

URL: /api/pages.jsonMethod: GET Description: Retrieve all published pages

Media

URL: /api/media.jsonMethod: GET Description: Retrieve media library items

Error Handling

401 Unauthorized

{
  "error": "unauthorized",
  "message": "Invalid or missing authentication token"
}

404 Not Found

{
  "error": "not_found",
  "message": "Requested resource not found"
}

Rate Limiting

• Requests: 100 per hour per IP
• Burst: 10 requests per minute
• Headers: Check X-RateLimit-Limit and X-RateLimit-Remaining

Usage Examples

JavaScript

// Fetch posts
fetch('/api/posts.json')
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => {
    console.log('Posts:', data.data);
  })
  .catch(error => {
    console.error('Error:', error);
  });

PHP

// Fetch posts using WordPress HTTP API
$response = wp_remote_get('https://yourdomain.com/api/posts.json');
if (!is_wp_error($response)) {
  $data = json_decode(wp_remote_retrieve_body($response), true);
  print_r($data);
}

License

© 2026 Your Website Name. All rights reserved.

### **JSON Files (.json)**

#### **Configuration File Example**
```json
{
  "application": {
    "name": "My WordPress Site",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "environment": "production",
    "debug": false
  },
  "api": {
    "version": "v1",
    "base_url": "https://yourdomain.com/api",
    "endpoints": {
      "posts": "/posts.json",
      "pages": "/pages.json",
      "media": "/media.json",
      "users": "/users.json"
    },
    "authentication": {
      "type": "bearer_token",
      "required": true
    },
    "rate_limiting": {
      "requests_per_hour": 100,
      "burst_per_minute": 10
    }
  },
  "features": {
    "caching": {
      "enabled": true,
      "ttl": 3600,
      "invalidation": "auto"
    },
    "cors": {
      "enabled": true,
      "allowed_origins": ["*"],
      "allowed_methods": ["GET", "POST", "PUT", "DELETE"],
      "allowed_headers": ["Content-Type", "Authorization"]
    },
    "analytics": {
      "enabled": true,
      "tracking_level": "detailed"
    }
  },
  "security": {
    "https_required": true,
    "token_expiration": 86400,
    "max_request_size": "10MB"
  },
  "database": {
    "type": "mysql",
    "version": "8.0+",
    "charset": "utf8mb4"
  },
  "wordpress": {
    "version": "6.0+",
    "multisite": false,
    "permalink_structure": "/%postname%/"
  }
}

API Response Example

{
  "status": "success",
  "message": "Data retrieved successfully",
  "timestamp": "2026-01-01T12:00:00Z",
  "data": {
    "posts": [
      {
        "id": 1,
        "title": "Welcome to Our Site",
        "slug": "welcome",
        "content": "Welcome to our amazing website!",
        "excerpt": "Welcome to our amazing website!",
        "author": {
          "id": 1,
          "name": "Admin User",
          "email": "admin@yourdomain.com"
        },
        "categories": [
          {
            "id": 1,
            "name": "Uncategorized",
            "slug": "uncategorized"
          }
        ],
        "tags": ["welcome", "intro"],
        "featured_media": null,
        "status": "published",
        "date_created": "2026-01-01T10:00:00Z",
        "date_modified": "2026-01-01T10:00:00Z",
        "url": "https://yourdomain.com/welcome",
        "meta": {
          "views": 150,
          "likes": 12,
          "shares": 5
        }
      }
    ],
    "pagination": {
      "current_page": 1,
      "total_pages": 5,
      "total_items": 25,
      "items_per_page": 5,
      "has_next": true,
      "has_prev": false
    }
  },
  "performance": {
    "query_time": "0.045s",
    "memory_usage": "12.5MB",
    "cache_hit": true
  }
}

XML Files (.xml)

Sitemap Example

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9"
        xmlns:image="http://www.google.com/schemas/sitemap-image/1.1"
        xmlns:news="http://www.google.com/schemas/sitemap-news/0.9">
    
    <!-- Homepage -->
    <url>
        <loc>https://yourdomain.com/</loc>
        <lastmod>2026-01-01T12:00:00+00:00</lastmod>
        <changefreq>daily</changefreq>
        <priority>1.0</priority>
        <image:image>
            <image:loc>https://yourdomain.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/homepage.jpg</image:loc>
            <image:title>Homepage Image</image:title>
            <image:caption>Main website banner</image:caption>
        </image:image>
    </url>
    
    <!-- Posts -->
    <url>
        <loc>https://yourdomain.com/sample-post</loc>
        <lastmod>2026-01-01T10:00:00+00:00</lastmod>
        <changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
        <priority>0.8</priority>
        <image:image>
            <image:loc>https://yourdomain.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/post-image.jpg</image:loc>
            <image:title>Sample Post Image</image:title>
        </image:image>
    </url>
    
    <!-- Pages -->
    <url>
        <loc>https://yourdomain.com/about-us</loc>
        <lastmod>2026-01-01T08:00:00+00:00</lastmod>
        <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
        <priority>0.6</priority>
    </url>
    
    <!-- Categories -->
    <url>
        <loc>https://yourdomain.com/category/technology</loc>
        <lastmod>2026-01-01T09:00:00+00:00</lastmod>
        <changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
        <priority>0.7</priority>
    </url>
    
</urlset>

RSS Feed Example

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
     xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
     xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">
    
    <channel>
        <title>My WordPress Site</title>
        <description>Latest news and updates from My WordPress Site</description>
        <link>https://yourdomain.com</link>
        <language>en-US</language>
        <copyright>Copyright 2026 My WordPress Site. All rights reserved.</copyright>
        <managingEditor>editor@yourdomain.com</managingEditor>
        <webMaster>webmaster@yourdomain.com</webMaster>
        <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
        <lastBuildDate>Mon, 01 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000</lastBuildDate>
        <generator>WordPress 6.0</generator>
        <docs>https://www.rssboard.org/rss/specification</docs>
        <ttl>60</ttl>
        <image>
            <url>https://yourdomain.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/logo.jpg</url>
            <title>My WordPress Site</title>
            <link>https://yourdomain.com</link>
            <width>144</width>
            <height>144</height>
            <description>Site logo</description>
        </image>
        
        <!-- Posts -->
        <item>
            <title>Sample Post Title</title>
            <link>https://yourdomain.com/sample-post</link>
            <comments>https://yourdomain.com/sample-post#comments</comments>
            <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jan 2026 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <dc:creator>Admin User</dc:creator>
            <category>Technology</category>
            <category>WordPress</category>
            <guid isPermaLink="true">https://yourdomain.com/sample-post</guid>
            <description>This is a sample post description that appears in RSS feeds.</description>
            <content:encoded><![CDATA[
                <p>This is the full content of the post with <strong>HTML formatting</strong> preserved.</p>
                <img src="https://yourdomain.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/post-image.jpg" alt="Post image" />
                <p>Continue reading the post for more information...</p>
            ]]></content:encoded>
            <enclosure url="https://yourdomain.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/podcast.mp3" 
                     type="audio/mpeg" 
                     length="1234567" />
        </item>
        
        <item>
            <title>Another Post</title>
            <link>https://yourdomain.com/another-post</link>
            <pubDate>Sun, 31 Dec 2023 15:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <dc:creator>Guest Author</dc:creator>
            <category>Tutorials</category>
            <description>Another post description for RSS feed.</description>
            <content:encoded><![CDATA[
                <p>Full content with HTML formatting and images.</p>
            ]]></content:encoded>
        </item>
        
    </channel>
    
</rss>

CSV Files (.csv)

Product Export Example

id,title,description,price,category,stock,sku,created_at
1,"WordPress Theme","Premium WordPress theme with modern design",49.99,"Themes",15,"WP-THEME-001","2026-01-01T10:00:00Z"
2,"Plugin Bundle","Collection of essential WordPress plugins",29.99,"Plugins",50,"WP-BUNDLE-001","2026-01-02T14:30:00Z"
3,"Support Package","1 year priority support package",99.99,"Services",100,"WP-SUPPORT-001","2026-01-03T09:15:00Z"
4,"Custom Development","Custom WordPress development service",299.99,"Services",5,"WP-DEV-001","2026-01-04T16:45:00Z"

User Export Example

id,username,email,first_name,last_name,role,registered_at,last_login
1,"admin","admin@yourdomain.com","Admin","User","administrator","2026-01-01T10:00:00Z","2026-01-15T14:30:00Z"
2,"editor","editor@yourdomain.com","Editor","User","editor","2026-01-02T11:20:00Z","2026-01-14T09:45:00Z"
3,"author","author@yourdomain.com","Author","User","author","2026-01-03T13:45:00Z","2026-01-13T16:20:00Z"

YAML Files (.yml/.yaml)

Docker Configuration Example

# WordPress Docker Configuration
version: '3.8'

services:
  # WordPress Application
  wordpress:
    image: wordpress:6.0-php8.0-apache
    container_name: my-wordpress
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    environment:
      WORDPRESS_DB_HOST: db
      WORDPRESS_DB_USER: wordpress
      WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD: secure_password_here
      WORDPRESS_DB_NAME: wordpress
      WORDPRESS_TABLE_PREFIX: wp_
      WORDPRESS_DEBUG: false
    volumes:
      - ./wp-content:/var/www/html/wp-content
      - ./uploads:/var/www/html/wp-content/uploads
    depends_on:
      - db
    networks:
      - wordpress-network

  # MySQL Database
  db:
    image: mysql:8.0
    container_name: my-wordpress-db
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      MYSQL_DATABASE: wordpress
      MYSQL_USER: wordpress
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: secure_password_here
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: root_password_here
    volumes:
      - db_data:/var/lib/mysql
      - ./mysql-backups:/backup
    networks:
      - wordpress-network

  # Redis Cache
  redis:
    image: redis:7-alpine
    container_name: my-wordpress-redis
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "6379:6379"
    volumes:
      - redis_data:/data
    networks:
      - wordpress-network

  # Nginx Reverse Proxy
  nginx:
    image: nginx:alpine
    container_name: my-wordpress-nginx
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"
    volumes:
      - ./nginx.conf:/etc/nginx/nginx.conf
      - ./ssl:/etc/nginx/ssl
    depends_on:
      - wordpress
    networks:
      - wordpress-network

# Volumes
volumes:
  db_data:
    driver: local
  redis_data:
    driver: local

# Networks
networks:
  wordpress-network:
    driver: bridge

CI/CD Pipeline Example

# GitHub Actions Workflow for WordPress
name: WordPress Deployment

on:
  push:
    branches: [ main, develop ]
  pull_request:
    branches: [ main ]

env:
  NODE_VERSION: '18'
  PHP_VERSION: '8.0'

jobs:
  # Test Suite
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    
    services:
      mysql:
        image: mysql:8.0
        env:
          MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: root
          MYSQL_DATABASE: wordpress_test
        options: >-
          --health-cmd="mysqladmin ping"
          --health-interval=10s
          --health-timeout=5s
          --health-retries=3
        ports:
          - 3306:3306

    steps:
    - name: Checkout code
      uses: actions/checkout@v3

    - name: Setup Node.js
      uses: actions/setup-node@v3
      with:
        node-version: ${{ env.NODE_VERSION }}
        cache: 'npm'

    - name: Setup PHP
      uses: shivammathur/setup-php@v2
      with:
        php-version: ${{ env.PHP_VERSION }}
        extensions: mbstring, xml, mysql, curl
        coverage: xdebug

    - name: Install dependencies
      run: |
        npm ci
        composer install --no-progress --no-suggest --optimize-autoloader

    - name: Run tests
      run: |
        npm run test:php
        npm run test:js

    - name: Code coverage
      run: |
        npm run coverage:php
        npm run coverage:js

  # Build and Deploy
  deploy:
    needs: test
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
    
    steps:
    - name: Checkout code
      uses: actions/checkout@v3

    - name: Setup Node.js
      uses: actions/setup-node@v3
      with:
        node-version: ${{ env.NODE_VERSION }}

    - name: Build assets
      run: |
        npm ci
        npm run build

    - name: Deploy to server
      uses: appleboy/ssh-action@v0.1.5
      with:
        host: ${{ secrets.HOST }}
        username: ${{ secrets.USERNAME }}
        key: ${{ secrets.SSH_KEY }}
        script: |
          cd /var/www/html
          git pull origin main
          npm run build
          wp plugin activate virtual-files
          wp cache flush

Free vs Pro File Limits

Free Version

• Maximum 5 active virtual files
• Only 5 most recently updated active files are accessible
• Older files return 404 even if set to "Active"
• Basic text editor only
• No file analytics

Pro Version

• Unlimited virtual files
• All active files are accessible
• Advanced CodeMirror editor
• File analytics and tracking
• All file types supported

Publishing and Testing

Publishing Your File

1. Review Content: Double-check your file content for errors
2. Set Status: Choose "Active" to make file publicly accessible or "Inactive" to keep it private
3. Save File: Click "Publish" (for new files) or "Update" (for existing files)
4. Test Access: Verify file is accessible via its URL

Testing Your Virtual File

1. Direct URL: Visit yourdomain.com/your-filename.ext
2. Headers Check: Verify correct MIME headers are sent
3. Content Validation: Ensure content displays correctly
4. Performance: Check load times and caching

Common Testing Methods

CURL Testing

# Test file with headers
curl -I https://yourdomain.com/robots.txt

# Test file content
curl https://yourdomain.com/api-config.json

# Test with specific headers
curl -H "Accept: application/json" \
     https://yourdomain.com/api-endpoint.json

Browser Testing

• Chrome DevTools: Check Network tab for headers
• Firefox Developer: Inspect response headers
• Safari Web Inspector: Verify content delivery

Validation Tools

• JSON: Use JSONLint
• XML: Use W3C Validator
• RSS: Use W3C Feed Validator
• CSV: Use CSV Validator

Best Practices

File Naming

• Use lowercase letters
• Avoid spaces (use hyphens)
• Keep names descriptive but short
• Use appropriate extensions
• Avoid special characters

Content Optimization

• Keep file sizes reasonable
• Use proper formatting
• Validate syntax before publishing
• Test in multiple browsers

Security Considerations

• Don't include sensitive data
• Validate user input in dynamic content
• Use HTTPS for sensitive endpoints
• Regular security audits

Performance Tips

• Enable caching for frequently accessed files (Pro feature)
• Use appropriate file formats for your use case
• Monitor file access through WordPress analytics (Pro feature)
• Consider rewrite rules efficiency

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

File Not Accessible

1. Check file status is "Active" (for Free users: only 5 most recent active files are accessible)
2. Verify rewrite rules are flushed
3. Check file doesn't conflict with existing WordPress URLs
4. Test with different browsers

Incorrect MIME Type

1. Verify file extension matches content
2. Check MIME type settings
3. Validate content format
4. Test with header inspection tools

Content Not Displaying

1. Check for syntax errors
2. Verify content encoding
3. Test with validation tools
4. Check browser console for errors

Getting Help

• Documentation: Check our troubleshooting guide
• Support: Contact through WordPress admin or Freemius
• Community: Join our WordPress forums

Next Steps

Now that you've mastered creating virtual files:

1. Learn File Management: Advanced organization techniques
2. Configure Settings: Optimize your plugin configuration
3. Explore Backup & Restore: Backup and restore capabilities
4. Check Features: Discover advanced functionality