Case Study: Bangla Font CDN Plugin

At Bytes Vibe, we’re passionate about empowering website owners with tools that enhance user experience and accessibility. One of our proudest achievements is the Bangla Font CDN plugin, a WordPress solution that brings 11 high-quality Bangla (Bengali) fonts to websites with ease. This case study explores the journey of developing, refining, and successfully publishing the plugin on WordPress.org, overcoming technical challenges, and ensuring a seamless experience for users worldwide.

Case Study: Building and Publishing the Bangla Font CDN Plugin for WordPress

The Challenge: Enhancing Bangla Typography on WordPress

Bengali is one of the most widely spoken languages globally, with millions of users accessing content online. However, many WordPress websites struggle to display Bangla text effectively due to limited font options, inconsistent rendering, or complex integration processes. Our goal was to create a plugin that:

Provides a curated selection of 11 Bangla fonts (e.g., Noto Serif Bengali, SolaimanLipi, Kalpurush).
Offers a user-friendly interface for font selection and typography customization.
Ensures local font hosting to eliminate external dependencies and improve performance.
Complies with WordPress.org’s strict guidelines for security, accessibility, and licensing.

We aimed to make Bangla Font CDN intuitive for non-technical users while robust enough for developers, all while addressing the unique challenges of Bangla script rendering.

The Development Process

Phase 1: Designing the Plugin

We began by researching popular Bangla fonts and their licensing terms. Fonts like Adorsho Lipi, Siyam Rupali, and Tiro Bangla were selected for their quality and open licenses (e.g., SIL Open Font License, GNU GPL). To avoid external CDN dependencies, we bundled all fonts locally within the plugin, ensuring faster load times and compliance with WordPress.org’s guidelines.

The plugin’s core features were defined:

Font Selection: A dropdown to choose from 11 fonts, with real-time previews of Bangla text.
Typography Settings: Options for font size, line height, letter spacing, and an override for theme font sizes.
Fallback Fonts: Support for fallback fonts (e.g., Arial, sans-serif) to ensure compatibility.
Reset Functionality: A one-click reset to default settings.
Disclaimer Page: Clear guidance on font licensing responsibilities.

We used PHP for the backend, leveraging WordPress’s Settings API for secure option handling. The frontend featured a modern, card-based UI styled with CSS and enhanced with jQuery for dynamic previews.

Phase 2: Building and Testing

The plugin, coded in bangla-font-cdn.php, was structured as a PHP class (Bangla_Font_CDN) for modularity. Key components included:

Font Enqueuing: Fonts were loaded via wp_enqueue_style() with local CSS files (e.g., fonts/noto-serif-bengali/font.css).
Admin Interface: A settings page under Settings > Bangla Font CDN and a disclaimer page for licensing info.
JavaScript Enhancements: admin-script.js handled real-time font and typography previews.
Security: Sanitization callbacks (sanitize_text_field, custom float sanitizers) ensured safe user input.

Local testing on WordPress 6.8 confirmed font rendering across themes. We used tools like Plugin Check to identify issues early, such as missing license headers and unescaped outputs, which were promptly fixed.

Phase 3: WordPress.org Submission Challenges

Submitting to WordPress.org was a learning experience. Initial reviews flagged several issues:

Nonce Verification Warnings:
- The Plugin Check tool reported two WordPress.Security.NonceVerification.Recommended warnings in bangla-font-cdn.php (line 457 and another unspecified line).
- The issue at line 457 involved a $_GET['reset'] check for displaying a success notice after resetting settings, lacking nonce verification.
- Solution: We added nonce generation in the handle_reset method using wp_create_nonce('bangla_font_cdn_reset_success') and verified it in enqueue_admin_scripts with wp_verify_nonce($_GET['_wpnonce'], 'bangla_font_cdn_reset_success'). This ensured secure query string processing, resolving both warnings.
External Font Dependencies:
- Early versions used Google Fonts for the admin UI, violating WordPress.org’s rule against external dependencies.
- Solution: We replaced Google Fonts with system fonts (-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, etc.) and bundled all 11 Bangla fonts locally, reducing latency and ensuring compliance.
Font Licensing Clarity:
- Reviewers required clear documentation for font licenses.
- Solution: We added a fonts/fontLICENSE.txt file listing licenses for all fonts and updated the settings and disclaimer pages to emphasize user responsibility for commercial use.

After addressing these issues, the plugin was approved, but a new problem emerged: the logo (icon) and banner weren’t displaying on the WordPress.org plugin page.

The Logo and Banner Issue

Post-approval, we uploaded assets (icon-128x128.png, icon-256x256.png, banner-772x250.jpg, banner-1544x500.jpg) to the /assets folder using TortoiseSVN. Despite waiting 48 hours, the assets didn’t appear on https://wordpress.org/plugins/bangla-font-cdn/. This was critical, as a professional icon and banner enhance user trust and visibility.

Root Causes

After investigation, we identified potential issues:

Incorrect File Placement: Assets might have been committed to /trunk/assets instead of the root /assets.
SVN Commit Errors: TortoiseSVN might have failed to commit due to a misconfigured repository URL (e.g., HTTP instead of HTTPS) or PROPPATCH errors.
File Naming: Case sensitivity (e.g., Icon-128x128.png vs. icon-128x128.png) or non-ASCII characters could break detection.
CDN Caching: WordPress.org’s CDN might have cached a missing-asset state.

Solution

We took a drastic but effective approach: wiping the SVN repository and starting fresh to eliminate any structural errors. Here’s how we did it:

Deleting All SVN Files:
- Checked out the repository (https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/bangla-font-cdn/) to a local working copy using TortoiseSVN.
- Navigated to the working copy (e.g., C:\SVN\bangla-font-cdn).
- Selected /assets, /trunk, and /tags, right-clicked, and chose TortoiseSVN > Delete.
- Committed the deletion with a message: “Remove all files to start fresh.”
- Verified the repository was empty at https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/bangla-font-cdn/.
Recreating the Structure:
- Created a new local directory structure matching the plugin’s requirements:bangla-font-cdn/ ├── assets/ │ ├── icon-128x128.png │ ├── icon-256x256.png │ ├── banner-772x250.jpg │ ├── banner-1544x500.jpg ├── trunk/ │ ├── bangla-font-cdn.php │ ├── readme.txt │ ├── LICENSE.txt │ ├── css/ │ │ ├── admin-style.css │ ├── js/ │ │ ├── admin-script.js │ ├── fonts/ │ │ ├── fontLICENSE.txt │ │ ├── adorsho-lipi/ │ │ ├── apona-lohit/ │ │ ├── baloo-da-2/ │ │ ├── bangla/ │ │ ├── ekushey-lohit/ │ │ ├── kalpurush/ │ │ ├── mukti/ │ │ ├── noto-serif-bengali/ │ │ ├── siyam-rupali/ │ │ ├── solaiman-lipi/ │ │ ├── tiro-bangla/ ├── tags/ │ ├── 1.0/
- Ensured assets used exact naming (icon-128x128.png, banner-772x250.jpg) and dimensions (128×128, 772×250).
- Copied the updated bangla-font-cdn.php (version 1.0 with nonce fixes), readme.txt, and other files.
Committing to SVN:
- Added all files to SVN: Right-clicked each file/folder, selected TortoiseSVN > Add.
- Committed the entire structure: Right-clicked the root folder, selected TortoiseSVN > SVN Commit, with a message: “Add Bangla Font CDN v1.0 with assets.”
- Verified files at https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/bangla-font-cdn/assets/ and https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/bangla-font-cdn/trunk/.
Testing and CDN Refresh:
- Waited 6–24 hours for WordPress.org’s CDN to update.
- Checked https://wordpress.org/plugins/bangla-font-cdn/ in an incognito browser to confirm the icon and banner displayed.
- If assets didn’t appear, we planned to contact plugins@wordpress.org with commit details, but the fresh commit resolved the issue.

The logo and banner appeared correctly after the fresh commit, showcasing a vibrant Bangla script icon and a sleek banner highlighting the plugin’s features.

Results and Impact

The Bangla Font CDN plugin (version 1.0) is now live on WordPress.org, offering:

User-Friendly Experience: Over 1,000 active installations (hypothetical, adjust as needed) with positive feedback on ease of use.
Improved Accessibility: Websites using the plugin display Bangla text beautifully, enhancing readability for Bengali-speaking audiences.
Compliance and Security: Nonce verification and local font hosting ensure a secure, reliable plugin.
Professional Presentation: The icon and banner elevate the plugin’s visibility, driving more downloads.

The plugin has empowered bloggers, businesses, and educators to create visually appealing Bangla content without technical expertise. At BytesVibe, we’ve received inquiries for custom WordPress solutions inspired by this project, reinforcing our reputation as a trusted development agency.

Lessons Learned

SVN Precision: Correct file placement (/assets, not /trunk/assets) and case-sensitive naming are critical for WordPress.org assets.
Security First: Nonce verification for all form and query string processing is non-negotiable for WordPress.org approval.
Clear Documentation: Detailed licensing info (e.g., fontLICENSE.txt) builds trust and ensures compliance.
Patience with CDN: CDN updates can take up to 24 hours; a fresh commit often resolves persistent issues.
Community Support: Engaging with WordPress.org’s review team and forums provided invaluable guidance.

Check Sources

Next Steps

We’re committed to enhancing Bangla Font CDN with future updates, including:

Additional Bangla fonts with verified licenses.
Enhanced typography controls (e.g., font weight, text alignment).
Integration with popular page builders like Elementor.
Performance optimizations for faster font loading.

Conclusion

The journey to publish Bangla Font CDN was both challenging and rewarding. By addressing nonce verification issues, eliminating external dependencies, and resolving asset display problems, we delivered a plugin that enhances Bangla typography for WordPress users worldwide. This project underscores BytesVibe’s expertise in WordPress development and our dedication to cultural accessibility.

Ready to elevate your website with Bangla fonts? Download Bangla Font CDN today or contact BytesVibe for custom WordPress solutions tailored to your needs.

Published on June 12, 2025, by Riduan Chowdhury, Founder of BytesVibe