Structure Viewer – File Explorer & AI Context Builder

FAQ

What is Structure Viewer used for?

Structure Viewer is a WordPress developer tool that lets you browse, search, view, and export the file structure of any installed plugin or theme — directly from your WordPress admin dashboard. It is used for code audits, plugin reviews, documentation, debugging, AI-assisted development, and general development workflows.

How does Structure Viewer help with AI-assisted development?

When you prompt an AI tool like ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, or GitHub Copilot to work on a WordPress plugin or theme, the quality of its output depends almost entirely on the context you provide. Structure Viewer is built to make that first step painless.

Instead of opening files one at a time and copy-pasting code into a chat, you can: export the complete file tree of any plugin or theme as a single clean TXT, JSON, or XML payload; copy it to your clipboard with one click; paste it into your AI prompt as ready-to-use structural context. The AI now knows what files exist, how they’re organised, and where to look — before you’ve even asked it a question. From there, you can drill into specific files in the browser modal and copy targeted snippets as needed.

For larger workflows, Structure Viewer Pro adds Comparator (so you can give the AI just the diff between two versions instead of two whole codebases) and FlatPack (so you can hand the AI only the PHP files, only the CSS, or any subset that matters for the task).

Can I export a plugin’s structure as AI prompt context?

Yes — that is one of the main use cases. Use the Export tab to generate a TXT, JSON, or XML representation of any plugin or theme. The TXT format is intentionally token-efficient — clean ASCII tree, no markdown noise — so it fits cleanly inside an AI context window. You can also use the one-click clipboard copy to paste an emoji tree directly into ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, or any other AI chat interface.

What does Auto-redact secrets do?

When enabled in Settings → Security Settings, Structure Viewer scans the contents of any file you view or download and masks anything that looks like a credential — API keys, OAuth tokens, passwords, AWS / Stripe / GitHub / Google / Slack keys, JWTs, PEM-encoded private keys, and the standard wp-config credential constants (DB_PASSWORD, AUTH_KEY, salts, etc.). The redaction happens server-side before the content reaches your browser, so the masked file is safe to paste into any AI tool, a ticket, or a screenshare. A small badge in the file viewer modal shows how many matches were redacted for the open file. The toggle is off by default — turn it on only when you actually want sanitised output.

Is this a WordPress file manager plugin?

Structure Viewer is purpose-built for developers who need to read and inspect plugin and theme files — not upload or edit them. It is a read-only WordPress file explorer and code viewer. If you need to upload or manage files via the WordPress admin, a general file manager plugin is what you need. If you need to audit, document, or feed code to an AI tool, Structure Viewer is the right choice.

Does Structure Viewer work with WordPress themes?

Yes. Switch the item picker to “All Themes” or select any individual theme to browse its complete file structure, view source files, search by filename or extension, and export the full tree in any format. Everything that works for plugins works for themes.

Is this plugin safe to use on a live site?

Yes. Structure Viewer is strictly read-only — it cannot modify, delete, or upload files. Access is restricted to WordPress administrators only, and no frontend scripts or pages are added to your site. Your visitors are completely unaffected.

Do I need FTP or server access to use it?

No. Structure Viewer works entirely through the WordPress admin interface. You do not need FTP, cPanel, SSH, or any server-level access. If you are a WordPress administrator, you have everything you need.

Who can access Structure Viewer?

Only users with the manage_options capability — WordPress administrators by default. There is no frontend component and the plugin adds no public-facing pages or scripts.

Can I view all my plugins at once?

Yes. Select “All Plugins” from the item picker to see a collapsed tree for every installed plugin. Expand any plugin heading to drill into its files. The same applies to themes with “All Themes”. In All Plugins / All Themes mode, typing in the live search bar now filters the list of plugins or themes by name so you can find the one you want quickly.

Can I read the source code of a file?

Yes. Click any text-based file in the tree to open it in the inline file viewer with syntax highlighting. Image files open in a new browser tab. The viewer also shows file size, line count, and last modified date.

Can I download individual files?

Yes. The file viewer has a one-click Download button. The file is served with the correct MIME type and its original filename.

What export formats are available?

TXT (plain ASCII tree), JSON (nested with metadata), XML, PDF, and Clipboard (emoji tree for pasting anywhere). You can choose your preferred clipboard format (JSON, Text, or XML) in Settings.

Can I search inside a plugin’s files?

Yes. The Search tab lets you search by filename or extension across any plugin or theme in real time. Results show the full path, size, and last modified date.

Can I exclude certain files or directories?

Yes. Go to Settings → Security and Exclusions to toggle exclusions for hidden files and system directories, and to add your own custom patterns such as vendor, node_modules, *.log, or .git.

Does it work with WP-CLI?

Yes. You can export plugin and theme structures from the command line:

wp structure-viewer export plugin <folder-name>
wp structure-viewer export theme <folder-name>
wp structure-viewer list plugins
wp structure-viewer list themes

Is there a Pro version?

Yes. Structure Viewer Pro adds two features: Comparator (compare any two plugin or theme versions with a color-coded diff view) and FlatPack (extract and filter files from any plugin or theme ZIP by file type). The free version includes the full Explorer, Search, Export, Dashboard, and Settings. Upgrade from Settings → Licence → Upgrade to Pro.

How does Comparator work?

Upload two plugin ZIPs — or select an installed plugin and upload a ZIP to compare against it. Comparator produces a color-coded, file-by-file diff showing exactly which lines were added, removed, or changed. It handles large files and minified CSS/JS by tokenising them before diffing, so you get meaningful per-rule output instead of single-line change blocks.

How does FlatPack work?

Upload any plugin or theme ZIP. FlatPack extracts all its files and shows you a live-filterable preview. Select which file types you want — PHP, CSS and JS, images, or custom extensions — and click Run FlatPack. Only the matching files are packed into a single flat ZIP for download, no nested directories included.

How does FlatPack handle files with the same name?

Files with unique basenames keep their original name. When two or more files share the same basename (for example multiple style.css files from different directories), each is prefixed with its relative folder path — for example assets-style.css and css-style.css. Any remaining collisions get a numeric suffix.

Does Structure Viewer affect site performance?

No. Plugin assets are loaded only on the Structure Viewer admin page and have zero impact on your website’s frontend. Dashboard stat counts are cached. No external requests are made at runtime.

Does the plugin store any personal data?

Structure Viewer stores settings in the wp_options table under structureviewer_settings. Temporary files uploaded for Comparator or FlatPack are stored in the WordPress uploads directory and deleted immediately after processing. No user data or personal information is collected or transmitted.

Is Structure Viewer compatible with WordPress Multisite?

The plugin is designed for single-site use. It may function on individual subsites within a Multisite network but Multisite-specific administration is not officially tested or supported.

How can I support development?

If Structure Viewer saves you time, a coffee goes a long way. You can support development at buymeacoffee.com/blincks, or via the Support development card in Tools → Structure Viewer → Settings. Leaving a review on WordPress.org also helps a lot.