Genesis Plugins Add More Functionality On Top Of Your Standard Theme Framework Options

You probably already know that Matt Mullenweg endorses the Genesis framework because of the support they offer for child themes and other WordPress functionality.

The other WordPress functionality he is referring to are the Genesis plugins specifically built to add more functions and design flexibility to the Genesis framework and StudioPress child themes which are installed on top of the Genesis framework.

Without these plugins you would have to add php coding to your themes functions file not to mention css code.

Here’s a list of the most popular Genesis plugins which can only be used with the Genesis framework and Studiopress themes.

Genesis Plugins

Genesis Connect for WooCommerce

This plugin replaces WooCommerce’s built-in shop templates with its own Genesis-ready versions, specifically the single-product.php, archive-product.php and taxonomy.php templates needed to display the single product page, the main shop page, and Product Category and Product Tag archive pages.

Learn more about using Genesis and WooCommerce.

Genesis Layout Extras

With this plugin for the popular Genesis Framework you can very easily modify the default layouts for homepage, singular pages (for posts and pages), various archive sections, author pages, attachment pages, search results pages, the 404 page – all done via a new theme options page.

Genesis Admin Bar Plus

This plugin adds resources links related to the Genesis Framework to the admin bar.

Genesis Simple Hooks

This plugin creates a new Genesis settings page that allows you to insert code (HTML, Shortcodes, and PHP), and attach it to any of the 50+ action hooks throughout the Genesis Theme Framework, from StudioPress. Read more about the Genesis simple hooks plugin.

bbPress Genesis Extend

bbPress and the Genesis Framework are both fantastic additions to any WordPress site. However, depending on your setup they don’t always play nice right away.

Genesis Social Profiles Menu

This small and leightweight plugin adds a special stylesheet for social profile icons for the WordPress custom menu system. The menu system is connected with the (Genesis) menu locations and also with widget areas because WordPress comes with a built-in custom menu widget.

Genesis Printstyle Plus

This plugin adds a printer-ready stylesheet file (print.css) for the Genesis Framework and its child theme. Any unneeded site elements will be removed, such as main and sub navigation bar, sidebar and footer widgets etc.

Genesis Hooks

Genesis Hooks automatically displays Genesis structual hook names in the browser for all pages. It also allows you to add any hooks that you may have added to various pages like templates or the home page. Check out all the Genesis hooks here.

Genesis Featured Images

Genesis Featured Images creates a option box to enable a default image for post thumbnails and/or featured images and a meta box to set a custom size for the featured image to be displayed. These default images will only appear any time a post, page or any custom post type does not have a featured image, or an image inside the post.

Genesis Custom Backgrounds

By default, Genesis doesn’t turn on WordPress Custom Backgrounds. Genesis Custom Backgrounds enables custom backgrounds and creates an option to enable selection of a default background from the sets of backgrounds provided by StudioPress.

Genesis Single Post Navigation

This small and lightweight plugin adds next & previous navigation links on single posts to have some kind of a browse post by post nav style. Using the WordPress core function for previous and next post links these links only appear on single posts.

Genesis Dashboard News

This plugin adds a new dashboard widget to your WordPress Admin Dashboard that pulls in the some recent (worldwide) news about the Genesis Theme Framework. You can configure how many items are displayed (between 3 and 20 items). Only the headlines of the various blog posts will be shown.

Genesis Post Teasers

This plugin uses the genesis grid loop function to display posts teasers either on your Homepage, Archives, or Blog Template and gives added options to control them.

Genesis Style Select

This plugin adds a new menu box to the Genesis theme settings. This menu box allows users to easily select from any Genesis style sheets within the child theme folder.

Genesis Custom Post Types Archives

Extends the builtin Genesis SEO functionality to Genesis Custom Post Types Archives with the added ability to add custom content before the archives loop.

Genesis Press Post Type

The Genesis Press Post Type plugin provides a custom post type called Press that is designed to allow an individual or company to create bookmarks of press coverage for their company, brands, or executives.

Genesis Simple Edits

This plugin creates a new Genesis settings page that allows you to modify the post-info (byline), post-meta, and footer area on any Genesis theme. Using text, shortcodes, and HTML in the textboxes provided in the admin screen, these three commonly modified areas are easily editable, without having to learn PHP or write functions, filters, or mess with hooks.

Genesis Grid

Extends the Genesis Grid to a page template.

Genesis Simple Comments

Genesis Simple Comments adds a new menu item to the Genesis menu allowing for easy changes to the Genesis Comments including:
Comment Title, No Comments Text, Comments Closed Text, Pings Title, No Pings Text, Avatar Size and much more.

Genesis Translations

This plugin translates your Genesis powered WordPress site easily with one of the available languages.
No need to fuss about with your functions.php file or uploading .mo and .po files.

Genesis Footer Widgets

Adds 3 or 4 footer widget areas to the Genesis Theme Framework version 1.6 or higher.

Genesis Simple Breadcrumbs

Genesis Simple Breadcrumbs adds a new menu item to the Genesis menu allowing for easy changes to the Genesis Breadcrumbs.

Genesis Nav Menu Amplified

Genesis Nav Menu Amplified restores the Genesis 1.5 menu system and extends it.

Genesis Footer

By simply editing your Genesis Theme Settings, you can easily change your footer.

Genesis Layout Manager

By simply editing your Genesis Theme Settings, you can easily change your site layout for different level.

Genesis Featured Grid

Genesis Featured Grid adds a Genesis Featured Grid widget with grid layout functionality. It works almost identically to the Genesis Featured Posts widget by StudioPress, but displays the posts in an a grid of 2 posts across and a user selectable number of posts down.

Genesis Favicon Uploader

Simply upload your “favicon.ico” file for any Genesis site from an options page. No need to FTP. Great for MultiSite networks.

Genesis Simple Sidebars

This plugin allows you to create multiple, dynamic widget areas, and assign those widget areas to sidebar locations within the Genesis Theme Framework on a per post, per page, or per tag/category archive basis. Read more about the Genesis simple sidebars plugin.

Genesis Media Project

The Genesis Media Project plugin currently adds a video post type with easy to use meta fields for adding videos to your site.
Videos are imported via the WordPress oEmbed feature, or may be inserted via embed code.

Genesis Inline

Genesis Inline is designed to work with any Genesis child theme. It provides a front end post entry/edit area for new posts which includes support for post formats (if registered by the child theme).

Genesis Subpages as Secondary Menu

Replaces the manually managed Secondary Menu with one that automatically lists the current section’s subpages. You must be using the Genesis Framework and have the Secondary Menu enabled (Genesis > Theme Settings > Navigation Settings).

Genesis Slider

This plugin allows you to create a simple slider that displays the featured image, along with the title and excerpt from each post.
It includes options for auto-progress and the dimensions of your slideshow.

Genesis – Comment Title

Genesis – Comment Title allows you to change the default title on the comments area on WordPress posts and pages.
This is done through a dashboard widget.

Genesis Toolbar +

This plugin adds an extra menu full of links about the StudioPress Genesis Framework to your Toolbar. The menus are translatable and the output of the menu is now filterable.

Genesis Simple Menus

This plugin allows you to assign WordPress navigation menus to the secondary navigation menu within the Genesis Theme Framework on a per post, per page, or per tag/category archive basis. The per post, page, category or tag setting overrides whatever menu setting you have in your Genesis Theme setting. It does require that you have your Secondary Navigation enabled in your Genesis Theme Settings. Read more about displaying different nav menu’s in Genesis.

Genesis Beta Tester

This plugin hooks into the data sent to the Genesis API servers and lets us know that you’d like to update to the latest version of Genesis, even if it’s still in beta.

Genesis Visual Hook Guide

The Genesis Visual Hook guide has slowly evolved into what it is today. I finally welcome the plugin version of the popular Visual Genesis Hooks and Filters Guide from Genesis Tutorials.

Genesis Tabs

This plugin allows you to create a tabbed section, via a widgets, that can display the featured image, along with the title and excerpt from each post. Choose which categories you want to feature in the tabbed section, which post elements you want to show, and save the widget. Place the widget in the feature section of a Genesis child theme.

Genesis Featured Widget Amplified

Genesis Featured Widget Amplified adds additional functionality to the Genesis Featured Posts Widget.

Genesis Simple Headers

This plugin lets you use the WordPress Appearance -> Header functionality to upload a custom logo or header for your site using the Genesis Theme Framework.

Genesis Promotion Box

Uses a custom post type to allow editing of the promotion(s). The most recent published promotion post by date is shown below single posts.

Genesis Toolbar

The toolbar plugin adds a powerful row of buttons below each contact. These buttons allow you to add tasks, print letters, send emails, record phone logs, send text messages, add tags and categories, store relationships, attach files, change contact photos, access and record notes, remove contacts and a whole lot more!

Genesis Simple Defaults

Simple Defaults allows you to set some of the more common default items in Genesis Theme Frameworks including: Favicon, Comment Reply Title and Default post image fallback.

Genesis Prose Exporter

This plugin hooks Prose settings into Genesis Exporter, allowing Prose Design Settings to be exported.

Genesis Title Toggle

This plugin lets you easily remove the page title from specific pages. Don’t want “Home” at the top of your homepage? Activate, then edit the homepage and check “Hide”.

Generate Box

The plugin adds more functionality to the StudioPress Generate Child Theme. This plugin is a very handy tool for Generate Child Theme users, it allows you to display the Generate Box on front page, home page, single posts, and everywhere. It also has an option to switch between different color schemes with only a few clicks.

AgentPress Listings

The AgentPress Listings plugin uses custom post types, custom taxonomies, and widgets to create a listings management system for AgentPress child themes.

Genesis plugins extend the functions already included in both the Genesis framework and Studiopress theme you have installed so you are not limited to your themes/framework options.