WordPress Crash Course

Transcription

1 WordPress Crash Course Chrissy Rey - Pongos Interactive pongos.com updated 1/20/2017

2 About Me I m Chrissy Rey, a former zoologist who turned to programming in the mid-90 s. Since then I have taught myself, and thousands of others, how to make Web sites, create interactive animations, build games, produce videos, and more. My company, Pongos Interactive, works primarily with non-profits, associations, and small businesses. Our tool of choice for Websites is WordPress. In addition to my day job, I am also the founder and director of the Coder Kids Club, an organization that teaches kids in K-7 how to code.

3 WordPress Crash Course - Course Outline What is WordPress? Hosting Options Managing Content Customizing Appearance Extending Functionality

4 Lesson 1: What is WordPress? Content Management System (CMS) Easy to Use Widely Used Open Source Free Software PHP/MySQL (plus HTML, JavaScript, and CSS)

5 Lesson 2: Hosting Options WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org (self-hosted) WordPress.com for bloggers and businesses Self-Hosting WordPress-Optimized Hosting

6 WordPress-Optimized Hosting Providers Bluehost DreamHost MediaTemple Page.ly WPEngine

7 So which one should I pick? What is your budget? How much traffic do you expect? Do you want to manage the server, or would you like an expert to manage it for you? Do you plan to do the WordPress upgrades? Do you need direct access to your files or the database? Will you do backups? What will you do about security for both the server and the WordPress site? Are you planning to install plugins or themes?

8 Installing WordPress Many hosts will do it for you. It s good to have a local installation on your computer, for testing and practice. Use a Bitnami Installer

9 Lesson 3: Managing Content The WordPress Dashboard WordPress Settings WordPress Content Types Posts Pages

10 WordPress Settings General Discussion Permalinks

11 WordPress Content Types Posts Pages Media Comments Anything else!

12 Posts Content associated with a date For bloggers, this is going to be the bulk of your content Can have taxonomies applied to them: categories and tags

13 Pages Timeless information, used to display content that is not associated with a date Can be organized into a hierarchy of pages and subpages (and sub-subpages, etc ) Can have different templates applied to them (theme-dependent) Don t have taxonomies by default

14 Lesson 4: Customizing Appearance Separating Content from Appearance Community Themes Installing a Community Theme Commercial Themes Customizing Themes

15 Separating Content from Appearance Content is stored in the database. The appearance is handled with a collection of template files made of PHP, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and images known as a theme. Keep them separate so you can easily change themes.

16 Community Themes Community themes are free, as in free speech and free beer! Some have premium upgrades available, with more options Available through the Dashboard

17 Installing a Community Theme When considering themes, try to find ones that don t have additional content types defined. That s not separating content from appearance! Try to find responsive themes so your site will look nice on any device. Appearance > Themes. Click on Add New. Find the theme you want, and click Install and then Activate.

18 Commercial Themes Commercial themes are not always free. Some charge per theme, and others have clubs that give you access to all of their themes.

19 Commercial Themes Popular sources include: StudioPress Elegant Themes ThemeTrust Themify WooThemes Installing a Commercial Theme: Appearance > Themes. Click Add New and then Upload Theme.

20 Customizing Themes Most themes give you the ability to change at least a few things, such as colors, fonts, and images. Some themes also include spaces for widgets.

21 Lesson 5: Extending Functionality Separating Content from Functionality Community Plugins Installing a Community Plugin Commercial Plugins

22 Separating Content from Functionality The WordPress core can do a lot, but not everything you might need. Plugins allow you to extend the functionality

23 Separating Content from Functionality Plugins are written in PHP, and may also include some HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and images. Use plugins to extend the types of content WordPress can handle, create a contact form, add e-commerce functionality, integrate with other systems, and much more!

24 Community Plugins Community plugins, like community themes, are free, as in free speech and free beer! As with community themes, some community plugins have premium upgrades available, with more options Available through the Dashboard

25 Installing a Community Plugin Before you install a plugin, make sure it will work with the version of WordPress you have installed. Check the reviews! Plugins we love: WooCommerce The Events Calendar Plugins > Add New. Search for the plugin you want, install it, and then activate it.

26 Commercial Plugins Commercial plugins aren t always free. Some of our favorites: Gravity Forms Events Calendar Pro - Extension of a community plugin WooCommerce Extensions - Also extensions of a community plugin SmartSimian Installing a Commercial Plugin Plugins > Add New. Click on Upload Plugin.

27 Q&A

28 Thank You!