If you’re using a theme that doesn’t support widgets, you can get it to do so by adding some code to functions.php and then adding calls to the dynamic sidebar in any template file. Widgetizing the HTML5Reset Starter Theme In its current incarnation, the html5reset wordpress theme’s widget area isn’t working, but the code can […]
Preliminary Stuff In a MAMP Testing Enviroment, install a fresh copy of WordPress. In Dashboard < Settings, make the name of your site Jazz Icons and the description to the best players. Install the HTML5Reset WordPress Starter Theme. Change the name of the starter theme folder to firstnamelastnametest, no spaces. Edit the required file to […]
The video below explains one of the most important concepts in WordPress theme development: the template hierarchy. Specifically, if you are making a theme, it’s important to know which of the theme files will actually generate your content. The diagram used in the video is available in the WordPress codex, along with some excellent examples: […]
The first three lines set up the logic: <?php if ( have_posts() ) : ?> <?php /* Start the Loop */ ?> <?php while ( have_posts() ) : the_post(); ?> Other themes will express this as a single line: <?php if ( have_posts() ) : while ( have_posts()): the_post(); ?> Regardless of these phrasing differences, […]
In this exercise, we will make a couple of basic grid systems in order to build an understanding of how they work. The first one, which will be a fixed width grid, is basically a simplified version of the most famous web grid system, Nathan Smith’s 960 Grid System (https://960.gs). First of all, make a […]
Job Titles and responsibilities in the web industry vary widely and are in continual evolution. For a sense of what I mean here, please read this article by Chris Coyier, the host of CSS-Tricks.com, on the range of job titles in the web industry. That said, please review the following job descriptions, and then write down your three […]
One: Install WordPress at Your Own Domain For this exercise, I want you to use your Host Company Control Panel to install WordPress at your own domain at the following location: https://yourdomain.com/publishingclass/demowp If you already have a WordPress installation at your current domain, ask your host company asap if your hosting package allows you to […]
In a new WordPress installation, we will explore Users, User Roles, Gravatars, Comments, Spam Solutions, and more. In this exercise, we’re going to use a number of features that require a WordPress.com account. This account is different from that for your own self-hosted WordPress site. So if you don’t have a WordPress.com account, please go sign […]
To completely turn off commenting on an existing site, do the following: STEP ONE: Macro Level Go to the Dashboard, then Settings, then Discussion. Turn off both check marks in “Email me whenever”. In the same section, turn off all three boxes in “Default Article Settings.” You could even turn on “Users must be registered […]
For this exercise, build a page that looks like the one in this screenshot. Save that file as albumsales1.html. Click on the image to see it full size. You only need to build the first two tables. Take the text from the image, or make up the band names and album titles. Note the striping of alternate […]