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Langara Outlines

WMDD4840 Outline (2020)

WMDD 4840 Content Management Systems
Credits: 3 Room: B014 (Mac Lab)
Contact Info:
Kevin McMillan
Office A248
604.323.5941		 Days & Times:
Spring 2020
Mondays: 930 – 1230
Spring Break: Feb 17 – 22
Exam Period: April 04 – 20
find my office Office Hours
Thursday 2-5

NOTE: because of the need for social distancing in response to the coronavirus crisis, this class will not meet in person for the rest of the term.

Instead, you will work on your exercises and final assignment, to be handed in via myFiles.langara.ca on the dates specified in this outline.

Messages and updates will be sent to you via your mylangara accounts. 

To get in touch with me, please email via my langara account.

IMPORTANT NEW DATES

Term Projects: April 07

Combined Exam (4835/40):
April 14, 930am – 130pm
( this is an extra hour if you need it )

PDF of Official Outline

SKIP to Class Content

This class will cover Content Management Systems, specifically WordPress—by far, the most popular CMS in the world.

Here are a few lists of major sites running WordPress as well as a bunch of WP statistics.

Like anything in life, this outline is subject to occasional changes.

Throughout the term, I will add links to additional supporting content.

I want to make as much of your learning task-based, so nearly every week there will be problem-solving exercises to be completed in class or over the week.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to

  • install a Content Management System (CMS) framework on a production web server
  • configure a local testing environment with the same CMS
  • evaluate, install and configure appropriate CMS themes, modules, widgets, and plugins
  • create content, media, menu structures & content types
  • create and restore data and system backups
  • identify and implement appropriate security and anti-spam measures (user accounts, permissions, patches, etc.)
  • customize themes
  • write basic themes

Textbook / Reference Material

There is no textbook for this course: we will use primarily online sources.

LinkedIn learning can be logged into from the college website.

LinkedIn Learning Videos
MAC:  Installing and Running WP: MAMP  (ch 1 & 2 )
Windows or Mac:WordPress on Your Computer with Local By Flywheel

WordPress 5 Essential Training (all chapters)
WordPress 5 Essential Training: Site Admin (all chapters)

WordPress: Developing Secure Sites (all chapters)

WordPress References
The WordPress Codex
WordPress Developer Resource
Codex: Stepping into Template Tags
Codex: Template Tags List
Codex: Conditional Tags

WordPress Cheat Sheets
WP Mega Cheat Sheet
WP Developer Super Cheat Sheet

Course Structure

The class schedule is detailed below.

Techniques learned in one assignment or exercise will always be the starting point for subsequent ones. Be assured, therefore, that no lectures or required video viewings can be easily missed.

It is your responsibility to make sure that you do not miss any announcements or course materials given in any class. Any additional announcements will be made via email to your mylangara accounts.

Assessments
Main Assignment: Theme Project   30%
Quizzes   10%
Lab Exercises   20%
Midterm   20%
Final Exam   20%

Final Assignment Description

Note, also, that dates listed can change in response to class progress. 

Important Dates

List of dates for withdrawals, refunds, etc. 

Image Downloads

I’m putting these here, because we will use them in a number of classes:

WMDD Server Space Application

In order to learn how to transfer a locally-developed WordPress site to a live server, you will need to get some space on the WMDD instructional server, To do that please download this form, fill it out and send it to Denis Bilette via email.

Week 1: Jan 06 (Intro to Content Management)

  • CMS vs Static Sites / WordPress.com vs WordPress.org models
  • Setup of Local Testing Environment: MAMP
  • WP Dashboard
  • WP Editing Area
  • Media / Galleries
  • Embeds
  • Posts
  • Pages
  • Gutenberg Editor

Weekly Videos (links for all videos are above)

  • Installing and Running WordPress: MAMP or Local By Flywheel
    (Windows users can also use WAMPServer…)
  • WordPress 5.0 Essential Training, Chapters 1 – 5

Resources

Lab Exercises / Homework

Week 2: Jan 13 (Site Configuration 1)

  • Posts vs Pages Review
  • Settings / Customizer
  • Menus
  • WP Importer
  • Intro to WordPress CSS
  • Permalinks
  • Comments
  • Classic Editor

Weekly Videos

  • WordPress 5.0 Essential Training: Site Admin (Chapters 1-5)

Lab Exercise / Homework

Week 3: Jan 20 (Site Configuration 2)

  • Themes
  • Plugins
  • User Roles
  • Backup & Replication

Lab Exercises (Homework: Due at the Start of This Class)

Weekly Videos

  • WordPress 5.0 Essential Training: Site Admin (Chapters 1-5)
  • For quiz next week: WordPress—Developing Secure Sites (all chapters)

Homework: Due At the Start of Next Class

Week 4: Jan 27 (Transfer to Live Site / Security 1)

  • Quiz 1 (on the video course WordPress Developing Secure Sites)
  • Transferring a Site
  • Security Considerations with Live Sites

Lab Exercises

Homework

Resources

Week 5: Feb 03 Midterm

  • For the test, you will be given content, and asked to configure a particular theme and plugin(s).
  • You will have approximately three hours to complete the test.

Week 6: Feb 10 ( PHP Intro / WP Theme Dev 1 )

  • WP Template Hierarchy
  • The Loop
  • Basic Template Tags
  • get_template_part
  • WP CSS

Lab Exercises

Weekly Reading (Read by Next Class)

Resources

WP CSS Resources

Homework

  • Redo entire WP Theming Exercise (all four parts)
  • Once you have functions.php setup, style the entire site

Week 7: Feb 17 (Spring Break)

  • No classes this week. College closed on Monday

Week 8: Feb 24 (WP Theme Dev 2: functions.php)

  • functions.php:
  • menus
  • enqueueing scripts & styles
  • hooks & actions

Lab Exercises

Week 9: Mar 02 (WP Theme Dev 3: Conditions, More Practice )

  • DRY development via Conditions
  • SASS / Build Tools (moved to next week)
  • Security 2 (next week)
  • Data Sanitization (next week)

Resources: GULP

Resources: SASS

Resources: Security

Homework due at Start of Next Class:

Week 10: Mar 09 (WP Theme Dev 4: Multiple Loops)

  • wp_query: multiple loops

Lab Exercise

Resources

Lab Exercise

Week 11: March 16 (More Practice)

For this week, the first in which we will not meet in person, here is what you need to do for the week.

PedalMania (Last Week’s Exercise) is due by Tuesday 1230:

Before handing it in, please do the following:

  • copy your theme folder to your Desktop,
  • rename the folder pedalmania-your-initials (ie pedalmania-km)
  • change the name of the theme in style.css to your First Name
  • set the author name in style.css to your First and Last Name.

Then hand in that theme via myfiles.langara.ca. If you need to ZIP the file to hand it in, that’s fine.

Lab Exercise (Due March 23 at 1230)

Week 12: Mar 23 (Extending WP)

  • custom post types
  • custom fields

Lab Exercise For The Week (Due Mar 30 at midnight)

Week 13:  Mar 30 (Exam Review or Work Day)

  • Depending on class progress, this day will be for working on final project, or possibly a practice exam.
  • The final exam will involve writing a WordPress theme within three hours. I will give you the content.