WordPress version 3.1
Thesis version 1.8

When comments aren’t needed  on a Worpdress site’s page –such as the About or Contact page, a message appears in place of the comment box that reads: “Comments Are Closed On This Entry” What if you’d like to remove that message?  With the Thesis Theme, removing it is easy; just follow these simple instructions.

1. Login to the WordPress administrative section.
2. Navigate to: Thesis > Design Options > Display Option > Comments
3. Uncheck: “If comments are closed display a message”
4. View your site and look at the bottom of a page/post with comments turned off
5. Voila! Of course if you want the message, then check the box.

Still see the message?

1. Return to the admin section, check your steps, click the BIG SAVE BUTTON.
2. Clear browser cache and cookies and reload the page.

These notes are intended for web developers working in a MAC OSX environment with a working understanding of UNIX/Linux administration, basic WordPress development experience and knowledge of PHP, HTML and CSS.

Multisite testing should be with either virtualhosts configured with the OSX webserver, or MAMP/MAMP PRO.

Testing will not be possible using either localhost or 127.0.0.1   For instructions on how to set up virtualhosts with MAMP PRO, please reference this article.

Once a WordPress installation is up and running multisite functionality may be enabled. These instructions are prompts for accomplishing this task.

1. Administrative

• Full administrative access to the WP installation including all site files and the database is required.

2. Server Requirements

• Multisite development should first be tested in a local  environment.
• For live site deployment check first with the host provider to make sure multiple sites are supported. Due to scaling issues multiple sites and shared hosting are not recommended. Please see the wordpress codex.

3. Backup

• As always, backup existing installation site files and the database before making major changes to the site structure and functionality.

4. Open the wp-config file

• Above this line: /* That’s all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */: enter the following:
• define(‘WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE’, true);

5. Install The Network

• Deactivate plugins ***IMPORTANT***
• In the WordPress dashboard navigate to: Administration > Tools > Network
• Click Network
• Read the instructions and click install
• Follow the instructions for:  adding a blogs.dir directory, modifying config.php, modifying the .htaccess file
• After modifications it will be necessary to login to the wordpress admin interface again. At the top of the dashboard menu will be a new section ‘Super Admin’ where additional sites and users may be added.
• Reactivate plugins

RESOURCES:
Worpress Theming
WordPress Codex

BONUS TOPIC: How to map top level domains in multisite:
verysimple.com
ottopress.com

Remember to relax, go slowly, take notes, develop locally, and have a backup just in case things fall apart.

Creating and uploading a small navigational and branding aid, the Favicon, can be troublesome so here are five easy steps that I hope will smooth the road for you.

1. In your version of Photoshop -or similar program, create a 500px x 500px graphic. If you’re a Photoshop user, as I am, save your image as a Photoshop (PSD) document.

2. Resize this PSD file image to 16px by 16px and save as a PNG file to your desktop.

3. Open a browser session and navigate to the Convertico website where we will convert the PNG file to an ICO file

4. On the home page of the Convertico site there are only two steps needed:

• Upload your PNG file in the proper field, and click “CONVERT”
• Click on the link ‘Click Here To Download’ saving the file directly to your desktop: If on a PC right click and “Save Target As…” If on a Mac, press option and click “Save Link As…” and pick the save destination for the file.

5. As required by your web application setup, upload your newly minted favicon.ico and presto, you’ve done it!

NOTES:
Keep your graphic simple using two or at most three graphic elements. As you know, or discovered, keeping the graphic statement bold and simple is only practical as most of the detail in a larger image is lost when reduced to the smaller 16 x 16 pixel format.

On LOGOS:
Designing logos are fun, but require patience, sensitivity, and more work than you might think. For some great guidelines I recommend you look at Before & After Page Design by John McWade. Sold at Amazon.

Please Note: If you click on the link and buy the book then I receive a commission from Amazon for the referral; but only if you buy. Thank you!

WordPress can be a resource hog with all those calls to the database, so a good move then is to utilize the fantastic WP Super Cache pluggin to bring things back to speed.

One important caveat: when updating the site after installing this caching pluggin, be sure to delete the pluggin cache. If you don’t you could very well  be left scratching your head, wondering why your layout changes sometimes do or do not appear, or why they appear in one browser, and not another. For example deleted widgets still show, or banner images don’t change.

Please, let me save you a few hours of aggravation. This might not be the solution to your particular issue, but it’s worth considering, and certainly worth making note of for the future.

And if you haven’t already, do install this pluggin.

The potential performance problem could involve the storing of excessive post and page revisions in the database when writing and editing posts.

Having a record of past revisions  can be a good thing in certain situations, –like when there are multiple authors, but these revisions do add up quickly and can take up a lot of space. In a relatively short time a database can become clogged with unneeded data causing a website to load more slowly than it should. Lets say there are one hundred posts stored in the database. If every post has ten revisions stored as well, that would mean there are one thousand records. Yikes!

I know many aren’t that interested in the technical side of the web. But if you’re a savvy and proud WordPress user, you should know that there is a little trick that could help speed up site performance. While you might not have the technical skills to deal with this you now have one more thing to ask your developer.

So, don’t panic. The sky isn’t falling and the solution to this issue has two relatively simple components.

1. Delete unneeded revision records currently in the database.
2. Make a minor configuration to the WordPress installation so revisions saved are limited to a specific number –like 3, that you feel comfortable with.

Please be aware that there may be other causes for sluggish performance than the one being discussed. As always, be sure to consult with your personal web developer before taking any action.

PROCEDURE:

1. Access the database logging in with a preferred interface tool (command-line, phpMyAdmin, SQLyog)
2. Select WordPress database.
3. WARNING! BACKUP THE DATABASE BEFORE CONTINUING!
4. Execute the following sql command. This will delete excess revisions and associated meta data in three tables: wp_post, wp_term_relationships, wp_postmeta

delete x,y,z
from wp_posts x
left join wp_term_relationships y on (x.id = y.object_id)
left join wp_postmeta z on (x.id = z.post_id)
where x.post_type = ‘revision’

Now, to limit the number of revision copies in the future do the following.

1. Open the wp-config file.
2. Add these two lines just below the opening <?php tag:

/** Limits the number of post revisions saved in the DB; in this case 3. **/
define(‘WP_POST_REVISIONS’,3);

REFERENCE: artdorado.com

Photo Credit: John Sutton

A website is like any other piece of machinery: it needs tending. If you want to get the most out your site or tailor it to meet a specific need, that will most likely involve widgets, plugins, layout tweaks, or knitting in third party software.  With increased functionality inevitable conflicts and performance issues  crop up. Trust me. I’ve been there. When they do, what to do?   First, don’t panic. Secondly, use some or all of the following suggestions to find a solution.

1. Realize that there is no issue that hasn’t been confronted, solved, and discussed somewhere by someone else. You are not alone.

2. Write down the issue, formulate questions you think need to be answered and try to be as specific as possible. Don’t censor yourself. There are no stupid questions.

3. Use Google. Google is indeed a good friend.

4. Join a discussion forum. For example: WordPress.org has an extensive knowledgeable and a very active and engaged community; as does Thesis.  Remember that there are many people online who will be happy to help those who ask for help. But, be prepared to roll up your sleeves and sweat a little. Don’t expect someone else to do all the work for you.

5. When you find information you think might be helpful, read carefully. Sometimes crucial pieces of information are right in front of you if you would only slow down long enough to really understand what you’re reading. The more you seek, the more the hints will accumulate and point you in the right direction. Note to self: remember this when dealing with non-technical issues as well.

6. Be patient.

7. Relax.

8. And when it seems that you are no closer to the answer than when you started, step away from the computer and get some fresh air. Take a walk or ride a bike. Ice cream works too.

9. Sleep on it. I’m always amazed when solutions materialize seemingly out of thin air after a good night’s sleep.

10. Keep some perspective. Not finding an answer immediately is not the end of the world. But, have confidence that you will eventually find a solution if you stick with it.

I’ve played around with different content management systems over the last few years including Typepad, Joomla, Drupal, Indexhibit, and WordPress. Of these five, WordPress is my favorite and in my opinion it’s the easiest to set up, configure and administer. For most users, WordPress offers all the functional capability that could be needed or that most users would want.

But there are two WordPress versions: WordPress.com and WordPress .org. What’s the difference?  Basically, WordPress.com is free and you don’t need to do much. WordPress.org is free and you can do anything you want.  Confused? Let me explain.

WordPress.com
If you sign up for a blog at WordPress.com, your blog is free and all you need to do is fill in a few registration details and get going. Well, it’s almost that simple and yes there is a slight learning curve. For example, you’ll probably want to pick a theme –of which there are many, to create a look  and you’ll need to learn how to operate the backend for styling your content, uploading photos, videos, and adding widgets.  But, you won’t have to worry about upgrades, backups, or security. The people at WordPress.com will take care of all of that techie stuff.

This is a relatively painless route to take but the downside is that your account is ultimately benefiting the WordPress.com domain with search visibility instead of your own. All that free content –which search engines thrive on, uploaded daily by thousands of registered site owners feeds the search engine beast, for WordPress.com. It might be your content, but you are working SEO –search engine optimization, for WordPress.com.

WordPress.org
If you walk over to WordPress.org, what will you find? Exactly the same WordPress application. At WordPress.org you –or your favorite technical developer, can download all the files that make up the WordPress application to a local development environment. There it can be configured to suit individual need and then uploaded to your hosting company that services your domain. Doing this now allows you, the domain owner, to reap the search and optimization benefits that come from adding fresh content to a website, through your WordPress blog application. And it really is yours.

Is there a downside?  Not if you have technical skills optimally knowing enough about PHP, MySQL and APACHE to get around. If you do, then you’ll appreciate the freedom that comes from having full access to the code. You –or your developer, can dig into the core to see how everything works, and have full control over every aspect of the application. If you don’t have that special gene, then you will be in for a bumpy ride. Either way though, downloading the application you, and you alone, will be responsible for everything including upgrades, backups, security and figuring out what’s going on when problems arise.

WordPress.com click here.

WordPress.org click here.

Further reading comparing WordPress.com with WordPress.org.

Had a problem with text not wrapping around images when the images were either floated left or right in a blog post. Here’s how to fix that in version 2.9.2.

Login to the backend. On the left-hand navigation pane navigate to ‘Appearance’ then ‘Editor’. This opens the styles.css file.

Scroll down to the end of the classes section [styles prepended by a period] and insert the following code to float images left.

.alignleft {
display: inline;
float: left;
//add padding and margins and borders as you see fit//
}

Below this, to float images right, insert this code:

.alignright {
display: inline;
float: right;
//add padding and margins and borders as you see fit//
}

You might want to set margins if you want the image to have a little breathing room. Here  is a discussion dealing with this issue.

NOTE: It’s possible that you may not be able to write to the css file which probably means that permissions need to be changed.