Table of Contents

-1. Preface

0. 1. Hello World

   • In the Beginning
     • A Brief History of WordPress
     • WordPress.com versus WordPress.org
     • Core WordPress
     • WordPress and its License, the GPL
     • The Main Ingredients: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and MySQL
     • Why WordPress?
   • Installing WordPress
     • Choose Your Operating System Wisely
     • Installing WordPress through the Web-Based User Interface
     • Installing WordPress Manually
     • A Word about Installers
     • Giving WordPress Its Own Directory
   • Resources and Learning Tools
     • The WordPress Codex
     • Support Forums
     • WordCamp and Local Meetups
     • WordPress.tv
     • Chat Rooms
     • Google
   • Ready to Press On

1. 2. WordPress 101

   • An Overview of Core WordPress
   • Setting the Mood
     • The Dashboard
     • Screen Options
     • The Admin Menu
     • General Settings
     • Themes
     • Privacy Settings
     • Automatically Updating
   • Creating and Managing Text-based Content
     • Pages
     • The Content Editor
     • Meta Boxes
     • Saving (Your Backside)
     • Quick Edit and Bulk Edit
     • Understanding Posts and Categories
     • Understanding Tags
     • Creating and Working with Posts
     • Managing Categories and Tags
     • Working with the Links Content Type
     • Permalinks
     • Alternative Ways to Post Text-based Content
   • Working with Media and the Media Library
     • The Media Library
     • Adding Images into a Page or Post
     • Modifying Images
     • Image Manipulation within WordPress
     • Managing Media Outside of WordPress
     • Media Settings
   • Everyone Wants a Say
     • Managing Comments
     • Comment Spam
     • Discussion Settings
     • Avatars
   • Additional Display Elements
     • Managing Custom Menus
     • Sidebars and Widgets
     • Extending WordPress through Plugins
     • Import and Export Tools
   • Users Roles and Permissions
     • Default User Roles
     • Extending User Profiles
   • Now You Know the Basics …

2. 3. The Loop and WordPress File System

   • The Standard WordPress File Structure
   • The Role of Queries and The Loop
   • The Loop: Exposed!
     • The Loop and Template Tags
     • Conditional Tags: is
     • Let's Try a Simple loop
     • Beyond the Default: Custom Queries
   • Roll Your Own Loop Magic
     • Fetch Any Posts Matching a Custom Field
     • Teasers of Future-dated Posts
   • Any More Queries?

3. 4. Post Types

   • Moving Beyond the Blog
   • Creating Your First Custom Post Types
     • The Basics of register_post_type()
     • Adding Custom Fields to the Edit Screen
     • Adding Conference Sessions
     • Custom Taxonomies
   • Providing Help
   • Displaying Your Custom Post Types
     • Showing off Our Conference Sessions and Speakers
     • Custom Archives
   • You're Custom-ready

4. 5. Plugins

   • The Basics
     • The Upside to Plugins
     • The Downside to Plugins
     • Rules to Follow When Using Plugins
     • Must-use Plugins
     • Drop-in Plugins
     • Determining When to Create a New Plugin
     • Debugging Your Plugin As You Go
   • The Anatomy of a Plugin
     • Standard Plugin Packaging
     • Action Hooks and Filter Hooks
     • The Power of Paranoia: Data Validation
   • Dissecting a Plugin: Antelope General Social Media Links
     • Header and License
     • Localization Settings
     • Creating the Menu Item for the Settings Page
     • Styling the Admin Screen
     • Formatting for the Settings Page
     • Getting Output Styles Ready
     • Widgets 101
     • Registering Our Antelope General Widget
     • Define What the Widget Should Do
     • Display Logic
     • Updating the Instance of the Widget
     • Creating the Form to Change the Title
     • Load Our Widget into WordPress
   • Taking Plugins Further
     • Meta Boxes
     • Shortcodes
     • The WordPress Plugin Directory
   • Plug In All the Way

5. 6. Themes

   • Basic Components of a Theme
     • Required Elements of a Theme
   • Nomenclature Hierarchy and Page Templates
     • Page Templates
   • Adding Functionality to Your Theme
     • Adding Custom Menus
     • Creating Widgetized Areas
   • Adding Support for Visual Modifications
     • Adding Support for Custom Headers
     • Adding Support for a Custom Background
   • Does My Functionality Belong in a Plugin or Theme?
     • Defining Functionality
     • The Difference between Display Logic and Site Functionality
     • A Case Study: ABC Real Estate
     • My Way of Adding Site Functionality Works for Me!
     • Breaking the Rules
   • Looking Good

6. 7. Taxonomies

   • Categories, Tags, and Custom Taxonomies
     • A Word on Information Hierarchy
     • Why Custom Taxonomies?
   • Creating Custom Taxonomies
     • Registering a New Taxonomy
     • The $args Array
     • The Nested Labels Array Argument
     • Using register_taxonomy()
   • Using Our Custom Taxonomies
     • Taxonomy Template File Hierarchy and Nomenclature
     • Customizing Output with Functions That Must Be Called in The Loop
     • Customizing Taxonomy Output outside of The Loop
   • Everything in Its Place

7. 8. Image Galleries and Featured Images

   • Revisiting the Media Library and Media Settings
     • Configuring Image Processing in Media Settings
   • The [gallery] Shortcode
     • Common Uses of [gallery]
     • Specialized Uses of [gallery]
     • Working with [gallery] in the Content Editor GUI
     • Firing the [gallery] Shortcode from a Template
     • Lightboxes
   • Working with Featured Images
     • Enabling Support for Post Thumbnails
     • Sizing Your Post Thumbnails
     • Adding Different-sized Post Thumbnails
     • Post Thumbnail Implementation in Themes
   • Got the Picture?

8. 9. The WordPress API

   • A Quick Review of the APIs Covered So Far
     • Shortcodes under the Microscope
   • The Dashboard Widgets API
     • Removing Dashboard Widgets
   • The HTTP API
   • The Database API
     • The Options API
     • The Transients API
     • The Metadata API
   • The Rewrite API
   • Other Functions and Tools
     • register_activation_hook()
     • wp_schedule_event()
     • wp_enqueue_script() and wp_register_script()
     • BackPress
   • A Box Full of Tools

9. 10. Multisite: Rolling Your Own Network

   • A Brief History of Multisite
   • Enabling Multisite
   • Multisite in Action
     • The Network Admin Dashboard
     • The Sites Submenu
     • Individual Network Site Settings
     • The Settings Submenu
     • The Users Submenu
     • The Themes Submenu
     • The Plugins Submenu
     • The Updates Submenu
   • Useful Plugins Within Multisite
   • Troubleshooting Multisite
     • Enabling Multisite
     • Routing Issues in Subdirectory Multisite Installations
   • You're Multiskilled

10. 11. Going Global with Themes and Plugins

    • The Basics of Internationalization and Localization
    • Anatomy of a Localization Process
      • GNU gettext Markers Tell Which Strings to Translate
      • A Function Linking Markers to a File with a Translation Key
      • A File Providing a Translation Key
    • Putting the Pieces Together
      • Localizing a Theme
      • Localizing a Plugin
      • A Word on .MO File Nomenclature
    • Introducing Poedit
      • Creating a .POT File
      • Translating Our .POT File
      • Another Way to Generate a .POT File
    • Is There an Easier Way Than Localization?
    • Installing WordPress in Your Own Language
    • World Tour Complete

11. 12. SEO, Marketing, and Goal Conversion

    • Why SEO Is So Difficult
      • SEO Is a Moving Target
      • The Google Search Algorithm Is Private
      • Sharks Patrol These Waters
      • Websites Are Poorly Coded
      • There's a Difference Between SEO and SEM
      • SEO and SEM Require a Team Effort
      • What's it all about anyway?
    • The Big Three Fundamental SEO Components
      • Semantic Permalinking
      • Proper <meta> and <title> Tag Inclusion
      • Proper Header Tag Structure and Implementation
      • The Anatomy of a Typical Search Engine Spider Visit
    • Other Important SEO Aspects
      • Image alt Attributes
      • Individual Page Privacy Settings
      • XML Sitemaps
      • Disclaimers, Terms and Conditions, and Privacy Pages
      • Proper Use of 301 Redirects and Avoidance of 404s
    • It's about GOAL CONVERSIONS!
      • Metrics and Split Testing
      • Keywords and Text
      • Making the Right Offer
      • Different Visual Layout
      • Heatmaps
    • Over to You

12. Index