9.3.1 Monitoring and Fixing Errors ...............................350
9.3.2 Alex King’s 404 Notifier Plugin .....................................................351
9.3.3 Broken Link Checker Plugin ........................................................351
9.3.4 Other Error-Logging Techniques .................................................352
9.3.5 Online Monitoring Services ........................................................352
9.4.1 Staying Current with WordPress .........................355
9.4.2 Updating WordPress .................................................................355
9.4.3 Logging Changes ....................................................................356
9.4.4 Backing Up Your Database and Files ..............................................357
9.5.1 Optimizing WordPress ...........................................358
9.5.2 Content and File Caching ..........................................................359
9.5.3 File Compression Methods ........................................................360
9.5.4 Optimizing CSS and JavaScript ...................................................362
9.5.5 Reducing the Number of HTTP Requests .......................................363
9.5.6 Plugin Maintenance .................................................................368
9.5.7 Database Maintenance ..............................................................369
9.5.8 Other Optimization Techniques ..................................................368
Contents
1 Welcome to WordPress
1.1.1 Welcome ........................................................................9
1.1.2 Why WordPress is Amazing ............................................................9
1.1.3. How to Setup and Configure WordPress .........................................10
1.1.4 How to Implement Advanced Functionality .....................................10
1.1.5 How to Optimize and Secure WordPress .........................................10
1.1.6 How to Maintain Your WordPress Site .............................................11
1.1.7 Don’t Worry ..............................................................................12
1.2.1 So, You’ve Never Heard of WordPress ..................12
1.2.2 One Template, Many Pages ..........................................................13
1.2.3 Powerful, Flexible and Extensible ...................................................14
1.3.1 Key Components of a WordPress Site ..................15
1.3.2 WordPress Core Files ..................................................................15
1.3.3 The WordPress Database .............................................................15
1.3.4 The Back End ............................................................................17
1.3.5 The Front End ...........................................................................17
1.4.1 Tools of the Trade ......................................................18
1.4.2 A Domain Name ........................................................................18
1.4.3 Web Host / Server ......................................................................18
1.4.4 Text / Code Editor ......................................................................19
1.4.5 FTP Program .............................................................................19
2 Setting Up WordPress
2.1.1 The Famous Five Minute Install .............................23
2.1.2 Where To Install? .......................................................................23
2.1.3 Checking Default Performance .....................................................24
2.2.1 OK, I’m In. Now What? .............................................25
2.2.2 Just Publish Something! .............................................................25
2.2.3 Go Look At It! ...........................................................................25
2.2.4 The Plan ..................................................................................26
2.3.1 Permalinks: Your URL Structure ............................26
2.3.2 HTAccess .................................................................................27
2.3.3 Which Style of Permalinks? ..........................................................28
2.3.4 Pick One and Stick With It ...........................................................29
2.3.5 SEO Consideration: Mind Your Post “Slugs” ......................................29
2.4.1 Categories and Tags .................................................30
2.4.2 They Are Basically the Same ........................................................32
2.4.3 Use Only One Category Per Post ...................................................32
2.4.4 Use Multiple Tags Per Post ..........................................................33
2.4.5 Don’t Go Overboard! ..................................................................33
2.4.6 You Don’t Need to Use Them At All ...............................................34
2.4.7 Custom Taxonomies ..................................................................34
2.5.1 Users and Administrators ........................................37
2.5.2 Add a New Account for Yourself ...................................................39
2.6.1 Choosing the Perfect Theme .................................40
2.6.2 Where to Find Awesome Themes..................................................40
2.6.3 Previewing Themes ...................................................................41
2.6.4 Key Things to Look For in a Theme ...............................................41
2.7.1 Getting Started with Plugins ...................................44
2.7.2 Installing and Activating Plugins ....................................................44
2.7.3 Difference Between Disabling and Uninstalling .................................45
2.7.4 Recommended Plugins ...............................................................46
3 Anatomy of a WordPress Theme
3.1.1 Understanding Theme Files ....................................51
3.1.2 Every Theme is Different .............................................................51
3.1.3 Commonly Used Theme Files .......................................................53
3.1.4 How Theme Files Work Together...................................................54
3.2.1 Understanding Different Page Views ...................54
3.2.2 Page Views are for Pages .............................................................55
3.2.3 Single Views are for Posts ............................................................55
3.2.4 The Many Faces of Archive Views .................................................56
3.2.5 Which File Renders What? ............................................................57
3.3.1 Kicking It Off with the Header ...............................58
3.3.2 The DOCTYPE and HTML Attributes ..............................................58
3.3.3 META Elements .........................................................................59
3.3.4 The Title ..................................................................................59
3.3.5 Link Elements ...........................................................................61
3.3.6 The wp_head() Function .............................................................64
3.3.7 Template Tags ...........................................................................65
3.4.1 The WordPress Loop .................................................67
3.4.2 The Loop in Plain English ............................................................68
3.4.3 The Loop Just Knows .................................................................69
3.4.4 Some Common “Loop Only” Functions ..........................................70
3.4.5 Some Common “Outside Loop” Functions .......................................71
3.5.1 Comments ....................................................................71
3.5.2 The comments.php File ..............................................................71
3.5.3 Selective Inclusion for Different Views ............................................72
3.6.1 The Sidebar .................................................................74
3.6.2 Purpose and Placement ..............................................................74
3.6.3 Popular Sidebar Functions ...........................................................75
3.6.4 Widgets, Widgets, Widgets ...........................................................78
3.7.1 The Search Form ........................................................79
3.7.2 Why is This a Separate File? ..........................................................79
3.7.3 Alternatives to WordPress Search ...................................................80
3.8.1 The Footer ...................................................................81
3.8.2 The wp_footer() Hook ................................................................81
3.8.3 Mini Footers / Mega Footers .........................................................82
3.9.1 Theme Functions .......................................................83
3.9.2 Functions are for Specific Themes .................................................83
3.9.3 Advantage Over Core Hacks ........................................................84
4 Theme Design and Development
4.1.1 Customizing the Loop ..............................................87
4.1.2 The Loop Doesn’t Care About Markup ............................................88
4.1.3 The Power of query_posts ...........................................................90
4.1.4 Displaying Different Numbers of Posts ............................................91
4.1.5 Excluding Specific Categories .......................................................91
4.1.6 Changing the Sort Order .............................................................92
4.1.7 Show Specific Pages, Embed a Page within a Page ............................92
4.1.8 Using Multiple Loops ..................................................................92
4.2.1 Sidebars and Footers ................................................96
4.2.2 Multiple Sidebars .......................................................................96
4.3.1 Menus, Archive Lists & Tag Clouds .......................99
4.3.2 Page-Specific Menu Styles ..........................................................101
4.3.3 Create the Perfect Archives Page ..................................................103
4.3.4 Impress Your Visitors with a Tag Cloud .........................................105
4.4.1 Side Content and Useful Menu Items ................105
4.4.2 Displaying Recent Comments .....................................................106
4.4.3 Displaying Recent Posts .............................................................107
4.4.4. Listing Popular Posts .................................................................108
4.4.5 Listing Recently Modified Posts ....................................................109
4.4.6 Listing Random Posts ................................................................110
4.4.7 Import and Display Twitter .........................................................110
4.4.8 Import and Display Delicious ......................................................113
4.4.9 Import and Display Other Content ...............................................114
4.5.1 Creating and Using Child Themes .....................117
4.6.1 Styling Your Theme ................................................118
4.6.2 Different Inclusion Methods ........................................................119
4.6.3 To Reset or Not To Reset? ..........................................................120
4.6.4 Basic CSS Optimization ..............................................................121
4.7.1 Using Multiple Themes ...........................................123
4.8.1 Widgetizing ...............................................................126
5 Extending Functionality
5.1.1 Extensibility ...............................................................131
5.1.2 Extending WordPress with Plugins ................................................131
5.1.3 A Plugin for (Almost) Everything ..................................................131
5.1.4 Do You Need a Plugin? ...............................................................135
5.1.5 Choosing the Perfect Plugin ........................................................136
5.2.1 Plugin Usage and Maintenance ..........................138
5.2.2 Sequential Installation ...............................................................138
5.2.3 Keep Plugins Up-To-Date ...........................................................138
5.2.4 Subscribe to Plugin Comment Threads .........................................139
5.2.5 Getting Help with Plugins ...........................................................140
5.2.6 Diagnosing Plugin Conflicts ........................................................140
5.2.7 Disabling and Uninstalling Plugins ................................................141
5.2.8 Share Your Experience with Others ...............................................143
5.3.1 Extending with Custom Functions .....................144
5.3.2 Plugins vs. Theme Functions .......................................................145
5.3.3 Useful Examples of Theme Functions ............................................146
5.3.4 Example #1: Easy Admin Buttons for Comments .............................146
5.3.5 Example #2: Sitewide Shortcode Functionality ................................147
5.3.6 Example #3: Transferring Plugins to functions.php ...........................149
5.3.7 Example #4: Transferring Functions to a Plugin ..............................150
5.4.1 Other Ways to Extend Functionality ..................151
5.4.2 Functions Within Theme Files .....................................................151
5.4.3 Hacking the WordPress Core .......................................................153
5.5.1 WordPress as a CMS ................................................154
5.5.2 CMS Features Built Into WordPress ...............................................154
5.5.3 Working With Custom Fields .......................................................155
5.5.4 Users, Roles and Permissions ......................................................160
5.5.5 Categorizing, Tagging, and Custom Taxonomies .............................161
5.5.6 Page Templates ........................................................................162
5.5.7 Page, Category, and Tag Heirarchies .............................................163
5.5.8 Dynamic Menus .......................................................................165
5.6.1 Extending CMS Functionality ...............................166
5.6.2 CMS-Related Plugins .................................................................166
5.6.3 Using WordPress as a Forum .......................................................171
5.6.4 Integration with Third-Party Forum Applications .............................172
5.6.5 Multiple Blogs with WordPress MU ...............................................173
6 Working with RSS Feeds
6.1.1 Working with RSS Feeds ........................................177
6.1.2 Quick Introduction to Feeds ........................................................177
6.1.3 Dynamic Publishing and Content Distribution .................................177
6.1.4 The Pros and Cons of Delivering RSS Feeds ....................................178
6.2.1 Different Types of WordPress Feeds ...................178
6.2.2 Posts Feed .............................................................................180
6.2.3 Comments Feed ......................................................................180
6.2.4 Individual Post Comments Feed ..................................................181
6.2.5 Category and Tag Feeds ............................................................181
6.2.6 Other Feed Types .....................................................................182
6.3.1 Feed Configurations and Formats ......................183
6.3.2 Full Feeds ...............................................................................185
6.3.3 Partial Feeds ............................................................................186
6.3.4 Number of Posts ......................................................................186
6.3.5 WordPress Feed Formats ............................................................187
6.4.1 Using FeedBurner For Feed Delivery .................190
6.4.2 Benefits of Using FeedBurner ......................................................190
6.4.3 Setting Up and Configuring a FeedBurner Account ..........................192
6.4.4 Redirecting to FeedBurner via Plugin ............................................192
6.4.5 - Redirecting to FeedBurner via HTAccess ......................................193
6.4.6 Redirecting to FeedBurner via PHP ...............................................195
6.5.1 Tracking and Displaying Statistics ......................197
6.5.2 Types of Statistics Provided by FeedBurner .....................................197
6.5.3 Displaying FeedBurner Statistics ..................................................198
6.5.4 Alternatives to FeedBurner .........................................................199
6.6.1 Customizing Feeds .................................................201
6.6.2 Formatting Feed Images ...........................................................203
6.6.3 Adding a Custom Feed Image ....................................................204
6.6.4 Include Comments in Feeds ......................................................206
6.6.5 Creating Custom Feeds.............................................................208
6.6.6 More Feed Customization Tricks ..................................................212
6.6.7 Styling Feeds ...........................................................................213
6.6.8 Removing the WordPress Version Number .....................................213
6.6.9 Disable and Redirect Unwanted Feed Formats ................................215
6.6.10 Insert Custom Content into Feeds ..............................................216
6.6.11 Importing and Displaying External Feeds ......................................218
6.6.12 Buffer Period After Posting ........................................................219
6.6.13 Protecting Feed Content ...........................................................221
6.7.1 Validating Feeds .......................................................223
6.7.2 Diagnosing and Troubleshooting Errors ........................................224
7 Working with Comments
7.1.1 Optimizing the Comments Area ..........................227
7.1.2 Welcome to the WordPress Comments Area ..................................228
7.1.3 About the WordPress Comment System ........................................228
7.1.4 Comments, Pingbacks and Trackbacks ..........................................227
7.1.5 Anatomy of the WordPress Comment Area ....................................229
7.2.1 Syndicating Comments
7.2.2 WordPress Main Comments Feed .................................................233
7.2.3 Post-Specific Comment Feeds ....................................................234
7.3.1 Formatting the Comments Area ..........................235
7.3.2 Using wp_list_comments() or a Custom Loop? ................................237
7.3.3 Implementing Paged Comments .................................................243
7.3.4 Implementing Threaded Comments ............................................245
7.3.5 Separating comments, pingbacks and trackbacks ............................249
7.3.6 Eliminating Pingbacks and Trackbacks ..........................................252
7.3.7 Control Directly with the Database ...............................................255
7.4.1 Customizing Comment Display ...........................256
7.4.2 Numbering Comments Globally and Locally ..................................256
7.4.3 Alternating Comment Styles .......................................................260
7.4.4 Custom Styles for Authors and Members ........................................261
7.4.5 Styling Comments with Gravatars ................................................263
7.4.6 Add a Message ........................................................................265
7.4.7 Moderation Links in the Theme Itself ............................................267
7.4.8 Display Comment, Ping/Trackback Counts ....................................268
7.5.1 Optimizing the Comment Form ..........................269
7.5.2 Setup Comment Previews .........................................................269
7.5.3 Rich-Text Editors for Comments ..................................................270
7.5.4 Adding Comment Quicktags ......................................................272
7.5.5 Comment Management and Spam Prevention ................................274
7.6.1 Controlling Comment Spam .................................274
7.6.2 WordPress’ Built-In Anti-Spam Functionality ..................................275
7.6.3 Anti-Spam Plugins for WordPress .................................................276
7.7.1 Other Considerations & Techniques ...................278
7.7.2 Enhancing and Encouraging Comments .......................................278
7.7.3 “nofollow” Links ........................................................................279
7.7.4 Integrating Twitter ....................................................................282
8 Search Engine Optimization
8.1.1 SEO Strengths and Weaknesses .........................285
8.1.2 Strong Focus on Content ..........................................................285
8.1.3 Built-In “nofollow” Comment Links ..............................................286
8.1.4 Duplicate Content Issues ...........................................................286
8.2.1 Controlling Duplicate Content ............................287
8.2.2 Meta noindex and nofollow Tags ................................................288
8.2.3 Nofollow attributes ...................................................................291
8.2.4 Robots.txt Directives ................................................................293
8.2.5 Canonical Meta Tags .................................................................297
8.2.6 Use Excerpts for Posts ..............................................................299
8.3.1 Optimizing Permalink Structure .........................300
8.3.2 Default URLs vs. “Pretty” Permalinks .............................................300
8.3.3 Keep Permalinks Short ...............................................................301
8.3.4 Maximize Permalink Keywords ...................................................303
8.4.1 Scoring with Google ...............................................305
8.4.2 Content, Content, Content ........................................................305
8.4.3 Detecting Duplicate Content ......................................................305
8.4.4 Optimizing Heading Elements .....................................................307
8.4.5 Optimizing Title Tags ...............................................................308
8.4.6 The nofollow Wars ....................................................................310
8.4.7 Fixing Broken Links ...................................................................310
8.4.8 Using a Sitemap .......................................................................312
8.4.9 Other SEO tips .........................................................................313
8.4.10 SEO-Related plugins ................................................................314
8.5.1 Tracking the Success of Your Site .......................316
8.5.2 Statistical WordPress plugins .......................................................316
8.5.3 Shaun Inman’s Mint Stats ...........................................................317
8.5.4 Google Analytics ......................................................................318
8.5.5 Other Metrics ..........................................................................319
8.6.1 Closing Thoughts on SEO .....................................320
9 Maintaining a Healthy Site
9.1.1 Keeping a Site Healthy ...........................................323
9.1.2 Securing WordPress ...................................................................323
9.1.3 Setting Secure File Permissions ...................................................324
9.1.4 Disabling Directory Views ..........................................................326
9.1.5 Forbid Access to Sensitive Files ...................................................328
9.1.6 Neuter the Default “admin” User Account .......................................339
9.1.7 Remove the WordPress Version Number .......................................340
9.1.8 Securing Your Database .............................................................341
9.1.9 Secure Multiple Installations .......................................................344
9.1.10 Prevent Hotlinking ..................................................................344
9.1.11 More WordPress Security Help ...................................................345
9.2.1 Stopping Comment Spam ....................................346
9.2.2 Configuring Your WordPress Admin Options...................................347
9.2.3 Using the Built-In Comment Moderation ......................................348
9.2.4 Using the Built-In Comment Blacklist ...........................................348
9.2.5 Disabling Comments on Old Posts ..............................................349
9.2.6 Deny Access to No-Referrer Requests ..........................................349
