What’s Been Happening in the WordPress World Last Month
- All of the URLs on your website have a built in RSS feed which can be accessed by adding /feed/ to the URL such as, https://www.contradodigital.com/category/developer/feed/
- Couple of really handy tools for automation, https://zapier.com/ and https://ifttt.com/ with one example of how this can be used for social media management, https://www.contradodigital.com/2015/10/08/60-seconds-a-day-social-media-management-with-automation-and-technology/ and an interesting example using Tweets and Hashtags to control bubbles in the office, http://bubblino.com/
- Handy plugin that adds in the Featured Image URL into the RSS feed which can then be used in MailChimp campaigns, https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/featured-images-for-rss-feeds/
- Lots of popular Gallery Plugins, which ultimately depends on your individual needs and requirements, https://premium.wpmudev.org/blog/wordpress-gallery-plugins/
- Various tools for local WordPress development including, https://github.com/Varying-Vagrant-Vagrants/VVV, http://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/how-to-install-wordpress-on-your-windows-computer-using-wamp/, http://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/how-to-create-a-local-wordpress-site-using-xampp/
- Debugging WordPress can be challenging if you didn’t build the website yourself or if you are unsure of how WordPress fits together. A handy guide and process to follow can be found here, https://www.contradodigital.com/2016/08/12/how-to-debug-wordpress-problems/
- Handy Cacheing plugin for WordPress, https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/w3-total-cache/, beware that while cacheing can be great, it can also cause problems.
- How to add custom fields to WooCommerce category pages beneath the product listings, follow this guide here, https://www.contradodigital.com/2016/07/05/add-custom-field-woocommerce-product-category-pages-display-content-products/
- WordPress template hierarchy handy for understanding how WordPress decides on which PHP file to use to load content,
- How to automate email marketing campaigns, https://www.contradodigital.com/2016/09/22/automating-your-email-marketing-campaigns-with-wordpress-and-mailchimp/
- How to add featured images to RSS feeds, https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/featured-images-for-rss-feeds/
- Handy plugin for adding Facebook Messenger to your WordPress website for Live Chat functionality, https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/fb-messenger/
- Other Live Chat functionality for WordPress, https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/wp-live-chat-support/, lots of plugins available, have a browse around for something that meets your individual needs
- Handy tool for seeing how real people are using your website, https://www.hotjar.com/
- Guide on how to implement free SSL certificates on your website, https://www.contradodigital.com/2016/09/01/claim-your-free-ssl-certificates-for-https/ using Lets Encrypt
- SiteLock Acquires Patchman’s Malware and Vulnerability Detection Technology, Expands WordPress Customer Base to 4 Million – https://wptavern.com/sitelock-acquires-patchmans-malware-and-vulnerability-detection-technology-expands-wordpress-customer-base-to-4-million
- Adobe to Discontinue Flash Support and Updates in 2020 – https://wptavern.com/adobe-to-discontinue-flash-support-and-updates-in-2020
- .blog Passes 100,000 Registrations, 66.5% of Purchased Domains are in Use – https://wptavern.com/blog-passes-100000-registrations-66-5-of-purchased-domains-are-in-use
- New Dobby Plugin Captures and Hides Unwanted WordPress Admin Notices – https://wptavern.com/new-dobby-plugin-captures-and-hides-unwanted-wordpress-admin-notices
- Jetpack 5.2 Brings Major Improvements to the Contact Form Module – https://wptavern.com/jetpack-5-2-brings-major-improvements-to-the-contact-form-module
- Let’s Encrypt Passes 100 Million Certificates Issued, Will Offer Wildcard Certificates in January 2018 – https://wptavern.com/lets-encrypt-passes-100-million-certificates-issued-will-offer-wildcard-certificates-in-january-2018
- Automattic Releases Net Neutrality WordPress Plugin Ahead of July 12 Protest – https://wptavern.com/automattic-releases-net-neutrality-wordpress-plugin-ahead-of-july-12-protest
- Sustain Event Draws 100 Attendees to Discuss the Sustainability of Open Source Software – https://wptavern.com/sustain-event-draws-100-attendees-to-discuss-the-sustainability-of-open-source-software
- WordPress.com Introduces Scheduling for Social Media Posts – https://wptavern.com/wordpress-com-introduces-scheduling-for-social-media-posts
- Gutenberg Boilerplate Demonstrates How to Build Custom Blocks – https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-boilerplate-demonstrates-how-to-build-custom-blocks
- Stylishly Display Weather Conditions with the Weather Atlas Widget – https://wptavern.com/stylishly-display-weather-conditions-with-the-weather-atlas-widget
- WP Rollback Adds Multisite Compatibility and Changelog Preview – https://wptavern.com/wp-rollback-adds-multisite-compatibility-and-changelog-preview
- bbPress 2.5.13 Readds Sanitization to Anonymous User Data – https://wptavern.com/bbpress-2-5-13-readds-sanitization-to-anonymous-user-data
- The State of JavaScript 2017 Survey is Now Open – https://wptavern.com/the-state-of-javascript-2017-survey-is-now-open
- WordPress 4.8.1 Adds a Dedicated Custom HTML Widget – https://wptavern.com/wordpress-4-8-1-adds-a-dedicated-custom-html-widget
- Members 2.0 Adds Capability Registration System, Introduces New Settings Screen for Add-Ons – https://wptavern.com/members-2-0-adds-capability-registration-system-introduces-new-settings-screen-for-add-ons
The next meetup is on Wednesday 6th September, full details here, https://www.meetup.com/Blackburn-WordPress-Meetup/