WordPress® 24-Hour Trainer

Book description

A unique book-and-video package for WordPress® 24-Hour Trainer

Don't let WordPress intimidate you. WordPress 24-Hour Trainer is a unique lesson-based book that walks you through the essential parts of WordPress. Each lesson is streamlined to teach a specific aspect of WordPress, helping you to focus on just what you need in order to get the task accomplished. If you learn better visually, this book provides you with a video to accompany each lesson.

This book is the perfect guide to

  • Planning and preparing your site for WordPress

  • Installing WordPress

  • Writing, tagging, and publishing a post

  • Working with the text editor

  • Styling paragraphs and creating lists

  • Working with media files

  • Linking, aligning, and sizing an image

  • Working with image galleries

  • Adding video and audio

  • Naming, scheduling, and managing posts

  • Making your site stand out

  • Helping others connect to your site

  • Becoming search engine friendly

  • Optimizing your site

  • Backing up your site

  • Installing and activating plugins

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. Credits
  3. About the Author
  4. Acknowledgments
  5. Introduction
    1. Who This Book Is For
    2. What This Book Covers
    3. How This Book Is Structured
    4. Instructional Videos On DVD
    5. Conventions
    6. Errata
    7. p2p.wrox.com
  6. I. Before You Start
    1. 1. Thinking Like WordPress
      1. 1.1. Dynamic vs. Static Websites
      2. 1.2. Content Management Systems
        1. 1.2.1. WordPress as a CMS
      3. 1.3. How WordPress Assembles Pages
        1. 1.3.1. Why Separate Is Good
      4. 1.4. How WordPress Manages Content
      5. 1.5. Try It
    2. 2. Planning Your Site for WordPress
      1. 2.1. How Content Will Be Entered
      2. 2.2. How Categories Will Be Organized
      3. 2.3. How the Site Should Look
        1. 2.3.1. Site Layout
        2. 2.3.2. Site Design
      4. 2.4. Try It
  7. II. Firing Up WordPress
    1. 3. Installing WordPress
      1. 3.1. Uploading the WordPress Files
      2. 3.2. Setting Up Your Database
      3. 3.3. Doing the Installation
      4. 3.4. Try It
    2. 4. Admin Area Overview
      1. 4.1. Logging In
      2. 4.2. The Dashboard
      3. 4.3. Customizing Admin Screens
      4. 4.4. Getting Around the Admin Area
      5. 4.5. Try It
        1. 4.5.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 4.5.2. Step-by-Step
    3. 5. Basic Admin Settings
      1. 5.1. Settings to Get You Started
        1. 5.1.1. Tagline
        2. 5.1.2. WordPress Address (URL)
        3. 5.1.3. Blog Address (URL)
        4. 5.1.4. E-mail Address
        5. 5.1.5. Timezone
      2. 5.2. Setting Your Personal Profile
      3. 5.3. Try It
        1. 5.3.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 5.3.2. Step-by-Step
  8. III. Working with Written Content
    1. 6. Adding a New Post — Overview
      1. 6.1. Anatomy of a New Post
      2. 6.2. Writing a Post
        1. 6.2.1. The Button Bar
        2. 6.2.2. What You See Isn't Quite What You Get
        3. 6.2.3. Working with Text
      3. 6.3. Categories and Tags
        1. 6.3.1. Categories
        2. 6.3.2. Tags
      4. 6.4. Publishing a Post
        1. 6.4.1. Status
        2. 6.4.2. Visibility
        3. 6.4.3. Publish
      5. 6.5. Try It
        1. 6.5.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 6.5.2. Step-by-Step
    2. 7. Working with the Text Editor
      1. 7.1. Anatomy of the Text Editor
      2. 7.2. Sizing the Text Editor
      3. 7.3. StylingText
        1. 7.3.1. Underlining
        2. 7.3.2. Coloring Text
        3. 7.3.3. The Formatting Menu
      4. 7.4. Working with Text Links
        1. 7.4.1. Creating E-Mail Links
        2. 7.4.2. Editing Links
        3. 7.4.3. Removing Links
      5. 7.5. Importing Text
      6. 7.6. Try It
        1. 7.6.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 7.6.2. Step-by-Step
    3. 8. Laying Out Text
      1. 8.1. Styling Paragraphs
        1. 8.1.1. Aligning
        2. 8.1.2. Blockquotes
        3. 8.1.3. Indenting
      2. 8.2. Creating Lists
        1. 8.2.1. Beginning a New List
        2. 8.2.2. Working with Existing Text and Lists
      3. 8.3. Tips for Laying Out Posts
        1. 8.3.1. Making Use of Headings
      4. 8.4. Try It
        1. 8.4.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 8.4.2. Step-by-Step
    4. 9. Advanced Post Options
      1. 9.1. Advanced Options Overview
      2. 9.2. Excerpts and the More Button
      3. 9.3. Discussion and Comments
      4. 9.4. Handling Revisions
      5. 9.5. Try It
        1. 9.5.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 9.5.2. Step-by-Step
    5. 10. Adding a New Page
      1. 10.1. Pages vs. Posts
      2. 10.2. The Add Page Options
      3. 10.3. Creating Sub-Pages
      4. 10.4. Try It
        1. 10.4.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 10.4.2. Step-by-Step
  9. IV. Working with Media Content
    1. 11. The Basics of Handling Media Files
      1. 11.1. The Media Library vs. Galleries
      2. 11.2. The Upload/Insert Menu
      3. 11.3. Inserting an Image into a Post
      4. 11.4. Try It
        1. 11.4.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 11.4.2. Step-by-Step
    2. 12. The Upload/Insert Window Tabs
      1. 12.1. The From Computer Tab
      2. 12.2. The From URL Tab
      3. 12.3. The Gallery Tab
      4. 12.4. The Media Library Tab
      5. 12.5. Try It
        1. 12.5.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 12.5.2. Step-by-Step
    3. 13. Image Options in Detail
      1. 13.1. Titles, Captions, and Descriptions
        1. 13.1.1. Title
        2. 13.1.2. Caption
        3. 13.1.3. Description
      2. 13.2. Linking Images
      3. 13.3. Choosing an Alignment
      4. 13.4. Choosing a Size
      5. 13.5. Insert vs. Save
        1. 13.5.1. Insert Into Post
        2. 13.5.2. Save All Changes
      6. 13.6. Try It
        1. 13.6.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 13.6.2. Step-by-Step
    4. 14. Editing and Laying Out Images
      1. 14.1. Align and Resize — An Overview
      2. 14.2. The Popup Image Editor
      3. 14.3. Moving and Resizing in the Text Editor
      4. 14.4. More Complex Image Layouts
      5. 14.5. Updating an Image
      6. 14.6. Try It
        1. 14.6.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 14.6.2. Step-by-Step
    5. 15. Working with Image Galleries
      1. 15.1. Creating an Image Gallery in a Post
        1. 15.1.1. Link Thumbnails To
        2. 15.1.2. Order Images By
        3. 15.1.3. Order
        4. 15.1.4. Gallery Columns
      2. 15.2. Adding and Removing Images from a Gallery
      3. 15.3. Changing the Order or Size of Gallery Images
      4. 15.4. Using Galleries from Other Posts
      5. 15.5. Try It
        1. 15.5.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 15.5.2. Step-by-Step
    6. 16. Adding Video and Audio
      1. 16.1. Uploading/Inserting Video
      2. 16.2. The Embed Media Button
        1. 16.2.1. Type
        2. 16.2.2. File/URL
        3. 16.2.3. Dimensions
        4. 16.2.4. Final Notes About Embedding Video
      3. 16.3. Adding Audio
        1. 16.3.1. Type
        2. 16.3.2. Dimensions
      4. 16.4. Try It
        1. 16.4.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 16.4.2. Step-by-Step
    7. 17. Adding Documents
      1. 17.1. Uploading and Inserting a Document
      2. 17.2. What Types of Documents to Upload
      3. 17.3. Updating a Document
      4. 17.4. Try It
        1. 17.4.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 17.4.2. Step-by-Step
  10. V. Managing Your Content
    1. 18. Managing Posts and Pages
      1. 18.1. Finding Posts and Pages
        1. 18.1.1. Finding Posts
        2. 18.1.2. Finding Pages
      2. 18.2. Renaming, Rescheduling, and More with Quick Edit
      3. 18.3. Using Bulk Edit
        1. 18.3.1. Bulk-Editing Posts
        2. 18.3.2. Bulk-Editing Pages
      4. 18.4. Changing Your Homepage
      5. 18.5. More Admin Settings for Posts and Pages
      6. 18.6. Try It
        1. 18.6.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 18.6.2. Step-by-Step
    2. 19. Managing Media Files
      1. 19.1. Finding Files in the Media Library
      2. 19.2. Editing and Deleting Media Files
      3. 19.3. Admin Settings for Media
      4. 19.4. Try It
        1. 19.4.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 19.4.2. Step-by-Step
    3. 20. Managing Post Categories and Tags
      1. 20.1. Managing Categories
        1. 20.1.1. Adding Categories
        2. 20.1.2. Editing, Moving, or Deleting Categories
        3. 20.1.3. Managing the Default Category
      2. 20.2. Managing Tags
      3. 20.3. Converting Categories and Tags
      4. 20.4. Try It
        1. 20.4.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 20.4.2. Step-by-Step
    4. 21. Managing Widgets
      1. 21.1. What Are Widgets?
      2. 21.2. The Widgets Screen
      3. 21.3. Activating and Editing Widgets
      4. 21.4. Moving or Removing Widgets
      5. 21.5. Try It
        1. 21.5.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 21.5.2. Step-by-Step
  11. VI. Making Your Site Social
    1. 22. Linking to Other Sites
      1. 22.1. Managing Links
      2. 22.2. Managing Link Categories
      3. 22.3. Displaying Links
        1. 22.3.1. Sidebar Links
        2. 22.3.2. Link Categories in the Body of Posts
        3. 22.3.3. The Links Page
      4. 22.4. Try It
        1. 22.4.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 22.4.2. Step-by-Step
    2. 23. Managing Comments
      1. 23.1. Allow Comments or Not?
      2. 23.2. Admin Settings for Commenting
        1. 23.2.1. Display Order of Comments
        2. 23.2.2. Threaded Comments
      3. 23.3. Finding Comments
      4. 23.4. Approving, Editing, or Deleting Comments
      5. 23.5. Dealing with Spam Comments
      6. 23.6. Try It
        1. 23.6.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 23.6.2. Step-by-Step
    3. 24. Connecting to Content on Other Sites
      1. 24.1. Connecting to Your Social Media Accounts
      2. 24.2. Adding Content Feeds from Other Sites
        1. 24.2.1. JavaScript Feeds
        2. 24.2.2. RSS Feeds
      3. 24.3. Try It
        1. 24.3.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 24.3.2. Step-by-Step
    4. 25. Helping Others Connect to Your Site
      1. 25.1. RSS Feeds of Your Content
      2. 25.2. Setting Pingbacks and Trackbacks
      3. 25.3. Setting Permalinks
      4. 25.4. Try It
        1. 25.4.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 25.4.2. Step-by-Step
    5. 26. Having Multiple Site Users
      1. 26.1. User Roles and Their Capabilities
      2. 26.2. Adding a User
      3. 26.3. Changing a User's Capabilities
      4. 26.4. Users and Security
      5. 26.5. Try It
        1. 26.5.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 26.5.2. Step-by-Step
  12. VII. Customizing the Look of Your Site
    1. 27. Customizing Your Header Content
      1. 27.1. Built-in Header Customization
      2. 27.2. Using the Theme Editor
      3. 27.3. Adding a Logo
        1. 27.3.1. Logo Plus Existing Title Text
        2. 27.3.2. Replacing the Title Text
      4. 27.4. Try It
        1. 27.4.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 27.4.2. Step-by-Step
    2. 28. Customizing the Look of Posts
      1. 28.1. Making Text Easy to Read
      2. 28.2. Coloring Links and Headings
        1. 28.2.1. Link Colors
        2. 28.2.2. Heading Colors and Styling
      3. 28.3. Creating Special Text Areas with CSS
      4. 28.4. Try It
        1. 28.4.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 28.4.2. Step-by-Step
    3. 29. Customizing Design and Layout
      1. 29.1. Changing the Background of the Header
      2. 29.2. Changing Theme Graphics
      3. 29.3. Moving the Sidebar
      4. 29.4. Try It
        1. 29.4.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 29.4.2. Step-by-Step
  13. VIII. Becoming Search Engine Friendly
    1. 30. Optimizing Your Content
      1. 30.1. Writing Useful Titles
      2. 30.2. Writing Useful Content
      3. 30.3. Linking Effectively
      4. 30.4. Tagging Images
      5. 30.5. Try It
        1. 30.5.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 30.5.2. Step-by-Step
    2. 31. Optimizing Your Site as a Whole
      1. 31.1. Optimizing Admin Settings
      2. 31.2. Customizing Permalinks
      3. 31.3. Naming Categories
      4. 31.4. Using Meta and Title Tags
      5. 31.5. Try It
        1. 31.5.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 31.5.2. Step-by-Step
  14. IX. Housekeeping Chores
    1. 32. How Is Your Site Doing?
      1. 32.1. Monitoring Pingbacks and Incoming Links
        1. 32.1.1. Pingbacks and Trackbacks
        2. 32.1.2. Incoming Links
      2. 32.2. Monitoring Site Statistics
      3. 32.3. Try It
        1. 32.3.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 32.3.2. Step-by-Step
    2. 33. Keeping Up to Date
      1. 33.1. Updating WordPress
        1. 33.1.1. Automated Update
        2. 33.1.2. Manual Update
        3. 33.1.3. Troubleshooting WordPress Updates
      2. 33.2. Updating Plugins
      3. 33.3. Updating or Installing New Themes
        1. 33.3.1. Installing a New Theme
      4. 33.4. Try It
        1. 33.4.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 33.4.2. Step-by-Step
    3. 34. Backing Up Your Site
      1. 34.1. A Backup Routine
      2. 34.2. Backing Up Your Web Server Files
      3. 34.3. Backing Up Your Database
      4. 34.4. Some Database Backup Plugins
      5. 34.5. Try It
        1. 34.5.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 34.5.2. Step-by-Step
  15. X. Extending WordPress
    1. 35. Installing and Activating Plugins
      1. 35.1. What Is a Plugin?
      2. 35.2. Finding Plugins
      3. 35.3. Installing and Activating Plugins
      4. 35.4. Troubleshooting Plugins
      5. 35.5. Try It
        1. 35.5.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 35.5.2. Step-by-Step
    2. 36. Example Plugins
      1. 36.1. Photo Gallery Plugin — NextGEN Gallery
      2. 36.2. Form Creation Plugin — Contact Form 7
      3. 36.3. Try It
        1. 36.3.1. Lesson Requirements
        2. 36.3.2. Step-by-Step
    3. 37. Ten Other Common Uses for Plugins
      1. 37.1. Social Networking
      2. 37.2. Mobile
      3. 37.3. Ad Managers
      4. 37.4. Search Engine Optimization
      5. 37.5. Podcasting and Videos
      6. 37.6. Google Maps
      7. 37.7. E-commerce
      8. 37.8. Random Content
      9. 37.9. Comment Enhancement
      10. 37.10. Housekeeping
        1. 37.10.1. Spam
        2. 37.10.2. Revisions
        3. 37.10.3. Security
      11. 37.11. Try It
    4. 38. Extending WordPress Even Further
      1. 38.1. Template Hierarchy
      2. 38.2. The Power of Custom Fields
      3. 38.3. Keeping Things User-Friendly and Flexible
      4. 38.4. Some Final Thoughts
    5. A. Troubleshooting WordPress
      1. A.1. Troubleshooting an Installation
      2. A.2. Troubleshooting After Installation
      3. A.3. Finding Help Online
        1. A.3.1. The WordPress.org Site
        2. A.3.2. Using Search Engines
        3. A.3.3. Finding Professional Help
    6. B. Glossary
    7. C. What's on the DVD?
      1. C.1. System Requirements
      2. C.2. Using the DVD on a PC
      3. C.3. Using the DVD on a Mac
      4. C.4. What's on the DVD
      5. C.5. Troubleshooting
      6. C.6. Customer Care

Product information

  • Title: WordPress® 24-Hour Trainer
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: November 2009
  • Publisher(s): Wrox
  • ISBN: 9780470554586