Author: Tom (Page 185 of 434)

Touch a File (Before Creating It)

February 1, 2016 / Tom / 0 Comments

If you do any type of WordPress development for clients, then you’re likely familiar with having to work within many different environments.

Sure, the backend of each system may be very similar: That is, they are all running on some form of Linux with Apache or Nginx and MySQL. But, depending on the project that you’re working on, you may end up facing a variety of file permissions.

For example, let’s say that you’ve been hired to write a plugin or some custom functionality for someone and the work that you’re doing has to integrate with work that someone else has done. On top of that, it has to integrate with permissions on a file system that you can’t change.

Furthermore, a portion of the work you have to do must write a file to the disk. The problem? The code for saving a file isn’t working.

What then?

Comment Humility For An Improved Blogging Experience

January 29, 2016 / Tom / 0 Comments

Comment Humility is one of those simple plugins available for WordPress that does one thing, does it well, and doesn’t disrupt your current workflow.

Comment Humility

Personally speaking, it’s one of those things that I don’t know why it wasn’t developed sooner (or maybe it was, and I missed it).

Here’s the gist of the plugin straight from the repository’s page:

WP Comment Humility relocates the “Comments” top level menu underneath the “Posts” top level menu.

Because comments are off by default for Pages, this plugin puts comments where they make the most sense now.

Easy, right? But why does this deserve a blog post?

Clean Up WordPress Because It’s a Mess?

January 28, 2016 / Tom / 0 Comments

“Clean up WordPress” is a phrase that those of us involved in WordPress hear a lot. It’s misleading though because if you’re a developer, it might mean one thing. If you’re a user, then it likely means another thing.

But without any more context, you can still ask: Clean up WordPress? In what way?

Does it mean the database?
Does it mean part of the file system?
Does it mean something in a theme or all of themes?
Does it mean various plugins or part of a plugin?

And so on. You see what I’m saying, though? It’s a particular point of discussion, but your experience may vary depending on how you use WordPress.

Though I try not to talk about content from other blogs on my blog, sometimes an article and/or a comment brings up a point that strikes a chord with me. So I feel inclined to do so.

Being More Efficient with Email

January 27, 2016 / Tom / 0 Comments

Becoming more efficient with email is one of those things I think many of us aim to do. After all, we spend a significant chunk of our day working out of our inboxes, don’t we?

The ironic part of is we all complain about the amount of email we have in our inbox, but yet we’re also responsible for filling up other people’s inbox.

First, when it comes to the idea of inbox zero, I see that like a dog chasing its tail: Even if you’re to reach it, what then? The tail still exists, and more email comes in.

I’m being a bit facetious of course, but if I’m honest, I don’t worry about constantly being in a state of inbox zero. If I can reach it by the end of the work day, I’m good.

So, if your an Inbox user (and I am), how can we turn this into something that helps us be a bit more efficient with email?

Git and WordPress

January 26, 2016 / Tom / 0 Comments

When it comes to talking about Git and WordPress, Subversion and WordPress, or any version control and WordPress, some people are immediately turned off.

Version control is scary. It’s overwhelming. It uses terms that aren’t clear as to what they mean; the advantages aren’t immediately evident, and the learning curve can be steep no matter how nice our GUIs get.

But in my opinion, if you opt to increase your ability as a professional developer working in the WordPress economy, learning a version control system is something that’s highly recommended.

The benefits far outweigh the learning curve, and once you get used to the workflow, you’ll likely wonder how you ever lived without it.

But the biggest challenge? Figuring out exactly where to start.

Touch a File (Before Creating It)

Comment Humility For An Improved Blogging Experience

Clean Up WordPress Because It’s a Mess?

Being More Efficient with Email

Git and WordPress

Current Projects