Software Engineering in WordPress, PHP, and Backend Development
A summary of useful links, applications, and tools that I find around the Internet.
I've closed comments on this post as I'd like to keep the discussion on the source post.
Stephen Harris is a fellow contributor to the Envato network who has contributed a number of solid articles the most recent of which covers WordPress Admin Pointers.
I've closed comments on this post as I'd like to keep the discussion on the source post.
Earlier this week, I shared my thoughts on custom, non-standard hooks within the context of WordPress themes which resulted in a great discussion in the comments and on Twitter, so it seems only appropriate to share a resource on how to get started with WordPress plugin hooks.
Last week, Pippin Williamson of Pippin’s Plugins published a terrific article on Envato that explains how to write extensible plugins with WordPress plugin hooks.
I dig markdown. Aside from the obvious uses on GitHub, I’ve also begun to use it in changelogs, README files, and general text-based notes that I take.
The other day, I sent the following tweet:
i wish i could write email in markdown
— Tom McFarlin (@tommcfarlin) September 5, 2012
And it’s true. If I could, I’d use markdown to write almost anything in place of using rich formatting. Once you get the hang of it, it’s faster, it has clean syntax that are even easy to follow if they aren’t styled, and it’s much simpler than, say, markup (hence, ahem, markdown).
Thanks to a tip from Bobby Shirley, it’s completely possible – and easy – markdown email.
Last week, I mentioned that I’m often asked by aspiring WordPress Developers is how to get started within the community. After all, it’s active, there are a lot of people, and there are various ways to contribute.
One thing that seems to be a common thread is that developers often come wanting to know how to develop themes or develop plugins. If they’re interested in both, their interest still seems to lean in one of the two areas.
That said, the same challenge exists: How do you get started with WordPress Plugin Development?
One of the questions that I’m often asked from developers is how to get started with WordPress theme development. Sure, there are great resources like the Theme Development guide, but if you’re looking to dive headfirst into working with an existing theme, your options are limited.
At least, that used to be the case.
Yes, you can tinker around with Twentyten, Twentyeleven, or another theme, but sometimes the best place to learn is to watch someone develop a theme from the ground up. Thanks to GitHub, being able to do this is easier than ever.
Brian Krogsgard is currently in the process of building a theme and he’s made his work available on GitHub.
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If you are looking for WordPress guides and unbiased reviews, I recommend checking out WPKube. They also have an exclusive deals section.
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