Tag: WordPress (Page 169 of 219)

Check out the first post on passing variables in WordPress using WP_Query.

In the previous post, I shared how I used to use the following rule of them when passing variables in WordPress (and other programming languages, really):

“Only if I need to use this value more than once, then I will store it in a variable.”

And though I still think it’s a fair rule to follow, there are exceptions.

The more time I’ve spent writing code and having to maintain codebases from both myself and others, the more I’ve appreciated having variables defined – even if they are used only once – that hold more complex information for the sake of readability, clarity, and maintainability.

In the last post, I looked at an example as it relates to `WP_Query` since it’s one of the more powerful aspects of the WordPress API, but I’ve found that the same is true in simpler complex such as loops.

Continue reading

Check out the second post on passing variables in WordPress in loops.

One of the most minute aspects of writing code is opting when – or when not – to use variables.

It sounds like a trivial decision, right? And in some respects, it is, but the longer I’ve been writing code (or, perhaps a better way to put it), is that the more code that I’ve written and had to maintain, the more my opinion has changed on how frequently I use variables.

After being in the industry for a couple of years, I tried to follow the this rule of thumb:

“Only if I need to use this value more than once, then I will store it in a variable.”

And I still think that’s a decent rule of thumb, but the more I’ve worked with systems that, say, interface with a database, or that leverage multi-dimensional arrays, or that some type of iteration (be it an each iterator, a foreach iterator, or something similar), the more I’ve found how storing a variable – even if it’s only going to be used once – can make for slightly more readable code.

Continue reading

At this point, there are a number of great content management-related features that are built directly into WordPress that are easy for theme developers to employ.

Some of these features include:

• Enabling post formats
• Automatic feed links
• Setting the default content width
• Opting to enable (or disable) featured images
• …and so on.

And many of these features are widely used by a variety of different themes. Obviously not every theme uses all of the above functions but many use some of them.

But there’s one native feature that, for one reason or another, doesn’t seem to have taken off as much as other features:  WordPress editor styles.

This is a bit odd to me, because I think it’s one of the features that can greatly enhance the experience with a theme, and I think it can contribute to create greater differentiation in premium-grade products.

Continue reading

For anyone who has worked with it or worked on it long enough, you are likely familiar with the criticism, the hate and vitriol of WordPress.

Straight up, people despise WordPress, its codebase, the fact that people not only work on it, but also write about it, build for it, and make any argument for using it outside of its primary use case of being a blog and/or a content management system.

And as a developer – especially one not only new to WordPress, but one who is new to programming in general – this can become really discouraging.

In fact, I’ll go as far as to say that it can make you question not only your ability as a programmer, but your ability to learn the tools, methodologies, and practices of software engineers who work with other languages, tools, frameworks, and so on.

Continue reading