Error establishing a database connection
WordPress generates its pages on-the-fly, pulling information from a database. If you request a web page and the server is having a hard time talking to the database, it will sometimes display ”Error...
View ArticleWordCamp Montreal 2011
It was WordCamp Montreal 2011 this past weekend (July 9-10), my first since starting to use WordPress last fall. WordCamps are conferences dedicated to those interested in WordPress; while the main...
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WooThemes and doing it right
I’ve been a fan of WooThemes since discovering them four or five months ago – they’re one of the most popular premium WordPress theme suppliers, with over 40000 paid customers. Oddly enough, I find...
View ArticleGetting the most out of WordPress premium themes
A WordPress premium theme (loosely defined as a theme that must be purchased) can give a quantum leap to your website with very little cash down (themes are usually in the $25-$40 USD range). While...
View ArticleUsing XML to define translatable strings in WPML
WPML, a plugin for handling multilingual content in WordPress, has the ability to read an XML file for its configuration. In this language configuration file, we can define which custom fields, custom...
View ArticleMontreal Dev Meetup: Demystifying The Theme Review Process
I’ll be giving a talk this Thursday, February 2nd, at the Montreal WordPress Dev Meetup (find out details on the Facebook page). I’ll be discussing the WordPress Free Themes Directory, the Theme Review...
View ArticleAdding a sub-menu indicator to parent menu items
It’s very handy from a UI perspective to indicate which menu items have a sub-menu beneath them (often a small triangle or arrow is used). When using wp_nav_menu(), WordPress adds the “sub-menu” class...
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Getting Started With WordPress Theme Development
WordCamp Montreal 2012 was held this past August 18-19, and on the Sunday, I gave a talk about getting started with WordPress theme development (slides are available here). Savoir-Faire Linux kindly...
View ArticleWorking with Jetpack and wordpress.com accounts
I’ve written a quick article explaining how to best connect your Jetpack-enabled sites to wordpress.com accounts. View it here:...
View ArticleAdding a logo uploader to your WordPress theme with the Theme Customizer
Let’s create a logo uploader using the new Theme Customizer, which was released with WordPress 3.4. This will allow users to place an image in our theme’s header; if no logo has been uploaded, we’ll...
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Using the WordPress Theme Customizer to choose between excerpts or full content
The Theme Customizer, introduced in WordPress 3.4, is a powerful tool for theme settings and options. In this tutorial, we’ll give our users a choice of how they would like their posts presented on the...
View ArticlePutting Posts on a Pedestal with Jetpack’s Featured Content
Automattic quietly introduced a new Jetpack feature in 2.2. Online documentation is still in process, and it’s not even listed in the changelog; but it’s something all theme developers can take...
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No need for that $locale business anymore
It’s no longer necessary to include a locale file within your theme’s functions.php; check this ticket: http://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/20448
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Jetpack and wordpress.com accounts
With the new features in Jetpack 2.0, it’s more important than ever to keep straight your wordpress.com accounts – particularly if you’re developing sites for clients that will be using Jetpack. I...
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Changing HTML markup for WordPress galleries
The default markup for WordPress galleries is a little… odd. If you want to change it, the post_gallery filter is what you’re looking for; see wp-includes/media.php around line 671 for the goods.
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A new look for kwight.ca
My website has a new home, here on WordPress.com. I’m a big fan of NASA and their liberal use policy for images; in looking at their collection from the Jet Propulsion Lab, I came across The Rose, and...
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Create Presentations Easily on WordPress.com with Shortcodes
Reblogged from WordPress.com News: On WordPress.com, you can use a number of shortcodes to embed features and create objects with little effort, and make your site look just the way you want. We're...
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Email forwarding on WordPress.com
The wait is over. I have cried tears of joy. This past Monday, Automattic announced a new feature: email forwarding for your custom domain on WordPress.com. It is no longer necessary to manage a...
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Stop fighting with CSS widths involving padding and borders
A year-and-a-half ago, Paul Irish wrote about the box-sizing property, and how one particular value could give you your life back (my words, not his). If you’re not using it yet, start; then you can go...
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CSS Flexbox model
Don’t really know what Flexbox is, but get the idea it’s going to be (is?) super awesome or important? Chris Coyier gives a great rundown in easy-to-understand (read: not W3C spec) language....
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