WordPress Bible E-Book

Aaron Brazell

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Serie: Bible
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 747

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

Get the latest word on the biggest self-hosted blogging tool on the market Within a week of the announcement of WordPress 3.0, it had been downloaded over a million times. Now you can get on the bandwagon of this popular open-source blogging tool with WordPress Bible, 2nd Edition. Whether you're a casual blogger or programming pro, this comprehensive guide covers the latest version of WordPress, from the basics through advanced application development. If you want to thoroughly learn WordPress, this is the book you need to succeed. * Explores the principles of blogging, marketing, and social media interaction * Shows you how to install and maintain WordPress * Thoroughly covers WordPress basics, then ramps up to advanced topics * Guides you through best security practices as both a user and a developer * Helps you enhance your blog?s findability in major search engines and create customizable and dynamic themes * Author maintains a high-profile blog in the WordPress community, Technosailor.com * Tech edited by Mark Jaquith, one of the lead developers of WordPress The WordPress Bible is the only resource you need to learn WordPress from beginning to end.

Leseprobe

WordPress® Bible, 2nd Edition

Table of Contents

Part I: Getting Started with WordPress

Chapter 1: Learning About WordPress

A Brief History of WordPress

The creation of WordPress

The WordPress ecosystem emerges

The future of WordPress

Leveraging the WordPress Community

Support

Development

WordPress by the Numbers

Ten Things You Need to Know About WordPress

Generate content with an offline editor

Benefit from built-in SEO features

Widgetize your blog for a unique experience

Install themes, plugins, and core upgrades automatically

Turn your blog into a social network

Extend WordPress with plugins

Provide context with the WordPress taxonomies

Import your blog from any platform

Take advantage of multiple feeds

Make WordPress a full-fledged CMS with custom post types

Generate navigation menus on the fly with no coding required

Understanding Open Source and the General Public License

Summary

Chapter 2: Installing and Configuring WordPress

System Requirements

Choosing a Web Server

Apache

Lighttpd

Nginx

Internet Information Services

Optional modules

Installing WordPress

Configuring the database

Uploading your files

Summary

Chapter 3: WordPress, SEO, and Social Media Marketing

Understanding the Basics of Search Engine Optimization

Canonical URLs

The Meta tag boost

The All in One SEO plugin

Leveraging Social Networks to Extend Your Blog

Facebook

Twitter

Summary

Chapter 4: Finding Help in the WordPress Support System

Using the WordPress Codex

Staying in the Loop with Mailing Lists

wp-hackers

wp-testers

wp-docs

wp-xmlrpc

wp-polyglots

wp-svn

wp-trac

Finding Help in the WordPress Support Forums

Understanding the support forum layout

Posting in the support forums

Using IRC to Find Help

Quick Start for IRC

The WordPress IRC Rooms

Summary

Part II: Working with Plugins

Chapter 5: Extending WordPress with Plugins

Understanding WordPress Hooks

The anatomy of a hook

Theme hooks

Writing Your Own Plugin

Extending the WordPress Admin

Creating an admin interface

Adding an admin panel to the WordPress Admin navigation menu

Creating unique nonces for plugin form security

Processing data and interacting with the database

Loading JavaScript libraries

Creating new Dashboard widgets

Creating Events with Actions

Modifying Content with Filters

Using Multi-Argument Hooks

Working with Custom Post Types

Making WordPress a full-fledge CMS

Applying Custom Taxonomies

Localizing Plugins

Enabling plugin code for translation

Providing a textdomain for the plugin

Generating a POT file for translators

Summary

Chapter 6: Building Widgets and Navigation Menus

Using Widgets in WordPress

Building Widgets with the Widget API

Building a new widget plugin

Creating a control interface for the plugin

Saving configuration data

Putting it all together

Replacing existing widgets

Widgetizing Your Theme

Declaring sidebars

Integrating widgetized sidebars in themes

Building WordPress Navigation Menus

Exploring the navigation menu interface

Enabling a theme to use navigation menus

Registering navigation menu locations in a theme

Summary

Chapter 7: Understanding the WordPress Database Class

Examining the Schema and Properties of the Database Class

The database properties

Adding Data to MySQL with WordPress

Inserting new data into MySQL

Updating data in MySQL safely

Retrieving Data from MySQL with WordPress

Retrieving a single value from a table

Retrieving a column of data

Retrieving a row of data

Retrieving a full data set

Performing other queries

Preventing SQL Injection

Summary

Chapter 8: Dissecting the Loop and WP_Query

Defining the Loop

Wrangling the Loop with Plugins

Discovering query hooks

Altering the query with hooks

Developing Custom and Multiple Loops

Using query_posts() and rewind_posts()

Instantiating a new Loop with WP_Query

Using variables to alter the query

Examples of WP_Query in action

Analyzing the Twenty-Ten Loop

Child theming Twenty-Ten

Leveraging get_template_part()

Using Loops Strategically

Summary

Part III: Working with Themes and Template Tags

Chapter 9: Using Free or Premium Themes

Understanding the User Experience

Typography

White space

Fixed or fluid width

Sidebars

Finding and Implementing Free Themes

Finding and Implementing Premium Themes

Exploring Free Theme Frameworks

Twenty-ten theme

Thematic framework

Comparing Premium Theme Frameworks

Builder Theme

Genesis Theme Framework

Summary

Chapter 10: Understanding the Template File Hierarchy

Looking at the Minimum Necessary Template Files

style.css

index.php

Understanding the Common Template Files

header.php

footer.php

sidebar.php

comments.php

single.php

archive.php

page.php

search.php

loop.php

functions.php

screenshot.png

Enhancing the User Experience with Template Files

attachment.php

image.php, video.php, audio.php, and application.php

author.php

loop-{type}.php

tag.php

tag-{slug}.php

category.php

category-{x}.php

date.php

year.php, month.php, day.php

home.php

404.php

Developing Custom Template Files

Taking Advantage of WordPress Theme Features

Post Thumbnails

Navigation Menus

Automatic Feed URLs

Custom Backgrounds

Custom Headers

Summary

Chapter 11: Adding JavaScript and CSS to Themes

Examining the jQuery and Prototype Frameworks

jQuery

Prototype

Comparing the frameworks

Leveraging WordPress' JavaScript Libraries

Prototype: script.aculo.us

Prototype: TinyMCE

jQuery: Autosave

jQuery: hoverIntent

jQuery: Farbtastic

jQuery: jQueryUI

Examining WordPress Plugins that Use JavaScript Effects

jQuery Reply to Comment

Social Bookmarks

WP Conditional Digg This Badge

WPTouch iPhone Theme

Looking at Theme Styles

Queuing styles

Using JavaScript to style elements

Summary

Chapter 12: Dissecting the Comment Loop, Template Tags, and Theme Best Practices

Using Hooks in Themes

Common hooks

Additional hook suggestions

Implementing Scripts in Themes

Using Template Tags to Make Themes Dynamic

Using bloginfo() to access blog metadata

Modularizing themes with get_template_part()

Using template tags in the Loop

Using Loop template tags outside the Loop

Creating Conversations with Threaded Comments and Paged Comments

Personalizing the Reader Experience with Avatars

Summary

Part IV: Creating Content

Chapter 13: Navigating the Content Production Experience

Customizing Your Workspace

Leveraging the Elements of Content Creation

Using the title strategically

Designating an excerpt

Enhancing searchability of content

Looking at categories and tags: What's the difference?

Publishing and scheduling posts

Using custom fields

Hacking Your Experience: Getting the Most Out of Writing

Using the visual text editor

Using Full Screen mode

Using the Press This bookmarklet

Summary

Chapter 14: Using Offline Editors

What Is XML-RPC?

WordPress-supported remote protocols

The bundled XML-RPC library

AtomPub and the upcoming standard of remote management

Understanding XML-RPC Security Risks

Looking at Offline Blog Editors

Windows Live Writer (Windows)

BlogDesk (Windows)

MarsEdit (Mac)

Ecto (Mac)

Drivel (Linux)

ScribeFire (All)

Summary

Part V: Keeping Up with the Joneses: Maintenance and Upgrades

Chapter 15: Performing Automatic Upgrades

Meeting the Minimum Automatic Upgrade Requirements

Disabling the “Upgrade Nag”

Performing Automatic Upgrades

Using SSH for Automatic Upgrades

Using SSH with keys

Using constants to bypass credentials

Summary

Chapter 16: Moving to WordPress and Backing It Up

Moving a Blog to WordPress

Blogger

Blogware

DotClear

LiveJournal

Movable Type and TypePad

WordPress

Importing Tags into WordPress

Converting categories to tags

Looking at Backup Routines

File backups

MySQL backups

Backup scripting

Summary

Chapter 17: WordPress Maintenance and Security

Upgrading WordPress

Upgrading manually with FTP

Debugging problems with FTP upgrades

Choosing an FTP Client

Windows FTP clients

Mac OS X FTP clients

Practicing Sound WordPress Security

Data sanitization

File permissions

Summary

Chapter 18: Caching Strategy to Ensure WordPress Scales

Understanding Caching

Using WordPress Caching Mechanisms

WordPress object cache

The WP Super Cache plugin

Memcached and the Batcache plugin

Optimizing PHP with Opcode Caching

eAccelerator

APC

Caching MySQL with HyperDB and the Query Cache

MySQL query cache

HyperDB

Harnessing the “Cloud”

Summary

Chapter 19: Understanding WordPress Roles and Capabilities

Looking at WordPress Roles and Capabilities

User levels

Adding and removing custom capabilities

Checking capabilities in plugins

Using the Role Manager Plugin

Summary

Part VI: Alternate Uses for WordPress

Chapter 20: Using WordPress for Alternative Blogging

Photoblogging with WordPress

What is a Photoblog?

Examples of notable photoblogs

Great WordPress photoblog themes

Using EXIF data in a photoblog

Implementing a Twitter-style Blog

Using Press This for a Tumble Blog

Summary

Chapter 21: WordPress as a Content Management System

Using WordPress as a Content Management System

Custom Post Types

Custom Taxonomies

Custom Post Formats

Understanding Enterprise WordPress Needs

Single sign-on authentication

Lead generation and CRM integration

WordPress support

Conveying a Consistent Message and Brand

Understanding When a Blog is Not a Blog

Summary

Part VII: Looking at the WordPress Ecosystem

Chapter 22: Leveraging WordPress Multisite Functionality

Installing and Configuring WordPress Multisite

Setting Up WordPress Multisite

WordPress Multisite System Configurations

Managing WordPress Multisite

Sites panel

Users panel

Themes panel

Plugins panel

Settings panel

Updates panel

Understanding WordPress Multisite Plugin Nuances

Blog ID

WordPress Multisite database schema

Adapting to WordPress Multisite

Activating plugins network wide

Constructing image permalinks

Using WordPress Multisite with different domains

Summary

Chapter 23: Adding User Forums with bbPress

Installing bbPress

Finding bbPress Plugins

Understanding the bbPress Theme System

Summary

Chapter 24: Creating Your Own Social Network with BuddyPress

What Is BuddyPress?

Activity Stream

Blog tracking

bbPress integration

Friends

Groups

Private Messaging

Extended Profile

Configuring BuddyPress

General Settings

Component Setup

Forums Setup

Profile Field Setup

Comparing BuddyPress and WordPress Development

Looking at BuddyPress Theme Concepts

Extending BuddyPress

Summary

Chapter 25: Using BackPress as a Development Framework

Defining BackPress

Developing with BackPress

Including BackPress in your PHP project

Understanding the BackPress facilities

Solving BackPress Dependencies

Summary

Chapter 26: WordPress.com and the Automattic Products

About Automattic

After the Deadline

Akismet

Gravatar

IntenseDebate

P2 Theme

Plinky

PollDaddy

VaultPress

VideoPress

VIP Hosting

Taking a Look at Automattic's Open Source Footprint

WordPress

BuddyPress

bbPress

BackPress

WordPress app for iOS

WordPress app for Android

WordPress app for BlackBerry

Using WordPress.com Themes

Getting Your Plugin Included in WordPress.com

Buying Premium WordPress.com Features

Custom CSS

Disk space upgrades

Domain mapping

No-ads

Unlimited Private Users

VideoPress

Summary

Chapter 27: Leveraging Automattic Products

Obtaining a WordPress.com API Key

Using Akismet to Kill Spam

Verify Key

Comment Checking

Submit Spam

Submit Ham

Making Use of WordPress.com Stats

Engaging Readers with IntenseDebate

Crowdsourcing with PollDaddy

Summary

Part VIII: Appendixes

Appendix 1: WordPress Hook Reference

Appendix 2: Template Tags

Include tags

Blog Info tags

Lists and dropdowns

Login/Logout tags

Post tags

Comments tags

Category tags

Tag/Taxonomy tags

Author tags

Date and Time tags

Edit links

Permalink tags

Links tags

Trackback tags

Title tags

Post Thumbnails

Appendix 3: WordPress Hosting

Disk space

Bandwidth provision

Backups

Secure Shell

Dedicated servers

WordPress-optimized Hosting

Shared hosting

Green Web hosting

Appendix 4: WordPress Vendors and Professional Services

Covered Web Services

Crowd Favorite

E.Webscapes

Yoast

WebDevStudios

Appendix 5: WordPress in Government

Government case studies

United Kingdom: 10 Downing Street

South Africa: Province of the Eastern Cape

Appendix 6: WordPress in Major Media

WordPress MU Sitewide Tags

BuddyPress

RSSCloud

Appendix 7: The General Public License

TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION

This section is intended to make thoroughly clear what is believed to be a consequence of the rest of this License.

NO WARRANTY

WordPress® Bible, 2nd Edition

Aaron Brazell

WordPress® Bible, 2nd Edition

Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.10475 Crosspoint BoulevardIndianapolis, IN 46256www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2011 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

ISBN: 978-0-470-93781-5

Manufactured in the United States of America

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About the Author

Aaron Brazell is a Co-Founder at WP Engine, an Austin, Texas-based startup built to meet the technical needs of WordPress bloggers. He is a WordPress core contributor and has been an active member of the WordPress community since 2004 as a developer, user, and consultant.

He is a frequent public speaker, engaging with the WordPress community at WordCamps around the United States, as well as at marketing, social media, and other industry events. He has organized WordCamp Mid-Atlantic, a WordPress community conference catering to the Greater Capital region, which includes Maryland, D.C., Delaware, and Northern Virginia. He believes in challenging conventional thinking and assumptions, and as a result, often takes actions that are provocative, strategic, and unconventional in an effort to move dialogue and popular opinion forward.

In addition to his work with WordPress and social media, Aaron is an avid photographer and sports fan (his favorite teams are the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Ravens), and has one son, Devin Michael. He currently lives in Austin, Texas.

Dedication

To Devin, my only son, for giving me something to think about even when I don't realize I need to be thinking about it.

Credits

Senior Acquisitions Editor

Stephanie McComb

Executive Editor

Jody Lefevere

Project Editor

Beth Taylor

Technical Editor

Mark Jaquith

Copy Editor

Beth Taylor

Editorial Director

Robyn Siesky

Editorial Manager

Rosemarie Graham

Business Manager

Amy Knies

Senior Marketing Manager

Sandy Smith

Vice President and Executive Group Publisher

Richard Swadley

Vice President and Executive Publisher

Barry Pruett

Project Coordinator

Sheree Montgomery

Graphics and Production Specialists

Melanee Habig Ronald G. Terry

Quality Control Technician

Melissa Cossell

Proofreading

Evelyn Wellborn

Indexing

BIM Indexing & Proofreading Services

Media Development Project Manager

Laura Moss

Media Development Assistant Project Manager

Jenny Swisher

Media Development Associate Producers

Josh Frank

Shawn Patrick

Doug Kuhn

Marilyn Hummel

Foreword

When Aaron first mentioned he was writing the WordPress Bible, I immediately offered him a hand in editing. I figured it was a safe bet. After all, I'm a PHP guy with five years of Drupal experience and zero years of WordPress. In fact, my only involvement with WordPress was attending WordCamp Mid-Atlantic; I'd never even installed it before. I had to open my mouth. . . .

Fast-forward a couple months and suddenly chapter after chapter fill my inbox. So I started digging into this alien environment from two different perspectives: first, from the community perspective and second, from a developer's perspective.

For open source projects, the community is important to understand. Not only do you need to know how to get involved, but also you also need to know how healthy it is. Is this project going to be active a month or year from now? Therefore, I started reading with the intent to learn about the WordPress community. I wanted to know its motivations, how it interacted, how decisions were made, and how information flows within, into, and out of the team. Delving into the community and help chapters, I learned quite a bit. I found myself dropping into IRC, exploring a mailing list or two, and hitting WordPress forums to see how new voices were welcomed. To be honest, I appreciated the perspective and guidance from someone who “gets it.”

Secondly, one of the joys of open source is looking at things from a developer's perspective. Unfortunately, many open source projects are a pile of messy code with horrible documentation, and you'll find yourself huddled under a desk crying pitifully in under 15 minutes. With WordPress, I didn't have that experience. Sure, there were times when something didn't make sense at first pass, but I kept digging. I asked some harsh questions related to PHP 5 and object-oriented principles and coding standards and APIs and a variety of other things. Each response — even those which I disagreed with — was well-reasoned and internally consistent. More important, the documentation and explanations supporting the system were amazing and provided numerous great examples. In fact, the underlying concepts were useful enough that I've duplicated a few in one of my projects.

All that said, I enjoyed the book, I enjoyed exploring a new community and system, and I appreciated having Aaron as a guide.

And yes, I have installed WordPress now.

D. Keith CaseyCTO, Blue Parabola, LLC http://blueparabola.com

Preface

WordPress, by most accounts, is the most popular self-hosted blogging platform in the world. WordPress.com is the second most popular hosted blogging platform in the world. The ecosystem built on openness and extensibility has helped the software thrive and overcome other rivals that, in some cases, have been around longer than WordPress has.

Developers now have the means to take a platform that was built for blogs and turn it into much more robust applications for content management, contact management, e-mail management, and more. I have yet to find something WordPress cannot be made to do with custom plugins and intuitive theming.

There are many books on WordPress available when you go to your local bookstore. Even if the books are not currently in stock, it's elementary to have them ordered or delivered directly to your home from Amazon.com. However, most of these books cover only a portion of WordPress or examine WordPress from a singular perspective. Until now, there has never been a book that covers the topic holistically and exhaustively and for all levels of expertise.

If you're a newbie just getting involved with WordPress, you should find value in these pages in the form of tutorials and tips. I cover the user interface and plugin management throughout this book and have endeavored to write in such a way that the least technical reader can still grab the concepts that are at work.

If you're a developer and have been hacking around with WordPress for years, you will also get value out of this book. With the extensive reference charts and appendixes, it will become the book that sits next to your computer and becomes a bit worn and dog-eared with torn pages from you picking it up over and over again.

Of course, designers have the opportunity to grasp the principles at work behind themes and templates, template hierarchy, and template tags. Design is much more than simply creating an elegant user interface in Adobe Photoshop and calling it a day. It's also using the tools that WordPress provides to create usable, smart themes that bring the power of WordPress to the reader.

WordPress Versioning

There is, of course, the question of versioning for this book. WordPress maintains a (rough) four-month release cycle for major releases. During the development of the next major release, there are typically security fixes that are released in the form of “dot releases.” During the process of writing, I have been asked about what version of WordPress this book will cover.

Fortunately, 90 percent of WordPress stays the same. Part of the guiding principles of WordPress core development is maintaining backward compatibility unless it is absolutely mandatory that it be changed. To that end, it doesn't really matter for what version I wrote this book.

During the process of editing this book, WordPress 3.1 was released. That is the version this book is based upon. However, it is likely that WordPress 3.2 will be released around the time this book goes to print. Never fear. Though there will be new features in WordPress 3.2 that will not be covered in this book, the bulk of the software will remain intact and version neutral.

Getting the Most out of This Book

The chapters in this book are organized into eight parts. Each part is a selection of chapters that all relate to each other in some way. You probably will not want, or need, to read the book from cover to cover, though I would be flattered if you did. Instead, you will find that different parts of the book address different levels and experiences with WordPress and you should feel free to flip back and forth to find the answers you need at different times.

For example, Part I, “Getting Started with WordPress,” contains the initial introductory stuff that describes installing WordPress and basic steps to getting a WordPress blog off the ground, as well as background information to help you understand the philosophies that have guided the development of the software.

Part II, “Working with Plugins,” gets more technical by examining plugins and describing the plugin application programming interfaces (APIs) in WordPress. This is the part that developers will likely use often to understand how to write new plugins for WordPress.

In Part III, “Working with Themes and Template Tags,” I talk about the aspects of WordPress that have to do with themes and templates. If you have an Adobe Photoshop layout and need to hack it up into a WordPress theme, this is the series of chapters you'll want to get into. It is most suited for designers who need to understand how the WordPress theme system works.

Part IV, “Creating Content,” is going to be the go-to series of chapters for the newbie who just wants to use WordPress to write or create content. This is not a super-technical part, and it doesn't assume that the reader is changing his theme. It does, however, describe the concepts and principles behind using the WordPress Admin and creating content.

No blogger wants to be caught with a hacked site because she did not keep up to date with upgrades and security fixes. To that end, Part V, “Keeping Up with the Joneses: Maintenance and Upgrades,” is all about maintaining your WordPress blog, and provides suggestions, routines, and concepts behind the maintenance and upgrade routine. It also covers caching, an essential topic for anyone who owns a blog that receives, or will receive, a large amount of traffic.

In Part VI, “Alternate Uses for WordPress,” I stretch the bounds of what WordPress can do. Hopefully by reading this part, you will be inspired to find alternate uses for WordPress and will see that WordPress is not just for blogging. I look forward to seeing how WordPress is used in new and creative ways.

In Part VII, “Looking at the WordPress Ecosystem,” I bring everything full circle by talking about the surrounding community and ecosystem around WordPress. It seems that there is a new venture or product released around WordPress regularly. Many of these are associated with WordPress.com and Automattic, the owner of WordPress.com and patron of the WordPress project.

Part VIII, “Appendixes,” includes all of the appendixes that are important corollary pieces to this book. In some cases, such as with Appendix A and Appendix B, they are reference guides that will be popular among developers who purchase this book. Other appendixes include articles that I have written for the WordPress Bible that describe an aspect or use of WordPress that is not necessarily relevant as “chapter material” but add to an understanding of the greater WordPress community. My favorite appendix? Appendix F, “WordPress in Government.” Did you know that the United States intelligence community has more than 7,000 WordPress blogs across 14 different intelligence agencies? Exactly... who knew? And they aren't the only ones using WordPress in federal, state, and local governments around the world.

Using the Margin Icons

Throughout the book, you will find icons in the margin that address important things you should be aware of. Take note of these icons because they indicate important things that are relevant to the content you are reading.

Note

Notes highlight useful information that you should take into consideration.

Tip

Tips provide additional bits of advice that make particular features quicker or easier to use.

Caution

Caution warns you of potential problems before you make a mistake.

Cross-Reference

Watch for the Cross-Ref icon to learn where in another chapter you can go to find more information on a particular topic.

Web Resource

The Web Resource icon directs you to other material available online.

On the Web

This icon points you toward related files available on the book's Web site, www.wiley.com/go/wordpressbible.

Please note that some special symbols used in this eBook may not display properly on all eReader devices. If you have trouble determining any symbol, please call Wiley Product Technical Support at 800-762-2974. Outside of the United States, please call 317-572-3993. You can also contact Wiley Product Technical Support at www.wiley.com/techsupport.

Acknowledgments

Though I get the credit for this book, the load that is carried through the process is one that is shouldered by more than just me. In fact, if it wasn't for the incredible team of people behind it, it would only be vapor passing in the air. As an author, I have come to lean and rely on these people, whether they were directly involved or pure mental and emotional support. These are my friends, colleagues, and the battle mates in getting this job done, in both the first and second editions of this book.

First of all, thank you, Stephanie McComb, my acquisitions editor, for originally reaching out to me. I was working in a local coffee shop in Arlington, Virginia, when her initial inquiry to write this book popped into my inbox in April of 2009. It was Stephanie indicating that she had heard of my work and extending that initial hand of opportunity for me to bring my knowledge to bear in this book. She has been a tremendous support through this process. Thank you for having the faith in me.

To Lynn Haller, my agent at StudioB, who took care of all the heavy lifting and even threw some blocks for me along the way. When I first started to consider this, I consulted with other authors. Some told me to get an agent and some said I should “go it alone.” I'm glad you were there to take care of the business.

To Keith Casey, my friend, colleague, and fellow PHP rumbler. You had no idea about how WordPress worked as you come from a Drupal background. I asked you to be a safe valve for me since you didn't know WordPress but are an expert in PHP and could give an objective outside opinion. You agreed to bring your high level of expertise to bear to help me with sanity checks in this book before I submitted each chapter and caused me to think twice on more than one occasion.

To Mark Jaquith, the technical editor of this book, my friend, and WordPress colleague. Mark and I have worked together in one form or another since 2007. When Wiley asked me if I had recommendations for a technical editor, Mark was the only name that I wanted in that role. He is a rock star and could have written this book himself. There are only a few people on the face of the planet who know WordPress as well as Mark. I am not one of them.

To Erin Kotecki Vest, my best friend, who knows absolutely nothing about any of this stuff, but offered mental support all along the way. Often during the process of writing, I would hit a point of mental exhaustion at some point midday. It was at times like these that she was always available for a quick chat and encouraged me every step of the way. Thank you!

To my colleagues at WP Engine, particularly Jason Cohen, who shamelessly plugs this book and my expertise here in Austin, on the web and around the country. You make me feel like more of a pro than I think I am.

To the community on my blog, Twitter, Facebook, and all the other social networking outlets I participate in. You have been patient with me as I constantly talked about this book, the processes of writing, and the mental exhaustion I experienced at times. Your excitement has buoyed my efforts. Now go buy five of these books and give them to your families and friends as stocking stuffers during the holidays.

Part I: Getting Started with WordPress

IN THIS PART

Chapter 1

Learning About WordPress

Chapter 2

Installing and Configuring WordPress

Chapter 3

WordPress, SEO, and Social Media Marketing

Chapter 4

Finding Help in the WordPress Support System

Chapter 1: Learning About WordPress

IN THIS CHAPTER

A brief history of WordPressLeveraging the WordPress communityWordPress by the numbersTen things you need to know about WordPressUnderstanding open source and the General Public License

Long before Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press and the first printed Holy Bible was mass-produced, humans were instinctually creating content. Civilizations scribed their experiences and histories on scrolls and in massive tomes by hand. In some cases, it was little more than pictures on the walls of caves.

Though these processes were tedious, they filled the human need to articulate thoughts and pass stories on to the next generation. The printing press has enabled humans to evolve scribing to another level. Content can be passed on in many forms, such as in personal or commercial literature, and is widely accessible.

Today, via the Internet, humanity has taken content production to yet another level with blogging platforms and content management systems. WordPress, a project of this evolution, has emerged as a preferred platform for content production and continues to evolve to meet our ever-changing content needs. It provides a vehicle to pass down stories, accounts, and histories to this, and future, generations.