1. Designing for WordPress
@alternatekev | alternate.org | alternatkev.me
Wednesday, May 9, 12

2. What is
WordPress?
How is it different from a static site?
Wednesday, May 9, 12

3. Theme
Plugins
WordPress
PHP
WP REQUEST STACK
STATIC SITE
APACHE
HOSTING PROVIDER
Wednesday, May 9, 12

4. Admin Theme
Wednesday, May 9, 12

5. • Content Blocks
• Design for WP user AND reader
• Customization vs. Control
• Many types of content
• Sidebars, sidebars, sidebars
• Custom Menus
Wednesday, May 9, 12

6. Questions!
• What will this navigation look like with 12 items? Should we
support nested items?
• Which plugins are most likely to be installed? What will
they look like when in sidebar A, sidebar B, etc?
• What about this layout is fluid? What is fixed?
• What is part of the template and non-editable? What will the
user want to change?
• You are the designer. It’s your job to ask these questions
and to provide guidance to on how to answer them.
6
Wednesday, May 9, 12

7. A Basic Theme’s Structure
• Home Page • Search Results
• Blog River / Posts Page • Search Form
• Single Blog Page • Sidebar(s)
• Category Listing • Posts Archive
• Author Bio Page • 404 Page
• Post Format Templates • Basic Page Template
7
Wednesday, May 9, 12

8. Ok... and?
You are not the one in control.
Wednesday, May 9, 12

9. Meta Data
WP Loop
Sidebar
Wednesday, May 9, 12

10. Posts
• Customizable into post types (products, books, etc.)
• Grouped and ordered by date posted (blog river)
• Appear in RSS feed
• Multiple formats
• Categories
• Tags
• Excerpt
10
Wednesday, May 9, 12

11. Featured
Images
• Attach an image to
any post, page or
custom post type.
• Use this image and
WordPress’s many
image features to call
the post out visually
anywhere.
11
Wednesday, May 9, 12

12. Pages
• Are implemented as a custom post type
• Explicit ordering
• Hierarchy
• Templates
12
Wednesday, May 9, 12

13. Empty
Pages
• Give it a name
• Select a template
• Content/structure/
etc. is defined in
template, not page
content
13
Wednesday, May 9, 12

14. Wednesday, May 9, 12

15. Part of Sidebar
Page w/Widgets
Template (Custom &
Jetpack)
Custom Menu
8 Custom Menus
Wednesday, May 9, 12

16. Custom Post Types
• Not simply different “kinds of blog posts” (image,
quote, video, music, etc.), used to describe different
kind of thing (books, products, plants, etc.)
• Can be based on intrinsic post or page type
• Addition of custom meta fields make them very
powerful
16
Wednesday, May 9, 12

17. Post Type Labels
• Name • Not Found Text (“No Speakers
found that match your search”)
• Singular Name
• Not Found in Trash Text (“No
• Add New Text (“Add New
Speakers found in trash”)
Speaker”)
• Parent Item Name (Speakers
• All Items Label (“All Speakers”)
belong to a “Company”)
• Edit Item Label (“Edit Speaker”)
• Menu Name (if different from
• New Item Label (“New Speaker”) Name)
• View Item Label (“View Speaker”)
• Search Items (“Search for
Speakers”)
17
Wednesday, May 9, 12

18. Post Type Options
• Label (“Speakers”) • Show in Admin Bar (y/n)
• Labels (all on the last page) • Menu Position (#)
• Visible to Public Users (y/n) • Menu Icon
• Exclude from Search (y/n) • Capabilities (read, edit, delete,
publish, read private)
• Show Admin UI (y/n)
• Hierarchical (categories, etc)
• Show in Menus (y/n)
• Search Items (“Search for
Speakers”)
18
Wednesday, May 9, 12

19. Post Type Features
• Title • Custom Fields
• Editor • Comments
• Author • Revisions
• Thumbnail/Featured Image • Page Attributes
• Excerpt • Post Formats
• Trackbacks
19
Wednesday, May 9, 12

20. Custom
Taxonomies
• Categories & Tags are
implemented as
Custom Taxonomies
• Groupings and
parents of your
custom post types
20
Wednesday, May 9, 12

21. Custom Fields
• Custom data attached
to posts or custom
post types
• This data is available
during the Loop
21
Wednesday, May 9, 12

22. Post Formats
Wednesday, May 9, 12

23. Wednesday, May 9, 12

24. No Child Left
Behind
(themes, that is)
Wednesday, May 9, 12

25. (Rebuilding
WordCamp
site)
25
Wednesday, May 9, 12

26. Text/
HTML
• Text & HTML widget
• Simple widget, lots of
flexibility
26
Wednesday, May 9, 12

27. Extra
Credit
• BuddyPress
• bbPress
• Sharing Plugins
• Drag & Drop
• GPL!
27
Wednesday, May 9, 12