WordPress Experiments

For some time I was searching for the name of function (?) that allows to create clickable images. And I didn’t mean entire image hyperlinked but just a part of it – usually in a shape of some element displayed on it. Finally I found the name – Screen Hotspot or Image Map. Knowing it I could have learnt how to create my own.
Unfortunately almost all online tutorials led to Microsoft software. Wrrr…. So I’ve downloaded trial version of Expression Web and created few image maps to find out how the source code exactly looks like.
Here is an example:

If you click on heart shaped part of wall you will be taken to my Gallery with pictures from St. Franciscan Church in Cracow (that’s the place above picture was taken ;). If you click on stripe with geometric decoration on left side you will be taken to my post on handmade cards in Japanese style (inspired partly by this image).
Cute, isn’t it?
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For one of project I’m working on I needed plugin that enable to download different files stored on server. But I wanted to have it available in more ‘elegant’ way then link to place where file is stored.
I’ve found WP-DownloadManger by Lester ‘GaMerZ’ Chan.
It offers adding download feature to any post you wish by simple command [download=ID] (where ID need to be replace with ID number of file you have earlier uploaded). Apart from that it’s possible to group your files into categories for example if you want to have all files available via one page (yes! you can create downloads page where you can display ALL files that can be downloaded). There are also some stats available like Newest Downloads, Most Downloaded or Downloads By Category.
And all in one cool plugin :).

Yeah… I had only one irritating issue with it. I use Nice Permalinks so after activating and configuring plugin I hit Update Permalink Structure. After publishing post I’ve tried to download sample file. Hitting download button redirected me to a single post view. And that’s all. No more changes.
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OK. This time we have a look at links in posts both when viewing on the main page and single post.

POSTS on main page

(click on image to zoom it out)

1. color of linked post title; add to style.css:
   #content h2 a:link, #content h2 a:visited {
   color: #xxx;
   }
2. color of linked post author name; add to style.css
   #content .post-info a:link, #content .post-info a:visited {
   color: #xxx;
   }
3. color of links within posts; just add color: #xxx; within #content .entry a:link, #content .entry a:visited and #content .entry a:hover, #content .entry a:active
4. color of Continue Reading -> check one of my earlier entries ;)
5. and 6. color of linked category/categories and comments; add to style.css:
   #content .postmetadata a:link, #content .postmetadata a:visited {
   color: #xxx;
   }

In SINGLE POST view there are few more links:
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I’ve spent quite a lot of time customizing MistyLook Theme for myself and have to admit the greatest difficulty I had with links.
It’s because theme construction defines only three types of links (here with pieces of style.css ‘responsible’ for them):

• links in top navigation tabs (#navigation ul li a; #navigation ul li a:hover, #navigation ul li a:active, #navigation ul li.current_page_item a)
• links in the other ‘parts’ of theme (a:link, a:visited; a:hover, a:active)
• links within posts content (#content .entry a:link, #content .entry a:visited; #content .entry a:hover, #content .entry a:active)

It’s very popular to use so called pseudo-classes to display links such as:

• a:link /* unvisited link */
• a:visited /* visited link */
• a:hover /* mouse over link */
• a:active /* selected link */

This way different effects can be achieved depending on link status.
NOTE! To work the right way a:hover MUST come after a:link and a:visited in CSS definition while a:active MUST come after a:hover.

I’m mentioning it because first time I was ‘playing’ with MistyLook links I almost got mad trying to figure out why only some links have changed color instead of all (yeah… on some of them I’ve already clicked so they changed their status ).

OK. Let’s start with MistyLook HEADER.

(click on image to zoom it out)
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WordPress can be successfully used as CMS but definitely more suitable for that is other open source software Joomla! I had chance (?) to get to know it pretty well. The only one ‘disadvantage’ of Joomla! is that it offers… too many possibilities . When you just need simple website without extra functionalities you will probably have never chance to use… WordPress is fairly sufficient.
However Joomla! offers one feature that might be useful for almost every WordPress user. When displaying article on single page there are available options to convert article to PDF file, e-mail it or print it out. Just like here:

It didn’t take much time to find plugins offering such features.

1. WP – EMail by Lester ‘GaMerZ’ Chan; it is possible to put it in The_Loop to have it displayed in each post OR it can be added manually to only some posts with simple command [email_link]. It offers few more features like Most E-Mailed Posts, Total E-Mails Sent (with variables: Sent Succesfully and Unsuccessfully) and enables to create few e-mail templates
2. WP – Print by Lester ‘GaMerZ’ Chan; just as WP –EMail it is possible to put it in The_Loop to have it displayed in each post OR it can be added manually to only some posts with simple command [ print_link ] (that’s the way I use it on my site -> only in posts with recipes )
3. Post2PDF; it takes quite a lot of space (in comparison with other plugins) but is worth it (of course if you need such feature on your WordPress powered site ). This plugin works when function is placed in template so can’t be implemented in one post only. There are two versions available depending on your PHP version installed on server you use. It is possible to customize header, footer and body (font type, size, color, images, no. of pages)

For those who want to enable option of emailing posts in combination with bookmarks I can recommend ShareThis plugin.

WordPress is using three main functions to list links:

• <?php wp_get_links(category); ?> displays links assigned to category which ID is stated within function. So <?php wp_get_links(5); ?> will show all links from category with ID #5.
• <?php get_links_list('order'); ?> displays links sorted by link category ID or name
• <?php get_links(category, 'before', 'after', 'between', show_images, 'order', show_description, show_rating, limit, show_updated, echo); ?> has the widest range of parameters. It also sorts links according to their category ID but offers much more features.

I wanted to create links lists which would allowed me to display two categories (’How To’ and ‘Everything About’) in the sidebar and the third category (’Plugins’) on a separate page.

Links in sidebar are pulled by <ul><?php get_links_list('name'); ?></ul> . That gives a list of ALL links which wasn’t my idea. I ‘ve tried to use <ul><?php wp_get_links('12'); ?></ul> and I got list of links from pointed category but bullets assigned to unordered list were missing ;) . Finally I’ve put <ul><?php get_links('12', '<li>', '</li>'); ?></ul> function which allowed me to display all links from one category as an unordered list. I repeated that function with the other ID number to list links from the second category.

Now only page left. NigaRila theme has built-in page-links.php template.
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Few days off ??? Just may seems like that ;) . In fact I was hard working on re-design of my site. I completely changed its color suite and added few features to make it better, funnier and hopefully also more useful. Anyway I’ve spent few days playing with colors, matching them the best way I was able to, lines, images and so on.
One of features I’ve added was NextGEN Gallery. At the very beginning I used d13 gallery, later just regular images. But few weeks ago I was working on site powered by WordPress where nice gallery was required. That’s how I got to NextGEN. And I was surprised with possibilities it offers.
Although at the beginning it seems to be little confusing in usage (what is defined as gallery and what is album) once you get into it goes very easy: creating galleries, uploading images, editing them. Once you have images in gallery you can insert them into post with just one command

. You can also create page which hosts all albums but I didn’t need it on my blog since I add pics to particular posts.
What I really DO like about it is possibility to open full size pics using lightbox effect (it requires installing Lighbox 2.0 plugin -> I‘ve written about it) and a slideshow with really cool effects while viewing (I’ve decided to use bubbles :D ).

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I usually do not comment here things I’ve found somewhere online. But I couldn’t stop myself this time ;) .
Recently MSN is advertising new feature Windows Live Hotmail. Below is a print screen of ad I saw on my MSN Messanger. How can I trust someone who can’t write ad without serious spelling mistakes?

I thought in Polish we write “Zadecyduj” [not “Zadecydój”]. But I guess somebody decided different way ;) .

Few times I was told I’m very picky. Actually too picky ;). I guess it concerns also ‘stuff’ I use on my site. Especially when I know it CAN be better then original product.
It’s known that search option built-in WP installation works pretty well but with posts only; pages are ignored. It doesn’t really matter on this site since the only one page I have is ‘About me’ ;). But on my main site I have pages with content I wanted to include to search results.
I decided that Google search box would be good but…
UPDATE - Aug 03 2007
NEVER again put post online in the middle of the night! It seems to me like I’m not able to copy text from Word and paste it to WP :) . And probably I wouldn’t even have noticed it if there had been no comment on that post (thanks wallace ;) ).
First I wanted to use code I found on Ask Dave Taylor site. Here is code I used for my site:

<li class="sidebox">
<h2>Wyszukaj:</h2>
<form method="get" action="http://www.google.com/search">
<ul>
<li><input type="text" name="q" size="25" maxlength="180" value="" /></li>
<li><input type="radio" name="sitesearch" value="" /> www</li>
<li><input type="radio" name="sitesearch" value="nietoperzka.com" checked="checked" /> Poznawanie Nietoperzki</li>
</ul>
<p align="center"><input type="submit" value="START" /></p>
</form>
</li>

and result:

Then I was pointed out that using Google search box WITHOUT their logo/trademark might be against their TOS. I searched on that and haven’t found any clear info. There is bunch of stuff on license when using CSE but nothing special when you use code taken from some other place. I wrote e-mail to them with question. Hopefully they will answer.
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Some time ago I discovered blog „Lorelle on WordPress”. Actually it wasn’t really accident since information on WordPress and blogging ‘stuff’ she provides is so accurate and useful that whatever term (concerning WP) you type into search engine -> one of results will point to her blog ;).
Anyway I noticed she has very original signature below each post -> her name being written with pen. I thought it’s some special graphic and… I wasn’t very wrong ;).
Later on I found on ‘Lorelle on WordPress’ article on My Live Signature. I went to that site and… wow! This is really cool stuff! I hope guys who offer that didn’t get mad on me ;).
I’ve created few versions on my name and nickname. I was playing with font type, size, color and slope. In the end I got ID for signature I have created + html code for it + BB code to use on forums for example. And of course I was able to save image just as it is. And it’s FREE!
For extra fee you can create signature based on paper scan (so it’s your original handwritten signature!) or you can have animated one.
There is also plugin LiveSig for automatic insertion of My Live Signature. That might be useful for anyone who wants to have signature in each and every post. But I’m not sure yet… so I will stick to html code I have :).

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