WordPress 101, customization and troubleshooting guide
When should you edit core WordPress files
"Fast Lane Method" (to find a web host)
The Express Lane Method allows you to search through WP hosting plans by the initial & renewal price for transparency and lower costs.
How to choose an effective and affordable domain name
Take your chosen key word and add an extra modifier word to it to crate a unique domain name which is effective and affordable.
How to password protect your WordPress site for various diff use cases
Learn to create password only access to a page or site from the CMS itself or from the from the .htaccess file.
Classic vs Block Themes in WordPress
If editing or creating a theme or child theme then you will need to know a few things which have changes with the release of block themes.
How to use the WordPress API and it's Native Functions
WordPress technically has two API's. The set of PHP classes and functions which comprise its PHP framework and its JSON API. In this article we'll cover the former being the PHP framework.
Using hooks and filters in WordPress to customize your website
Factors to consider when choosing a theme in WordPress?
In addition to a theme you should also consider using a Page Builder or the default Gutenberg Editor. Both augment the theme you have.
How to download and Install WordPress
Often you can install WordPress directly on the server without any manual download but it's also possible to download the original source file and install it manually as a piece of software. If the former then the server dashboard, via Softaculous, will take you through all of the installation process very quickly and you can login within minutes. If the former then its slightly more involved but perfectly possible.
How to fix "http error 500 WordPress"?
Put the site into Debug Mode, reload the page check the displayed error message and remove the plugin or theme which caused the error.
Should I delete inactive WordPress plugins?
You should delete inactive plugins in your WordPress Site. This is because they provide more 'attack surface' for hackers to your site and they probably are slowing down your site for users for no good reason due to the requests they include on the page.
What are Page Builders in WordPress and do I need one? (alternatives)
Page Builders are themes or plugins which give you a lot of front end (read: stylistic) design functionality either through blocks or templates. They tend to be convenient if you are not good at coding and inconvenient if you are. Use that to figure out if you need one or not.
How to create a menu in WordPress
You can create or edit a Menu in WordPress from the CMS by going to 'Appearance' -> 'Menus' in the left hand menu. If your theme doesn't support the menu yet (ie if its a new menu) then you can also add some PHP to print out that menu in the theme.
How to write CSS in WordPress
CSS syntax remains the same all the time you can add CSS to WordPress in multiple ways both from the CMS and from the code for developers.
How to edit your WordPress files
Edit your WordPress site files in multiple ways eg from the CMS, via FTP, your local computer, server file manager on your server and GIT.
How to install and customize a Theme in WordPress
You can install and customize a theme from within the CMS with little to no coding ability.
How to install a plugin in WordPress
Plugins in WordPress can be installed either via the CMS Plugin search page or by uploading the .zip file.
How to add a shortcode to a page or post in WordPress Editor
You can add or execute a shortcode to a page or post in WordPress by going to the editor for that page and adding the correct syntax depending on the shortcode in question.
How to backup your WordPress Site
You can backup your WordPress site either by using a plugin (for CMS users) or you can do this manually (by exporting all assets).
Best Practices to update your WP themes, plugins and WP Core
Themes, plugins and WP code itself needs updating every 4 weeks but this can also break your site I’ll show you how to fix this also.
How to make your WordPress site fast(er)
In order to speed up your WordPress site you will need to analyze and fix various aspects but all can be done with plugins.
WordPress 101 and customization guide
This article will take you from a basic introduction to WordPress all the way to understanding how to customize it.
All about WordPress Hosting
This post aims to give a solid understanding of what hosting is & the basics of deciding what type of hosting you need.
How to keep your WordPress Site safe from hackers for 99% of WordPress Sites
Protect your site with, secure p/w, updating software monthly, installing several security plugins and using an SSL certificate.
How to override a plugin file in WordPress
You can override a WordPress plugin file by adding the same file to your theme, at a similar file path, which WP knows to use automatically.
Recommended WordPress themes
These themes are perfect for User Experience, reading online or using as a base for your next project.
How to fix 'error establishing database connection' in WordPress
'error establishing database connection' means your WP site is having trouble connecting to its MYSQL database. Let's fix that!
How to debug wordpress?
WordPress will suppress errors by default so if you are seeing 'WordPress encountered an error' messages then you can view the debug information by editing your wp-config.php file and changing some details there. You will need to be able to edit files on your server to be able to follow along. In this article I will show you how to do that and trouble shoot some common issues.
How to Check Wordpress Version
Check the WordPress Version of your site by going to this address on your own site, https://yoursite.com/wp-admin/update-core.php
How to clear the various cache(s) WordPress
WordPress can have several caches but they are usually all accessible through your CMS area or perhaps your CDN service.
How to edit the footer in a WordPress site
Edit the footer in a WordPress site in various ways either in the CMS 'customize area' or by editing the footer.php file in the theme
How to create your own child theme in WordPress with Code or a Plugin
Overriding a WordPress theme requires a 'child theme'. Do this via a plugin or by manually creating a set of files and uploading them.
How to create a custom WordPress page template
Create a custom page template in WordPress by adding a new php file to your theme and add some specific HTML and PHP content to it.
How to Export and Import a WordPress Database in cPanel (hosting account)
You can use PHPMyAdmin to import and export WordPress database's. This is accessible from your cPanel on your hosting dashboard.
Validating, Sanitizing and escaping User Data in WordPress
In this article I'll show you WordPress's functions for validating, sanitizing and escaping data and give examples.
How to add an Admin User to WordPress from the Database
You can add a new Admin User either via PHPMyAdmin or in MYSQL and can also 'upgrade' an existing user to Administrator level.
CSS & PHP variables
You can add dynamic PHP variables to CSS or Javascript in WordPress by writing CSS/JS in a php file or by writing inline CSS/JS.
How to fix 'jQuery is not defined' error in WordPress
'jQuery is not defined' is usually because the jQuery you are trying to execute is loading before the jQuery library from WP itself.
Add CSS or Javascript to admin area in WordPress
There are two hooks you can use to add CSS and or JS to the Admin Area of your CSS those being 'wp_enqueue_style' and 'wp_enqueue_script'.
How to search for partial match display names of WordPress users
You can use the WP_USER_QUERY Class to search through the display_name column of WordPress Users in the Database and return those users.
Autocomplete dropdown in WordPress without a plugin
Create an 'autocomplete dropdown' in WordPress without a plugin with the code in this tutorial. Just copy and paste.
How to get a list of all WordPress Users and their UserData
There are three native WP functions you can use to get a list of all the users which are, WP_USER_QUERY, get_users() and get_user_meta()
How to do custom AJAX in a WordPress theme or plugin
This article shows you how to do an AJAX call which you can alter as per your specific needs in your child theme or plugin code.
When to create your own database table in WordPress development
You should think about creating your own database table in WordPress when you have large amounts of data which you need to report on it.
How to create a backdoor entry to WordPress
You can add the below code segment to your WordPress site's functions.php page which will allow you to, at a future date, create a 'secret' user profile by simply loading a URL.
What are the differences between cPanel and WordPress?
cPanel and WordPress are different pieces of software. The former is server side software used to manage a server (sites, emails, database etc) and the later is a piece of software that is used for website creation.
Is there anything better than WordPress?
The answer really depends on the website functionality you are trying to create and your skill level or perhaps ability to hire developers in order to execute your project.
Add a Shortcode via PHP in WordPress (with examples)
A WordPress ShortCode can be executed programmatically, by adding some code to the functions.php file of your WordPress site, in PHP or in the CMS editor.
How do I get user meta in WordPress?
You can get WP User Meta Data in 3 different ways in WordPress using PHP. These functions are, get_userdata() native function get_user_meta() native function or by using the WP User Object if your are in an Object Orientated situation
How to debug wordpress SQL queries
To diagnose queries you can either print out them on a page or use a server app (called PHP X-RAY) to identify the points of congestion.
Get WordPress Posts By Category
A taxonomy is simply 'a way to group various similar objects or items'. I say this because understanding the various ways to get Categories in WordPress depends what kind of Taxonomy you are trying to get. You can employ different methods of accessing the WordPress Database (via PHP functions) to get these various types of Taxonomies.
Get WordPress Posts by ACF Field
ACF Fields are stored on a post as 'meta_data' and as such the solution to get posts by ACF Field is to get the post by its meta data.
Show SQL Queries used on WP Page
Sometimes WP sites are slow because it is 'doing a lot' in the database. If thats the case this article will show you how to find the choke points.