Using the post blocks such as post title, post content, featured image, post author, and the others, it is possible to build a template that pulls existing content from your database to create any type of page.

In this video I use the blank template to build a specialized single post template that is used when I want a traditional right sidebar layout for some of my blog posts.

Here I used the Blockbase theme developed by Automattic, but any block theme that has a blank template will suffice.

Prior to the release of WordPress 5.9 in January 2022, none of this would have been possible without knowing PHP and how to create a template file.

The post Using The Blank Template To Create A Sidebar For A Single Post appeared first on Torque.

For what seems like an eternity, the widget screen has not change one iota. It has a reliable drag and drop UI where a widget (basically micro content) can be placed into set areas on a web page. No doubt, you’re familiar with this.

But all of that is about to change. The widget screen is about to become “Gutenized.” Out with the old widgets and in with Gutenblocks. It will look something like this:

As of this writing, 5.7 is the current version of WordPress which does not support the new widget screen. But you can still see exactly what’s coming in my video.

When Will We See The New Widget Screen?

Actually, the new widget screen was scheduled for rollout in WordPress 5.6, but due to various issues, it was held back. We may see it in WP 5.8 which is slated for release in mid-July. However, its inclusion is not confirmed yet.

Whenever it is rolled out, don’t get too comfortable with what you see. It is likely that the widget screen will eventually be a WordPress relic. Why? Widgets are outdated. They will become a seamless part of working with the Gutenberg page editor. In one way or another, widgets are likely to become part of the Full Site Editor that we will begin to see this year.

The post First Look: The Future Of WordPress Widgets appeared first on Torque.

Streamlining is quite mandatory in a complex editing environment. Not every option can – or needs to be – exposed to the user at all times. Unfortunately, important features can go “missing” to all but power users.

Here are three features of Gutenberg you might not be aware of that can help you use the block editor efficiently.

Building Your Own Templates

One of the most important features of Gutenberg is the ability to create templates. Many sites use the same formatted content on more than one page. Gutenberg makes it easy to create a reusable template.

But doing it is hardly obvious.

You may already know about the reusable block, but creating a template takes that one step further.

Unfortunately, the ability to build a template is obscure and not intuitive – until you see my video. Here I build a template without the use of any plugin or code.

Reusing A Template On Another Site

What if you make a template that you’d like to also use on a different site? This huge time saver is easy to do, but where to find how to do it is difficult.

(If you’re not sure about how to make a template see the above video.)

Disabling Unused Blocks

There are many plugins which extend what Gutenberg can do by default. I am referring to what I call “Gutenberg Plugins” which primarily add an average of about 10 blocks for each plugin.

It’s highly likely you won’t need to use every block that is included with a Gutenberg Plugin. If fact, you’re not likely to use the 40 or so blocks that come with Gutenberg by default.

Here’s how to hide unwanted blocks and to prevent them from loading.

Gutenberg is an incredibly powerful tool that makes it easy to create dynamic websites. Digging into these features will allow you to reach more customers and keep them coming back.

The post 3 Hidden Gems Of Gutenberg appeared first on Torque.

Here are three things we are very likely to see when version 5.3 becomes a reality.

1. The Group Block

One of the most exciting updates is the Group Block, which allows you to create large sections of content. See how I used it in the video above.

The group block will be an excellent way to create simple, reusable block templates for your web site.

2. Improvements In The Column Block

At the moment, the column block is a bit underwhelming because you can’t change a column’s width.

Hopefully, with 5.3, you’ll be able to change column widths and make the cells in a row easier to see.

3. A Time Saving Way To Change Or Add An Image To A Page

Dragging and dropping an image into a page to replace an existing image will not only be easy. It’s going to be really cool.

It’s a bit tricky to state with certainty what we can expect with 5.3 – which we probably won’t see until mid-July.

But we can expect changes to be made with Gutenberg. No doubt subtle improvements are coming overall to the block editor experience. Expect to see some specific enhancements to the blocks themselves along with at least one new major block. Also, much work is being done to make Gutenberg more accessible to work with.

If you’re not using Gutenberg yet or need some help, have a look at my Using Gutenberg series of videos.

The post First Look: What You’re Likely To See In WordPress 5.3 appeared first on Torque.

It should be no surprise that WordPress, now almost 16 years old, continues to be the world’s most widely used Content Management System. While it has evolved well past its infancy as a writer’s tool, at its core it remains a blogging platform. However, it has been extended in ways no one could’ve imagined.

Just what is blogging anyway?

A blog – or weblog as it was called back in the day – is a simple way to publish articles in chronological order. The original purpose was to let readers easily see the most recent content. Only a few articles would be visible on the site with older content automatically placed into an archive which could be accessed using search and browse methods.

That’s how it still works.

There was even a time when blogging was compared to keeping a journal. In many ways, it’s still that way. Blog content is information that is timely and of import to readers now. While it can still be used for a personal diary, it can be and is used by individuals and businesses for disseminating important, timely information.

In this two-part series, I will demystify what blogs are, how they work, and how you can set one up on your site or make an existing blog better.

Why Should You Learn Blogging?

Maybe you’re thinking as I did, “Who needs to blog? I have nothing to say about myself, my work, or business.”

Really? I don’t believe that.

Even if that were true, understanding the fundamentals of how WordPress blogging works is the key, in almost all cases, to successfully using WordPress. Many plugins that transform WordPress into membership, eCommerce, and social networks sites use blogging concepts to make them work. Plus, I didn’t even mention the countless Custom Post Types that use the blogging model.

Which is why you’ll need to understand blogging even if you’ll never blog.

Besides, blogging is the ideal way to serve up fresh content on your site. And no one loves that more than Google

The Real Basics

WordPress has two very different content types.

• Pages (also referred to as static content) contain evergreen content.
• Posts (also referred to as articles) collectively make up the blog.

While pages and posts are created in much the same way and can look very similar, it is the purpose of the content which determines which type is to be used. For information that is permanent and must remain on the site at all times, pages are the way to go. For content that is newsworthy, topical, has a short shelf life, and can be grouped into categories, a blog post is your best bet.

3 Types Of Sites

WordPress can be configured as any one of three types of sites.

A Hybrid Site

The most common WordPress site is set up to present both pages and posts.

My Joy of WP site is a hybrid.

Many of its pages include WordPress training videos, site development services, and information about me. It also has a blog that contains topical information, organized in categories about WordPress.

It’s not necessary to call a blog a “blog” as I have, but it makes it easier for users to identify it as such. If, however, your blog name is “Tips And Tricks” it’s perfectly fine to name it as such.

Pages Only (A Traditional Site)

Not as common as a hybrid site, this type has no blog. This is in line with old HTML sites where static content was exclusively used.

Gallanteditorial.com is a very small site and is representative of a site that has pages but no blog.

Posts Only (A Blog)

This is a site without pages, just blog posts. This is incredibly rare, and so I don’t have any examples for you.

Blog Layouts

There are two parts of every blog. First, there’s an archive page which displays a part of each current post with links to the full post, which is the second part.

The archive page will list, in chronological order, the most recent articles that make up the blog.

A good example of that is the blog on my Joy of WP site. Here’s the archive page which contains key parts of eight posts. Each has a link to its respective and complete article.

An example of an article seen on that archive page is Using Gutenberg Plugins To Extend What Gutenberg Does By Default.

Three Examples

Here are three blog layouts for three very different sites. In each case, it is the theme which is setting every aspect of what information is presented and how that information is styled.

1. A grid layout with 8 posts.
2. A stacked layout with 4 posts.
3. A masonry layout with displaying 12 posts. While there are many variations of layouts for archive pages, most will fall into one of those three.

The Common Features

While each theme will present the blog in a different way, you will always find an archive page and its linked articles.

Invariably, you’ll find this content in every blog either in the archive page or the post itself.

1. • Title of Article
   • Date Published
   • Date Updated (optional)
   • Author
   • Category and/or Tab
   • Featured Image
   • “Read More” link
   • Article Content
     (copy and media)
   • Reply or Comment box

The post The ABCs of Blogging appeared first on Torque.

To be sure, while Gutenberg has been in development for two years, it’s very much in its infancy. Its release was delayed to squash as many bugs as possible before WordPress users start using it.

One purpose of Gutenberg is to make it easier to create rich page content. To that end, Gutenberg – a page editor that uses blocks to create content – does some things that the now old (Classic) editor can’t. Here are four things that can’t be done with the Classic Editor that WordPress core developers believe content creators will appreciate.

1. Create Multiple Columns

For the first time, you can create multiple columns within a page or post without having to use a plugin. Within a column, you can insert any type of block – paragraphs, headings, media, and forms. Also, you can insert more than one block into a column.

From what I can tell – and what WordPress claims – your design will be responsive using the column block. Each column will stack on top of each other as you would expect like this:

2. Change Font Size, Color, And Background Color

While it is possible to change font size and color with the Classic Editor, Gutenberg makes this much easier for the content author. As for adding background color, that’s a feature that was not possible with the Classic Editor.

As you’ll see in my video, it’s not possible to select more than one paragraph block to apply the same font size, color, and/or background color to the selected blocks. I suspect that’s a change you will see in 2019.

Note: These features are available only for the paragraph block. It is not possible to use them for heading, lists, and other text type blocks – yet.

3. Reusable Blocks

One of Gutenberg’s key features is the ability to reuse any block anywhere on a site. This is going to be a big time saver if you have content you’d like to repeat.

As you’ll see in the video, say you have a block that you’ve reused 50 times on your site, but in one instance you need to change that block. That’s easy to do when you use the Convert To Regular Block function.

Conversely, if you need to change the content for all reused blocks, you can do that as well.

Reusable blocks will play a big part in Gutenberg’s future as we move to the idea of building your own page template with a group of reusable blocks.

4. Drag and Drop

Clearly the ability to drag and drop blocks – as you would expect – is (like all of Gutenberg) a work in progress. Drag and drop currently works only in certain contexts at this early stage of the new editor’s life. Fortunately, as shown below, there is a very good fallback method of moving blocks.

Is That All There Is?

Hardly.

Don’t get the impression that Gutenberg is merely an upgrade from the Classic Editor. Plugin developers are busy creating new plugins designed to work only with Gutenberg, extending what it can do by default. Need blocks that don’t come with Gutenberg out of the box? See “How To Use Plugins To Extend What Gutenberg Does By Default.”

What’s more, Gutenberg is just the first step in a 10-year transformative journey in which WP will change as it never has before. The aim is to reach the holy grail of front-end design and development. In that scenario, you’ll be able to drag and drop anything into position on a web page without using the WP Admin as you do now. You’ll be able to change media, color, and typography from the front-facing part of your site.

Buckle up!

The post 4 Things You Can Do With Gutenberg That You Can’t Do With The Classic Editor appeared first on Torque.

Reasons to do this include:

1. You hate your web host and need a new service.
2. You’d like a copy of your site so you can work on it either locally or from a remote server.

There are many plugins to help you do this but all of them require an investment in time to learn the process. Invariably, there are two very different things which will occur.

1. You will be exporting your database from your existing installation and importing it into a new WordPress installation.
2. You will be copying and moving all of your files from the existing site to the new one. These files include WordPress itself, your plugins, media files, and your theme.

While the latter can be easily done with an FTP (or SFTP) application like Filezilla, Transmit, Cyberduck, and so many others, the same can’t be said about exporting and importing a database. The database is not a file. Therein lies the tripwire for most people, especially those who rarely need to move a WordPress site.

If you fall into that category, here’s the easy way out. It has its drawbacks though which I’ll explain in Step 3.

Step 1: Exporting Your Site

Log into your WP Admin to the site you want to move or from which you want to make a copy. Go to Tools > Export and select All Content.

It will look like this:

If you’re moving from a wordpress.com site, the process is the same but here’s what you’ll see:

WordPress will generate an .xml file. Just remember where you save it in your computer. You’ll re-edit in Step 2.

Step 2: Importing Your Site

After you’ve installed the new WP site (this could be locally or with a web host), log into WP Admin. This time we’ll do the opposite – we will use the .xml file to import your site.

Proceed to Tools > Import and install the WordPress Installer which will be listed at the bottom of the page.

This is a plugin that you’ll only need for this process and can be removed once the migration is finished. Make sure to select the Install link, followed by the Run Importer link.

Here is what you’ll see:

Once that is done, you’ll be re-directed to the Import WordPress page. You’ll be prompted to browse your computer for the .xml file. Click the “Upload file and import button.”

Next, you’ll see a page like this:

The most important thing to do is make sure that the Import Attachment checkbox is selected. If you don’t do that, your media files will not be imported.

Click Submit and, in all likelihood, you’ll see the happy words, “Have fun.” Go ahead and delete the .xml file from your computer as its work is done.

Step 3: Setting Up Your Site

But your work isn’t.  Here’s where you will need to do the following:

1. Install and activate all the plugins used by the original site.
2. Install and activate your theme.
3. Remove the standard Hello World blog post and Sample Page.
4. Set up your menu.
5. Set up your widgets.

You’ll need to make any other changes to your settings as you had them in your original site.  For example, you’ll probably need to:

1. Go to Settings > General and make sure your WordPress and site URLs are correct.

2. Go to Settings > Permalinks and see that your site’s URLs are set up the way you want.

You Can Do It!

This technique of using WordPress’s built-in export/import feature works well for small sites. It’s also the workaround if you don’t want to learn how to migrate your site as an exact copy where no (or very few) changes.

The post The Down And Dirty Way To Migrate A WordPress Website appeared first on Torque.

But as with any application, some elements of the User Interface need to be hidden or obscure for various reasons. Usually, it is because a function or feature is not frequently needed until it is. That’s when the hair pulling begins.

Don’t end up hunting around for that WP Admin element as if you’re looking for lost treasure. Here are the most common hidden gems of WordPress that sooner or later you’ll need to use.

All of the following are a part of WordPress Core and have nothing to do with what your theme or any plugin may add to your WP Admin.

WP Admin? That’s where you end up when you log into your site.

Screen Options

This is a little gem is hidden in plain view.  In the upper right-hand corner of just about every page in your WP Admin is a Screen Options button. It’s the way to modify whatever is on that page.

Here are some examples of what Screen Options are.

Drag And Drop Features

Did you know that parts of the WP Admin can be moved around to suit your needs?

I left out moving menu items and widgets into place because that’s probably more intuitive than what I showed in my video.  And keep in mind that some plugins have draggable elements that may not be so easy to see at first glance.

Hovering Over

I assume you know that you need to hover over the links on the right side of your WP Admin to see submenus. But did you know about this?

Not shown in this video, is that the same thing happens when you look at the list of your users. You’ll need to hover over a user’s name to edit or delete a user account within your site.

Bulk Actions? Say What?

Ever wonder what Bulk Actions do? When I first started with WP, I didn’t use it for a long time because I could not figure out what it was or how to use it.

I think it’s a bit obscure and not so intuitive. In my video, I show you how to use it to save time when working with multiple pages or posts simultaneously.

You’ll see Bulk Actions show up in various places in the WP Admin.  It’s a great way to update all of your plugins in just a few clicks.

What About Gutenberg?

This Spring, WordPress will roll out an entirely new editing system. It features a very clean workspace without a lot of UI that is hidden until you hover over some part of it.

The key concept behind Gutenberg is the use of blocks which allows various types of content to be inserted into blocks. In the years to come Gutenberg will usher in entirely new ways to create content and developer websites. Stay tuned!

Conclusion

What may be obvious to some WordPress authors, may be completely hidden or confusing to others. While that’s true to the design of any user interface, WordPress presents its own unique challenges. Overcoming those challenges will make it easier and more satisfying to use WordPress.

The post The Hidden Gems Of WordPress appeared first on Torque.