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Designing Better WordPress Database Abstractions Using Dependency Injection

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Beginners

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October 13, 2016

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For the last couple weeks, I’ve talked about creating database abstractions. In the first article, I spoke about the need for creating a high-level API, on top of standard WordPress APIs to act as a CRUD interface for your projects. The second was about using classes with all static methods for validation and storage of options. In part three, I want to talk about dependency injection and illustrate the value of this concept by offering a different way to create a database abstraction than I did before. What I showed in the last article works for its purpose. But, that […]

The Pros and Cons Of Pop-Ups

Brenda Barron

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Beginners

Published

October 7, 2016

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Ah, the eternal question: To pop-up, or not to pop-up? All apologies to Hamlet, but this question just became critical, thanks to Google’s recent announcement that it’ll begin penalizing sites for certain types of pop-up ads. If you missed this announcement, or if you caught it but are wringing your hands trying to decide what to do about it, this article is for you. The Details Of Google’s New Pop-up Penalty The official announcement states that Google will begin docking sites with certain pop-ups — what they call “intrusive interstitials” — that make the underlying content less accessible. What does […]

Using Static Methods & Late Static Bindings In Your Database Abstractions

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Beginners

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October 4, 2016

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In some cases, creating classes that produce objects for working with a specific item, like an order in an eCommerce store, are perfect. You create one class and instantiate a new object every time you need it. Conversely, some data, like a plugin’s options, really only need one “store.” This is a perfect use for a class with all of the static methods. In this article, I will show you how to build a database abstraction for options used in a plugin or theme and provide an example of when a class with all static methods is useful and explain late static […]

Basics Of Creating A WordPress Landing Page

Brenda Barron

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Beginners, Development, Featured

Published

September 16, 2016

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Landing pages are single web pages designed to persuade a viewer to do one thing, and one thing only. What that “one thing” is can vary quite a bit, but two of the most common purposes include persuading a visitor to opt-in to an email list or sign up for a free trial of a product or service. If you’re ready to incorporate landing pages into your content marketing mix but don’t know where to start, this article is for you. Let’s begin! 1. Study Effective Landing Pages And Learn What Makes Them Work One of the best things you […]

Is Your Site Translation-Ready? Here’s How to Tell

Brenda Barron

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Beginners, Featured

Published

September 1, 2016

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Pop quiz: Out of the ten countries that search most often for “WordPress themes,” what’s the highest rank achieved by an English-speaking country? We’ll just tell you: it’s the United States, and it comes in 9th. In fact, the English-language version doesn’t even make up half of all WordPress core-file downloads. Of course, these facts shouldn’t be terribly surprising, since English is far from the most commonly-spoken language in the world. It’s third, behind Mandarin and Spanish. One reason why WordPress is so popular all around the globe is its availability in so many different languages. In 2014, the number […]

How To Customize The WordPress Login Page

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Beginners, Featured

Published

August 26, 2016

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Even after working with WordPress for a long while, many people are still surprised to learn that the backend of their website is just as customizable as the front and that none of the things they take for granted are really set in stone. We ‘ve covered this a bit in how to customize the WordPress dashboard and customizing the WordPress editor. Today we want to continue with this theme by turning to another internal page users interact with on a daily basis — the login page. Just like other parts of WordPress, we can completely customize the login page. First, we […]

5 WordPress Themes For Musicians

Emily Schiola

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Beginners, Featured

Published

August 12, 2016

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In this day and age, getting your music online is imperative to your success as a musician. Sure, you can use Bandcamp or Facebook, but you can’t use those sites to sell merchandise or layout a full concert schedule. If you’re serious about making a name for yourself, you’re going to need a website and WordPress is your best bet. There’s a countless number of themes created specifically for musicians and artists. Instead of trying to embed a new song, these themes come with audio players, which can be easily changed and updated. Want to drop a surprise weekend album like […]

Top 5 Finance Apps For WordPress Developers

Brenda Barron

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Beginners, Business

Published

August 5, 2016

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At some point, your business might outgrow PayPal. You may even be there already. While PayPal is perfectly adequate for part-time WordPress developers, or those who are just starting out. But if you’re serious about your business, it pays to investigate more full-featured solutions that will help you whip your business finances into shape. Solid billing/invoicing systems help improve your business’s cash flow, put more money in your wallet, and achieve your financial goals. We have five finance apps that are perfect for your business. As Erika Napoletano says, “Smart small businesses know that they need a billing, invoicing, and […]

11 Of The Best Premium WordPress Plugins Worth Their Money

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Beginners, Featured

Published

July 29, 2016

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There is no denying that WordPress and the WordPress sphere are thriving. The platform has been the fastest growing CMS for several years straight and in June this year more than 2,000 people gathered for WordCamp Europe 2016 — the largest WordPress convention in history. Another sign pointing to the continuing success of WordPress is the growing number of premium plugins. Although there are more than 40,000 free WordPress plugins in the directory, a lot of people these days opt to pay for their plugin needs. So much so that the number of successful WordPress companies with six-figure revenues and beyond […]

9 Common Web Design Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)

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Beginners, E-Books, Featured

Published

July 22, 2016

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Running your own website can be disappointing. You invest a lot of time, money and effort — only to be met with mediocre results. Maybe the surge of visitors you were hoping for is a mere trickle. Maybe those who do come to your site leave without taking any action. What to do? In that situation, most people would look at their content, SEO, or marketing strategy. However, another piece of the puzzle that is just as important but often neglected is your site’s web design. Website design mistakes can hurt your efforts. To avoid that situation, in today’s post […]

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