Torque’s very own editor, Marie Dodson, will be on WP Engine’s Finely Tuned Expert on Wednesday. Dodson will talk about what it’s like to run a news site that covers WordPress, and where she sees the CMS going. The FTE will follow the usual format, with a video interview headed by WP Engine’s Social Media team, Jonathan McNamara and Emma Zwirko. Follow the link to watch it live, Wednesday, May 11 at 3 PM Central Time. We’ll be there.
Understanding The Concept Of Visibility In Object Oriented PHP
I’ve been writing a lot recently about principles of object-oriented programming (OOP) in PHP, including magic methods. OOP is great in that it promotes encapsulation of code: separated functions, classes, and methods — each with their own scopes and purposes. The rules of how we access properties, variables, and methods from different encapsulated scopes are determined by visibility. In this article, I will explain how visibility is defined, how it works, and why it is important in OOP PHP. Keep in mind that this article refers to how these principles work in PHP 5.4 or later. PHP 5.3 and below […]
ACF Creator Elliot Condon Shares How To Create A Successful WordPress Plugin
With more than 40,000 free plugins available in the repository alone, creating a plugin that will stand out from the crowd can seem like an impossible feat. There is a lot of valuable content out there that provides insight on how to create a successful WordPress plugin, from attending WordCamps and Meetups and contributing to WordPress core, to creating brand awareness and so on. While these are useful strategies, Elliot Condon, creator of the wildly popular Advanced Custom Fields plugin (winner of the first Torque Plugin Madness Tournament), proves that creating a successful plugin isn’t always about brand recognition and networking, but rather in the plugin’s […]
Free WordPress Themes In April 2016
Now that April’s over, it is time to look at some of the best free WordPress themes released during this month. April saw a number of blogging, eCommerce, and even magazine WordPress themes. In this article, we take a look at the best free WordPress themes released during April 2016. Free WordPress Themes: April 2016 1. Blogim Blogim is a clean, minimal, and responsive WordPress theme meant for blogging sites. It features multiple homepage layouts and is translation ready. Download 2. Azera Shop Azera Shop is an eCommerce theme with WooCommerce integration. It is responsive, translation ready, and is a […]
Is The REST API Ready?
The news that the REST API wasn’t going to be included in 4.6 was a disappointment to a lot of people. However this by no means was a death sentence to the API. In fact, several companies have been utilizing the API behind the scenes for a long time now to great success. Some of the most notable examples of this are The New York Times, Wired, and of course WordPress.com’s Calypso. But there are even more companies putting the API into action. The REST API has clearly been put into action successfully, so perhaps it is ready to be merged with […]
What WordPress Developers Need To Know About PHP Magic Methods
Chances are, if you’ve looked at PHP code, you’ve encountered magic methods — you can tell it is a magic method because the method is preceded by two underscores. If you’re not using these tools, you should be. Magic methods are functions that allow you to show an object how to react when something happens to it. You get to define how your object should react in an event. This can be a huge tool in preventing errors and reducing redundant code. In this article, I am going to introduce you to some of the magic methods that PHP provides. […]
30 Essential Plugins For WordPress Beginners
WordPress is the world’s most popular website building tool by far. However, while the out-the-box version of WordPress comes equipped with lots of useful features and functionalities, the core itself will only take you so far. The real reason for WordPress’s meteoric rise in the last decade or so is the platform’s robust collection of plugins (and to a lesser extent, themes). If you’re new to WordPress, plugins add extra, more specialist functionalities to a website, allowing it to do just about anything. Those impressive features you see on big company’s websites? Install the right plugin, and you can add […]
How To Build The Perfect WordPress Client
In a recent post, we took a look at the characteristics of the ideal WordPress developer by building the DEV-BOT 5000, a robot embodying the perfect mix of skill, experience, and responsiveness. Well, turnabout’s fair play, right? In this post, we’re going to build the perfect WordPress client for our DEV-BOT 5000. Its name: the Ideal Client Engineer – Curious Responsive Engaged Active Model 5000. ICE-CREAM 5000, for short. (Because who doesn’t love ice cream?) We started out by asking some of WordPress developers what traits their ideal client would possess, and we’ve sorted out their responses below. What makes […]
How to Easily Enable Gzip Compression in WordPress (5 Ways!)
This post was last updated on January 2, 2024. Enabling Gzip compression (also sometimes called HTTP or browser compression) is one of the most effective ways to make your WordPress site load faster. That’s good news because page loading time influences bounce rate, user experience, search ranking, and much more. If you work with a computer regularly, you probably already know about compression from zip archives. They allow you to shrink files, e.g. to send them more easily via email. The same is possible for the files that make up your WordPress website, so that visitors can download them faster […]
The WordPress REST API: The Journey So Far, And What’s to Come
The WordPress REST API’s journey into core has been a long one and we’re not quite there yet. In many respects, however, the leisurely pace of its introduction has been a blessing. It’s given the community at large plenty of time to absorb the implications of what is a genuinely transformative shift in the platform’s nature. As we teeter on the edge of a REST API-powered future, now is an excellent time to take stock of its development to date, recap why it’s at the heart of the next stage of WordPress’s evolution, and take a punt on what we can […]
No Comments