Dec 29, 2011 Update – Installing Widget Logic version 0.51 fixes the previous is_active_sidebar issue. Thanks to Alan Trewartha for continued development on this essential plugin. Carry on.

WordPress doesn’t currently have a built in feature for controlling which pages a sidebar widget displays. The Widget Logic plugin adds this feature quite nicely if you’re comfortable using WP‘s conditional tags.

It does have built in, however, the function is_active_sidebar to test (TRUE/FALSE) if a dynamic sidebar is in use. Using this function in your themes is probably considered best-practice these days; read more about it (and sidebars in general) here: Sidebars in WordPress (Justin Tadlock, Nov 2010).

With these two items you’re mostly good to go, except for one small issue. Widget Logic has a bug(?) that returns is_active_sidebar true, even when widgets have been hidden. So even though the widgets don’t show, any markup you’ve added to the entire widget area on the page will.

Luckily there’s a workaround found on the WordPress.org forums that addresses this problem: [Plugin: Widget Logic] is_active_sidebar() doesn’t work. Vasya Pupkin modified the Widget Logic plugin to fix the issue, and posted the code here: http://pastebin.me/002f3ec3145f4e1896a9cf79e72aebb2

The fix is working great for this site, and hasn’t seemed to break anything. Be careful, however – The plugin author has concerns about the approach breaking sites, so use the modified version at your own discretion.

Spigot Design

If you’ve ever wanted a top-level navigation item to act as a trigger for a drop down menu, but not actually link anywhere, here’s how to do it in the WordPress 3.0 menu system:

1. Insert a custom link with a label and any link address
2. Click on Edit Menu Item link (triangle)
3. Delete link address in URL field
4. Add nested sub-menu items
5. Save

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The latest release of WordPress (3.1) comes with a new ‘Admin Bar’ – a small area at the top of your site that displays (for logged in users) quick links and easy access to some of the most used portions of WordPress.

If you happen to have absolutely positioned elements that take their position off of the body tag, however, these items will not shift, while everything else is shifted down 28px, the height of the admin bar.

The Fix

Luckily it’s easy enough to fix. If you’re using a modern WP theme, the body tag will contain the
<php body_class(); ?> (If you’re using Hybrid the code will be: <php hybrid_body_class(); ?>). WordPress will use this tag to add the class: .admin-bar to the body tag – only when the Admin Bar is being shown. You can then use something like the following code in your CSS to fix it:

.admin-bar .absolutepositioneditem { top: (previous absolute position + 28)px; }

Update: If you’re using the Hybrid Core Framework (as all recent sites I’ve built do), Version 1.0.1 is not adding the class .admin-bar to the body tag. Version 1.1.1 fixes this.

Update 2:After installing the latest version of Hybrid Core, there seems to be an issue with sidebar registration – I ended up losing all sidebars. The lesson learned here is to be careful when installing code that isn’t ready for public release.

Spigot Design

Theme Hybrid

A big part of why it’s gone so well is due to the efforts of WordPress developer Justin Tadlock and his Hybrid Theme Framework. As a front end developer, Justin’s work and the community that he’s attracted has been a shot in the arm to my understanding of WordPress, and PHP. He (and the community) is patient with the simplest of questions and is clear and concise when explaining issues. The Theme Hybrid forums are more about teaching a person to fish than just handing one over and doing it for you.

The Framework Concept

What originally attracted me to Theme Hybrid was that it was one of the more popular ‘theme frameworks’ that have been gaining traction in the WordPress community. The premise of a theme framework is to provide a core set of functionality so that each new site isn’t being completely built from scratch. It provides a powerful set of core features that speeds up development time and helps to keep client costs down. New sites are still custom from top to bottom, but a lot of the dirty work is already taken care of.

Theme Hybrid is also built on the parent/child theme concept, which allows for ongoing improvement of core theme features without affecting the design and functionality of the site. A child theme allows you to use all the power and functionality of the parent theme, without losing any customizations when the parent theme is upgraded. This is perhaps more useful to those who are modifying a theme they’ve purchased, but there are also many benefits to those who have a custom theme built by professional designers like us, especially when using a framework as powerful as Hybrid.

When a framework isn’t a framework

Recently there has been some debate in the community over the confusion between what a framework is vs. the parent/child theme concept. The Hybrid Theme has been called a framework, and treated as such, since it’s release. And this has apparently been causing confusion because it’s not a true framework in a traditional development framework sense at least. So what is it? Well, Justin himself perhaps says it best:

What should we call the Hybrid theme? Simple. It’s a parent theme. Justin Tadlock

This distinction is perhaps of little importance to most (ok… any) of our clients. But it does matter for developers who are looking to get the most out of WordPress and build the very best websites for our clients that we can. Theme Hybrid is a few years old now, and while it’s still better than 99% of the themes out there, even Justin has stated that it’s got legacy code deeply embedded and it’s perhaps better to start again from his latest project, Hybrid Core.

From parent to child and back to parent

Hybrid Core is about creating a true framework, in the traditional sense, by putting the core functionality within the parent theme. The framework itself can continue to be developed and updated without affecting the theme and its customizations. The real advantage to developers and design firms like Spigot is the ability to create our own parent/child themes for our clients that are powerful, updatable, and using the most cutting edge technology available.

But what about rebuilding Spigot?

All this is to say Yes, I’ve rebuilt spigotdesign.com using the new framework. Starting from Justin’s theme Prototype which I’ve pulled apart and dissected and reformed into our very own. The beauty of Prototype is that Justin has created it to take advantage of most of what Hybrid Core has to offer, so it’s a perfect starting point from which to build and learn. I would have preferred a more stripped down version over a full-fledged theme, but there were benefits to having to dismantle Prototype that will pay dividends. I feel like I’ve had to start the learning curve over again, which is just going to make my understanding that much greater.

Oh, and also Custom Post Types

Rebuilding also allow me to take advantage of the new(ish) custom post types feature in WordPress. This feature has made WordPress a true CMS if ever it wasn’t by adding the ability to create custom content types. Now Spigot has a dedicated section for our Portfolio that stays separate from our blog posts. Again, for most of our clients this distinction isn’t going to matter. But in the end, it’s better.

What’s this all mean to you?

If you’re a client or a potential client of ours, what does this mean to you? Nothing really, except the knowledge that Spigot, in addition to being OK at the design end, is also continually learning and getting better at the building of your website. Call or Get a Quote today.

Spigot Design

Not much has been written on this site about WordPress, but over the last few years we’ve pretty much become a WordPress only shop – with 90-95% of our projects built on the platform. Here’s why.

Every site we’ve created in the last few years has been developed within a Content Management System (CMS). This gives our clients easy access to update their site through a web browser, without the need for a complete knowledge of HTML.

We’ve tried a few over the years (Drupal, Joomla, Expression Engine) and found that, while they’re all a huge improvement over static html files, they each were lacking in some fundamental way or another. Even the early versions of WordPress were not suitable for full fledged site content management.

Far and away the most glaring flaw in each of the above applications is in the ease of use for the end user. They each required too steep of a learning curve to use effectively. Far too many things that should have been easy weren’t.

Enter the WordPress

WordPress started out as blogging software and we’ve used it for quite a while to build blog-centric websites. A few years ago, however, enough features were added to allow for building full blown sites on it. Once we gave it a try and saw how easy it was for end users, we didn’t look back.

Here’s a quick list of WordPress features that are the reason we love it so much:

User Friendly

I taught Kari how to manage her own site in about 20 minutes. Enough said.

Open Source Software

While we don’t mind paying for quality software, kick-arse software that is free to use and manipulate is even better.

Community Support

WordPress is fast becoming one of the most popular CMS software platforms around. It’s constantly being developed and improved (at least 3 major updates per year) by a passionate community. If Spigot gets hit by a bus, someone will be there to pick up our sites. No obscure software here!

Standards and SEO

A site built on WP is as solid a foundation as a website can be. It follows the rules and makes the search engines happy.

Plugins

If you need special functionality, there’s probably already a plugin for that. And if not, it’s easy to build one.

One click updates

Right from the administration area – click – click – done.

Easy Theming

Of course everything we do around here is custom, but if you’re short on design skilz, there are thousands of free themes out there. Too bad most of them are crape. Better just hire us to build it from scratch. :)

Lastly

There are a few other things about WordPress that, as a developer, I really like. Most of them won’t make any headlines though. Things like its clean and easy file structure. Or it’s well documented Codex. The Famous Five-Minute Install. And communities like Theme Hybrid.

If you’ve got any questions about WordPress, don’t hesitate to leave a question here, or contact us directly. Love talking about the WordPress.

Spigot Design

Here’s a list of the site enhancements:

• Site-wide Google Translation
• Site-wide Search function
• Breadcrumb Navigation
• Improved News layout
• Improved Archives (now search articles by date, category, and tag)
• Admin Improvements

This transition marks the end of our Expression Engine era as it was the last EE site we had on our roster. WordPress is such a superior CMS in terms of administrative experience as well as in programming. This means that our clients win and we win!

Step right up, be a winnnah! Everybody’s a Winnnah!

Spigot Design

The latter has been my form plugin of choice, for its simplicity and flexibility. That is, until I heard about Gravity Forms.

Corralling Form Data

A client on a recent project requested two special sections on his site: 1. A page a user could leave feedback; and 2. A ‘Help Desk,’ where a subscriber could submit a trouble ticket. Both sections needed to be stored in the database and easily retrieved and reviewed. None of the form plugins I’d previously used provided this functionality. Gravity Forms came highly recommended from a few people on the Theme Hybrid forums, so even though it’s a ‘premium’ plugin (yes, premium as in I paid for it) I gave it a go.

For what I needed to use it for, GF has worked like a charm. Form submissions are stored in the database and my client can easily view, delete, or mark each submission as read. He can mark certain submissions with a star if he wants. There is also an export feature, with the ability to selectively limit the data fields, as well as a date range. The file then gets downloaded as a .csv file. For collecting data over a longer period of time, this is obviously far superior to tracking down hundreds of emails with one submission each.

But Wait, There’s More!

As easily as Gravity Forms has handled my clients request, this plugin actually does a whole lot more. Here’s just a few of the features, most of which I’ve yet to even play with:

• Dynamic Field Population: Save users time by automatically filling in fields
• Form Scheduling: Define a start and end date to a form
• Limit Entries: Limit the number of entries that a form can receive
• Respond to Entries from WordPress: Manage and respond to entries right from WordPress
• Autoresponder Emails: Send automatic responses to submissions
• User Created Posts: Allow users to create a post when the form is submitted

That last one makes me smile big. I can just see the possibilities: user submitted stories, job boards, lost and found submissions, etc. For a more complete list of features, check out the full feature list, or try out their demo. Or just go buy it!

Conclusions

Plugins such as Contact Form 7 have served me well for a long time. CF7 is still a great form plugin for those who just need to get notified via email when a user wants to leave a message. For those who need a bit more, however, Gravity Forms is the way to go.

But isn’t it too pricey?

For me, no. I opted for the 5 site license for $99, and it’s been worth ever dime thus far. The potential future uses for this plugin make it even more valuable.

For those who believe that since WordPress is free to use so shall all plugins be free, this plugin is not for you. Because it costs way more than a penny. And good luck finding this kind of functionality and flexibility out of any of the other guys.

What Do You Think?

Am I right? Wrong? Have you used Gravity Forms? Is there something better out there? Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas below!

Spigot Design

Much time was spent researching WordPress frameworks, spurned on by the WordPress Theme Development Frameworks post over at Smashing Magazine. My thought at the time was to learn a system that could speed up development time – automation of some of the more tedious tasks. But what I found was worth so much more.

Starting from that Smashing Mag article, I narrowed my targets down to just the most powerful and feature rich from the list. I then ran across a comparison of three of the most popular frameworks at WordPress Tavern. The article provided a nice side by side table of features, and while the decision wasn’t easy, I ultimately settled on Hybrid.

I chose Hybrid for its overall feature list, its insistence on the use of child themes, and most of all, the robust support. There is a $25 annual subscription to the support forums, worth every cent as the developer was there to answer all my silly questions. I say silly because I came to find that before diving into this framework, I knew very little about the true power of WordPress.

Here are some of the highlights of the new system:

• Wigitized sidebar – Gives me the power of drag and drop over sidebar items.
• Widgets everywhere – Before content, after content, footer, and on and on.
• Child theme integration.
• A search function that just works.
• Breadcrumbs.
• The ability to add pages without them showing up in the main navigation (This was always possible, but only by directly editing the theme files).
• A greatly expanded knowledge of WordPress

It also gave me a chance to do a little design reshuffling. I added some things and subtracted some things, but hopefully overall the site is easier to use, easier to read, and for me, easier to maintain.

Spigot Design

Well it didn’t go quite that smooth this time, and I received an error that WP couldn’t copy the wp-comments-post.php file. I could have just upgraded the old fashioned way, but decided to investigate further. Here’s what I did to fix it:

1. Logged into my server via ftp
2. Located the upgrade files in wp-content/upgrade
3. Tried to delete the ‘core’ directory and all its contents (these, I believe are the upgrade files)
4. I was denied permission to delete these files (on my own server no less), so I used Terminal (on a mac) to ssh into the server and delete the ‘core’ directory.
5. Re-ran the upgrade from within WP, and everything went smoothly.

Now it’s time to go and poke around the new version!

Spigot Design

Now, as much as I love a good text editor for programming websites, writing a new post and adding the html markup by hand feels somewhat archaic, and I thought there must be a better way.

So that’s why I’m giving MarsEdit a go. I’m sure there are others out there, but I’ve head good things about this one, and I’ve heard that Gruber uses it.

So this post is being written using it, and so far so good. I’m able to easily add html tags to headlines and paragraphs as well as easily add a link. There was no unordered list tag in the default set, but adding my own ‘custom markup macro’ was a snap. I now have a list item tag opening and closing tag as well as an unordered list set.

The other thing I’m concerned about is adding an image. The MarsEdit logo above was submitted through the app, so we’ll see if and how it gets posted. I wasn’t offered an alignment options, so I had to manually add an “alignleft” class.

Ok, so here goes. I’ll leave the layout and styling as is, published directly from the app. If anything looks funny, feel free to blame Red Sweater Software, makers of MarsEdit.

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