Themes, Plugins & Widgets How to find and how to install them

1. WordPress Site Design
ACE #CT01756 Intro to WordPress
By Adrian Mikeliunas
http://learnwp.us/week3/
SESSION# 3 of 6

2.  Themes, Plugins & Widgets
 How to find and how to install them
 Themes provide all of the front end styling of your
WordPress site
 Widgets add additional content and features to your
WordPress site’s sidebars, configured via Theme
 Plugins are bits of software that can be uploaded to
extend to expand the functionality of your WordPress site
Week 3 Agenda
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3. Themes Widgets Plugins
eCommerce
Marketing
Forms
2/2016
WordPress Extensions
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4. WordPress Management
http://learnwp.us http://learnwp.us/wp-admin/index.php
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5.  People say: “Content is King”
 They will come back to your blog…
 Or they will run away if they
 can’t find what they want
 It’s not aesthetically pleasing
 If looks are NOT important…
 25 Remarkable Examples of WordPress Websites
www.tripwiremagazine.com/2012/04/examples-of-
wordpress-websites.html
Content vs. Looks
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6.  Make your site Unique!
 Integrate with current company Logo or color theme
 Integrate with existing web site
 Seasonal changes [community, retailer]
 Special occasions [protests]
Why Change Looks?
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7.  Configurable via Dashboard,
Appearance, Theme Options
 Color Scheme & Background
 Header or Banner
 Layouts: single or multi-column
 Widgets
 Posts and Pages Formats
 Navigation Menu
 [Mobile Devices Support]
 Footer area
Theme Options
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8.  A Post Format is a piece of meta information that can be used
by a theme to customize its presentation of a post:
 aside - Typically styled without a title
(Similar to a Facebook note update)
 gallery - A gallery of images
 link - A link to another site
 image - A single image
 quote - A quotation
http://codex.wordpress.org/Post_Formats
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Post Formats
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9.  Paid Themes ($10-$100)
 Features, Quality, Support, Uniqueness
 Examples:
 http://themeforest.net/category/wordpress
 http://www.elegantthemes.com
 http://www.woothemes.com
 Free Themes
 Less Features
 NOT Unique!
 “50+ Beautiful & Free WordPress Themes”
https://colorlib.com/wp/free-wordpress-themes
Themes
Atahualpa 3.7.15 , over 1 million downloads!
http://wordpress.bytesforall.com
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10.  WordPress Showcase
http://wordpress.org/showcase
 WordPress site
http://wordpress.org/extend/themes
 References:
 hackertarget.com/wordpress-themes-in-top-1-million-websites
 www.woothemes.com/product-category/themes
 www.webdesignermag.co.uk/tutorials/5-hot-wordpress-themes-for-2014
Find a Theme
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11.  Find out the technology
behind websites:
 http://builtwith.com
2/2016
Research
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/charlescal203963.html
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12.  Lightweight and
adaptable
 Custom menu, header
image, and
background
 Showcase page
template, widget
support…
2011 Theme
http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/twentyeleven
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13.  Clean, blog-focused, and
designed for clarity
 Simple, straightforward
typography is readable
on a wide variety of
screen sizes, and
suitable for multiple
languages
2015 Theme
https://wordpress.org/themes/twentyfifteen
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14.  From Dashboard, Appearance, Themes, Install Themes
 2 Steps from outside Dashboard [for paid themes!]
 Download from vendor site
 Install from local hard drive
 1 step from Dashboard [for free themes]
 Install
 Activate Theme!
 TIP: Always preview your theme before you install it!
Installing a Theme
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15.  At a minimum:
 index.php
 style.css
 A javascript.js file
 Additional PHP files
Theme Components
2/2016
http://codex.wordpress.org/Site_Design_and_Layout
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16. Themes Directory
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17.  PHP pre-processor server side logic to build dynamic
content
 CSS rules which describe what something should look
like, such as the color or font of text, or where things
line up on the page
 JS JavaScript for client logic
 HTML Hyper Text Markup Language
Component Languages
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18.  1) Hire a programmer or designer $$$
https://www.upwork.com or http://www.peopleperhour.com
http://creativefolks.net
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/cpg/
 2) Build custom WordPress Themes without coding!
http://themeframe.com
 3) Take another course! $99
http://www.udemy.com/building-custom-wordpress-sites-
from-scratch/?tc=email.topcourses
Build a Theme
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19. My 3 factors criteria for selecting a good plugin [or
widget or theme]
 Check the rating, at least 3 out of 5 stars,
and from more than 10 reviewers!
 At least version 1.0!
[many plugins are still version 0.x or BETA]
 Preferably less than 1 year old
[older plugins may NOT be compatible with your site]
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Selection Criteria

20.  Widgets are drag-and-drop design elements that you
can easily add to your WordPress site
 On Main Page, Blog Page, sidebars, or footer
 WordPress has a few built-in widgets
 Calendar, Tag Cloud, Archives, Pages, Search, …
 Thousands more available at WordPress.org!
 http://codex.wordpress.org/WordPress_Widgets
Widgets
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21.  Widgets are installed & activated same as plugins
 Once installed, go to: Appeareance, Widgets to select them
via drag and drop!
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Widget – Installation
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22.  Some themes offer a Widget options feature without the
tricky drag and drop! Example: 2015
2/2016
Widget – from Theme
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23. Examples:
 Search
 Archives
 Categories
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Widgets in Action
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24.  Both are based on PHP!
 Widgets focus on the UX (user experience)
 They get activated by dragging them in Theme,
Appearance,
 Plugins offers new functionality
 May or may not be viewable by users
 User verification
 Multimedia: Slide shows, Video or Music players
Widgets & Plugins
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25.  Plugins can extend WordPress to do almost anything
you can imagine!
 In this directory you can find, download, rate, and
comment on all the best plugins the WordPress
community has to offer…
 http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/
 To manage plugins, you need to go to the PLUGINS
section of your dashboard, where you’ll find a list of
plugins already installed…
Plugins
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26.  Backup your site
 Better Editor toolbar for your posts!
 Receive data or news feeds from other sites: stocks,
weather, news, etc.
 Receive Donations via Paypal
 Take look at the most popular plugins here:
https://wordpress.org/plugins/browse/popular
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Plugin Ideas

27.  There are at least two default plugins:
 Akismet - the best way in the world to protect your blog
from comment and trackback spam
 Hello Dolly – first oficial plugin
 Plugins need to be ACTIVATED before they run
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Default Plugins
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28. 2/2016
Plugins- Installation
TIP: Check the RATING and the version [at least 1.0 recommended!]
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29. 2/2016
Plugins- Update & Delete
TIP: Check on a weekly basis for plugin updates…
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30.  How to find and install new Themes
 How to find and install new Widgets
 How to find and install new Plugins
Week 3 Review
2/2016WordPress #3