Chris Coyier, Jeff Starr - Digging Into Wordpress v3.7 - 2013 + Bonus [2013, PDF, ENG]

1 Welcome to WordPress
1.1.1 Welcome ...........................................................................9
1.1.2 Why WordPress is Amazing ............................................................9
1.1.3. How to Set up and Con?gure WordPress ........................................ 10
1.1.4 How to Implement Advanced Functionality ..................................... 10
1.1.5 How to Optimize and Secure WordPress ......................................... 11
1.1.6 How to Maintain Your WordPress Site ............................................. 12
1.1.7 Don’t Worry .............................................................................. 12
1.2.1 So, You’ve Never Heard of WordPress .......................12
1.2.2 One Template, Many Pages .......................................................... 14
1.2.3 Powerful, Flexible and Extensible ................................................... 14
1.3.1 Key Components of a WordPress Site .......................15
1.3.2 WordPress Core Files .................................................................. 15
1.3.3 The WordPress Database ............................................................. 15
1.3.4 The Back End ............................................................................ 17
1.3.5 The Front End ........................................................................... 17

Contents
1.4.1 Tools of the Trade .........................................................17
1.4.2 A Domain Name ........................................................................ 17
1.4.3 Web Host / Server ...................................................................... 18
1.4.4 Text / Code Editor ...................................................................... 19
1.4.5 FTP Program ............................................................................. 19

2 Setting Up WordPress
2.1.1 The Famous Five Minute Install ................................. 23
2.1.2 Where To Install? ....................................................................... 23
2.1.3 Checking Default Performance and Proper Functionality .................... 24
2.2.1 OK, I’m In. Now What? ................................................ 25
2.2.2 Just Publish Something! ............................................................. 25
2.2.3 Go Look At It! ........................................................................... 25
2.2.4 The Plan .................................................................................. 26
2.3.1 Permalinks: Your URL Structure ................................ 26
2.3.2 HTAccess ................................................................................. 27
2.3.3 Which Style of Permalinks? .......................................................... 28
2.3.4 Pick One and Stick With It ........................................................... 29
2.3.5 SEO Consideration: Mind Your Post “Slugs” ...................................... 29
2.4.1 Categories and Tags .................................................... 30
2.4.2 They are Basically the Same ......................................................... 32
2.4.3 Use Only One Category Per Post ................................................... 32
2.4.4 Use Multiple Tags Per Post .......................................................... 33
2.4.5 Don’t Go Overboard! .................................................................. 33
2.4.6 You Don’t Need to Use Them At All ............................................... 34
2.4.7 Custom Taxonomies .................................................................. 34
2.5.1 Users and Administrators ............................................37
2.5.2 Add a New Account for Yourself ................................................... 39
2.6.1 Choosing the Perfect Theme ..................................... 40
2.6.2 Where to Find Awesome Themes..................................................40
2.6.3 Previewing Themes ................................................................... 41
2.6.4 Key Things to Look For in a Theme ............................................... 41
2.7.1 Getting Started with Plugins ...................................... 44
2.7.2 Installing and Activating Plugins ....................................................44
2.7.3 Di?erence Between Disabling and Uninstalling .................................45
2.7.4 Recommended Plugins ............................................................... 46

3 Anatomy of a Theme
3.1.1 Understanding Theme Files ........................................51
3.1.2 Every Theme is Di?erent ............................................................. 51
3.1.3 Commonly Used Theme Files ....................................................... 51
3.1.4 How Theme Files Work Together................................................... 54
3.2.1 Understanding Di?erent Page Views ....................... 54
3.2.2 Page Views are for Pages ............................................................. 55
3.2.3 Single Views are for Posts ............................................................ 55
3.2.4 The Many Faces of Archive Views ................................................. 56
3.2.5 How WordPress Decides Which File to Use for Rendering the View ......56
3.3.1 Kicking It O? with the Header ................................... 58
3.3.2 The DOCTYPE and HTML Attributes ..............................................58
3.3.3 META Elements ......................................................................... 59
3.3.4 The Title .................................................................................. 59
3.3.5 Link Elements ........................................................................... 61
3.3.6 The wp_head() Function ............................................................. 64
3.3.7 Template Tags ........................................................................... 64
3.4.1 The WordPress Loop ....................................................67
3.4.2 The Loop in Plain English ............................................................ 68
3.4.3 The Loop Just Knows… ............................................................... 69
3.4.4 Some Common “Loop Only” Functions .......................................... 70
3.4.5 Some Common “Outside Loop” Functions ....................................... 71
3.5.1 Comments .....................................................................71
3.5.2 The comments.php File .............................................................. 71
3.5.3 Selective Inclusion for Di?erent Views ............................................ 72
3.6.1 The Sidebar ....................................................................74
3.6.2 Purpose and Placement .............................................................. 74
3.6.3 Popular Sidebar Functions ........................................................... 75
3.6.4 Widgets, Widgets, Widgets ........................................................... 78
3.7.1 The Search Form ...........................................................79
3.7.2 Why is This a Separate File? .......................................................... 79
3.7.3 Alternatives to WordPress Search ................................................... 79
3.8.1 The Footer ......................................................................81
3.8.2 The wp_footer() Hook ................................................................ 81
3.8.3 Mini Footers / Mega Footers ......................................................... 83
3.9.1 Theme Functions ......................................................... 83
3.9.2 Functions are for Speci?c Themes ................................................. 83
3.9.3 Advantage Over Core Hacks ........................................................ 84

4 Theme Design & Development
4.1.1 Customizing the Loop ................................................ 87
4.1.2 Customizing the Loop with query_posts .........................................88
4.1.3 Customizing the Loop with WP_Query ...........................................90
4.1.4 Customizing the Loop with get_posts ............................................ 92
4.1.5 The Loop Doesn’t Care About Markup ............................................ 93
4.1.6 The Power of WP_Query ............................................................. 94
4.1.7 Displaying Di?erent Numbers of Posts ............................................ 95
4.1.8 Excluding Speci?c Categories ....................................................... 96
4.1.9 Changing the Sort Order ............................................................. 96
4.1.10 Show Speci?c Pages, Embed a Page within a Page........................... 97
4.1.11 Using Multiple Loops: An Example ................................................ 97
4.2.1 Sidebars and Footers ................................................. 100
4.3.1 Menus, Archive Lists & Tag Clouds ......................... 103
4.3.2 Page-Specic Menu Styles ......................................................... 105
4.3.3 Create the Perfect Archives Page ..................................................107
4.3.4 Impress Your Visitors with a Tag Cloud ..........................................108
4.4.1 Side Content & Useful Menu Items ......................... 109
4.4.2 Displaying Recent Comments .....................................................109
4.4.3 Displaying Recent Posts ............................................................. 111
4.4.4 Listing Popular Posts .................................................................112
4.4.5 Listing Recently Modied Posts ....................................................112
4.4.6 Listing Random Posts ................................................................ 113
4.4.7 Import and Display Twitter ......................................................... 113
4.4.8 Import and Display Delicious ......................................................116
4.4.9 Import & Display Other Feed Content ........................................... 117
4.5.1 Creating and Using Child Themes ..........................119
4.6.1 Styling Your Theme ................................................... 120
4.6.2 Di?erent Inclusion Methods ........................................................121
4.6.3 To Reset or Not To Reset? ...........................................................122
4.7.1 Using Multiple Themes.............................................. 125
4.8.1 Widgetizing ..................................................................127

5 Extending Functionality
5.1.1 Extensibility ..................................................................131
5.1.2 Extending WordPress with Plugins ................................................ 131
5.1.3 A Plugin for (Almost) Everything .................................................. 131
5.1.4 Do You Need a Plugin? ...............................................................133
5.1.5 Choosing the Perfect Plugin ........................................................135
5.2.1 Plugin Usage and Maintenance .............................. 136
5.2.2 Sequential Installation ...............................................................137
5.2.3 Keep Plugins Up-To-Date ...........................................................137
5.2.4 Subscribe to Plugin Comment Threads .........................................138
5.2.5 Getting Help with Plugins ...........................................................138
5.2.6 Diagnosing Plugin Con?icts ........................................................139
5.2.7 Disabling and Uninstalling Plugins ................................................139
5.3.1 Extending WordPress with Custom Functions ..... 142
5.3.2 Plugins vs. Theme Functions (functions.php) ..................................143
5.3.3 Examples of Useful Theme Functions ............................................143
5.3.4 Example #1: Easy Admin Buttons for Comments .............................144
5.3.5 Example #2: Sitewide Shortcode Functionality ................................145
5.3.6 Example #3: Moving Plugins to functions.php .................................146
5.3.7 Example #4: Creating Plugins from Functions .................................146
5.4.1 Other Ways to Extend & Customize .........................147
5.4.2 Functions Within Theme Files .....................................................149
5.4.3 Hacking the WordPress Core ...................................................... 150
5.5.1 WordPress as a CMS ...................................................151
5.5.2 Working With Custom Fields .......................................................152
5.5.3 Users, Roles and Permissions ......................................................155
5.5.4 Categorizing, Tagging, and Custom Taxonomies .............................156
5.5.5 Page Templates ........................................................................158
5.5.6 Page, Category, and Tag Hierarchies .............................................159
5.5.7 Dynamic Menus .......................................................................160
5.6.1 Extending CMS Functionality ...................................161
But wait, there’s more… ....................................................................161

6 Working with RSS Feeds
6.1.1 Working with RSS Feeds ............................................163
6.1.2 The Pros and Cons of Delivering Feeds ..........................................163
6.2.1 Di?erent Types of WordPress Feeds ....................... 164
6.2.2 Posts Feed ..............................................................................164
6.2.3 Comments Feed .......................................................................166
6.2.4 Individual Post Comments Feed ..................................................166
6.2.5 Category and Tag Feeds ............................................................167
6.2.6 Other Feed Types .....................................................................167
6.3.1 Feed Con?gurations & Formats ............................... 168
6.3.2 Full Feeds ...............................................................................170
6.3.3 Partial Feeds ............................................................................ 171
6.3.4 Number of Posts ...................................................................... 171
6.3.5 WordPress Feed Formats ............................................................172
6.4.1 Using FeedBurner For Feed Delivery .......................175
6.4.2 Bene?ts of Using FeedBurner ......................................................175
6.4.3 Setting Up & Con?guring a FeedBurner Account .............................176
6.4.4 Redirecting to FeedBurner via Plugin ............................................177
6.4.5 Redirecting to FeedBurner via HTAccess ........................................177
6.4.6 Redirecting to FeedBurner via PHP ...............................................179
6.5.1 Tracking & Displaying Feed Statistics ......................181
6.5.2 Types of Statistics Provided by FeedBurner .....................................181
6.5.3 Displaying FeedBurner Statistics ..................................................182
6.5.4 Alternatives to FeedBurner .........................................................183
6.6.1 Customizing Feeds .................................................... 184
6.6.2 Formatting Feed Images ............................................................184
6.6.3 Adding a Custom Feed Image .....................................................187
6.6.4 Include Comments in Feeds .......................................................189
6.6.5 Creating Custom Feeds..............................................................191
6.6.6 More Feed Customization Tricks ..................................................195
6.6.7 Styling Feeds ...........................................................................196
6.6.8 Removing the WordPress Version Number .....................................196
6.6.9 Disable and Redirect Unwanted Feed Formats ................................197
6.6.10 Insert Custom Content into Feeds ..............................................198
6.6.11 Importing and Displaying External Feeds ..................................... 200
6.6.12 Bu?er Period After Posting ....................................................... 200
6.6.13 Protecting Feed Content .......................................................... 202
6.7.1 Validating Feeds .......................................................... 203

7 Working with Comments
7.1.1 Optimizing the WordPress Comments Area .......... 207
7.1.2 Welcome to the WordPress Comments Area .................................. 207
7.1.3 About the WordPress Comment System ........................................ 208
7.1.4 Comments, Pingbacks, and Trackbacks ......................................... 208
7.1.5 Anatomy of the WordPress Comment Area ................................... 209
7.2.1 Syndicating WordPress Comments ......................... 213
7.2.2 WordPress Main Comments Feed .................................................213
7.2.3 Post-Specic Comment Feeds .....................................................214
7.3.1 Formatting the Comments Area .............................. 215
7.3.2 Using wp_list_comments() or a Custom Loop? ................................217
7.3.3 Implementing Paged Comments ................................................. 223
7.3.4 Implementing Threaded Comments ............................................ 225
7. 3.5 Separating Comments, Pingbacks, and Trackbacks .......................... 228
7.3.6 Eliminating Pingbacks and Trackbacks .......................................... 232
7.3.7 Control Comments, Pingbacks, and Trackbacks .............................. 234
7.4.1 Customizing Comment Display ............................... 236
7.4.2 Numbering Comments Globally and Locally .................................. 236
7.4.3 Alternating Comment Styles ....................................................... 240
7.4.4 Custom Styles for Authors & Members ...........................................241
7.4.5 Styling Comments with Gravatars ................................................ 243
7.4.6 Add a “Your comment is awaiting moderation” Message ................... 246
7.4.7 Moderation Links in the Theme Itself .............................................247
7.4.8 Display Comment, Ping/Trackback Counts .................................... 248
7.5.1 Optimizing the Comment Form .............................. 249
7.5.2 Set up Comment Previews ......................................................... 249
7.5.3 Rich-Text Editors for Comments .................................................. 250
7.5.4 Adding Comment Quicktags ...................................................... 252
7.5.5 Comment Management and Spam Prevention ............................... 254
7.6.1 Controlling Comment Spam .................................... 254
7.6.2 WordPress’ Built-In Anti-Spam Functionality .................................. 255
7.6.3 Anti-Spam Plugins for WordPress ................................................. 256
7.7.1 Other Considerations & Techniques ........................ 257
7.7.2 Enhancing and Encouraging Comments ....................................... 257
7.7.3 Nofollow Links ......................................................................... 258
7.7.4 Integrating Twitter .................................................................... 258
And so… ....................................................................................... 259

8 Search Engine Optimization
8.1.1 SEO Strengths and Weaknesses ............................. 261
8.1.2 Strong Focus on Content ...........................................................261
8.1.3 Built-In “nofollow” Comment Links .............................................. 262
8.1.4 Duplicate Content Issues ........................................................... 262
8.2.1 Controlling Duplicate Content ................................ 263
8.2.2 Meta noindex and nofollow Tags ................................................ 264
8.2.3 Nofollow Attributes .................................................................. 267
8.2.4 Robots.txt Directives ................................................................ 269
8.2.5 Canonical Meta Tags .................................................................273
8.2.6 Use Excerpts for Posts .............................................................. 275
8.3.1 Optimizing Permalink Structure ............................. 276
8.3.2 Default URLs vs. “Pretty” Permalinks ............................................. 276
8.3.3 Keep Permalinks Short ...............................................................277
8.3.4 Maximize Permalink Keywords ................................................... 280
8.4.1 Scoring with Google ................................................. 281
8.4.2 Content, Content, Content .........................................................281
8.4.3 Detecting Duplicate Content ...................................................... 282
8.4.4 Optimizing Heading Elements .................................................... 283
8.4.5 Optimizing Title Tags ............................................................... 284
8.4.6 The nofollow Wars ................................................................... 286
8.4.7 Fixing Broken Links .................................................................. 287
8.4.8 Using a Sitemap ...................................................................... 288
8.4.9 SEO-Related plugins ................................................................. 289
8.5.1 Tracking the Success of Your Site ........................... 290
8.5.2 Statistical Plugins ..................................................................... 290
8.5.3 Mint Stats ...............................................................................291
8.5.4 Google Analytics ..................................................................... 292
8.5.5 Other Metrics ......................................................................... 293
8.6.1 Closing Thoughts on SEO .......................................................... 294
Into the future… ............................................................................. 295

9 Maintaining a Healthy Site
9.1.1 Keeping Your Site Healthy ........................................ 297
9.1.2 Securing WordPress ...................................................................297
9.1.3 Setting Secure File Permissions ................................................... 298
9.1.4 Disabling Directory Views .......................................................... 300
9.1.5 Forbid Access to Sensitive Files ................................................... 302
9.1.6 Remove the WordPress Version Number ........................................313
9.1.7 Securing Your Database ..............................................................313
9.1.8 Secure Multiple Installations ........................................................315
9.1.9 Prevent Hotlinking ....................................................................315
9.1.10 More WordPress Security Help ...................................................317
9.2.1 Stopping Comment Spam ........................................ 318
9.2.2 Con?guring Your WordPress Admin Options...................................319
9.2.3 Using the Built-In Comment Moderation ...................................... 320
9.2.4 Using the Built-In Comment Blacklist ........................................... 320
9.2.5 Disabling Comments on Old Posts ...............................................321
9.2.6 Deny Access to No-Referrer Requests ...........................................321
9.3.1 Monitoring and Fixing Errors ................................... 322
9.3.2 Alex King’s 404 Notier Plugin .....................................................323
9.3.3 Broken Link Checker Plugin ........................................................323
9.3.4 Other Error-Logging Techniques ................................................. 324
9.3.5 Online Monitoring Services ........................................................ 324
9.4.1 Staying Current with WordPress ............................. 325
9.4.2 Updating WordPress ................................................................. 326
9.4.3 Logging Changes .....................................................................327
9.4.4 Backing Up Your Database and Files ............................................. 328
9.5.1 Optimizing WordPress .............................................. 329
9.5.2 Content and File Caching .......................................................... 329
9.5.3 File Compression Methods .........................................................331
9.5.4 Optimizing CSS and JavaScript ....................................................332
9.5.5 Reducing the Number of HTTP Requests .......................................333
9.5.6 Plugin Maintenance ..................................................................337
9.5.7 Database Maintenance .............................................................. 338
9.5.8 Other Optimization Techniques .................................................. 338

To Innity, and Beyond .....................................................................341
Thank you .................................................................................... 342

Changelog for DigWP v3.7:
http://digwp.com/changelog/DigWP-version-3.7.txt

@ http://digwp.com/book/errata/

Core Book

- updated Demo PDF
- updated front/back cover
- fine-tuned styles, layout, details
- updated copyright info with date and current version number
- updated opening page with version number (3 instances)
- updated and reformatted the table of contents
- updated PDF metadata, Table of Contents
- moved chapters 10-12 to supplemental PDF
- replaced all references to chapter 10, 11, 12
- replaced numerous instances of "Chapter" to "chapter"
- replaced all "Digging into" with "Digging Into"
- fixed variety of reported errata, 404 links, etc.
- p 9: adjusted position of sidebox
- p 11: added sidebox with info about bonus book
- p 17: adjusted position of sidebox
- p 24: updated sidebox content for "Twenty Thirteen"
- p 29: adjusted position of sidebox
- p 31: tightened up layout of popout box
- p 32: updated query method in sidebox
- p 44: decreased image size
- p 47: adjusted position of sidebox
- p 51: moved popout box to page 53
- p 52: updated "Theme Template Chart"
- p 53: updated sidebox infos, added link
- p 53: edited text for better usability
- p 53: Updated "Brand Your Theme" popout box
- p 68: changed color of code background
- p 69: updated sidebox info for loop.php
- p 70: added sidebox with more infos
- p 71: added sidebox about chapter 4
- p 77: added sidebox about "Links Manager"
- p 78: adjusted position of sidebox
- p 82: adjusted position of sidebox
- p 88: added sidebox about "pre_get_posts"
- p 88: moved position of existing sidebox
- p 89: added sidebox with info on query_posts
- p 161: added sidebox with info about new book
- p 189: updated icons in sidebar
- p 335: removed "SteadyOffload" from list
- p 337: reduced image size, changed layout
- p 340: added "Cache Busting" sidebox
- p 341: added shameless plug for new book
- p 341: added sidebox about bonus book
- inside back cover: added icon, updated screenshots

Supplemental Book

- updated front/back cover
- changed chapter colors (backgrounds, popouts, links, etc.)
- updated table of contents, copyright info, metadata, et al
- replaced all references to chapter 10, 11, 12
- replaced numerous instances of "Chapter" with "chapter"
- replaced all "Digging into" with "Digging Into"
- p 23: updated "Display Author Gravatar" code
- p 10: updated "Theme Options Panel" technique
- p 32: revised list of post-thumbnail resources
- p 33: updated "Metadata API" section, added sidebox
- p 40: updated information about default WP themes
- p 43: updated infos about custom backgrounds, added sidebox
- p 73: centered images in sideboxes for "zen mode"
- p 91: added sidebox note about "right out of the box"
- p 93: added sidebox note about "embedded tweets"
- p 95: replaced "until next time" message with new
- p 95: added shameless plug for new book
- inside back cover: added icon, updated screenshots