9 WordPress Plugins to Consider

Wordpress

WordPressPreviously, I offered the names of some must have plugins for a WordPress site. Today, I would like to offer some additional plugins that could prove a great benefit to your site. Some of the plugins would be best used by developers, other are for just about for anyone looking to improve their site. The plugins include:

  1. All 404 Redirect to Homepage

    This plugin will help everyone protect against (1) broken links and (2) from hackers. With this plugin, anyone or anything that tries to find a page on your site that is missing, will be directed to the home page. That is a nice convenient location for people to start if they happen to try to access a page you have removed, or a page that has become broken. From the home page, they have the option to wander your site and enjoy its wonders. Additionally, this has an affect on hackers. Hackers and their bots search for pages that may help them hack into your site. Frequently, they search for pages that do not exist on your site, but, exist in other vulnerable WordPress sites. This plugin will redirect all these hacked access to your home page and safety.

  2. Embed iframe (skip if you are not a techy)

    Not everyone needs to know about iframes. Iframes are tools to allow developers to open small windows in their site that view out into the world. If you do not know what iframes are, don’t worry your head about them. However, if you do know how, why, and when to use an iframe, know … there is a plugin named Embed Iframe and it will make your day when you need an iframe.

  3. Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions

    Everyone should worry about trash sitting around in their WordPress database. Trash in your database can slow down your website. Add Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions to your plugins. This plugin will clean up trash in your database quickly and safely, making your site site happier and healthier.

  4. Per Post Scripts & Styles (skip if you are not a techy)

    This wonderful plugin is for the developers of the world, or the hardcore site enthusiasts. This plugin allows you to conveniently add CSS and JavaScript into individual posts. When added to your plugin list, you can list *.js and *.css files you would like added to the header of individual posts. Also, it allows you to add specific JavaScript and CSS to the header of individual posts to REV up your post content. However be warned, if these files (or snippets) are added via this plugin, the same snippets and js/css files are included in the headers of all pages that contain the article. That means you need to be thoughtful and make certain you make your scripts and CSS in a manner that they only affect item you want affected in the particular article.

  5. Popup Maker

    Anyone may benefit from this plugin. If you have visited a site that asks you to register for some form offer in a popup box, they may have used this popup plugin. There are dozens of popup plugins, but, this plugin is really flexible in a special way. Unlike many, this plugin will allow you to include snippet code from locations such as forms from AWEBER, InfusionSoft, and other services. Many popup plugins for WordPress do are not compatible with 3rd party snippets because they are specially designed to work in a narrow number of situations. If you need to have a popup in WordPress interface with a 3rd Party snippet, consider using PopUp Maker.

  6. Scroll Triggered Box by Dreamgrow

    Anyone may benefit from this plugin. This plugin is similar to PopUp Maker. This plugin has many feature, in some cases, more than PopUp Maker. Also, this popup plugin tools is very easy to use. This plugin can be used to create a very flexible set of popups, but, does have some problems working with 3rd Party forms if they include a Submit button. Scroll Triggered Box by Dreamgrow catches the press of the submit key and interrupts the action that might be intended to occur in a 3rd Party snippet. However, if you are not using a 3rd Party snippet in your popup, consider using this outstanding popup plugin.

  7. Superfish Dropdown Menu

    This plugin is for Anyone that wants a dropdown menu in a template that does not support dropdown menus. This plugin is well designed, integrates will with the WordPress menu configuration scheme, and can set you up with drop down menus quickly.

  8. WP deferred JavaScript (skip if you are not a techy)

    If you are a developer and you are having problems with loading a JavaScript snippet because it is being loaded before the complete load of the DOM, add this plugin. This can occur if you are not including your invocations of JavaScript files correctly. However, adding them correctly can be a nuisance for small jobs. Adding a JavaScript file correctly would require the inclusion of the JavaScript file by use of enqueuing, and modifying functions.php or adding a plugin. Sometimes you may not need or want to go to all that effort. This plugin will help. This plugin will add “defer” to all JavaScript calls, insuring that the DOM is complete before the call of your little chunk of JavaScript is executed. You will not have to worry about adding the code in your footer.

  9. WP Smush.it

    This plugin is great for anyone running a responsive template. One of the problem with a responsive template that is to be compatible with small devices, such as a smart phone, the page may be able to resize, shift and adjust (even resize images to fit), but, they resize the images to fit after they load the FILL SIZE image onto the device. Loading an image that is meant to be loaded on a 17″ monitor onto a 3″x4″ is a problem. You are loading much more image than needed and it loads slowly. Using WP Smush.it, the plugin makes multiple copies of each image and loads an image that is much closer to the optimal size for the device being loaded, so the load of the device will be much faster. Use Smush.it to improve the performance of your WordPress site on tablets and smartphones.

    Related note: currently(1/21/2015) there is a “feature” in the Safari Browser of the IPhone. Here, the use of the phase “feature” is being used as a polite way of saying “bug.” If images are used in the background of websites, these images are not correctly resized either with or without WP Smuch.it. Until this feature is corrected, attempts to display background images in responsive templates must be done manually via CSS and creation of the correct size image. Currently, Safari Browser for the IPhone not only does not correctly resize with the “background-size: cover” directive, it actually creates a ridiculously overblown version of the image being resized.

Zen Cart .. (35) error:14094410:SSL routines Error Message

PHP, Zen Cart

Warning: If you are running Zen Cart, use PayPal and have not upgraded to Zen Cart 1.5.4, you need to make some changes. PayPal changed handling on for their transaction interface API to account for hackability of the SSLv3. Due to the POODLE security problem, SSLv3 is nolonger accepted by PayPal. Many people have adjusted, but, for those of your with Zen Cart that have not fixed the problem yet, be aware you have a problem.

This SSLv3 problem has been fixed in Zen Cart 1.5.4, but, many people have yet to move to that revision. If you have not upgraded, you are being rejected from PayPal transactions with a message similar to “(35) error:14094410:SSL routines:SSL3_READ_BYTES:sslv3 alert handshake failure.” If you are receiving this message, you will need to modify the all PHP files that contain a refer to SSLVERSION. Do a search for references to SSLVERSION, comment out all locations that look like this:

    CURLOPT_SSLVERSION => 3
         or 
    curl_setopt ($ch, CURLOPT_SSLVERSION, 3);

Your resulting code at those locations would look like this:

   //  CURLOPT_SSLVERSION => 3
         or 
   //  curl_setopt ($ch, CURLOPT_SSLVERSION, 3);

Among other locations you may find in your search, your search should find locations to change in the following files.

  • includes/modules/payment/paypal/paypal_curl.php
  • includes/modules/payment/linkpoint_api/class.linkpoint_api.php
  • includes/modules/payment/authorizenet_echeck.php
  • includes/modules/payment/authorizenet_aim.php
  • extras/curltester.php

Enjoy your day …

WordPress: Changing Maximum Upload Size

htaccess, HTML5, PHP, Wordpress

Using WordPress to upload videos (or other files), it may turn out that you need to upload a file larger than the maximum limit set by WordPress. This should no be a significant, you can increase the size of the allowed upload file. To increase the upload size, you must adjust some or all the following PHP variables:

  • WP_MEMORY_LIMIT
  • upload_max_filesize
  • post_max_size
  • max_execution_time

Must and may changes are as following. To increase the upload size, you must increase the upload_max_filesize and post_max_size. If the file is large enough, you may need to increase the size for memory_limit, max_execution_time and max_input_time.

The changes may be made in two locations. They may be made in your php.ini file or your .htaccess file. You may not change them by modifying your wp_config.php file adding an ini_set. Using ini_set in wp_config.php might be your first instinct, but, that will not work.

To keep the change more localized, modify the .htaccess file with the following code (changing the upload preference size as needed for your situation)


    <IfModule mod_php5.c>
        php_value memory_limit 64M
        php_value upload_max_filesize 64M
        php_value post_max_size 64M
        php_value max_execution_time 600
        php_value max_input_time 600
    </IfModule>

If you prefer to change php.ini, you can add the following to th php.ini file as needed in your situation


    memory_limit = 64M
    upload_max_filesize = 64M
    post_max_size = 64M
    max_execution_time = 600
    max_input_time = 600

Create a New WP Page Template

PHP, Wordpress

Creating a new WP Page or Post Template is easy. It is nice that templates to gallerys, video pages, left templates, right templates, etc are currently available. But, from time to time I like to add a new template that has special CSS attached, or uses the title, content and featured image is a different way

This article talks about the way to add a new wordpress page or post template to your list of template selections.

To create a new template:

  • Decide on a name for your new template.

    The template name must have a special format, the options are as follows:

    • page-{slug}.php
    • page-{ID}.php
    • page-{general description}.php

    The first two naming conventions are used for formatting a specific article. If you have created a page or post and you would like that particular page or post to have a special format, you will create a new file that uses the slug or ID of the page to force wordpress to use the new template on that page/post only. These templates to do not show up in the template selection list, they simply format the specific pages.

    The third naming convention is not mandatory, but, is convenient. The third naming convention is used for a template that you would like to see in the template selection list as you create the new page or post. {general description} should be selected to reflect the label you would like seen in the drop down list of the templates. If you are creating a special format template for creation of landing pages, you might use the general description “landing.” If your description has more than one word (ex: my landings) use a dash(-) in place of spaces in your phrase.

    In our example, we will create a new template called “page-landing.php.”

  • Copy an existing template that is similar to the template you need. If you do not want to start from scratch creating the template, there are several files available for you to start with as a baseline for your new template. You will copy it and rename it to your selected new name. To determine what baselines are available to you, go to your theme directory and look down the list to all the files that have the format page-XXXX.php. Any of these and the file page.php can be used as a baseline. For our example, we will copy page.php to the file named page-landing.php.
  • Modify the existing template.

    To create the new general template, you need only add 3 lines at the very top of the file. At the top of the new file page-landing.php, adjust to say:

    

    <?php
    /*
    Template Name: Page: landing    
    */

    The “Template name: ” label may be followed by

    • Page: {description}
    • Post: {description} or
    • {description}

    Once you are done adding this {description}, it will be added to the list of options available in your templates list and it can be selected from your new dropdown list of template options. Go ahead, modify your template and expect to be able to call on this template to help you whenever you need the new template.

  • Your ready to go. Go ahead and create your next post or page with your new format.

New Versions of WordPress Abort MORE

CSS, Dreamweaver, Eclipse PDT, PHP, Wordpress

WordPress is getting to be more and more a nuisance to debug in dreamweaver. Loading WordPress in Dreamweaver causes an immediate shutting of Dreamweaver. This was happening in the past because of the inclusion of the files dashicons.css and dashicons.min.css in the includes/css directory. They were not needed for testing and typical development, so, they could simply be deleted. dashicons.css and dashicons.min.css offer simple use CSS icons that are used primarily in the admin area, though they could be used in any of your development. Deleting dashicons.css and dashicons.min.css left the admin area without icons, but, the icon text descriptions remained and you could live with for preliminary testing. However, now we are back to the same crash problem.

More oversize strings have been added to other files in WordPress and they cause Dreamweaver to exhaust its workspace memory and crash. . Now, to do debugging in Dreamweaver, the following files and directories must be deleted from WordPress:

  • wp-includes/css/dashicons.css
  • wp-includes/css/dashicons.min.css
  • wp-content/themestwentyfourteen/genericons (full directory)
  • wp-content/themestwentythirteen/genericons (full directory)
  • uploads/am_assets

Deleting these files/directories allow debugging in Dreamweaver. Again when testing, the situation relates to availabiliity of CSS icons and assets … for the development. These deletions increase the number of items that vanish in your use of wordpress, but, maybe you can live knowing that in preliminary debug icons and assets will be missing, but, available in an integration test. If you understand what you are deleting and what you can expect from these deletions, no problem. When you load a full version of WordPress in a full installation all icon functionality returns, but, the nuisance level of development is increasing. Someday, we will want to upgrade your Dreamweaver or start using NetBeans or Eclipse to avoid the problem.

Personally, I find Eclipse or NetBeans will be a reasonably good replacement for Dreamweaver. They are free and have some very nice features. In some cases, they have nicer features than Dreamweaver, though they do miss a few features I do like in Dreamweaver. Their big problem is they are harder to install and interface with the test server, but, if Dreamweaver continues to be a nuisance, they will be far better alternative.