WP_Query, pre_get_posts, and eliminating query_posts()

by Erick Hitter (@ethitter)

At the heart of WordPress is the WP_Query class, used to retrieve practically all content from the database and prepare it for display. In this presentation, I’ll discuss the myriad arguments available with WP_Query, the various properties and methods that are automatically populated, and the advanced queries made possible through filters within the class. I’ll also review the pre_get_posts action, detail how it can be used to modify standard WordPress queries and completely eliminate query_posts(), and explain why you’d want to do so in the first place.

Erick Hitter is a web developer with Providence-based Oomph, Inc.specializing in complex WordPress implementations for high-traffic sites, including several on the WordPress.com VIP platform. He is also responsible for the company’s BuddyPress projects. Erick has created a number of WordPress plugins available from the official repository, including the Simple Facebook Share Button and Tag Dropdown Widget, as well as the WordPress.com VIP External Permalinks plugin.

Slides

Session 2 for Beginners/Early Intermediates:

Restoring your WordPress site from a Backup

by Kurt Eng (@kurteng)

WordPress is one of the best CMS engines out there, but it is only as good as it works.  If a plugin, theme or update causes an error on your WordPress site, what do you do?  I’ll show you a couple of ways to save your site, and your content and how to restore it.

Kurt Eng is a scientist by day and a rabid gamer and cook by night.  Kurt has been very active in podcasting and video, publishing free content for others to learn. Kurt focuses on the beginners of WordPress and blogging, empowering them with the knowledge and enthusiasm to get started.  (http://kurteng.com)

by Chris Bowen

No doubt you’ve been hearing quite a bit about HTML5.  There are many new features to help improve user experiences, but how do you use them today while still supporting the spectrum of browsers, old and new, in use today?  We’ll focus on practical strategies, libraries, polyfills, shims, etc. for WordPress designers and developers to adopt HTML5 today.  We’ll also take a look at how Internet Explorer supports HTML5 (and related standards) today in IE9 and next in IE10, folding that into our discussion of adopting HTML5 with WordPress.

Chris Bowen (http://blogs.msdn.com/cbowen) is a Principal Developer Evangelist with Microsoft, specializing in web development technologies and working with customers and companies in the northeastern US.  An architect and developer with over 18 years in the industry, he joined Microsoft after holding senior positions at companies such as Monster.com, VistaPrint, Staples, and IDX Systems.  He is coauthor of “Essential Windows Communication Foundation” and “Professional Visual Studio 2005 Team System” and holds an M.S. in Computer Science and a B.S. in Management Information Systems, both from Worcester Polytechnic Institute

#2. Caching, Scaling, and What I’ve Learned Programming for WordPress.com VIP

by Erick Hitter

WordPress provides two great caching frameworks in its transient and object caching APIs. Used internally and available to developers, object caching can introduce many performance enhancements simply by activating a plugin such as Batcache or W3 Total Cache. But what about adding extra caching in a custom theme? Or building upon existing internal caching? Working on high-traffic sites both on the WordPress.com VIP platform and not, I’ve encountered these needs and implemented caching in some tricky situations. In this talk, I’ll demonstrate some of the interesting solutions devised to meet our clients’ needs and address issues related to scaling WordPress-powered sites.

Erick Hitter is a web developer with Providence-based Oomph, Inc.specializing in complex WordPress implementations for high-traffic sites, including several on the WordPress.com VIP platform. He is also responsible for the company’s BuddyPress projects. Erick has created a number of WordPress plugins available from the official repository, including the Simple Facebook Share Button and Tag Dropdown Widget, as well as the WordPress.com VIP External Permalinks plugin.

Agena

• 7-7:30pm – Networking
• 7:30-7:40pm – Opening remarks, news/updates, etc.
• 7:45-8:50pm – Sessions begin
• 8:50-9pm – Wrap-up

Welcome to the LiveWP.tv show!  For more information about the show, be sure to read up on it or visit LiveWP.tv for past episodes.  We will have some topics chosen and if you have questions, please feel free to bring them!

This month, we will be at Meadhall in Kendall Sq, Cambridge!  Check out their Yelp!

Appetizers (sponsored by us) will be available on a first come first serve basis and drinking is encouraged (but not sponsored by us).  If you would like to donate and help us out, please feel free to leave a donation via our “Help us out” ticket (donators will receive credits before and after this month’s episode).  Otherwise, entry is limited due to the venue.  

So come out, have a bite, a drink and enjoy our antics as we film our show!

**Disclaimer:  Please drink responsibly and please be over 21 By attending, you agree to be filmed or to have your voice recorded**

LiveWP is a monthly Internet video podcast focused on WordPress (http://wordpress.org), the popular and free blogging and content management system. The show educates viewers about WordPress in an alternative fashion, using its unique features and relaxed, “off-the-cuff” style. LiveWP caters to both beginners, discussing vital and fundamental concepts of WordPress, as well as experts by touching on more complex topics and intricacies. LiveWP helps to evangelize the WordPress platform beyond our local presence and reach in Boston, Massachusetts

Each LiveWP episode is approximately 45 minutes long and includes a combination of the following features:

• Latest news & developments in the WordPress community (new and upcoming WordPress releases, notable themes and/or plugins, WordPress services, etc.)
• Answers to WordPress questions submitted by viewers via email, Twitter or LiveStream
• Interviews with Boston WordPress Meetup’s upcoming speaker of the month to highlight their knowledge and expertise on the presentation subject matter
• Various other creative segments to engage viewers:

•  Hall of Fame, Hall of Shame: Viewers submit and vote on their favorite WordPress-powered sites, as well as WordPress sites they feel are in need of help. The best sites will be announced w/ shout-outs to the creators, while the worst sites will be analyzed w/ constructive criticism given to help improve.
• o   WordPress Updates: New themes, plugins, widgets and patches that hit WordPress on a weekly basis.  Some of the top updates will be covered so viewers can try them out themselves.
• o   Randomness:  This is a live show… anything can happen at anytime!

The show stars the co-hosts of the Boston WordPress Meetup:

• ·      James Coletti: Having used WordPress since version 1.5, 10+ years of PHP & MySQL web application development experience, and a passion for entrepreneurship and innovation, James brings a special blend of technological and business application expertise to the WordPress community. (http://jamescoletti.com)
• ·      Kurt Eng: Having used WordPress just after James, version 1.6, Kurt has been very active in podcasting and video, publishing free content for others to learn. Kurt focuses on the beginners of WordPress and blogging, empowering them with the knowledge and enthusiasm to get started.  (http://kurteng.com)

(An update of his session presented at WordCamp Boston 2011):

http://2011.boston.wordcamp.org/2011/07/08/…

It happens all the time. You’ve got a site that was brilliant four years ago, and the site developer has retired to a beachfront Internet cafe in the Cayman Islands, and you forgot or just never really knew how to use Dreamweaver. So how do you take that dusty old site and do more than just port it over to a WP platform. Give it new life with the fresh look, content updates and flexibility of a scalable platform that you can enjoy for years to come. This presentation, among other things, will look at:

1. Why WordPress is a great choice for a comprehensive website platform;
2. Reviewing your current assets (content, images, graphics, downloads, code);
3. Prioritizing what you need to move, what can get archived, what may stay in place;
4. SEO considerations: Assessing your current links, comments and Google ranking;
5. Back-end versus Front-end considerations;
6. Annotating change – keeping good notes – of every step;
7. BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP and did I say, BACKUP;
8. Timeline and cost considerations;
9. What’s easy; What’s moderately difficult; What’s going to give you heartburn.
10. Number Ten is perhaps the most important of the Must-Dos. But I’ll save that for those of you who attend this session.

Alan Bergstein has been involved with countless website development and migration efforts, most recently doing so as a consultant to Internet publishers and marketers large and small. And prior to that as a senior media executive with more than 25 years of successful experience and significant accomplishments at several of the publishing industry’s foremost companies, including IDG, CMP, Crain Communications and Reed Elsevier/Cahners. More about Alan…

Help the Boston WordPress Meetup by donating today! Support us and help us supply pizza to the group!

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By Jon Bishop (@jondbishop)

WordPress shortcodes assist in the creation of complex HTML elements and are very easy to use. Most premium themes provide a suite of shortcodes to extend default functionality and empower users to create professional looking content that matches the look and feel of the rest of their site. This talk will cover some themes and plugins using shortcodes in both useful and creative ways as well as the pros and cons of using shortcodes in WordPress. We will also go over some basic PHP code to see how shortcodes are constructed to get a better understanding of how they can be used. No programming knowledge needed, shortcodes were made for everyone.

Jon Bishop has been making websites for 10+ years with 4 years in WordPress development and another 4 in Internet marketing. Jon has a
few plugins in the WordPress plugin repository and runs a newsletter to help businesses use WordPress more efficiently. He spends most of
his time developing plugins and themes for businesses looking to use WordPress as an online marketing platform.

7-7:30pm – Networking, Pizza
7:30-7:40pm – Opening remarks, updates, etc.
7:45-8:50pm – Session begins
8:50-9pm – Wrap-up

After March’s Framework Bake-Off, courtesy of Alan Bergstein, this month we will evaluate three additional WordPress theme frameworks: PageLines Platform, StudioPress Genesis and Hybrid. Volunteers will attempt to complete a specific goal prior to the meetup (e.g., create a simple, three-page site with certain images, sidebars, posts, and functionality) to understand how these themes work in an apples-to-apples comparison, and determine how flexible and intuitive they are, or are not. Volunteers will then present their findings for each theme framework at the meetup.

A big thanks to PageLines and StudioPress for donating themes!
Kurt Eng – PageLines Platform Pro
David Gadarian – StudioPress Genesis
James Coletti – ThemeHybrid Hybrid

7-7:30pm – Networking, Pizza
7:30-7:40pm – Opening remarks, updates, any other business
7:45-8:50pm – Framework Bake-Off begins!
8:50-9pm – Wrap-up
ATTENDEES: We need a volunteer to test the Hybrid Framework! During the RSVP process, you will be asked if you would like to volunteer to build a test site using Hybrid before May 23rd, and then present your findings to the group.

Thanks and we hope to see you there!

We have to think outside of the box if we are going to be able to harness the full power of WordPress. We can build directory sites, job boards, inspirational sites, social networks and more with WordPress.  The key here is leveraging plugins, inherit WordPress functionality and features so we aren’t creating more work for ourselves and getting our sites live before our competitors do.

Presented by Jesse Friedman

Jesse has a unique adoration for the web, the industry and our community. He is the Director of Web Development at Neal Advertising & Karboodle, Professor at Johnson & Wales University and Samurai at SWORD Studios.

http://jesserfriedman.com/
http://about.me/jesse-friedman

Slides”

Video”

Suggested & facilitated by member Alan Bergstein, this month we will collectively evaluate three popular WordPress theme frameworks, Thesis, Headway, and a third (to be decided). This will take place live during the March meetup, from 7:30pm – 9pm. We will select three people to drive each of the three themes in attempt to complete a specific goal (e.g., create a simple, three-page site with certain images, sidebars, posts, and functionality). We will not proclaim a “winner” but instead use this experiment to understand how these themes work in an apples-to-apples comparison, and determine how flexible and intuitive they are, or are not.

7-7:30pm – Networking, Pizza
7:30-7:40pm – Opening remarks, updates, any other business
7:45-8:50pm – Live framework Bake-off begins!
8:50-9pm – Wrap-up
ATTENDEES: During the RSVP process, you will be asked for: (1) your vote on the third theme to test-drive, and (2) if you would like to be included in the selection pool of three people to drive the themes during the live session.

Slides:

Video:

• For those who would like to attend the WordPress Beginner’s Class on Friday March 25th, early registration at the discounted price ($215) will only be available until Friday March 12th. It will increase to $265 thereafter. Registration details can be found here: http://bostonchi.org/eng-coletti.html
• WordCamp Boston dates: July 23rd and 24th (with the 22nd as a possibility).  Follow WordCamp Boston:  website, Twitter, email
• Be sure to thank your volunteer genius if you received help that night!
• And a big thanks to Ndlela who films these videos!

Genius Bar (Toolbox):

We will have a Genius Bar set up for help with WordPress-related issues. James Coletti & Kurt Eng will run this session, as well as anyone else who would like to volunteer their time providing user support.

Volunteers:
Ken Gagne (@kgagne)
Erick Hitter (@ethitter)

WordPress Actions & Filters (Dev/Design):

“Filters Are For More Than Making Coffee” (click the title for slides)

Presented by Gregory Cornelius (@gcorne)

Every plugin author knows the basics of actions and filters, but do you know the “nitty-gritty”? This month’s meetup will dig into the various ways actions and filters can take your themes and plugins to the next level. Along the way, get a taste of the CMS that drives over 400 Boston University websites and various tips from one of the project’s lead developers. Intermediate WordPress or PHP experience recommended.