UNIT-IV Word press

Introduction to Word press

WordPress is an open source Content Management System (CMS), which allows the users to build dynamic
websites and blogs. Word Press is the most popular blogging system on the web and allows updating, customizing
and managing the website from its back-end CMS and components.

 Word press was initially released on 27th May 2003 by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little.
 Word press was announced as open source in October 2009.

Content Management System(CMS)

The CMS is a software which stores all the data such as text, photos, music, documents, etc, and is made
available on your website. It helps in editing, publishing and modifying the content of the website

Features of CMS
1. User Management: It allows managing the user information such as changing the role of the users to (subscriber,
contributor, author, editor or administrator), create or delete the user, change the password and user information. The
main role of the user manager is Authentication.
2. Media Management − It is the tool for managing the media files and folder, in which you can easily upload,
organize and manage the media files on your website.
3. Theme System − It allows modifying the site view and functionality. It includes images, stylesheet, template files and
custom pages.

4. Extend with Plugins − Several plugins are available which provides custom functions and features according to the
users need.
5. Search Engine Optimization − It provides several search engine optimization (SEO) tools which makes on-site SEO
simple.
6. Multilingual − It allows translating the entire content into the language preferred by the user.
7. Importers − It allows importing data in the form of posts. It imports custom files, comments, post pages and tags.

Advantages of word press

• It is an open source platform and available for free.
• CSS files can be modified according to the design as per users need.
• There are many plugins and templates available for free. Users can customize the various plugins as per their need.
• It is very easy to edit the content as it uses WYSIWYG editor (What You See Is What You Get is a user interface
that allows the user to directly manipulate the layout of document without having a layout command).
• Media files can be uploaded easily and quickly.
• It offers several SEO tools which makes on-site SEO simple.
• Customization is easy according to the user's needs.
• It allows creating different roles for users for website such as admin, author, editor and contributor.
Disadvantages of word press
• Using several plugins can make the website heavy to load and run.
• PHP knowledge is required to make modifications or changes in the WordPress website.
• Sometimes software needs to be updated to keep the WordPress up-to-date with the current browsers and mobile
devices. Updating WordPress version leads to loss of data, so a backup copy of the website is required.
• Modifying and formatting the graphic images and tables is difficult.

Wamp and Bitnami Servers

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Wamp:

WAMP is an acronym that stands for Windows, Apache, MySQL, and PHP. It’s a software stack which
means installing WAMP installs Apache, MySQL, and PHP on your operating system (Windows in the case of
WAMP). Even though you can install them separately, they are usually bundled up, and for a good reason too.
What’s good to know is that WAMP derives from LAMP (the L stands for Linux). The only difference
between these two is that WAMP is used for Windows, while LAMP – for Linux based operating systems.

Let’s quickly go over what each letter represents:

1. “W” stands for Windows, there’s also LAMP (for Linux) and MAMP (for Mac).
2. “A” stands for Apache. Apache is the server software that is responsible for serving web pages. When
you request a page to be seen by you, Apache grants your request over HTTP and shows you the site.
3. “M” stands for MySQL. MySQL’s job is to be the database management system for your server. It stores
all of the relevant information like your site’s content, user profiles, etc.
4. “P” stands for PHP. It’s the programming language that was used to write WordPress. It acts like glue
for this whole software stack. PHP is running in conjunction with Apache and communicating with
MySQL.

WAMP acts like a virtual server on your computer. It allows you to test all WordPress features without
any consequences since it’s localized on your machine and is not connected to the web.
First of all, this means that you don’t need to wait until files are uploaded to your site, and secondly –
this makes creating backups much easier.
WAMP speeds up the work process for both developers and theme designers alike. What is more, you
also get the benefit of playing around with your site to your heart’s content.
However, to actually make the website go live, you need to get some form of hosting service and a
Domain..
In essence, WAMP is used as a safe space to work on your website, without needing to actually host it
online. WAMP also has a control panel. Once you install the software package, all of the services mentioned
above (excluding the operating system that is) will be installed on your local machine.
Whether you use WAMP or software packages for the other operating systems, it’s a great way to save
time. You won’t have to upload files to a site and will be able to learn how to develop in a safe and care-free
environment .
Bitnami
Bitnami is an application packaging and publishing startup that was acquired by VMware in 2019. It is a
leading provider of prepackaged open source software that runs natively in environments where a large portion of
developers and other users want to build or deploy applications in the major public clouds, on laptops, and on
Kubernetes.
Why should I use Bitnami?

With more than a decade of experience publishing an extensive library of open source applications and app building
blocks, Bitnami is well-known for keeping all its software up-to-date with the latest application versions, dependencies, and
operating systems. Every application is prepackaged to work out of the box, with no need to finish configuration or setup on
your own. Every Bitnami app is packaged with best practices, run through extensive automated tests, and certified to be up-to-
date and working in its target platform.

Bitnami simplifies the management of multi-cloud, cross-platform environments by providing functionally

equivalent, platform-optimized application and infrastructure stacks for each of them instead of abstracting
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differences away. This enables a degree of standardization across platforms while allowing in-depth integration with
vendor-specific features and services.

The Bitnami catalog is exclusively available on the Vmware Marketplace – Vmware’s one-stop shop for tools
and ecosystem solutions. Clicking any app in the Marketplace catalog will bring you to its individual page where you
can find out how to deploy a solution as a virtual machine or as a container.

In addition to great content across many different marketplaces, Bitnami also has a large community of more
than 1.5 million developers! On the Bitnami Community page, Bitnami engineers, maintainers and fellow developers
help each other when they run into trouble, share ideas on how to use Bitnami stacks, and discuss topics like open
source software.

Installing and Configuring Wordpress

Here are the steps in installing WordPress manually.

 Step 1: Download WordPress ⤵

 Step 2: Upload WordPress to hosting account ⤵
 Step 3: Create MySQL database and user ⤵
 Step 4: Configure wp-config.php ⤵
 Step 5: Run the installation ⤵
 Step 6: Complete the installation ⤵

Down load WordPress

1. Download the WordPress package to your local computer from https://wordpress.org/download/.

2. Unzip the downloaded file to a folder on your local computer.

Upload WordPress to hosting accounting

There are three available options for uploading WordPress to your hosting account. When you unzipped the
file in Step 1, you were left with a folder named wordpress, and the contents need to be uploaded to your hosting
account's file manager. You can accomplish this one of three ways:`
 Upload via FTP
 Upload via File Manager
 Upload via SSH
Create MySQL database and user

WordPress stores its information in a database. Therefore, a database will need to be created.

1. Log in to cPanel.
2. Look for the Databases section, then click the MySQL Database Wizard icon.
3. For Step 1: Create A Database, enter the database name, and click Next Step
4. For Step 2: Create Database Users, enter the database user name and password, and click Create User
5. For Step 3: Add User to the Database, click the All Privileges checkbox and click Next Step
6. For Step 4: Complete the task, make a note of the database name, username, and password, as you will need
them for Step 4⤵ below.

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Configure wp-config.php
The wp-config-sample.php file contains the database information and tells the WordPress application from
which database to pull data.

Run the installation

Open a new browser window and enter your domain to run the installation script. Depending on where you
installed the script, you will be automatically redirected to either of the following URLs:

If you uploaded WordPress to the domain's root folder, you should be redirected to:

https://example.com/wp-admin/install.php

If you uploaded WordPress to a subfolder of your domain's directory, then the URL will be this format:

https://example.com/yoursubfolder/wp-admin/install.php

Complete the installation

1. Once you access your correct WordPress URL in a browser, you will see a WordPress setup page prompting you to
select your preferred language. Select your preferred language and click the Continue button.
2. You should now see a welcome page that says, "Welcome to the famous five-minute WordPress installation
process!" Under the Information needed section, you'll need to fill out the following fields:

 Site Title - This can be changed at a later time.

 Username - This is the admin username for the site. We highly recommend using something other than
'admin' since using it can pose a security risk.
 Password- A strong password will be automatically generated for you, but you can choose your own. The
strength indicator will let you know how secure your password is.
 Your Email- Login information will be sent to this email address, so make sure it is an email address you
have access to.
 Search Engine Visibility- If you want your website to show up in search engine results, leave this unchecked.
If you do not want your site indexed, then you can check this box.

3. Click the Install WordPress button, and you should be taken to the final screen, which says, "WordPress has
been installed. Thank you, and enjoy!". It will display the username you chose on the previous page and a
placeholder for your password. Click the Log In button to log in to the WordPress Admin Dashboard to begin
building your site!

Understanding Admin panel

The WordPress admin dashboard, often called WP Admin or WP admin panel, is essentially the control
panel for your entire WordPress website. It's where you create and manage content, add functionality in the form
of plugins, change styling in the form of themes, and lots, lots more.

In WordPress, the admin area is a central control panel where you manage everything on your website.

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 It’s where you can easily change how your site looks, manage posts and pages, install plugins and themes, and
add new users.
The WordPress admin area is also known as wp-admin, the WordPress backend, or the admin dashboard.

How to Log In to Your WordPress Admin Area

On a default WordPress installation, you can log into your admin area by adding /wp-admin to the URL.

https://yourdomain.com/wp-admin

Another option that’ll take you directly to your login page is to add /wp-login.php to your URL

https://yourdomain.com/wp-login.php

Once you’ve successfully logged in, you will be in the admin area where you can control your WordPress
website and access everything with just a click.

This area isn’t visible to your website visitors. Only logged-in users who have permission can access it.

You’ll notice that your admin area has three sections, the toolbar, admin sidebar, and dashboard.

The Admin Toolbar

Whenever you’ve logged in to your WordPress website, you’ll notice a floating horizontal black bar at the top
of the screen. This is the admin toolbar.

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The toolbar has handy shortcuts to frequently used WordPress features:

 the WordPress.org homepage

 updates for your WordPress installation, themes, and installed plugins
 your site title, which doubles as a shortcut to your site’s home page
 the comments screen and number of comments in moderation.
 creating a new post, page, and more
 your user profile and a link to log out
As you install WordPress plugins, some of these may add additional icons on the admin toolbar.

The Dashboard

Next, you’ll see a large white space in the center of your screen; this is your WordPress dashboard.

The WordPress dashboard gives you a quick overview of what’s happening on your website. You’ll see the
number of posts and pages you’ve published, recent activity on your site, and more.

The Admin Sidebar

The large vertical black bar on the left of your screen is called the admin sidebar, or just the sidebar. It’s the
navigation menu of the WordPress admin area and provides links to every administration screen on your website.

Some of the links have a fly-out submenu that appears when you hover over them with your mouse.
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 Working with posts and pages
Wordpress post
A WordPress post is what makes up the blog aspect of your site. A WordPress post contains content written in
order of publication, and it can be arranged and categorized. Posts may also be “pinned” in a blog, meaning that
regardless of the publication date, they will be shown first. Here are a few key things to know:
 These are generally news or informational updates about a certain topic or talking point.
 Posts are listed in reverse chronological order and can be tagged, categorized, and even archived on your site.
 WordPress posts are what make up the RSS content of your WordPress blog. So, when someone subscribes to
your RSS feed, your posts will be the content that’s delivered to them.
 Think of the posts as the news portion of your site. They’re dynamic and constantly changing the content, your
end users see.
Wordpress page
WordPress Pages are similar to posts in that they have a title and body text, but they are different. A
WordPress page contains content that is typically more generic than posts. Unlike posts, pages don’t come with dates
attached to them. And they’re usually in a static part of your WordPress site. For example, a part of your WordPress
site that contains your FAQs is most likely going to be a page. Pages may also be used like templates to store posts
within them. Here are a few key things to know:
 They are generally reserved for static content or information.
 Examples of this would be an About Me, Team page, or Contact page.
 Pages are not listed by date and can’t be categorized or tagged like WordPress posts,
 Pages can have a hierarchy, which means you can nest pages under other pages by making one the “Parent” of the
other, thus creating a group of pages.
 Due to their static nature, pages aren’t included in RSS feeds and won’t have a date or time they were published.

A WordPress private page and posts are not visible to the public. In other words, visitors can’t see the
content even if they know the URL. It is only available for authorized users who are logged in to the
Dashboard.
Differences between posts and pages
Posts Pages
1. Dynamic or Time-based 1. Contain static or evergreen content
2. Listed by the date they are published 2. Can be organized in hierarchy
3. Comments are enabled by default 3. Have their own settings
4. These are organized in an archieve 4. Can have different templates
5. Can be organized with categories and tags 5. Do not appear in RSS feeds by default

Using Editor
The Editor is where you add the content to your site or blog. Both posts and pages use the same editor. When
WordPress 5.0 was released in 2019, it replaced the old classic editor with a brand new block editor nicknamed
“Gutenberg”.
Here is what the classic editor in WordPress looked like:

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And this is how the modern WordPress block editor looks like:

As you can see, they are two completely different editors for creating content in WordPress.

The old classic editor was a text editor with formatting buttons very similar to Microsoft Word.

The new editor uses a totally different approach, called ‘Blocks’ (hence, the name Block Editor).

Blocks are content elements that you add to the edit screen to create content layouts. Each item you add to your post
or page is a block.You can add blocks for each paragraph, images, videos, galleries, audio, lists, and more. There are
blocks for all common content elements, and more can be added by WordPress plugins.

The WordPress block editor offers a simple way to add different types of content to your posts and pages.
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For example, previously if you wanted to add a table in your content, then you needed a separate table plugin.

With the block editor, you can simply add a table block, select your columns and rows, and start adding content.

You can move content elements up and down, edit them as individual blocks, and easily create media-rich content.

The Block Editor

To launch the WordPress block editor, click on Posts > Add New or Pages > Add New.

The WordPress block editor workspace has three main sections:

 the top toolbar

 the sidebar with the post/page settings and the block settings
 the content area.

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The top toolbar

At the top left of the block editor workspace, you will see the following options:

Exit the Editor: Shows the W icon by default, or the Site Icon if available. Click to exit the editor. This will
prompt you to save the changes or leave the post or page.

Block Inserter: Add blocks or patterns to your post or page.

Tools: Switch between editing a block and selecting a block. Choose the Select tool (or press the Escape key on
your keyboard) to select individual blocks. Once a block is selected, press the Enter key on your keyboard to
return to editing.

Details: Get the post/page details including the character and word count, estimated time to read, the number of
paragraphs and blocks on the post/page, and the document outline showing the headings and how they are
structured on the post/page.

List View: See a list of all of the blocks that are on the post/page and easily navigate between the blocks on
your post/page.

Before you publish your post or page, you will see the following options in the top right corner of the block
editor’s workspace.

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Save draft: Save a draft of your post or page without publishing it.
View: View how your post/page looks on your site.
Publish: Make your post/page available publicly.

Text formatting with shortcuts

Fortunately, WordPress supports many keyboard shortcuts. These are specific key combinations that simplify
many essential tasks. By learning these shortcuts, you can edit text, adjust formatting, and even moderate comments
much more quickly.
With keyboard shortcuts, you can avoid moving your hands back and forth from your mouse. Instead, you can
simply rest your hands on your keyboard.

For example, you can use Ctrl + Shift + D in the Block Editor. This combination will quickly and easily duplicate a
block.

WordPress Keyboard Shortcuts for Editing

Here are some editing shortcuts for Windows users:

 Ctrl + C = Copy Ctrl + V = Paste

 Ctrl + A = Select all Ctrl + X = Cut
 Ctrl + Z = Undo Ctrl + Y = Redo
 Ctrl + B = Bold Ctrl + I = Italic
 Ctrl + U = Underline Ctrl + K = Insert/edit link
 Alt + Shift (⇧) + L = Align left Alt + Shift (⇧) + M = Insert image
 Alt + Shift (⇧) + O = 1. List
The Best WordPress Keyboard Shortcuts for the Block Editor

Here are some Global shortcuts you can use:

 Ctrl + Shift + Alt + M = Switch back and forth between the Classic and Block Editors
 Ctrl + Shift + Alt + F = Toggle fullscreen mode
 Shift + Alt + O = Open block list view
 Ctrl + Shift + , = Display or hide settings sidebar
 Ctrl + ` + Shift + Alt + N = Go to the next part of the editor
 Ctrl + Shift + ` or Shift + Alt + P = Go to the previous part of the editor
 Alt + F10 = Go to the nearest toolbar
 Ctrl + S = Save changes
 Ctrl + Z = Undo changes
 Ctrl + Shift + Z = Redo an undo

Working with media

Adding

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1. Log into your WordPress website
2. Click on Media (left navigation) > Add New
You will see a ‘Multi-file uploader’ – you can do the same tasks with the ‘Browser uploader’ as well, however these
instructions are for using the ‘Multi-file uploader’. File types you can upload: .jpg, .gif, .png and .pdf.
3. Either:
drag and drop the media files you wish to use on your website to the space inside the dotted lines;OR
click on ‘Select Files’, find the file you wish to upload, and click to upload.
Information about the file will then appear.
4. (Optional) You can now edit the image by clicking the ‘Edit Image’ button
5. Fill in the Alternate Text field
This is the text that would appear if a visitor’s images are turned off or if a visitor was using a text or screen reader. It
should describe the image in a succinct manner.
6. Take note of the File URL
This is the URL you use to link to the image or file.
7. Click ‘Save all changes’ to keep your file in the system
You will be directed to the Library page that lists all uploaded media for your website.

Edit

Step (1) − Click on Media → Library and click on the name of the media item or the edit link.

Step (2) − You will view a list of media files. Select any one image to edit.

Step (3) − You can view the edit media page with few options on the right side.

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  URL − You can read only a link from media file.
 Title − This displays the name of the media. Title is often shown in galleries and attachment pages, if themes
or plugins are designed to display it.
 Permalink − Permalink is the URL of the media attachment page. This is also a link to view the attachment
page.
 Edit image button − This allows you to edit the image position, such as rotate counter-clockwise, rotate
clockwise, scale, crop, flip vertically, and flip horizontally.
 Caption − A brief explanation of the media.
 Alternate Text − The alt text for the image, which is used to describe media. Used for availability.
 Description − An explanation of your media file.
 Delete Permanently − Delete your media file permanently.
Step (4) − Once you complete editing the required fields, click on Update button to save the changes made to
an image.

Delete(.jpg, .gif, .png, and .pdf files)

If you no longer wish to have a media file in your system:

1. Click on Media > Library

2. Hover over the name of the file you wish to delete
Three options will appear: ‘Edit’, ‘Delete Permanently’ and ‘View’.
3. Click on ‘Delete Permanently’
A pop-up window will appear.
4. Click on ‘Ok’
Your file will now be permanently deleted and no longer available or in an archive.
Working with widgets
A WordPress widget is a modular element that enables you to add a specific feature to your website. Widgets
can be added to different areas of a website, such as a website’s sidebars or footer areas, and they’re an inherent part
of WordPress’ design and layout customizations.

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 A widget lets you display additional content within various elements of your website (such as the header,
WordPress sidebar, and footers). While they can add features, they often provide smaller, more focused additions,
and are dragged and dropped into place.

Types of Widgets
1. Meta Widget
WordPress includes a number of different widgets out of the box, one of which is the Meta widget. This lets
you and other users log into your WordPress administration panel from your main website.

2. Email Subscription Widgets

WordPress can be integrated with a wide range of autoresponder systems, such as MailChimp, Constant
Contact, AWeber, and InfusionSoft. By adding a snippet of code to a dedicated widget, you can display an opt-in
box that makes it possible to build an email subscriber list through your WordPress website.

3. Social Media Widgets

Social media integration is also possible, and this is a popular use for widgets given that they can be displayed
prominently, without taking up space.

4. Recent posts, pages, and categories widgets

Every website owner should make it as easy as possible for website users to navigate through a website, and a
number of default widgets enable you to do this.

These widgets are self explanatory, but there are other related widgets (such as Archives and Calendar) that
give you more options to get your posts in front of visitors.

5. Search Widgets

For a large WordPress blog, giving website visitors the ability to search for content is another effective way to
improve navigation. The Search widget lets you do exactly that. Although not as featured-packed as dedicated
solutions, it’s still a great way to bolster the navigation at the reader’s disposal.

6. Text Widget

Adding text or HTML code to a widget enables you to offer further functionality to your WordPress site.

7. Shopping Cart Widget

Whether you run a booming eCommerce site or sell a few products on the side, a shopping cart widget is a
must-have. Choose a plugin like WooCommerce or Ecwid, and you’ll have access to widget options that can turn
your website into a money-maker. Most choices also come with a dashboard to help you track sales.

8. Map Widget

If you have one or more brick-and-mortar locations, a map widget will help your customers find you.

9. Form Widget

The most common use for a form widget is a Contact Form, which is especially handy if you don’t have (or
want) a publicly available email address.

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10. Call to Action Widget

Call to action widgets come in many forms, including pop-ups, banners, slide-ins, and more. The goal of a
CTA is to grab your customer’s attention and ask them to perform a specified action.

Menus
You must define a menu before you can add items to it.

1. Login to the WordPress Dashboard.

2. From the 'Appearance' menu on the left-hand side of the Dashboard, select the 'Menus' option to bring up the
Menu Editor.
3. Select Create a new menu at the top of the page
4. Enter a name for your new menu in the Menu Name box
5. Click the Create Menu button.
Your new custom menu has now been defined.

Adding Items to a Menu

You can add different link types into your menu, these are split between panes left of the menu you're
currently editing.

1. Locate the pane entitled Pages.

2. Within this pane, select the View All link to bring up a list of all the currently published Pages on your site.
3. Select the Pages that you want to add by clicking the checkbox next to each Page's title.
4. Click the Add to Menu button located at the bottom of this pane to add your selection(s) to the menu that you
created in the previous step.
5. Click the Save Menu button once you've added all the menu items you want.

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 Your custom menu has now been saved.

Note: The Screen Options allow you to choose which items you can use to add to a menu. Certain items, ike Tags are
hidden by default.

Deleting a Menu Item

1. Locate the menu item that you want to remove in the menu editor window
2. Click on the arrow icon in the top right-hand corner of the menu item/box to expand it.
3. Click on the Remove link. The menu item/box will be immediately removed.
4. Click the Save Menu button to save your changes.

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 UNIT-V
Working with themes
A WordPress theme is a tool to change the layout and design of your website. Themes customize the
appearance of your site, including the layout, typography, color, and other design elements. A theme is a zipped
folder with a group of files, including a set of page templates written in the PHP programming language combined
with some CSS stylesheets.

When you first create a WordPress site, it will come with a default theme installed. You can change the theme
in WordPress to match your needs and industry. Choosing the right theme can make your website more attractive,
easier to use, and improve visitor engagement.

These are two types:

1. Parent theme
2. Child theme

Parent theme
A parent theme in WordPress is a theme that is declared parent by a another theme, child theme. This feature
in WordPress allows theme designers and developers to take advantage of a larger and robust Word Press themes and
make modifications to those themes by creating child themes. A Parent theme passes along all its functionality,
features and style to the child theme. The child theme can selectively make changes into the functionality of the
parent theme without ever modifying the Parent theme.
The parent/child theme functionality allows users to easily upgrade their themes without worrying about
losing any custom styling that they have added to their site.
All WordPress theme frameworks are parent themes however not all parent themes are theme frameworks. In
theory all WordPress themes can be a parent theme. However in order for a parent theme to be a framework, it needs
to offer the ability for developers to modify and customize the core functionality of the theme without modifying any
of the core theme files.
Child theme
A child theme is one which inherits the characteristics of a master or a parent theme, it is possible to
customize its code without breaking the original’s functionality. This way, if a theme receives an update, all of
the changes you made won’t be overwritten.
Child themes allow you to maintain certain visual aspects from the parent theme and keep them uniform
across multiple domains.
In order to make a child theme you must create a folder in your themes directory for your new theme. In this
folder the only file you need is style.css. In the header of the style.css file you can specify the parent theme by adding
a template line into the comment code where the theme name is written. Because this style sheet is included after the
style sheet of the parent it will override any styles in the parent theme’s style.css file.
In order to apply the modifications the child theme has to be activated. The parent theme will still include any
functionality that hasn’t been overwritten by the child theme.

Creating a child theme in Wordpress

1. Create a child theme folder. First, create a new folder in your themes directory, located at wp-content/themes .
2. Create a stylesheet: style.css. ...
3. Enqueue stylesheet. ...
4. Install child theme. ...
5. Activate child theme.
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 Using featured images
The content management system (CMS) has various features that incorporate visuals into a website –
one of them is the WordPress featured image. Featured images add more context to your posts and pages,
encouraging people to click on them.
“A WordPress featured image is the primary image that represents your post or page. It usually
appears at the top of the post and on other social media platforms when you share the post.”

Adding a Wordpress featured image

Adding a WordPress featured image is a straightforward process. You only need to upload or select an
image for each post or page. Most WordPress themes enable featured images by default . You can also manually
add one to any post or page via the Gutenberg block editor .

These are the steps to add a featured image to a new blog post:

1. Open the block editor by navigating to Posts → Add New. Alternatively, select any existing post or
page.

2. The right sidebar should appear in the block editor. If not, click the Settings button on the top-right
corner of the editor.

3. Scroll down to the Featured image section and click Set featured image.

4. Upload the featured image to WordPress or select from the images in your media library. After choosing
the featured image, add the alternative text in the Attachment details section.

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 5. Click Set featured image on the bottom right corner.

The featured image is now set. It doesn’t appear on the editor panel, but you can see it in the Featured
image section or the post preview.
You will now see the Replace Image button. This lets you change the featured image by uploading a
new one or an existing image uploaded to the media library. Alternatively, use the Remove featured
image button to clear the featured image from the post or page.

Configuring Settings

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 WordPress general setting is used to set the basic configuration settings for your site. In the setting
administration screen, it is a default setting screen.

Following are the steps to access the general settings :

Step 1 − Click on Settings → General option in WordPress.

Step 2 − The General Setting page is displayed as shown in the following snapshot.

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Following are the details of the fields on general settings page.
 Site Title − It displays the name of the site in the template header.
 Tagline − Displays a short sentence about your site.
 WordPress Address (URL) − It is the URL of WordPress directory where your all core application files are
present.
 Site Address(URL) − Enter the site URL which you want your site to display on the browser.
 E-mail Address − Enter your e-mail address which helps to recover your password or any update.
 Membership − Anyone can register an account on your site after you check this checkbox.
 New User Default Role − The default role is set for the newly registered user or members.
 Timezone − Sets the time zone based on the particular city.
 Date Format − Sets the date format as you need to display on the site.
 Time Format − Sets the time format as you need to display on the site.
 Week Starts On − Select the week day which you prefer to start for WordPress calendar. By default it is set
as Monday.
 Site Language − Sets the language for the WordPress dashboard.

Step3 − After filling all the information about general settings, click on Save Changes button. It saves all your
general setting information.

User and User rolls and Profiles

WordPress user roles let you assign certain levels of access to people who are registered to your website. This
can help you manage and control what tasks are possible and can ultimately help strengthen your site’s security and
performance.

WordPress user roles and permissions are two different but interdependent concepts. User roles determine
what a user can and can’t do on your WordPress site, based on their user type. These limitations are generalized for
anyone who carries a certain user role status.

Permissions, on the other hand, are more individualized. You can create custom permissions for specific
users, and control exactly what they are allowed to do on your site. Moreover, you can give different users distinct
permissions depending on their role.

Both user roles and permissions are set by the Administrator, which is typically the WordPress site owner. By
default, there are six different user roles: Super Admin, Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, and Subscriber.
Each role has its own set of capabilities.

User roles and permissions play an important role in ensuring that your WordPress website is secure and runs
smoothly. By managing these settings, you can control who has access to what areas of your site, and what they can
do there.

Note: An administrator has the ability to create new user roles and assign them to specific users on your site. You can
also manage permissions for existing user roles.

Super Admin

The Super Admin is the highest level of user on a WordPress site. This user has complete control over the
site, including the ability to add and delete users, install and activate plugins, manage themes, and more. Super
Admins are typically only found on multisite installations of WordPress. Super Admins can add and delete other
Administrators, create new sites, and control content across each site.

Administrator

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 Administrators have complete control over a single WordPress site. They can add and delete users, install and
activate plugins, manage themes, etc. Usually, they are the site owners or main authors.

This powerful role has complete access to content, features, and site settings. They can update the CMS as
well as plugins and themes. The Admin is also responsible for assigning user roles and capabilities to other registered
users. Ideally, you should only have one Administrator per website.

Editor

Editors can manage and publish posts and pages, as well as moderate comments. They can also schedule
content and edit categories. However, they cannot install or activate plugins, or manage themes.

In a nutshell, an editor can modify content created by themselves and other users with a lower status, such as
Authors and Contributors. They can’t change content for users with permissions higher than theirs, such as an
Administrator. Typically, this role is reserved for content managers or similar titles.

Author

As you may have guessed, authors can write and publish their own posts and pages. They can also delete their
own posts. However, they cannot publish, edit, or delete anyone else’s posts. Additionally, authors cannot add or
delete users, install or activate plugins, or manage themes.

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 Unlike Contributors, Authors have access to the WordPress Media Library. While they can edit reader
comments, they can only do so on their own posts.

Contributor

WordPress Contributors can write and submit their own posts for review by an Administrator or Editor. Once
a post is published, they cannot edit it. Furthermore, contributors cannot add or delete users, install or activate
plugins, or manage themes.

Contributors are usually roles assigned to freelance writers or guest bloggers. This role is also commonly used
for new hires whose content needs editing or reviewing before it can be published on the site.

Once submitted for review, only the Editor or Administrator can publish their posts. Contributors cannot
access the Media Library.

Subscriber

Subscribers can manage their own profiles and read posts and pages on a WordPress site. They cannot write
or publish their own posts or pages, nor can they add or delete users, install or activate plugins, or manage themes.

Subscribers have the fewest permissions and capabilities of all the WordPress roles. It is the default user role
set for new registrations.
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 Adding External Links
Through the following procedure, you can add an external link to a wordpress navigation menu

After logging into WordPress (www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin).

1. Click on Appearance > Menus.

2. In "Select a menu to edit" dropdown, choose the menu that you want to add a link to.
3. Click Select, to load the menu.
4. In the Pages window on the right, click on: Links.
5. Enter the URL of the page you want added to the menu
6. Enter the Link Text - This is the name you want displayed in the menu for your new link.
7. Click the Add to Menu button. Note: The page will be added to the bottom of the menu in the menu tree.
8. Find the page in the menu tree.
9. Click and drag the page to the appropriate position in the menu. Note: If it is a Child page of a Parent page,
you will want to position it so that it is indented below the Parent page.
10. Click the blue Save Menu button.

Extending Word press with plug-ins

There are two methods to upgrade the plugin to its latest version manually:

The First Method

There are 4 steps in this method:

Step 1 - Make sure the keep data option is enabled

In your WordPress backend, goto the left menu Plugin Name (e.g., Wonder Carousel, Wonder Slider, etc) -
> Settings, make sure there is an option Keep data when deleting the plugin and the option is checked. The option is
checked by default. If your current version is very old, it may not have this option.

Step 2 - Deactivate and delete the old version

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 In the WordPress backend, goto the left menu Plugins -> Installed Plugins, deactivate the plugin and delete it.
When deleting the plugin, ignore the warning "Are you sure you wish to delete these files and data" and click the
button "Yes, Delete these files and data". This is a standard warning from WordPress.

Step 3 - Install and activate the new version

In the WordPress backend, goto the left menu Plugins -> Add New, click Upload Plugin, select the
downloaded new version plugin zip file, install and activate it.

Step 4 - Clear WordPress Caches

 If you have installed a WordPress js/css minify plugin or WordPress cache plugin for example,
Autoptimize, W3 Total Cache, WP Rocket, WP Fastest Cache, WP Super Cache, empty all caches
from the plugin.
 Some web hosts, for example, GoDaddy, WPEngine, SiteGround, DreamHost, will also cache web
files. You need to clear caches of the web hosting before testing..
 Clear caches of your web browser before testing

The Second Method

If you are using a very old version, you may need to use this method to upgrade the plugin. There are 3 steps
in this method:

Step 1: Install the new version plugin via FTP

Step 2: Make sure the plugin is activated

Step 3 - Clear WordPress Caches

Customizing the site

When you make a website, it needs to be customized to your needs. Whether you build an eCommerce
website, a small business website, a personal website, or a blog, each different type of website will need different
features and a unique look. This is where WordPress customization comes in.

Plus, not only will customizing WordPress make your website look the way you want it, but it will also help:
 Make your WordPress site more secure
 Optimize your site for search engines
 Make your site easier to manage
 Improve the user experience for your site visitors

1. Install a wordpress backup plug-in

It’s essential for you to back up your website. In case anything bad happens to your website, having a backup
will save you a ton of time, money, and headaches.
There are a ton of WordPress backup plugins on the market. One of the top picks for backup plugins
is UpdraftPlus. Some other popular plug-ins include: BackupBuddy and VaultPress.

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2. Customize Your WordPress Theme

a. The customization with plug-ins

Since your customization options are somewhat limited depending on what WordPress theme you choose, it
helps to use a plugin to boost your WordPress customization even more.
The most popular plugin is SeedProd. SeedProd is one of the best drag and drop WordPress page builders on
the market.

SeedProd works with any WordPress theme and gives you complete control of your site content and
customization. This makes it super easy to design your website exactly how you want it, without having to touch a
line of code, using their drag and drop builder.

b. Customize Without a Plugin – Custom Header

Your header will be one of the most recognizable elements of your website. The header runs across the top of
your page and it typically appears on every page of your website. So, you’ll want to choose a customized header that
best represents you or your company.
To do this, go to Appearance, then Header. Depending on the WordPress theme you chose, you may have
different options for your header. For example with the WordPress theme below, you can choose a video header or an
image header. To change the image for the header, simply click Change Image and choose a high-quality image from
your media library or upload it from your computer.

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Note: Remember to hit the Publish button when you’re done to save your changes.

c. Choose Your Logo and Favicon

Next, you can choose your logo and favicon (or site icon). Doing this allows you to further customize your
WordPress site with your own personal or company brand.
Go to Appearance, then Customize, and click on the Site Identity section. Here you can upload your logo,
as well as choose your site title and tagline.

d. Widget
To add a widget, go to the Customizing section and click on Widgets. Next, click on the area where you
want to add a website, then click on the Add a Widget button.

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e. Customize your user profile

To customize your user profile, in the WordPress admin dashboard go to Users, then click on Your Profile.
Here you can set your color scheme preferences, your name, nickname,what you want to display your name publicly
as, and so on. You can also write a bit about yourself in the Biographical Info area and set your profile photo with
Gravatar. Click on the Update Profile button to save your changes.

f. Build your Wordpress pages

Any website needs pages, it’s rare to see a website with only 1 page. So, you need to create all of the pages
you need for your website. The most common pages people create include:
 Home
 About
 Services/Products
 Portfolio
 Client Testimonials
 Content Archive/Blog

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  Contact
 FAQ/Support
Decide what pages you need for your WordPress site and start creating them. To create a page, go to Pages,
and then click on the Add New button. A new page will open up. Here you can name your page, add all of the
content for the page, and click Publish when you’re done creating the page and happy with how it looks.

g. Set Up Menu Structure

Once you’ve built all of your important pages, you’ll need to customize your WordPress website
with a menu structure.

To do this, in the WordPress admin dashboard, go to Appearance, then Menus. Here, on the left side, you’ll
see a list of all of the pages you have published on your WordPress website. First, choose a name for your menu and
click the Create Menu button. Then, simply add a check mark to the pages you want to add to your menu, then click
the Add to Menu button.

Your pages will then appear on the right side of the screen underneath the menu you created. Now you can
drag and drop the pages to put them in the order you like.
Finally, choose the display location for your menu. The most common choice is primary, which is at the top
of the top. But you can also display your menu in the footer and other locations if you wish.

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 When finished, click the Save Menu button to save your changes.

Changing the appearance of site using CSS

CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets and it’s the most popular web language besides HTML. The two of
them go hand-in-hand, as CSS is used to style HTML elements. HTML lays the groundwork of a website’s
appearance and CSS is used to further style it.

CSS gives you the ability to make a website responsive, add colors, change fonts, modify the layout, and in
general fine-tune a website’s visual presentation. Like HTML and JavaScript, CSS is a frontend client-side language,
which means it executes on the user’s end, rather than on the backend server.
There are 3 methods to customize your Wordpress site appearance:
1. Use the Wordpress customizer
With WordPress 4.7 or any version after it, you can add custom CSS directly from the admin area. This is the
most straightforward method, and because there is a live preview available, you can see any changes you make in
real-time. Here are the steps:
Step 1: Navigate to Appearance > Customize.

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 This will open the WordPress theme customizer, which shows you a live preview of your site on the right,
along with some customization options on the left. Scroll down to the bottom of the left panel, and you’ll find
an Additional CSS tab.
Step 2: Click on the Additional CSS Tab.

This will open up a small box in the left pane where you can add your custom CSS. You can type in as many
lines of CSS code as you like. The great thing about this editor is that it validates your code, alerting you if there are
any errors.

Step 3: Publish your changes.

Any valid CSS rule you add will show up in the live preview area on the right. To apply the changes to your
site, click the Publish button at the top of the left pane once you are satisfied. If you don't want the changes to take
effect immediately, you can also schedule publishing at a later time or save your work as a draft.

2. Use a plug-in

The following are some of the best custom CSS plugins you can use:

 Simple Custom CSS

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  Simple Custom CSS is one of the most popular custom CSS plugins. It is lightweight, easy to use, and offers
great features. Setting it up is easy. All you need to do is install and activate the plugin. Then, navigate to
the Appearance section on the left pane of your dashboard.

 You’ll see a new option called Custom CSS. Clicking on it will open an editor where you can add your
custom CSS. Click the Update Custom CSS button to save your changes. To view the changes, just refresh
your website.

 Simple Custom CSS and JS

 CSS Hero

3. Edit the raw code

Protecting Word press website from hackers
WordPress is a frequent target for hacking. Hackers are targeting the theme, the core WordPress files, plugins,
and even the login page. All sites on the web are under constant attack – whether it’s a phpBB forum or a WordPress site
– all sites are being probed by hackers.

Typically it’s not a person who is trying to hack you. Hackers employ automated software to crawl the web to
probe for specific weaknesses in the website. These automated software programs crawling the web are called bots.

The following are some of the WordPress security tips to help you protect your site from hackers.

1. Keep your site up to date.

2. Use secure wp-admin login credentials.
3. Setup safelist and blocklist for the admin page.
4. Use a trusted WordPress theme.
5. Install an SSL certificate for a secure data transfer.
6. Remove unused WordPress themes and plugins.
7. Enable two-factor authentication.
8. Create backups regularly.
9. Limit the number of failed login attempts.
10. Change your WordPress login page URL.
11. Automatically log out idle users.
12. Monitor user activity.
13. Regularly scan your site for malware.
14. Disable the PHP error reporting feature.
15. Migrate to a more secure web host.
16. Disable file editing.
17. Use .htaccess to disable PHP file execution and protect the wp-config.php file.
18. Change the default WordPress database prefix.
19. Disable the XML-RPC feature.
20. Hide your WordPress version.
21. Block hotlinking from other websites.
22. Manage file and folder permissions.
23. Install and run anti-virus software regularly

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