Learning Links for Calabasas Page Editors
* Note for those having trouble formatting your pages *Log in and open your page. Press Ctrl + F5 (hold down the CTRL key and press the F5 key at the top of your keyboard). Your screen may lock for several seconds or more while your cache is being refreshed. No guarantees, but this may fix the problem for some users. |
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What is Wordpress? WordPress is an open source (free) web publishing system that that can be used to create a personal or commercial blog. Because of its many powerful features, it can also be used to create traditional websites.
What is a blog? A blog, or web log, refers to a web site or page featuring frequently updated, chronological entries.
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Wordpress Video Tutorials
How to Log into the Calabasas Wordpress Site/Update User Profile (it is recommended that everyone update their user profile the first time they log in)
How to Access and Edit Your Wordpress Page
How to Create a Text Link (Listpipe.com)
The following two YouTube tutorials demonstrate how to insert and manipulate images.
How to Upload and Insert Images in Wordpress (McBuzz Communications)
How to Postition an Image and Wrap Text around It (McBuzz Communications)
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Miscellaneous:
How to Update the Events Calendar
For Advanced Users/Site Administrator Only:
How to Add a Scrolling Marquee to Your Page (must be entered in html tab–results may not be predictable). Works fine in a sidebar text widget (site admin only).
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Page Templates
The following table layouts can be used as guides to help create your page. These are suggestions only; feel free to go “free-form” depending on your skill level and creative aspirations. NOTE: The instructions at top of page should be deleted when your page setup is completed.
Page Template #1 (simple “fill in the boxes” template–best for beginners)
Page Template #2 (fixed table layout with rows and columns)
Page Template #3 (fixed two-column layout)
Template #4 (left sidebar layout)
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HTML:
Although not essential, a little knowledge of HTML is very helpful for Wordpress users. A few good resources are listed below:
Web Monkey–HTML Cheat Sheet (warning: not all HTML tags work in Wordpress)
2 Create a Website–table generator
Creating Web Pages (a good online class for beginners that can be taken through Watsonville Adult Ed. More advanced classes are also offered)
HTML Colors for the Web (Color charts plus lots of other good stuff at the W3C!)
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PHP:
Although not necessary , it is useful for the site administrator to have some knowledge of PHP (PHP is the programming language used for Wordpress). A good online class in PHP can be taken through Cabrillo College Extension: Introduction to PHP .
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Linking to a Class Blog:
Many of you may find that a full blog, rather than a static page will better suit your class requirements. If so, your page can be linked easily to a blog (or multiple blogs). Mr. Keuter’s page is a good example of how this can be done. The following options for starting a blog are recommended:
Blogger Quick to set up, very easy to learn, free, no ads.
Wordpress.com Quick to set up, free, more options than Blogger, but more difficult to learn. No ads. Calabasas uses a slightly older version of Wordpress, so screens will look somewhat different.
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Tips - Important Info and FAQ’s
The Calabasas Wordpress installation has been modified and enhanced, so if you are a current Wordpress user, you may find that some screens and functions are slightly different than what you are used to.
Page Editor Capabilities: Users with “Page Editor” status (just about everyone at Calabasas except site administrators) have the ability to update a page which has already been created for them. Page editors can create a new page, but it can only be published by a site administrator. In general, Page Editors should not create new pages because of site navigation issues; however, a “child” page could be created if necessary.
Page Templates: When editing your page you may change the page template under Advanced Options/Page Template. If desired, select Full Page (no sidebars), or Default (with sidebars). Do not select any of the other templates; they are reserved for other uses.
Page Title: DO NOT CHANGE THE TITLE OF YOUR PAGE IN THE TITLE BAR, AS THIS IS THE TEXT THAT APPEARS IN THE DROP-DOWN NAVIGATION BAR ( title can be entered in the body of the page).
Browser: Your experience viewing and editing your page may be different depending on the browser you use and whether or not you work on a MAC or a PC. Older versions of Safari, for instance do not work with the Wordpress Visual Editor. Mac users may have better results with Firefox or Camino. Internet Explorer or Firefox are recommended for PC users. Make sure you are using the most up-to-date version of your browser, especially if you are using Safari.
WYSIWYG Editor: Warning–The Visual Editor is not a true WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) application. You may think you have created the perfect page, then click on SAVE and discover line breaks and other formatting have been stripped away. Wordpress does not recognize certain formatting tags and removes them, which can be very frustrating! There are various work-arounds, but here are a couple of recommendations:
Updated 3-15-09
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