IT Admin

I’m certain you have seen a blog entrée’s on another people’s site where everything is well laid out and has some form of design. Did you also notice that when you create a blog entrée the text just seems to flow without any structure? In this tutorial, we will explain how to use a table inside your post to create some basic structure and how to add an image to that table.

You need to download the Real WYSIWYG plug-in. Go to http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/and search for TinyMCE Advanced. Please download and install this plug-in. Once installed you will need to go to your plug-ins page and activate the plug-in. After you have activated the TinyMCE plug-in go to the Manage tab, then TinyMCE Advanced.

From this page you can change the list of options available to you while creating new posts. Feel free to add any of the features you feel like using but for now, I want you to find the row of buttons associated with Tables.

To activate a button simply drag the icon from the lower grey box to any of the 4 rows of blue bars. The Blue bars represent the active menu bars scene whenever you create or edit a post. Once you have the features you want make certain you select save changes from the bottom of the screen.

Go to Write / Post. From this page you can see the blue area that contains the features you just added. If only two rows are showing you need to click the button I have circled in red.

Find the buttons set for tables.

Go ahead and insert a basic table with 2 rows, 2 columns and a width of around 500. You will need to play with the width based on your theme, but for most of the basic themes a width of 500 fits nicely. If done correctly you should have a table located inside your editor. A table resembles cells found inside excel. Simple click inside one of the four cells and begin typing. You can also add an image to any of these cells.

To add an image select the cell you want to place an image into. Click the square next to Add Media found in the light blue bar above text entry area. A new window will open, click the grey choose files button to upload. On a MAC click the blue browser uploader link. Brows to the image you want to upload, click Upload. You should now see the image and several text boxes. Go ahead and add a caption and description to your image. Don’t worry about link URL, if you uploaded a large picture you should select to insert a thumbnail or medium size image, align center and finally insert into post. The image is now inside you post and your table may have changed but don’t worry. Simple click into the very narrow cell beside your image and begin typing. Notice the cell grows to fit your text. The cell will only grow to the size you set when you created the table in the earlier steps.

The power behind Tables may not be immediately apparent but the power is there. Please take some time to play with tables and TinyMCE. You will be amazed out how impressive you can get you Blog Post to look. You should also congratulate yourself for adding your own table and image to your blog post.

Plugins are a must!
I’m just going to briefly point out a much-needed plugin, All in One SEO.  Go to http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/.  Do a search for SEO.  The first plugin that pops up should be All in One SEO.  You must get this plugin.  Simply download the plugin, extract the zip and then upload the complete folder to /yoursite/wp-content/plugins.  Once everything is uploaded, you need to return to www.yoursite.com/wp-admin and click on the Plugins link on the right side of the screen.  The SEO plugin should appear near the bottom of the screen under Inactive Plugins.  You need to click on the check box beside the SEO plugin, then press the Activate button. Once active, you can go to the Write/Post page and press F5 to re- fresh the page.  You should now see a new drop-down option for All in One SEO Pack.  Simply click the arrow and then fill in the blanks.  The data you enter here will be placed as meta tag content for each individual blog entry. There is one last thing to check out with the SEO pack.  Click on the Settings link on the top right of the screen, and then select All in One SEO.  From this page, you can set all the meta tags for the home page of your blog.  I’m certain you know how important this stuff is if you want your blog to be found in Google, so don’t skip this step. Have fun and happy blogging.  Stay tuned for more information on great plugins in the upcoming months.

Awesome themes
To install a new theme, you must first pick one.  I recommend sticking with themes found on the WordPress site, but you can find WordPress themes all over the web.  Go to http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/ to find the newest WordPress themes.  When choosing a theme, it isn’t just about design.  Some themes have different capabilities.  Not all themes work with sidebar widgets, for example.  This simply means that you may have to experiment with a few themes before you find the one that is just right for you.

Once you select a theme, you will need to download it to your computer.  Simply click on the large red button that says, “Download.” The file you download should be a .zip file, which is just a way to compress the files so they down- load easier.  Once the file is downloaded, you will need to double click on the file to extract or expand it.  You will be prompted to specify where you want the extracted files stored.  I would simply extract them to your desktop so you can easily find them. Now that the files are extracted, you need to connect to your server.  I covered using FileZilla in the October issue.  If you need to, pull up that old issue and refresh your memory on connecting to your server. Once connected, you need to upload the theme files you downloaded to a specific folder on your server. Using FileZilla, navigate to /yoursite/wp-content/themes.  You MUST upload the complete theme folder to this location or the theme will not work.  Once the theme is uploaded, you can close out of FileZilla and return to www.yoursite.com/wp-admin.  Click on the Design tab, then Themes, and you should see your new theme as an option to install.  Simply click on the theme and then look at the top right corner and you will see “Activate Theme.”  Click “Activate Theme” and you are finished.  Your new theme should be installed and working.  If the theme wasn’t available in the Design / Themes tab, then it wasn’t uploaded to your server correctly.  I would double check everything and try uploading again.

Hopefully, everyone has their Wordpress blog installed. To install a new theme you must first pick the new theme. I recommend staying within themes found on the Wordpress site, but you can find Wordpress themes all over the web. Go to http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/ to find you newest Wordpress them. When looking for a theme it isn’t just about design. Some themes have different capabilities. Remember not all themes work with sidebar widgets. These simply means that you may have to experiment with a few themes before you find the one that is just right for you.

Once you find you theme you will need to download the theme to your computer. Simply click on the large red button that says Download. The file you download should be a .zip file, Which is just a way to compress the files so they download easier. Once the file is download you will need to double click on the file to extract or unexpanded it. You will be prompted to specify where you want the extracted files. I would simply extract them to your desktop so that you can easily find them.

Now, that the files are extracted you need to connect to your server. I covered using Filezilla a few issues ago. So if you need to pull at that old issue and refress your seldf on connecting to your server. Once connected you need to upload the theme file you downloaded to a specific folder on your server.
Using Filezilla navigate to /yoursite/wp-content/themes. You MUST upload the complete them folder to this location or the theme will not work. Once the them is uploaded you can close out of Filezilla and return to www.yoursite.com/wp-admin. Click on the Design Tab, then Themes and you should see you new them as an option to install. Simple click on the theme and then look at the top right corner and you will see activate theme. Click activate them and your are finished. You new them should be installed and working. If the them wasn’t available in the Design \ Themes tab then it wasn’t uploaded to your server correctly. I would double check everything and try uploading again.

So, I am writing this entry from my wonderful iPhone. While playing around in the app’s store I found a wordpress app. I must say I am very impressed with the simplicity and power of this great app. This is a must have for all Wordpress users.

As for the iPhone I just wish it wasn’t made by mac. These are such much more then a phone. These little devices are changing the world. I often wonder how I survived without mine.