Monthly Archives: August 2009

Appearance

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The appearance of a site is affected by two things; the theme and the layout.

A theme regulates the “look and feel” of your site: the background colors, background images, font type, font color – even the space between lines of text can be controlled by a theme.

Layout is concerned with what Widgets are enabled and where they are placed on your blog.

You have a lot to say in terms of how your blog appears, so let’s see how these things can be customized to suit your needs.

Site Configuration

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Don’t be intimidated by the word “configuration”.  All it means is that you have the ability to actually change how your site is set up to suit your own personal needs.

The configuration side of things is something that a site Administrator is privy to.  If you are a blog owner, or if another blog owner has made you an Administrator on their site, you will have access to these configurable options.  If you are not an Administrator, you will not have access to these items.

There are many different things that can be configured on a WordPress blogsite:

  • Appearance: This relates to how the site “looks and feels” regarding themes, as well as how the site is laid out.
  • Plugins: These are add-on pieces of software which expand the functionality of WordPress.
  • Users: This is where all of the user management is performed, which includes adding new users to your site and editing their permission levels.
  • Tools: This includes different tools used in the import, export, and subscription base management of your blogsite.
  • Settings: This is where many different settings can be performed which affect the reading, writing, and commentary features on your site – amongst other things.

To learn more about the different configuration options, just click on the item of interest in the Categories menu item.

Media

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The Media menu group is where all uploaded media files are managed.

Clicking on the Media menu item will, by default, take you to the Library, where you can view and manage all of your media files.  On a new site, of course, the Library will have nothing in it.  File uploads can be performed here as well.

Please note that there is an upload limit of 1500Kb. If you try to upload a file larger than this, you will receive an error message.

Upload a Media File

To upload a media file, do the following:

  • From within your Dashboard, click on Media > Add New.
  • Click the Select Files button.
  • Browse to the desired file on your computer and then click the Open button.  The file will then be uploaded into your blogsite and display as a cropped thumbnail image.
  • Enter the following information:
    • Title: A title is required. This field will auto-fill with the name of your file, by default.  You may change this if desired.
    • Caption: This optional field performs two functions.  It shows as a caption underneath your image when the image is embedded into a Post or Page.  Additionally, it serves as the alternative text (also commonly known as the alt text) for an image.  This text is used by screen readers for the visually impaired.
    • Description: This optional field allows you to enter a text description of the image, which will appear as a tool tip when a user hovers a mouse over the embedded image.
    • File URL: This is the directory path where your image is stored.  Changing this is not advised as it could break the link to your image.
  • After all information has been entered, click the Save all changes button.

Filter Media Files

Since different types of media files can be uploaded into your Media Library, sorting through things can sometimes be a bit of a burden.  There’s an easy way to do it from your Media Library panel, though.

At the top of the media list are four links:

  • All: Clicking on this link will show all media files.
  • Images: Clicking on this link will show only image files.
  • Audio: Clicking on this link will show only audio files.
  • Unattached: Clicking on this will show only files that are not attached to any posts or pages on your blogsite.

Delete Media Files

Files can be deleted in a couple of ways, either one at a time, in groups, or all at once.

To Delete a Single Media File

  • Click on the check box next to the file you wish to delete.
  • From the Bulk Actions drop down box, select Delete.
  • Click the Apply button.

To Delete a Group of Media Files

  • Click on each check box next to each file you wish to delete.
  • From the Bulk Actions drop down box, select Delete.
  • Click the Apply button.

To Delete All Media Files

  • Click on the top check box, in the grey table header.  This will select all checkboxes.
  • From the Bulk Actions drop down box, select Delete.
  • Click the Apply button.

Note: Keep in mind that if you have media attached to posts or pages and you delete the files, they will not show on your post or page.

Rich Text Editor

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WordPress offers two different options for content creation. You can either use the rich text editor, which is similar to word processing software such as a Microsoft Word, or you can opt to create your content in HTML code.

If you prefer to use the rich text editor, descriptions of the toolbar features are provided below.

Formatting

Changes the appearance / positioning of text

  • Font Face: Bold, Italic, Underline, Strikethrough
  • Lists: Ordered/Numbered, Unordered/Bulleted
  • Block Quote: Stylized quotation blocks. Note: This may not work well with some themes.
  • Alignment: Left, Center, Right, Justify
  • Style Selector: Provides a list of pre-formatted styles to choose from
  • Color Picker: Provides a palette to change the color of your text
  • Remove Formatting: Removes formatting of selected text areas
  • Insert Custom Character: Provides symbol & character palette to choose from
  • Indent/Outdent: Moves blocks of text inwards or outwards

For all of the above items, highlight the text you wish to format and click on the desired button to apply the effect.

Hyperlinks

  • Create / Edit Link: Creates or edits existing hyperlink
  • Unlink: Removes hyperlinks

To set a hyperlink, do the following:

  • Select the text you wish to hyperlink
  • Click the Create / Edit Link button
  • Enter the Link URL
  • Select the Target
  • Enter the Title
  • Click the Insert button

To remove a hyperlink, do the following:

  • Select the link to be removed
  • Click the Unlink button

Insert More Tag

Used to create “teaser” text – a short lead-in which will display on your post with a Read More link which redirects the reader to the full story

To include an Insert More Tag, do the following:

  • Place your cursor at the line of text you wish to break at
  • Click the Insert More Tag button
  • A line will appear across your screen with a More indicator at the right side

Spell Checker

A spell-checker that will check spelling in 11 different languages.

To use the Spell Checker, do the following:

  • Language: English is default language. To switch languages:
    • Click on the down arrow next to the Spell Checker button to open the menu
    • Click on the desired language
  • Checking
    • To check the whole document, just click the Spell Checker button
    • To check a portion of the document, highlight the text to check and then click the Spell Checker button
  • Results
    • If there are no errors, a message will appear
    • If there are errors, they will show with red wavy lines underneath
    • Click on the individual misspelled word for a list of suggestions
    • Make any necessary corrections

Full Screen Toggle

Expands the editor to a full-screen view.

To use the Full Screen Toggle, do the following:

  • Click the Full Screen Toggle button to expand the editor
  • Click the Full Screen Toggle button again to shrink the editor back to its default size

Kitchen Sink Toggle

Opens a second row of hidden toolbar buttons. To use the Kitchen Sink Toggle, do the following:

  • Click the Kitchen Sink Toggle button to drop down the second row of tool buttons
  • Click the Kitchen Sink Toggle button again to re-hide the second row of tool buttons

Embedded Video Plug-In

The Embedded Video Plug-In is used to easily embed videos into a blog post. Videos can be integrated from external portals such as YouTube or Google Video, or they can be uploaded to the web server an integrated as well.

To use the Embedded Video Plug-In, do the following:

  • Click the Embedded Video Toggle button to open the dialog box
  • Select the Video Portal (ex: OSU Media Manager, YouTube, etc)
  • Copy the URL from the Portal and paste it into the Insert video link URL field
  • You may choose to add link text to your video or not:
    • To add link text, just enter the text in the Link Text field
    • To not add link text, click the Show video without link checkbox.
  • Click the Insert button
  • Click the Save button to save your post
  • Click the Visit Site button to view the video

Paste as Plain Text

The Paste as Plain Text button strips all text formatting copied from word processing software files such as MS Word or Open Office Writer.

To use the Paste as Plain Text feature, do the following:

  • Copy the text from your original source
  • Click the Paste as Plain Text button to open the dialog box
  • Paste your text into the dialog box
  • Click the Insert button

Paste from Word

MS Word uses Word specific styling to control the formatting styles used within a Word document. Many of these styling elements generally do not paste well from an MS Word file into an HTML editor. Using the Paste from Word feature will remove the these elements, but still keep some universal style elements of your formatting intact, such as Heading styles, Bullets, and basic font effects such as Bold and Italic.

To use the Paste from Word feature, do the following:

  • Copy the text from your original MS Word document
  • Click the Paste from MS Word button to open the dialog box.
  • Paste your text into the dialog box.
  • Click the Insert button.

Redo / Undo

Clicking the Undo button will undo an event that has occurred, such as the accidental deletion of a paragraph.

Clicking the Redo button will recreate an event that has occurred, but was undone by the Undo button.

Help

Click the Help button for some basic WYSIWIG editor help.

Add Media

The Add Media feature provides a Browser / Uploader feature as well as a Gallery for media uploaded from your computer. This feature acts as the file manager of your blogsite. Currently, each file uploaded can not exceed 1500 KB (1.46 MB). The maximum size of your Gallery is 50 MB.
To upload and insert an image, do the following:

  • Within the text body, place your cursor at the position where you want your image
  • Click on the Add Media link at the top right of the text editor.
  • At the top of the dialog box that appears, there are three tabs. These tabs are different locations you can connect with to upload media:
    • From Computer: This will connect with your computer to upload files from the machine you are using. To upload files from your computer, do the following:
      • Click the Select Files button
      • A dialog box connected to your computer will open up. Navigate to the image file you desire and click the Open button.
      • After the image uploads, a dialog box will appear and an image thumbnail will be shown. Enter the following information:
        • Title: A title is required. This field will auto-fill with the name of your file, by default. You may change this if desired.
        • Caption: This optional field performs two functions. It shows as a caption underneath your image when the image is embedded into a Post or Page. Additionally, it serves as the alternative text (also commonly known as the alt text) for an image. This text is used by screen readers for the visually impaired.
        • Description: This optional field allows you to enter a text description of the image, which will appear as a tool tip when a user hovers a mouse over the embedded image.
        • Link URL: This is the directory path where your image is stored. Changing this is not advised as it could break the link to your image.
        • Alignment: Choose to align your image: None, Left, Center, Right
        • Size: The Thumbnail option will be selected, by default. If you prefer a different size, such as Medium or Full Size, select it.
        • When all information is entered, click the Insert into Post button
      • Click the Save all changes button.
    • From URL: This will allow you to insert an existing image’s URL – such as an image on another website. To insert an image from a URL, do the following:
      • Click the From URL tab and enter the following information:
        • Image URL: Type or paste the URL of the image you want to use in this field.
        • Image Title: Enter a title for the image. This is a required field.
        • Image Caption: This optional field performs two functions. It shows as a caption underneath your image when the image is embedded into a Post or Page. Additionally, it serves as the alternative text (also commonly known as the alt text) for an image. This text is used by screen readers for the visually impaired.
        • Link Image To: This will create a link that, when clicked, will take the user to the original image.
        • Click the Insert into Post button.
    • Media Library: This will insert images that have already been uploaded into your blogsite’s Media Library.
      • Click the Media Library tab and enter the following information:
        • Select an item from the list and click its corresponding Show link.
        • The Title, Caption, and Description will probably already be filled out from when the image was initially uploaded – if not, make any desired changes.
        • Link URL: This is the directory path where your image is stored. Changing this is not advised as it could break the link to your image.
        • Click the Insert into Post button.
      • Click the Save all Changes button.

Editing Image Settings

To edit the settings of an image that is already embedded, do the following:

  • Click on the image to be edited
  • A small toolbar will appear with an Edit Image and Delete Image option – click on the Edit Image button
  • A dialog box will appear with an Edit Image tab and an Advanced Settings tab, described as follows:
    • The Edit Image tab includes the following settings:
      • Size: To the left of the image there is a range from 60% to 130%. Click on the size you want. The image will resize accordingly in the preview pane to provide a visualization of the sizing
      • Alignment: Choose an alignment option: None, Left, Center, Right
      • Edit Image Title: Enter a new image title here
      • Edit Image Caption: Enter any changes to the caption.
      • Link URL: Make any desired changes to the URL
    • The Advanced Settings tab includes settings both for images and for links:
      • Source: This is the actual path to the image and is required – changing it will break the link to the current image
      • Edit Alternate Text: Alternate text is text about an image that shows when the image can’t. It is also a usability feature that allows descriptions of an image to be relayed to those who use various tools for the disabled – such as a blind person’s screen reader
      • Size: Another place to set the size. These settings do not automatically scale, use with caution to avoid deforming your image. The Original Size button, when clicked, will restore the image to its original size
      • CSS Class: Leave this field alone unless you can point to your own custom CSS Classes
      • Styles: These settings can override the CSS Class settings.
      • Image Properties: relate to additional layout characteristics that can be adjusted as needed
      • Border: Adds a border around the image. Specify the size, in pixels.
      • Vertical Space: Adds padding between the image and text at the top and bottom of the image. Specify the size, in pixels.
      • Horizontal Space: Adds padding between the image and text at sides of the image. Specify the size, in pixels.
    • The Advanced Link Settings tab includes the following settings specifically for links:
      • Title: appears to not work – doesn’t change name of title
      • Link Rel: Utilizes XFN (see Link section) to establish the relationship of the linked item to you as the user
      • CSS Class: Point to predefined CSS Class for hyperlinks
      • Styles: can force link to possess a different style than the default class
      • Target: opens link in another window if selected

Upload and Insert an Audio File

There is currently no audio player feature available, but an audio file can be uploaded. A link can be created which, when clicked, will redirect you to another page where the audio file will play. If you are unable to play a particular file, you may need to download the appropriate software to play it.

Remember that there is both a file upload limit of 1500 KB and a maximum storage limit of 50 MB.

To upload and insert an audio file, do the following:

  • Within the text body, place your cursor at the position where you want your audio file
  • Click on the Add Media link at the top right of the text editor.
  • At the top of the dialog box that appears, there are three tabs. These are different locations you can connect with to upload media:
    • From Computer: This will connect with your computer to upload files from the machine you are using. To upload files from your computer, do the following:
      • Click the Select Files button
      • A dialog box connected to your computer will open up. Navigate to the audio file you desire and click the Open button.
      • After the audio file uploads, a dialog box will appear and an audio icon will be shown. Enter the following information:
        • Title: This field will auto-fill with the name of your file, by default. You may change this if desired.
        • Caption: This optional field shows as a caption underneath your file when the file is embedded into a post or page.
        • Description: This optional field allows you to enter a text description of the image, which will appear as a tool tip when a user hovers a mouse over the embedded image.
        • Link URL: This is the directory path where your image is stored. Changing this is not advised as it could break the link to your image.
        • When all information is entered, click the Insert into Post button
      • Click the Save all changes button.
    • From URL: This will allow you to insert an existing image’s URL – such as an image on another website. To insert an image from a URL, do the following:
      • Click the From URL tab
      • URL: Type or paste the URL of the sound file you want to use in this field.
      • Title: Enter a title for the sound file. This is a required field.
      • Click the Insert into Post button.
    • Media Library: This will insert images that have already been uploaded into your blogsite’s Media Library.
      • Click the Media Library tab
      • Select an item from the list and click its corresponding Show link.
      • When the dialog box opens, complete the following information:
        • The Title, Caption, and Description will probably already be filled out from when the image was initially uploaded – if not, make any desired changes.
        • Link URL: This is the directory path where your image is stored. Changing this is not advised as it could break the link to your image.
        • Click the Insert into Post button.
      • Click the Save all Changes button.

Upload and Insert a Video File

The file upload limit is set at 1500 KB, which is small in terms of video. The best option for sharing your videos is through using the Embedded Video Plug In described above.

If you have video to share, you may want to explore OSU Media Manager for your video conversion, management, and distribution needs. Instructions for using OSU Media Manager have been provided courtesy of OSU Digital Media Services.