Wordpress Help Blog

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.

Posts are the entries that make up a blog, as we know it. Conceptually, a blog is like a journal. All of the entries display in reverse chronological order – today’s entry will appear over yesterday’s entry, yesterday’s entry will appear over the day before, etc.

Create a Post

To create a Post, do the following:

From within your Dashboard, click on Posts > Add New.
Enter the following information:
- Title: This can be any reasonable length.
- Text Editor: This is where you create the post that you want to display. There’s quite a bit to using the text editor that applies to both Pages and Posts, so we have a separate post that explicitly covers using the text editor.
- Excerpt: This optional field allows you to create a custom summary of your post and can be used in different features within your theme.
- Send Trackbacks: This field will provide you the ability to send trackbacks to legacy blog systems regarding the fact that you’ve linked to them. To use this, just enter the URL you wish to send the trackback to. To enter multiple URLs, just separate each one with a space.
- Custom Fields: Within this fieldset, you can create a custom field for your page, if desired. To create a Custom Field:
  - Name: Enter a name for your field
  - Value: Enter a value for your field.
- Discussion: Within this fieldset, you can enable or disable features that allow for commentary and tracking:
  - Allow Comments: Checking this box will allow readers of your blog the ability to add commentary.
  - Allow Pings: Checking this box will allow for trackbacks and pingbacks
    - Trackback: A software feature that notifies a blog owner of something that is occurring on another site that might be of interest.
    - Pingback: A software feature that will automatically notify a blog owner that a post of his or hers has been linked to. This information can then be used on the blog owner’s site.
- Post Tags: In this optional field, you can enter tags, on the fly, for your post. To enter multiple tags, just separate each one with a comma.
- Categories: In this optional fieldset, you can select pre-determined categories to organize your post material.
  - All Categories Tab: This tab contains a list of all defined categories in the hierarchy that you have ordered them.
  - Most Used Tab: Orders categories based upon which is used most.
  - +Add New Category Link: Click this link to add a new category.
- When you’re finished entering information, you have two options:
  - Save as a Draft: Click the Save Draft button, which will save this item as a draft copy, leave it unpublished, and be viewable only to you and those with adequate permission levels on your blogsite, or
  - Publish: Click the Publish button, which will publish your post and make it visible to the world.

Edit a Post

There are a few different ways to edit a post:

Edit from the Dashboard View:

From within the left menu, click on Posts to open your Edit Posts screen and its list of posts
Click on the title of your post to open and edit it
Click on either Save, if you want to save it as a draft, or Publish if you want to publish it for all to view.

Edit from the Right Now Panel on your Dashboard:

From within the Right Now panel, click on the Post link to open your Edit Posts screen and its list of pages
Click on the title of your post to open and edit it
Click on either Save, if you want to save it as a draft, or Publish if you want to publish it for all to view.

Edit from the Site View:

While on the post you wish to edit, scroll down to the bottom of the post and click on the Edit this entry link.
Your post will open in edit mode. Make all desired edits.
· Click on either Save, if you want to save it as a draft, or Publish if you want to publish it for all to view.

Delete a Post

There are a few different ways to delete a post:

Delete from the Dashboard View Menu:

From within the left menu, click on Posts to open your Edit Postss screen and its list of posts
Click on the title of your post to open and edit it
From within the Publish panel, click on the red Delete link.
A confirmation dialog box will open to inform you that you’re deleting a post and give you the opportunity to cancel the deletion. Click the OK button.
You will be redirected back to your Edit Posts screen.

Delete from the Right Now panel on your Dashboard:

From within the Right Now panel, click on the Posts link to open your Edit Posts screen and its list of posts
Click on the title of your post to open and edit it
From within the Publish panel, click on the red Delete link.
A confirmation dialog box will open to inform you that you’re deleting a post and give you the opportunity to cancel the deletion. Click the OK button.
You will be redirected back to your Edit Posts screen.

Delete from the Site View:

While on the post you wish to delete, scroll down to the bottom of the post and click on the Edit this entry link.
Click on the Edit this entry link at the bottom of the post.
Your post will open in edit mode. From within the Publish panel, click on the red Delete link.
A confirmation dialog box will open to inform you that you’re deleting a post and give you the opportunity to cancel the deletion. Click the OK button.

Post Tags

Post Tags can be considered very fine categories for your blog. Posts with similar tags are linked together when a user clicks one of the tags, so that the user can view related information that might stem from different sources.

Create a Post Tag

To create a Post Tag, do the following:

From within your Dashboard, click on Posts > Post Tags.
Enter the following information:
- Tag Name: This is the name of your tag.
- Description: This can serve to further describe your tag, if necessary. By default, this text is not prominently shown on your site, but some themes may show it.
After all information has been entered, click on the Add Tag button.
Your new tag will appear in the list at the right of your screen.

Edit a Post Tag

To edit a Post Tag, do the following:

From within your Dashboard, click on Posts > Post Tags.
At the right of the screen is a list of all tags, locate the tag you want to edit and click on its name.
You’ll be redirected to the Edit Tag screen. Make any changes desired.
Click the Update Tag button.
You’ll be redirected back to the Tags main screen and your revised tag will show in the list.

Delete a Post Tag

To delete a Post Tag, do the following:

From within your Dashboard, click on Posts > Post Tags.
At the right of the screen is a list of all tags, locate the tag you want to delete and check the box next to it.
From the Bulk Actions drop down box, select Delete.
Click the Apply button.
A confirmation dialog box will open to inform you that you’re deleting an item and give you the opportunity to cancel the deletion. Click the OK button.
Your tag will be removed from the list on your Tags screen.

Create a Page

To create a Page, do the following:

From within your Dashboard, click on Pages > Add New.
Enter the following information:
- Title: This can be any reasonable length. Keep in mind that if you want to create menu items in a Pages Widget, the shorter the title the better.
- Text Editor: This is where you create the page that you want to display. There’s quite a bit to using the text editor that applies to both Pages and Posts, so we have a separate post that explicitly covers using the text editor.
- Custom Fields: Within this fieldset, you can create a custom field for your page, if desired. To create a Custom Field:
  - Name: Enter a name for your field
  - Value: Enter a value for your field.
- Discussion: Within this fieldset, you can enable or disable features that allow for commentary and tracking:
  - Allow Comments: Checking this box will allow readers of your blog the ability to add commentary.
  - Allow Pings: Checking this box will allow for trackbacks and pingbacks
    - Trackback: A software feature that notifies a blog owner of something that is occurring on another site that might be of interest.
    - Pingback: A software feature that will automatically notify a blog owner that a post of his or hers has been linked to. This information can then be used on the blog owner’s site.
- Attributes: Within this fieldset, you can create a hierarchical menu structure for your Pages. To utilize this feature:
  - Parent: This is the menu item you want your page to connect to.
  - Template: Some themes have custom templates that can be used for various pages that may have additional features or particular layouts. If any of these templates are available, they will be listed here and you can apply the template style to your page.
  - Order: This is where you can set the order of your pages. By default, pages will be ordered alphabetically. If, though, you need a different ordering, just enter a numerical value here.
- When you’re finished entering information, you have two options:
  - Save as a Draft: Click the Save Draft button, which will save this item as a draft copy, leave it unpublished, and be viewable only to you and those with adequate permission levels on your blogsite, or
  - Publish: Click the Publish button, which will publish your page and make it visible to the world.

Edit a Page

There are a couple of different ways to edit your page:

Edit from the Dashboard View:

From within the left menu, click on Pages to open your Edit Pages screen and its list of pages
Click on the title of your page to open and edit it
Click on either Save, if you want to save it as a draft, or Publish if you want to publish it for all to view.

Edit from the Right Now Panel on your Dashboard:

From within the Right Now panel, click on the Pages link to open your Edit Pages screen and its list of pages
Click on the title of your page to open and edit it
Click on either Save, if you want to save it as a draft, or Publish if you want to publish it for all to view.

Delete a Page

There are a couple of different ways to delete a page:

Delete from the Dashboard View Menu:

From within the left menu, click on Pages to open your Edit Pages screen and its list of pages
Click on the title of your page to open and edit it
From within the Publish panel, click on the red Delete link.
A confirmation dialog box will open to inform you that you’re deleting a page and give you the opportunity to cancel the deletion. Click the OK button.
You will be redirected back to your Edit Pages screen.

Delete from the Right Now panel on your Dashboard:

From within the Right Now panel, click on the Pages link to open your Edit Pages screen and its list of pages
Click on the title of your page to open and edit it
From within the Publish panel, click on the red Delete link.
A confirmation dialog box will open to inform you that you’re deleting a page and give you the opportunity to cancel the deletion. Click the OK button.
You will be redirected back to your Edit Pages screen.

The Links feature allows you to add, edit, and manage a list of external links, which you can then display, via a Widget, on your blogsite. This feature is also commonly referred to as a “blogroll”.

This is a handy tool if you ever want to display a list of external links to your blog visitors. Additionally, if you choose to keep the list private, it can be used as a reference tool for you and any others who help with your blogsite.

While within the Dashboard, when you click on the Links menu item in your left sidebar, a list of links will appear. From this screen, you can edit any existing links that may be present. By default, links to WordPress.com and WordPress.org will already exist on your blogroll.

Add New Link

To add a new link, do the following:

Click on Links > Add New
Name: Enter a name for your link.
Web Address: Enter your desired web address. Make sure that the address is correct, other wise your users will receive a 404 Page Not Found error.
Description: Optionally, you can add a description of the page that the link connects to. This will show as a tool tip when someone hovers over the link in the Link collection.
Categories: Select a category, or categories, if desired. If a suitable category is not present, you can click on the +Add New Category link to create one, if you choose to.
Target: This determines how you want the page to open up.
- _blank: opens the page in a new window or tab
- _top: opens the page in the current window or tab with no frames
- _none: opens the page in the current window or tab that you are using
Link Relationship (XFN): If you happen to be linking to another person’s web page, this optional feature will allow you a few different ways to describe how you are related to that person.
Advanced: This optional feature allows you to set some advanced options
- Image Address: Allows you to insert an image link to correspond with the blogroll link, if desired.
- RSS Address: Allows you to insert an RSS feed address, if desired.
- Notes: Allows you to keep private notes regarding the site you are creating a link to.
- Rating: Allows you to rate the content you are creating a link to.

Additionally, you have the option of keeping the link private, if you so choose, by clicking the Keep this link private checkbox.

When you’re finished adding everything you want to add, just click the Add Link button and your new link will be added to your Links collection.

Edit Link

To edit a link, click on the Links > Edit menu item in the Links menu group. This will bring up your Link collection. Just click on the title of the link you want to change to open it, make the desired changes, and then click the Update Link button.

Link Categories

Categorizing your Links can help you more easily manage large, complex Link collections. Additionally, any categories that you group your links into can be used to filter how your external links are displayed in the Links Widget.

To create a new category for your link, do the following:

Click on Links > Link Categories
Name: Provide a name for your link.
Description: Provide an optional description for your category. This can help others who work within your site to more effectively add items to an appropriate category.

When you’re finished filling out the information, just click the Add Category button. Your new category will appear in the category list at the right of the screen.

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