Manage pages using WordPress
From NetMusician Wiki
Last updated: January 25, 2008
The basic process for migrating pages to be controlled by the WordPress software is as follows:
- Copy and paste pages into WordPress, or else create a new WordPress page with your content for each page of your site you would like to be controlled by WordPress
- Use the "URL Modifier" Webkit module to create a clean and easy-to-remember URL you can use to access specific WordPress controlled pages
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Requirements
WordPress works best with the Mozilla Firefox web browser, but you can use any modern web browser. Some users have reported difficulties with Apple's Safari web browser, and Safari support is considered somewhat experimental by the WordPress developers, so if you are a Mac user it is suggested that you access WordPress using Firefox.
Logging in to WordPress
You can login to WordPress using the links provided within the Webkit main menu, or else you can access WordPress directly by pointing your browser to: http://www.yourdomain.com/wordpress/wp-admin). Use your standard NetMusician username and password.
Pages vs. Posts
WordPress considers a "post" an entry to a blog or a news entry where the public page displaying this content includes multiple dated entries (or posts). A WordPress "page" is a single, static page. In most cases, you will be working with WordPress pages.
Manage Page
- To the right of "Dashboard" in the button bar at the top of the admin pages, you'll find "Manage". Click on
Manage, then click onPagesbelow. - You will see a listing of all pages available to you within WordPress. Find the page you wish to edit, and click the corresponding
Editbutton.
Located directly above the "Page Content" text box for editing your text is a toolbar containing controls for adding text formatting, editing links, and there is a "Code" tab for editing HTML (for those who prefer access to make direct modifications to the HTML code). Hold your mouse pointer over each button to find out which editing function each icon represents, or click the question mark icon for further help. You resize the size of your Page Content text box by clicking and dragging on the lower right hand corner of the text box, or else you can switch to full screen view via the full screen toolbar icon.
To the right of the text box are further settings and controls. The "Page Status" controls whether or not this content is publicly accessible or still a work-in-progress. The "Page Template" controls allow you to indicate which section of your site this content belongs to.
From this page, you can make your edits and click "Save and Continue Editing" to see a preview of your page below, or "Save" to save your changes and leave this section. There is a "View" link for previewing your content as it will be visible to the public, and alternatively there is a preview below the fields for modifying your content which you can view without having to leave the page.
Handling Images
Right below the editor, you will notice a set of fields for uploading a file. Using these controls provided within the "Upload" tab you can upload images, and have a thumbnail image automatically generated from your image upload. To do so, simply fill out these fields and provide some sensible values for the "Title" and "Description" fields for your own record.
Once you have uploaded an image, you should see it available within the "Browse" or "Browse All" tabs. Click on an image to set some options, including whether you want to use the original or thumbnail version of the image. Clicking on the "Send to editor" option will make this image available in the editor where you can drag and drop the image around to where you want it placed (you might find it easier to set your insertion point in the editor before clicking "Send to editor")
Quirky behavior?
The default "Visual Rich Editor" used by WordPress to help layout pages is a little quirky, sometimes adding or removing spaces where undesirable and producing other undesirable results. Unfortunately, no "what you see is what you get" editor like this is perfect. If you are experiencing frustrations with this tool, you can disable this editor by clicking on "Profile" at the top of the page, unchecking "Use the visual rich editor when writing", and saving this change.
Creating a URL for your WordPress pages
Use the "URL Modifier" Webkit module to create a cleaner, custom URL for accessing your WordPress pages. Once you have done so, your page will be available using this URL.
