Week Eleven (MGDP2060)
This article lists topics for week eleven of Web Design and Development III (MGDP2060).
Contents
In the News
Is WordPress the right solution?
Not always.
- Some websites don't need the features that WordPress provides.
- WordPress requires time and effort to set up.
- WordPress requires a database.
- WordPress is not flexible or forgiving -- you have to do things the WordPress way.
If static web pages meet your needs, and WordPress is overkill, go with static web pages.
WordPress: textbook versus classroom
The WordPress textbook ("WordPress: the Missing Manual") is designed to teach you how to:
- Build a WordPress site using a pre-existing WordPress theme
- Or, build a child theme, based on a pre-existing WordPress theme.
The techniques described in the book are useful, and powerful. If pre-existing themes (or child themes based on them) meet your needs, then use those techniques.
But note also that there is not a lot of job demand for installing pre-existing themes, or even making child themes.
The real job demand is for custom themes.
Classroom goals are somewhat different. The goal in this class is to go deeper than the book, and learn how to make a WordPress theme from scratch.
- This is an ambitious goal.
- You should not expect to make a custom theme which is as powerful as pre-existing professional themes.
- But you can learn how to get started making custom themes, and go from there.
- Another goal: learn about web servers in general, and server-side scripting (such as PHP)
WordPress can generate menus for you.
You can configure WordPress menus in a variety of different ways, for different purposes.
For example, it's common for a menu to automatically display all of the WordPress pages.
- When you add a page, a new menu item automatically appears for that page.
- When you delete a page, the menu item automatically disappears.
Links:
- https://codex.wordpress.org/WordPress_Menu_User_Guide
- https://codex.wordpress.org/Navigation_Menus
- https://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/wp_nav_menu
Bootstrap provides a navbar for navigation.
The Bootstrap navbar is responsive to device size: desktop large, desktop small, tablet, phone.
There are various different ways you can implement a Bootstrap navbar in your custom WordPress theme.
- http://twittem.github.io/wp-bootstrap-navwalker/ -- READ FOR NEXT WEEK
- https://github.com/twittem/wp-bootstrap-navwalker
- http://code.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-integrate-bootstrap-navbar-into-wordpress-theme--wp-33410
For next week
Continue working on your custom WordPress theme.
