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What You May Not Know About WordPress
The changes WordPress has made to installation and upgrade processes, along with advice on code changes and themes below.
In this article, Linda offers some advice for WordPress users who want to focus on WordPress as a content management system and who want to host that platform on a server. You'll learn about the changes WordPress has made to installation and upgrade processes, along with advice on code changes and themes below.
Upgrade Issues
In the past, WordPress upgrades often messed with template layouts, caused databases to disappear and other atrocities. Like I said, you get what you pay for, so if you intend to use open source content management systems, you need to learn how to protect yourself. WordPress upgrades, while safer to use now than in the past, still may alter your Web site. Some tips to avoid problems include:
Do not, under any circumstances, alter WordPress code. While some WordPress experts might insist on changing code to gain traction with SEO or for some other reason, you have more reasons to leave that code alone. The reasons behind this adamant mandate include:
1.WordPress often provides new upgrades because of security issues. If you alter the WordPress code, then you'll need to continue to alter that code when you upgrade. If you forget to alter the code within the upgrade, or if you forget about the changes you made altogether, you may alter the look and functionality of your site with no recourse other than to spend hours, even days, searching for that snippet that you altered to make everything right again.
2.The use of a good theme (such as those available at ThemeHybrid) allows you to alter the look and functionality of your site to your heart's content. This is the route to go rather than altering WordPress code.
3.Finally, if you alter the WordPress code, you may be offering a back door to hackers unknowingly. WordPress developers constantly are on guard against hackers, hence the constant updates and upgrades. Eventually, you may learn to love those upgrade notifications rather than fear them if you leave the WordPress code alone. You'll learn that the WordPress folks really are staying on top of any ongoing or new security issues in their platform, and upgrades usually are made for all the right reasons.
4.That said, I sometimes wait about three days to upgrade, as sometimes new upgrades create new issues. I learn about those new issues in my WordPress dashboard, which is updated constantly with news from WordPress.
Back up your site constantly and consistently. While you can backup your databases manually, you also can use a reliable plugin called WP-DB-Backup. This plugin, released under the terms of the GNU GPL, version 2, provides users with the ability to back up core WordPress database tables. But, you want to backup your databases manually before you upgrade. After you've accomplished this task one time, you won't fear it ever again.
1.Once again, WordPress Codex has offered a better tutorial than I could offer on how to back up your WordPress database using several options. They even include an option on how to restore your database should the need arise.
2.Over the years, I have learned to keep at least two database files – one on my hard drive and one on a disk or USB drive. That way, if my computer fails me, I have an external backup available.
3.Depending on how often you add information to your WordPress blog, you may want to backup a database several times per week. In that case, you can eliminate all but the previous database. The reason behind this is that you may download a corrupt database and may need to resort to the previous download. Granted, that previous backup may be lacking a few updated entries, but it's better than losing everything with a corrupt download.
4.Remember that your WordPress site also consists of files, such as images, plugins, themes and more. You also need to commit to regular backups of all of your files in your WordPress directory (including subdirectories) and your .htaccess file. While you can use programs to synch your file backups, I've learned that it takes little time to use an FTP client to download those files to my server, where I can transfer a copy to a disk. These files do not need to be backed up as often as your database, unless you're prone to making numerous changes to your theme or to in uploading images, etc.
Linda Goin
Linda Goin carries an A.A. in graphic design, a B.F.A. in visual communications with a minor in business and marketing and an M.A. in American History with a minor in the Reformation. While the latter degree doesn't seem to fit with the first two educational experiences, Linda used her 25-year design expertise on archaeological digs and in the study of material culture. Now she uses her education and experiences in social media experiments.
Accolades for her work include fifteen first-place Colorado Press Association awards, numerous fine art and graphic design awards, and interviews about content development with The Wall St. Journal, Chicago Tribune, Psychology Today, and L.A. Times.