Category: Software

Plugins, themes, and anything to do with software

Redirection 2.2

I’ve just committed a new version of Redirection to trunk on the WordPress.org plugin repository. This isn’t available for auto-download just yet as I want to make sure any problems are ironed out. If you’re a willing test subject then I’d very much appreciate any feedback. The code is running on this site and hasn’t melted anything (yet).

There is little visible difference between 2.2 and 2.1.29, but internally there has been a big cleanup. Large amounts of compatibility code has been cleared away, some of it going all the way back to WordPress 2.3. I’ve optimized the database where possible, and hopefully fixed the annoying bug that surfaced when WordPress 3.0 came out (automatically redirecting your home page is not so good!)

Anyway, the changelog for this version is as follows:

  • Add Dutch translation
  • WordPress 2.9+ only – cleaned up all the old cruft
  • Better new-install process
  • Upgrades from 1.0 of Redirection no longer supported
  • Optimized DB tables

You can grab the new version from SVN:

http://svn.wp-plugins.org/redirection/trunk

If you have time there’s a short survey in the plugin that asks a few questions about how you use it. My aim is to simplify it and focus on the things people actually use, and the only way to do that is find out. You can also take part in the survey directly.

WordPress Plugin Spam

A very curious thing. Someone has registered a domain with the name of one of my plugins, copied the content from the plugin page onto a WordPress blog on the site, and then added a load of adverts.

If that isn’t irritating enough, they appear on the first page of a Google search for the plugin (thankfully at the bottom).

Fun stuff.

Gravatar Widget

If you’re in the market for a quick and simple way to display a Gravatar in a WordPress sidebar then check out the recently released Gravatar Widget plugin, as seen on WordPress.com.

Some of the features of the plugin:

  • Email address of Gravatar taken from a user on the blog, or any address
  • Change size of Gravatar
  • Image alignment
  • URL for Gravatar (when someone clicks on the image)
  • Add arbitrary text to your widget
  • Fully localized

Guangzhou Theme – WordPress and bbPress

So finally, after an extended development period and many people asking ‘are you ever releasing it’, I’ve released the theme files for the Guangzhou WordPress and bbPress theme.

As I say elsewhere:

Guangzhou is a two-column fixed width theme for both WordPress and bbPress. It is highly configurable, with two widget areas (sidebar and bottom), as well as customisable skins and many other options. It supports threaded and paged comments, making for very flexible discussion pages, as well as separating pings and trackbacks from comments – essential to keep the flow of conversation consistent.

Guangzhou has been in use on this site for over a year now and drives the appearance of both the main website and support forum. One of the main reasons for selecting bbPress for the forum was it’s integration with WordPress, and this theme brings this even closer.

I even took some extra time to make a short video:

Note that this theme requires WordPress 2.8 or bbPress 1.0

Redirection 2.1.15 – New Ajax and Japanese

Although lacking in new features, this release includes a rewrite of the administration Ajax to use the WordPress provided admin-ajax functions, as well as moving all JavaScript fully into the jQuery world. Hopefully this will solve any issues caused by strange server setups.

In addition, a Japanese translation has been provided by Naoko McCracken.

Guangzhou Theme

I’ve had a lot of queries about the theme I’m using on this site and I’ve so far answered that it’s a work-in-development and not quite ready yet. I’ve finally spent some time cleaning it up and before making it publicly available I thought it wise to give it a quick testing cycle. As such, if anyone wants to beta test the Guangzhou theme then drop me a line and I’ll send it on over.

The theme requires WordPress 2.7 or 2.8, and there’s sister theme for bbPress 1.0 (alpha). You will also need a login to this site so I can give you access to the private bug tracker. While the theme has been in use for the better part of year it has been targeted at my own requirements and I’m sure that there will be some changes needed to open it up. Saying that, it is very customisable and allows very tight integration between WordPress and bbPress, as well as Sniplets. It’s fully localised, and if you use a plugin like WP Minify then it will also seamlessly allow you to reduce CSS and JavaScript overheads to a minimum.

HeadSpace 3.6.21 – WordPress 2.3, 2.5, and 2.8

HeadSpace 3.6.21 has just been released and is in preparation for the upcoming WordPress 2.8, fixing several issues with tagging. In addition to this it also restores compatibility with WordPress 2.3 and 2.5. I’d be interested to know how many people are using older versions of WordPress (more than one major version) and whether this feature is of any use.

Also included in this version is a raw footer module that allows you to add anything to the wp_footer area of your theme.

HTML Purified – WordPress & bbPress

I’ve just released an update to HTML Purified, a plugin that replaces the standard WordPress KSES filters with the much more powerful HTML Purifier library. This release tidies up a few rough edges and is jointly compatible with both WordPress and bbPress.

That’s right, the same plugin will work with both systems and allows you to fully protect yourself from any malignant comments that may be directed at your site. It should also ensure that your comments are valid XHTML.

Note that bbPress functionality is experimental. It works on the support forum here, running bbPress 1.0 alpha 6. Your mileage may of course vary.

WordPress 2.7 Baseline

If you make use of any of my plugins then it’s likely you’ve noticed several fundamental changes, along with some tougher system requirements. I think now is a good time to actually write about these changes and discuss the reasons behind them.

I’ll start by making an admission: the release of WordPress 2.7 was a big headache for me. There, I’ve said it. I’ll continue on by stating that I love all the new features, and appreciate the updated interface and the amount of work that has gone into it (and continues to go into it). However, as a developer with around 20 plugins for WordPress, the changes in 2.7 were substantial enough that that it took considerable effort to get all my plugins working ‘properly’ again.

Continue reading WordPress 2.7 Baseline