WordPress Editors Guide
A Complete Guide to Editors Functions in WordPress
Table of Contents
Quick Start 7
Login 7
Profile 8
Edit/Add New Pages 9
Edit/Add New Posts 10
Editors Guide 11
Login 11
The Dashboard 14
The Admin Window Explained 14
The Header 14
The Sidebar 15
The Editor 16
The Dashboard 17
The Footer 19
Dashboard Modules 19
At a Glance 19
Activity 19
Quick Draft 20
WordPress Events and News 20
Admin Bar 20
Profile 21
Personal Options 22
Name 23
Contact Info 23
Content 24
Pages Vs Posts 24
Page 24
Post 24
The Editor 26
The Editor's Toolbar 26
Settings Sidebar 27
Document Sidebar 28
Block Sidebar 29
Blocks 29
Paragraph Block 29
Insert/Edit Link 30
Paragraph Block Sidebar 31
Adding a New Block 32
The Return Key 32
Add a New Block From The Editor's Toolbar 33
Add a New Block From a Block's 'More Options' 34
Add a New Block by Inserting it Between Existing Blocks 35
Changing a Block Type 35
Remove a Block 36
Block Types 37
Common Blocks - Heading 37
Common Blocks - List 37
Common Blocks - Quote 37
Common Blocks - Images 38
Resizing the Image 38
Alt Texts and Captions 39
Link Settings 39
Changing the Image 39
Remove Image Block 40
Common Blocks - Gallery 41
Common Blocks - Cover 44
Common Blocks - Audio 45
Common Blocks - Video 46
Common Blocks - File 47
Formatting Blocks - Code 48
Formatting Blocks - Classic 48
Formatting Blocks - Custom HTML 48
Formatting Blocks - Preformatted 48
Formatting Blocks - Pullquote 49
Formatting Blocks - Table 49
Formatting Blocks - Verse 50
Layout Elements Blocks - Media & Text 50
Layout Elements Blocks - Button 51
Layout Elements Blocks - Columns 52
Layout Elements Blocks - More 52
Layout Elements Blocks - Page Break 52
Layout Elements Blocks - Separator 53
Layout Elements Blocks - Spacer 53
Embed Blocks 54
Keyboard Shortcuts 54
Views 55
View Options 55
View - Top Toolbar 56
View - Spotlight Mode 56
View - Distraction-Free Writing Mode 56
Pages 56
Pages 56
Quick Edit, Trash and Post Revisions 59
Edit Page 60
The Title 61
The Permalink 62
The Content 62
Discussion 62
Page Author 63
Page Revisions 63
Publish 64
Trash A Page 65
Restore Or Delete A Page 66
Attributes 67
Add New Page 68
Posts 69
Posts 69
Edit Post 70
The Excerpt 71
Discussion 72
Stick to the Front Page 72
Post Format 72
Categories 73
Tags 73
Quick Edit 74
Trash A Post 75
Restore Or Delete A Post 76
Post Revisions 77
View 78
Add New Post 78
Tags 79
Edit Tags 80
Quick Edit 81
Categories 81
Edit Category 83
Quick Edit 84
Media 84
Add Media Directly Into A Page Or Post 84
Add Media 84
Add Image From Computer 85
Add Media From URL 87
Add Media From Media Library 88
Add Image To Gallery 89
Create Audio Or Video Playlist 91
Featured Image 92
Library 95
Edit 97
Cropping Or Scaling An Image 99
Other Editing Image Icons 102
Delete 103
View 103
Add New 103
Comments 105
Approve/Unapprove 106
Spam 106
Trash 106
Edit 107
Quick Edit 108
Reply 108
Tools 109
Press This 109
Quick Start
Login
Enter your Username or Email and Password as supplied by your web developer or IT Department to log in to the administration system.
Once you're in you will see the Dashboard:
The first thing you need to do is change your password to something more meaningful that you can remember. Click on Profile towards the left hand menu.
Profile
Here you can update any of your personal information, including your password, which is found at the bottom of this page. Click on the Update Profile button when you're done.
Now it's time to add some content or edit some existing content. If you are unsure whether you should be using Pages or Posts, read Pages vs. Posts in the Content section.
Edit/Add New Pages
- The first field you need to fill in is the page title.
- Then use the paragraph block to enter the content for your page.
| Hint: Click on the Options button, then select Full Screen Mode:
This allows you to edit your page in full screen mode, giving you greater control over your work area.
NB: Learn more about the Full Screen Mode or Spotlight Mode at The Editor section in the next few chapters of the manual. |
- When you are happy with your page, click on the Preview button found at the top right corner of the page. This will give a real life preview of how your page will look on your website.
- Once you're happy for your page to go public, click on the Publish button. If you are editing an existing page this button is called Update.
Edit/Add New Posts
Adding or Editing Posts functions much the same as Pages, however there are some additional information you can enter if you wish.
- You will need to assign the post to a category which will affect where and when the post appears on the website.
- On the right hand side underneath the Categories module you can add Tags to your post. Tags are like keywords that visitors may use to search for related articles. For example, adding the tag "wedding" to a catering article and a photography article may help your visitors find related content on your website.
- There is also an option to add a Featured Image to your page or post.
- You can add an excerpt. The Excerpt field is a summary of your post which may be used on your website to entice users to click through to read more.
- The discussion section allows you to choose whether or not the page is open to discussion by visitors to your website.
You can preview and edit posts in the same way as you do for pages. When you want to publish or save your changes click on the Publish or Update button.
Editors Guide
Welcome to the administration system that manages all of the content for your website. You have been made an Editor within the system, which means you have been granted access to create new content and edit existing content. This guide will walk you through the steps involved.
The first task you have to do is to log in to the system so you can make changes or add content.
Login
By now, you should have been given a username or email and a password by your developer or IT department.
The login screen looks like this:
Simply type your username or email into the field labeled "Username" and then click in the field labeled "Password" and enter your password.
| Hint: You can also use the "tab" key on the keyboard to move into the "Password" field and make it active. |
Take care to make sure the details you enter into both of these fields exactly match the details you have been supplied. The username is usually case-sensitive (meaning that uppercase and lowercase letters are different) and the password is always case-sensitive.
You can place a tick in the box labeled "Remember Me" and the system will attempt to remember you to save you having to enter these details next time.
| Technical: These details will be stored in the system memory until you empty your internet browser's memory or clear your history. It doesn't matter if you don't understand this all, what is important is that if you tick this box it can save you time in the future. |
Once you entered the correct details, click on the "Log In" button, or hit the "enter" key on your keyboard.
If you have forgotten your password click on the text that reads "Lost your password?" and you will be taken to this screen:
Type your username or email address into the field and click on the "Get New Password" button. A new password will be emailed to you.
Once you have your new password, login.
When you have logged in you will be taken to The Dashboard.
The Dashboard
The Dashboard screen, also considered the home page of the admin system, looks like this:
The Admin Window Explained
The Dashboard, along with all of the screens you will come across in the admin system, consists of the following four key elements:
- The Header
- The Sidebar
- The Editor
- The Footer
The Header
The header looks like this:
The header provides you with:
- A drop down list at each of these:
- WordPress Logo - that links you to WordPress information, documentation, forums and feedbacks.
- To visit your website
- For Adding New Post, Media, Link and Page
- To the user currently logged - where in you can view his/her avatar if its available, role and a link to Log Out of the system
- And a link to the Edit Comment
These features will be explained in more detail later on.
The Sidebar
The sidebar looks like this:
The sidebar provides you with a comprehensive list of tools that allow us to perform functions in the admin system. Each set of tools is grouped into what we call "widgets".
| Hint: Widgets like Posts, Media, Links and Pages has a drop down arrow in the top-right corner, which allows you to expand or collapse the widget.
You can also expand or collapse the entire sidebar by clicking on the Collapse Menu, which appears as the last link on the sidebar. This is useful for saving space on your screen. |
In order from top to bottom, our widgets are:
- The Dashboard
- Posts
- All Posts
- Add New
- Categories
- Tags
- Media
- Library
- Add New
- Pages
- All Pages
- Add New
- Comments
- Profile
- Tools
The Editor
The editor looks like this:
The editor is where you add new content or change existing content in your website. The modules in the editor change according to which tool you are using from the sidebar.
The Dashboard
On the dashboard screen there are four panels:
In order from top to bottom, our panels are:
- At a Glance
- Activity
- Quick Draft
- WordPress Events and News
Each of these panels will be explained in more detail later on.
| Hint: Many panels within the admin system can be picked up and moved around in order for you to better manage your work area.
To move a panel position, move the mouse over the grey bar at the top of the panel until the mouse becomes a cross with arrows like this:
Then hold down the mouse button and move the panel to its new location.
If a panel is unable to be moved or cannot be moved to the location you chose, it will automatically return to its original position.
Panels can also be expanded and collapsed by clicking on the down arrow in the top-right corner of each panel. |
In the top-right corner of the dashboard you will find two buttons:
- Screen Options, and
- Help
If you click on the Screen Options button a module will slide open allowing you to hide or show any of the modules in the dashboard. This gives you greater control over your work area.
Clicking on the Help button will slide open the Help module and provide tips for the screen you are in.
| Technical: This help module is designed more for developers and the IT department so more than likely you will not need it. All the help you need should be right here in this user's guide. |
The Footer
The footer looks like this:
The footer contains a link to the WordPress website and the version number of WordPress you are running. The footer also provides a visual cue for you that you are at the end of the page.
Dashboard Modules
At a Glance
The first module on the dashboard screen is called "At a glance" and provides you with a snapshot of the content in your website.
In the example there is 1 Post, 5 Pages, as well as 2 Comments.
We'll cover each of these in more detail later on.
You'll notice that the information in this module also links to the relevant sections of the admin system. For example: 1 Page links to the "Edit Pages" screen. This provides easy navigation between admin sections.
| Technical: Themes, widgets and version upgrades are tasks assigned to administrators. As an editor, you are not able to make these changes. |
Activity
The Activity module shows the most recent posts and pages that were published and also recent comments made by visitors to your website. If you position the mouse over a comment, a menu appears underneath it with the following options:
- Unapprove
- Reply
- Edit
- Spam
- Trash
There is also an All link to the Comments screen in the admin system where you can view all the comments that have been made.
We'll cover Comments in more detail later on.
Comments may not necessarily be enabled on your website. If they are not enabled then just ignore the Recent Comments module.
Quick Draft
The Quick Draft module allows you to quick note down any ideas you have for a post directly on the dashboard.
This will make sense once you have read the Add New Post section. Just know that this is a handy tool for quickly jotting down ideas while they are fresh and before you lose your train of thought.
WordPress Events and News
The WordPress News displays recent entries by WordPress developers about the general ongoing evolution of the WordPress platform. This may or may not interest you.
For day-to-day use, you could safely turn off the WordPress Blog and Other WordPress News modules by clicking on the Screen Options button in the top-right corner and un-ticking the appropriate boxes.
Admin Bar
If you enable the admin bar in your profile you will see the Admin Bar as a solid black bar that appears at the top of the page. The admin bar can be switched on or off on the "live" website in your profile settings.
Starting from the left, the admin bar contains a small WordPress logo drop down menu, which contains links to WordPress updates, WordPress site, documentation, support forums and feedback. Then, a link to the dashboard, a link to Edit Comments an Add New dropdown menu for Post, Media, Link and Page.
Across the far right part of the admin bar contains a small picture (avatar) of whoever is logged into the site. Following the avatar is the username of the person logged in and Search icon that toggles to being the Search box once clicked.
The username is a dropdown list, which consists of:
- Edit My Profile - a link to Profile page.
- Log Out - a quick way to log out your admin control.
The Admin Bar's left panel looks like this:
The right side of the Admin Bar looks like this:
Profile
You can access your profile by clicking on the Profile widget in the sidebar or clicking on your username next to the word "Howdy" in the header. This "Howdy" reference is a way of letting you know that you are logged in under your username. Some admin systems may have multiple users logged in at once so this is a useful tool for making sure you are logged in correctly.
The Profile screen looks like this:
In the Profile screen you can change your personal options, name and contact information.
Personal Options
The Visual Editor is what you will use when writing or editing posts and pages in the website. Disabling the visual editor means you will only be able to write posts and pages using html and will have no visual representation of the content you're working with.
| Caution: It is recommended that you do not tick this box unless you are an experienced html programmer and are familiar with WordPress. |
The Admin Color Scheme allows you to change the color scheme of the admin system to your preference.
Keyboard Shortcuts allow you to navigate and perform functions in the comments screen. This is useful if you receive a large number of comments from visitors to your site. If you do not have comments enabled please ignore the following paragraph.
Briefly, if the keyboard shortcuts box is ticked you can move up and down through your list of comments by using the keys "k" and "j" respectively. Once a comment is selected (as shown by a light blue background) you can use the following commands on the keyboard:
- a - approves the comment
- s - marks the comment as spam
- d - deletes the comment
- u - unapproves the comment
- r - replies to the comment, and
- q - allows for a quick edit of the comment
More information is available at the official documentation for WordPress:
http://codex.wordpress.org/Keyboard_Shortcuts
Name
Your username is set when you are established as a user in the system by the administrator and cannot be changed. You can change your first name, last name and nickname as well as how your name will be displayed on the website. Depending on how your website has been designed, your name may be displayed as an author of posts or pages that you have contributed. The option labeled "Display name publicly as" is where you can determine how you want your name displayed to the public.
Contact Info
Your email address is required and is entered when the administrator establishes you as a user in the system. If your email address is incorrect or changes, update it here. You can also enter more optional personal information like your website address as well as a brief biography. Some of this information may be shown publicly on your website depending on how it has been setup.
NB: If you are unsure about any of this, consult with your web developer or IT department.
If you have been assigned a password that you did not set, you can change your password here to one that you will remember. Measure the strength of your password with the strength indicator. Maintaining a strong password is important to make sure you are the only person logging in and making changes under your username.
| Caution: Strong passwords are at least seven characters long and contain a combination of upper and lower case letters as well as numbers and symbols such as !@#"?$%^&*() |
When you have made all of your changes, click on the "Update Profile" button and all of your personal profile details will be updated in the system.
Content
Pages Vs Posts
The admin system provides two ways of creating content for your website:
- A page, or
- A post.
To determine which is the best option for your content, you need to first understand the difference between the two.
Page
A page includes an overall structure for presenting information on your website. For example: a page will include the header, (top part of the page usually containing a logo and navigation menu), a section for the main content of the page and a footer (the bottom part of the page usually containing some legal information, copyright notices and other links). A page may also include a sidebar on the left or right hand side containing links to other sections of the site.
Pages are not generally updated or changed on a regular basis, however some of the content on a page, including posts, may be updated regularly.
Think of a page as you would if you were reading a newspaper. The one page can be broken up into many different sections for a feature article, related stories and advertisements.
Pages are generally accessed by the main navigation menu on your website.
Examples of pages on your website might include About Us, Contact Details, Mission Statement, Products and Services and Legal Information.
Post
Considering the newspaper model, a post can be thought of as essentially one article. It is written and published at a given point in time about a particular subject in a specific category and posted on a certain page. The sports page, for example may contain several posts from the sports category.
Posts are primarily written as part of a blog (web based log of events - or journal). However posts have multiple functions and using them creatively can give you greater control over the management of your websites content.
Posts belong to one or more categories and can be sorted and displayed in all sorts of ways on your website.
Examples of posts on your website might include press releases, product fact sheets, general news articles and blog entries.
| Technical: Posts can live on pages - in the main content area. Pages cannot live on posts. |
The following screenshots may help to explain the difference between a page and a post.
A page:
A post:
If you are updating your site or adding content on a regular basis, it is more than likely you will be using posts.
NB: If you are still unsure about whether or not to use a page or a post for your content, consult your web developer or IT department.
Now that you have an understanding of the difference between a page and a post, let's look at how to edit existing content or add new content.
We're going to start off easy by editing an existing page to get you familiar with the tools you need to use.
The Editor
The Editor's Toolbar
Across the top of every page or post you will see a toolbar similar to the image below:
| Add Blocks - There are over 50 different types of blocks. | |
| Undo - this reverses, or "un-does" the last thing you did in The Editor. If you hit the undo button more than once it will undo your previous actions in reverse order. | |
| Redo - this reverses the undo, or "re-does" the last thing you un-did in The Editor. So if you hit the undo button by mistake you can re-do with this button. | |
| Content Structure - This tells you how many words your have used on the page, and if you are using headings, will provide you with a Document Outline. | |
| Block Navigation - This lists the blocks you are using to construct your page. | |
| Preview - This allows you to preview your page or post before you publish it. | |
| Preview - When you have finished editing your page or post, publish it so it will appear on your website. | |
| Settings - Click this icon to toggle the settings sidebar on and off. This also contains specific settings for the block you are working on. | |
| More Tools and Options - Contains more options for modifying how the edit page appears. We will list them in details later in this manual. |
Settings Sidebar
The settings sidebar will vary depending on if you are on a Page or a Post, and which block is currently in focus. However, it consists of the following elements:
Document Sidebar
The documents section is split up into the panels. The first panel is always Status & Visibility. We will discuss these in more detail further in the manual. This will show you if the page or post has been published yet and who is the author of the page or post.
There will be other panels below this one, which can be opened and closed by clicking on the title of the panel.
Block Sidebar
The block section is also split up into different panels depending on the type of block that is currently in focus. The first panel is always a description of the block. The other panels will allow you to change settings specifically for that block.
Blocks
To add content to your page or post you need blocks. There are multiple types of blocks which we will discuss in more detail further on in this manual, but for now, let's focus on the paragraph block.
Paragraph Block
Every page or post starts with a paragraph block. After you begin to type, you will see a toolbar appear above your text. Every block has a toolbar which contains tools which are particularly relevant to that block. The paragraph block has the following tools:
| Justify left - align the text in the paragraph left. | |
| Justify Center - align the text in the center. | |
| Justify Right - align the text right. | |
| Bold - to make text bold. | |
| Italic - to put text in italics. | |
| Strikethrough - to mark text as deleted | |
| Link - insert a link to another webpage (also called a hyperlink). |
Insert/Edit Link
To add a link to your page or post, highlight the word that you want to make the link.
Then click on the insert/edit link button.
A pop up window will appear allowing you to edit your hyperlink according to what page or site you want to link to.
Type the URL of the external site your want to link to and click the apply button to create the link.
If you want to link to a page or a post on your own website, type the name of the page and post and a drop down will appear which lists the matching pages. Click the relevant page or post and then click the apply button to create the link.
Click on the link settings button (the three dots). You now of the option to make the link open in a new tab.
Once satisfied with your changes click the Add Link button.
These are basics of how to add content to your page or post. Now lets look at the anatomy of editor in more detail.
Paragraph Block Sidebar
The paragraph block sidebar contains more settings for the block, which are only accessible in the block sidebar.
In the Text Settings panel, you can change the font size for the whole paragraph block. You can add a Drop Cap, which means the first letter of the paragraph will appear larger than the other letters.
The Color Settings panel allows you to change the background color of the paragraph block, and also the test color.
The Advanced Settings panel will contain options that you should consult with your Web Developer about before you make any changes.
Adding a New Block
There are a number of ways you can add a new block to your page or post.
The Return Key
If you are using a paragraph block, the easiest way to add a new block is simply by pressing the Return key on your keyboard. Another paragraph block will instantly appear below where you were writing. You can continue to write your page or post without having to do anything else.
Add a New Block From The Editor's Toolbar
The most common way to add a new block is by clicking the plus icon on the Editor's Toolbar.
This contains all the different types of blocks available, and they have been categorized as follows:
- Most Used
- Common Blocks
- Formatting Blocks
- Layout Elements
- Widgets
- Embeds
You can also search for the block name if you already know which block you plan to use. The Most Used category will change over time to reflect which blocks you have used the most.
To add the block, simply click on it and it will be added to the end of your page or post.
Add a New Block From a Block's 'More Options'
On every block's toolbar, at the far right, there is always a More Options button. From here you can duplicate a block, remove a block, or Edit the block as HTML if you wish. You can also insert a new block, either before or after the current block.
By default, it will always insert a paragraph block, but you can change this by clicking the Block icon to the left of the block.
Add a New Block by Inserting it Between Existing Blocks
Finally, it's possible to insert a new block in between two existing blocks. When you edit a block, you will see a blue plus sign appear below the block you are editing. You can choose the type of block you want to insert, and it will appear in between the existing blocks.
Changing a Block Type
It is possible to transform an existing block into a different type of block. The kinds of block you can transform to, depend on the type of block you are using. A paragraph block can transform to:
- Heading Block
- List Block
- Quote Block
- Preformatted Block
- Verse Block
Clicking on the paragraph icon will allow you to see the transform options available.
Remove a Block
To remove a block, simply click on the options link, and then select Remove Block. It will be deleted. Any blocks below will move automatically upwards.
Block Types
Common Blocks - Heading
Introduce new sections and organize content to help visitors (and search engines) understand the structure of your content.
Common Blocks - List
You can only create one type of list within the block, either bulleted or numbered. You can indent the list to create a sub list using the indent list item button.
Common Blocks - Quote
You can add a quote and a citation. In the block Styles, you can choose between Regular and Large.
Common Blocks - Images
If you want to add a single image to content, use the Image Block. You can either:
- Upload - Upload an image directly from your computer
- Media Library - Choose an image from your media library
- Insert for URL - Paste in the URL of an image (usually from an external website).
Once you have inserted an image it will look like this:
Resizing the Image
There are number of ways you can resize the image. The easiest way is using the Image Dimensions which appear in the block settings. You can either select 25%, 50%, 75% or 100%. Or if you want to be very specific you can type the number of pixels in the width or the height. It will automatically maintain the image's aspect ratio, so if you add a height number, the width number will change automatically.
You can also select from the Image Size dropdown, as this may contain specific predefined image sizes you use for your website.
Finally, you can use the blue circles that appear to the right and the bottom of the image. This allows you to drag the image. This may be useful if you are trying to wrap text around the image.
Alt Texts and Captions
You can add a caption directly below the image which is useful if you want to describe an image. You should be adding Alt Text (Alternative Text) to all of your images which will be used to describe the image for people who can't see it. It can also be useful for Search Engine Optimization.
Link Settings
You can change where the image links to by choosing from the dropdown. It is fine to leave this as none, or you may want it to link to the Media File.
Changing the Image
To change the image, click the Edit Image icon in the toolbar.
From here you can select another image from your image library. If you want to actually edit the image, to crop it for example, you can click the Edit Image link in the Attachment Settings. This functionality is covered later in the manual.
Remove Image Block
If you need to delete an image, you do so by removing the image block.
Common Blocks - Gallery
To add multiple images to your page or post, use the Gallery Block. The Gallery block is not limited to using just images, it can use any type of media.
When you add the Gallery block, you can either upload images from your computer or you can select them from your Media library.
Select the images you want to appear, and a tick icon will appear next to them. If you change your mind, you can deselect them by clicking on them again. Or you can use the Clear link in the bottom left hand corner.
When you are ready, click the Create New Gallery button in the bottom right hand corner.
You can now Edit your Gallery. You can reorder the images by dragging and dropping them into the order your prefer. If you have changed your mind, you can delete the images by clicking on the remove icon. You can also add a caption to each of the images.
Now click Insert Gallery. The gallery will now appear in your content.
In the block settings, the number of columns will match the number of images you have inserted.
By default it will automatically crop the thumbnail images to fit the space and make them appear aligned with each other. This does not crop the full image, only the thumbnail image. You can turn this off if you prefer.
As with the image block, you can change where the images link to.
Common Blocks - Cover
A Cover block is an image or video with a text overlay. If you want to add a heading to your page or post, consider using a Cover block to make it more interesting. To change the media, click the pencil icon.
You can change the cover settings to be a fixed background. This gives the effect of the text moving over the background when you scroll up or down.
You can also change the overlay color and opacity. By default, it is set to black and at 50.
Common Blocks - Audio
You can embed a simple audio player on your page or post. After you have added the Audio Block, you then need to choose an audio file for it to play. You can either upload an audio file, or select one from your media library. To change the audio file, click on the pencil icon.
In the Audio Settings you can set the audio to Autoplay (this may not work in all web browsers), and you can set it to Loop.
If you select the Preload None, the track duration will not display until you hit the play button. This may not be the best user experience for visitors to your website.
Preload Auto means the audio will be loaded entirely when the page is loaded. This might be unnecessary if most of your visitors will not listen to the audio.
Preload Metadata will use the metadata contained in the audio file to display the track information without loading the audio.
Common Blocks - Video
You can embed a simple video player on your page or post. After you have added the Video Block, you then need to choose a video file for it to play. You can either upload a video file or select one from your media library. To change the video file, click on the pencil icon.
In the Video Settings you can set the video to Autoplay (this may not work in all web browsers). You can set it to Loop the video. You can Mute the video, so by default it would play without a sound. You can also toggle the Playback Controls.
By default, it will be set to Preload Metadata. This means the video player will use the metadata contained in the video file to show how long the video is to the visitor.
Preload Auto will load the entire video when the page is loaded. This is not recommended.
Preload None will not display any video information till the visitor clicks the play button.
Poster Image will replace the video with a background image. This can be useful if you want to create a specific thumbnail image to represent your video.
Common Blocks - File
Use the File Block if you want to provide a link to download a file like a PDF. After you add a file block, you then need to select the file from your media library or upload a new file.
In the Text Link Settings you can link it the Media File (recommended) or the Attachment Page. You can also make the link open in a new browser tab.
By default, WordPress will add a Download Button. You can turn this off if you prefer.
Formatting Blocks - Code
It is unlikely you are going to need to use the Code Block, as it for displaying code snippets on your page or posts.
Formatting Blocks - Classic
If you have used an older version of WordPress you will be familiar with the classic editor, and the Classic Block allows you to recreate the old editor.
Formatting Blocks - Custom HTML
The Custom HML block allows you enter HTML and preview it as you edit the block. If you are not familiar with HTML, you should speak with your web developer before using this block.
Formatting Blocks - Preformatted
Preformatted blocks are very similar to code blocks. The main difference is that they do not use the HTML <code> element, and have slightly different styling options.
Formatting Blocks - Pullquote
A Pullquote is similar to a normal quote however it is usually used to quote your own article. It is used to add more emphasis to a quote.
You can change the main color and the text color of a pullquote.
Formatting Blocks - Table
When you first add a table block, you will be asked how many rows and columns you wish to add. Don't worry you can change the table at any time in future, but in order to first see the table, you need to click the Create button.
You will now see your table with empty table cells.
You can format the contents of the table cells using the toolbar. If you want to change the alignment of a cell, it will change the alignment of the whole column rather than just a single cell.
The Edit Table icon in the center of the toolbar allows you to:
- Add Row Before
- Add Row After
- Delete Row
- Add Column Before
- Add Column After
- Delete Column
You can not delete the table from this toolbar; if you want to do that you will need to delete the Table block, which is available in the More Options.
In the Table Block settings, you can select a Striped style, which will make the odd rows a grey color.
You can also make the table cells a fixed with, meaning that the width will not grow any larger or smaller based on the content you add to the cell.
Formatting Blocks - Verse
The verse block is used for writing poetry. It will display all spaces and line breaks exactly as you enter them. The paragraph block will format the spaces and line breaks automatically, which is perhaps not what you want.
Layout Elements Blocks - Media & Text
If you want to add two columns, with media in one column and content in the corresponding column, then this block provides a simple way of doing this.
The content will appear in a larger font-size, when compared to paragraph text.
You can switch the content and text around using the blocks toolbar.
In the media's block settings, there is an option to "Stack on mobile". This means that when a user is visiting your page on a mobile device, the image will appear above the content, or vice versa.
Layout Elements Blocks - Button
The button block can be used when you want to prompt a user to take action. You first need to add the text that will appear on the button. Then add the URL of the location where you want to take the visitor.
In the block settings, you can change the style or the block. You can also change the background color and the text color.
Layout Elements Blocks - Columns
The column block allows you to display content in multiple columns. When you first add the block it will show 2 columns. If you wish to have more columns, go the block settings and change the number of columns.
Layout Elements Blocks - More
If you only want an excerpt of your blog post to appear, then you need to add a More Block, to mark where that excerpt ends. Any content before the more block will be shown in your excerpt on your archives page.
You can edit the text that says Read More and change it to whatever you wish.
When a visitor is reading your full post, the More block would not be visible.
It is possible to hide the teaser in the block settings. This means that the excerpt would not appear in the full post. This is not recommended as it assumes that the person has already read the excerpt. If they have not, they will most likely be confused.
Layout Elements Blocks - Page Break
If you want to separate a page or post into multi-pages you can use the page break block. This allows you to edit all the content in the one place, but by adding in page breaks, the visitor will experience the content on multiple pages. You can add as many page breaks as you like.
Layout Elements Blocks - Separator
A separator will create a horizontal break in your content. This can be useful when you want to emphasize different types of content.
In the block settings you can change the style to be:
- Short Line
- Wide Line
- Dots
Layout Elements Blocks - Spacer
If you want to add some white space between your blocks to make your page look a bit nicer, try using the spacer block. You can select the height of the white space, by either dragging the blue circle, or typing the pixel height in the settings.
Embed Blocks
All embed blocks, YouTube, Facebook etc., work in exactly the same way. Choose the type of embed block you want to include in your content; in this example we are going to use YouTube.
Paste the full YouTube URL in to the field, and then click Embed.
The YouTube video will appear in your page or post.
All the other 30 embed blocks, work in exactly the same way.
Keyboard Shortcuts
You can create headings and lists without having to use the editor toolbar. For a heading all you have to do is simply type in the editor:
## This is a sample heading
This will create a heading one (the largest heading). To create a subheading, for example - a heading three, just type:
### heading three
#### heading four
##### heading five
To create a numbered list all you need to do is type:
- first item
- second item
- third item
The editor will automatically change this to be a numbered list.
To create a bullet list simply type:
* first item
* second item
* third item
The editor will automatically change this to be a bulleted list.
Views
View Options
Click on the Show More Tools and Options icon in the editor toolbar and it will expose new menu options which allow you to customize how the edit page is arranged.
View - Top Toolbar
Selecting this option will place the toolbar permanently at the top of the editor. The toolbar will change depending on which block you are using.
View - Spotlight Mode
Selecting this option will mean that only the block which is in focus will be visible, the other blocks will fade into the background till you click on them. This can be useful if you want to focus on blocks individually.
View - Distraction-Free Writing Mode
Clicking the Full screen icon at the formatting tool will change your WordPress admin page to look like this:
Distraction-Free writing click the exit button.
Pages
Pages
You can access the Pages screen by hovering your mouse over the Pages widget and choosing All Pages from the fly out sub menus that will appear.
The Pages screen looks like this:
At the top of the Pages screen, you will find two sub-headings directly underneath the page title:
- All (total number of pages) and
- Published (number of pages actually published on the website)
Depending on the content already in your system there may be more sub-headings including:
- Pending Review (number of pages pending review)
- Draft (number of draft pages waiting to be published) and
- Private (number of pages published but not visible to the public)
These sub-headings give you a snapshot of the status of the pages in your system and will make more sense as you move through this section.
To the right of these sub-headings and underneath the screen options and help buttons you will find a search tool. This is useful for searching through all of your pages for a specific word or phrase if you have forgotten where it is.
Directly beneath the sub-headings you will find a Bulk Actions drop down menu. This menu allows you to edit or move to trash multiple pages at once. The edit function allows you to change the parent, template, comments, status or pings of multiple pages at once while the move to trash option allows you to move multiple pages to the trash bin at once.
Across this Bulk Actions drop down menu is a counter for number of pages that you already have.
The edit options will make more sense as you move through this section.
If you choose to move multiple pages to the trash at once a Trash link will appear next to the All link. The Trash link is where you can find all the items that you have deleted in the past 30 days.
To select a page for a bulk action simply place a tick in the box to the left of the page's name. Placing a tick in the box next to the word "Title" at the top of the list of pages will select all pages in the list at once. Once your pages are selected, choose an action from the Bulk Actions drop down menu and click on the Apply button.
To the immediate right of the Bulk Actions menu is the Filter Menu for filtering the pages that you wish to display, categorized from the month your WordPress blog was created. By default, it is set to display all pages from all dates.
Underneath the Bulk Actions drop down you will find a table listing all the pages in your website. The columns in the table are, from left to right:
- The select tick box (to select or deselect a page for editing or deleting)
- Title (the title of the page)
- Author (the author of the page)
- Comments
- Date (the date the page was published on the website)
Clicking on the title of the page will take you to Edit Page screen as described in the next section. Clicking on the author will filter the list of pages in the table to pages written only by that author.
At the bottom of the list there is another Bulk Actions drop down menu that functions exactly like the one at the top. This is useful if you have a large number of pages in the list and need to scroll down to view them.
If you place the mouse over a page title, a menu appears underneath it with the following options:
- Edit
- Quick Edit
- Trash, and
- View
Quick Edit, Trash and Post Revisions
Views are covered in greater detail later on. For now, let's look at editing some content.
Edit Page
The Edit Page screen looks like this:
This screen, like most screens in the admin system, can be thought of as a form that needs to be filled out.
The Title
The first field is the page title, which currently has the word "Sample Page" in it. This means the page is called "Sample Page" and will be referred to as such in the main navigation menu on your website.
If you want to change the title of this page simply type in the new title and hit the tab key to move to the next field or the enter key to save your changes.
The Permalink
The next field that may need information on is the page permalink. If you do not see the Permalink field underneath the page title it is probable that your website does not have permalinks activated, so ignore this section and move on to the content. If your website has permalinks activated, then you can enter a customized url (universal resource locator) or address for this page. This is how the rest of the world will find this page. Permalinks are used for Search Engine Visibility purposes.
NB: If you are unsure about what to use as the permalink for the page, consult your web developer or IT department.
The Content
The next field that requires information is the content of the page. This is the actual content (words and pictures) that make up the page on the website.
To edit the content start typing in the paragraph block that will already be on the page. When you hit return another paragraph block will appear.
To edit or add text, simply type.
Discussion
The discussion section is the Document Sidebar. It allows you to choose whether or not the page is open to discussion by visitors to your website. You have the option:
- Allow Comments
Allowing comments will allow visitors to leave a comment on your page. Allowing pings will allow visitors to link to your page from their own page and will appear in your comments section as a link.
Comments may or may not be enabled on your site, so setting these options here may have no effect on the way your site looks and behaves.
NB: You should consult your web developer or IT department about whether or not your site is enabled for Comments.
Page Author
The Page Author is available in the Status & Visibility section of the sidebar. A drop down list allows you to choose the author of the page. This may be handy if your website is designed to display archives of content by specific people in your organization.
Page Revisions
The Page Revisions will appear in the document sidebar after you have made a change to your page.
This section shows you when this page has been revised and by whom. Clicking on a revision's date will show you the page as it existed at that point in time, using the basic html viewer, not the visual viewer. This is useful if you have made some changes and updated the page but decide you want to go back to where you were earlier on.
Underneath the page content you now have the option to compare revisions by selecting the left hand radio button of one and the right hand radio button of another in the page revisions list and clicking on the Compare Revisions button.
The older revision is shown on the left and the newer revision on the right. The differences will be highlighted so you can easily decide which version you want to use.
Once you have decided which version to use, identify the revision by its date and time stamp and then choose "Restore" next to the revision in the Page Revisions list below to restore that revision as the page. This revision then becomes the updated page replacing the current version, which then becomes the first revision in the Page Revisions list, so you'll never lose a version of the page.
Publish
One of your best friends in the admin system is the "Preview" button. This button allows you to preview changes before you publish them for the public to see. The preview button will show you exactly what the page will look like by opening a new window of your browser and displaying your changes. At this point, the public cannot see your work.
You can preview your changes and make more alterations for as long as you like without the public ever seeing your changes as long as you don't hit the "Update Page" button. Once you click the "Update Page" button your changes will be published on your website for the rest of the world to enjoy.
Underneath the Preview button there is some information about your page and who has access to it online.
Clicking on the Edit link next to "Status : Published" will give you a drop down list with three options:
- Published (for the world to see)
- Pending Review (for a colleague to review before publishing)
- Draft (for you to keep working on before publishing)
Clicking on the Edit link next to "Visibility : Public" will give you a drop down list with three options:
- Public (for the world to see)
- Password protected (at which point you will need to enter a password and only those with the password will be able to view it on the website)
- Private (only visible in the admin system)
The publish date option allows you to choose when the page is to be published. If you choose a time in the future, the page will not be visible on your site until that time.
Once you are happy with your settings, click on the "Update Page" button to save your changes.
| Hint: The "Update Page" button may change to "Publish" depending on the status of your page |
Trash A Page
To delete a page, click on the "Move to Trash" link to the left of the "Update" button. That page will be moved to the Trash link located next to the All link.
You can undo the deletion of the page by clicking the link that will appear above after you click the Move to Trash button.
| Caution: Once a page has been moved to Trash, you can recover it (see Next link below). |
Restore Or Delete A Page
If a Trash link exists, located next to the All link, you may want to click on it to locate all the pages that you have deleted for the past 30 days.
Hover your mouse over to the title of the page that you want to delete or restore, and a sub-menu of options will appear below.
Choose Restore to recover your deleted page or choose Delete Permanently to delete the page forever.
| Caution: WordPress will empty the trash every 30 days. |
Attributes
You can change the following additional page attributes in this section:
- Parent
- If there are multiple pages in your system, you can assign a page as the parent for this page. This page then becomes a sub-page or child of the parent. For example: Design, might be a sub-page of the page Services. In this case you would make Services the parent for the page Design.
- Template
- You can assign a template for each page based on how your website has been developed.
- Order
- You can change the order of the pages in your website hierarchy which may affect the way they are displayed in your navigation menu.
NB: You should consult your web developer or IT Department before changing any of these attributes.
To save your changes, click on the Update Page button.
Add New Page
You can access the Add New Page screen by choosing Add New from the Pages widget in the sidebar.
The Add New Page screen looks like this:
This screen functions exactly like the Edit Page screen with the exception that the "Update Page" button is now the "Publish" button because the page has never been published. Once the page is published this button will become the "Update Page" button.
There is no content on a new page so you are free to be creative and design your own page from scratch.
| Hint: It's a good idea to plan your page on paper or in an application you are familiar with, like Microsoft Word for example, before entering the content into the admin system. |
Posts
Posts
Please read the Pages and Add New Page sections before continuing with this section.
You can access the Posts screen by choosing All Posts from the Posts widget in the sidebar
The Posts screen looks like this:
This screen functions exactly like the Pages screen with the following additions:
- Next to the Bulk Actions menu there are two filter options that allow you to view posts according to either date or category. Simply choose your desired option from the drop down menu and click on the Filter This is useful if you have many posts in the system and gives you greater control over your work area.
- On the far right of the filter options there are two buttons allowing you to view posts in List View (the default setting) or Excerpt View. Excerpt View displays an excerpt of each post giving you more information about your content so you can make an accurate decision about the post you wish to edit. Next to it is the Total number of posts that you already created.
- In the list of posts that are available to edit you will also notice two additional columns, Categories and Tags. These will be explained in greater detail later on.
As in the Pages screen, clicking on the post title will take you to the Post screen as described in the next section. Clicking on the author will filter the posts in the list to posts written only by that author. Clicking on the category will filter the posts in the table to posts belonging only to that category. Clicking on a tag will filter the posts in the table to posts assigned that tag.
Edit Post
The Edit Post screen looks like this:
This screen functions exactly like the Edit Page screen with the following additions:
- All references to Page are now to
- In the Publish section under the Visibility setting there is an option to stick the post to the front page of the website.
- Instead of Attributes you will find Format, Categories, Tags and Featured Image on the right hand side underneath the Publish
As in the Edit Pages screen, clicking on the post title will take you to the Post screen as described in the next section. Clicking on the author will filter the posts in the list to posts written only by that author. Clicking on the category will filter the posts in the table to posts belonging only to that category. Clicking on a tag will filter the posts in the table to posts assigned that tag.
The Excerpt
The Excerpt can be edit in the documents sidebar. It is a summary of your post which may be used on your website to entice users to click through to read more. This is similar to splitting a page or post with the more tag, however the excerpt allows you to grab any section of the post and use it as a summary of the content, whereas the more tag just uses the content that comes before it. If you can not see the excerpt field, then you must enable it in the screen options.
Discussion
By default all block posts will allow comments. There is an additional option which does not appear on the pages section which is to allow Pingbacks & Trackbacks.
This allows you to notify other blogs that you may have referenced in your post of your content. For example: if you have quoted an article written on another blog in your post you can enter the address of the other blog in this field and they will be notified of your post. This is useful for building incoming links to your site. If you enter more than one web address (or URL) separate them with a space.
NB: You should consult your web developer or IT Department before using trackbacks.
Stick to the Front Page
In the Document section, there is an option to stick the post to the front page of the website. This means that this post is ranked as highly important and will always show on the front page of the website regardless of any other content being displayed. This functionality may or may not be utilized in the development of your site.
NB: You should consult your web developer or IT Department before using the stick to the Frontpage function.
Post Format
Post Format, allows setting a post as a certain format. Some example formats are: standards; aside; gallery; link; status; image and quote. This will allow themes to style these posts according to format.
Setting a post format will change the way posts are being displayed into the site.
For example if you set your post to have aside format, when you view the list of your posts on your actual website you will notice titles are gone.
Once you set up your post to have a definite format option. You will notice its post format is indicated next to the title of your post.
NB: You should consult your web developer or IT Department before using format.
Categories
Content on your website is more than likely divided up into several categories relating to subject matter. For example: a financial planner's website may be divided into the categories, "shares", "superannuation" and "property". Assigning a post to a category will determine where exactly on the website the post will be displayed.
To assign a post to a category, simply place a tick in the box next to the category name. You can assign a post to more than one category. If you do not assign a post to a category it will be assigned to the "Uncategorized" category by default.
To add a new category, click on the link that reads "+ Add New Category" and enter the name of the new category.
Tags
Tags allow you to assign one or more tags, or keywords, to a post. If your website has been developed to display tags they can help your users navigate to other posts containing similar information or keywords. For example: a post about catering for a wedding may contain the keywords "catering" and "wedding". Clicking on the tag "wedding" may take the user to other posts assigned the tag "wedding" like booking a wedding photographer, or finding wedding cars.
To add a tag to a post, enter the tag in the Add new tag field and click on the Add button. The tag will appear below immediately with the heading Tags used on this post:
To remove a tag from a post, click on the "x" next to the tag in the list.
To choose from a list of the most widely used tags in the site, click on the link that reads "Choose from the most popular tags" and a list of tags will appear for you to choose from. Simply click on the tag(s) you want to use and they will automatically be linked to this post.
NB: You should consult your web developer or IT Department before using tags.
Quick Edit
As previously detailed, placing the mouse over a page or post title in the Edit Pages or Edit Posts screen gives you the option to Edit, Quick Edit, Delete or View the page or post. We have covered the Edit option in length so now it's time to look at the other options available.
The Quick Edit Page screen looks like this:
From this screen you can make quick changes to the page without editing the actual content of the page.
On the left hand side you can change the title, the slug, the date of publication, the author and the visibility (that is whether or not the page is password protected or private).
On the right hand side you can edit the page parent, the order of the page in the main menu, the template assigned to the page as well as allowing or disallowing comments and/or pings and finally the publication status of the page.
You can cancel your changes at anytime by clicking on the Cancel button, or you can save your changes by clicking on the Update Page button.
The Quick Edit Post screen looks like this:
From this screen you can make quick changes to the post without editing the actual content of the post.
On the left hand side you can change the title, the slug, the date of publication, the author and the visibility (that is whether or not the post is password protected or private).
On the right hand side you can edit the categories the post belongs to, the tags assigned to the post as well as allowing or disallowing comments and/or pings and finally the publication status of the post including whether or not the post is sticky.
You can cancel your changes at anytime by clicking on the Cancel button or you can save your changes by clicking on the Update button.
Trash A Post
Clicking on the Trash option under any page or post title will allow you to move that certain page or post to a Trash bin and you could confirm this action as soon as a confirmation message shows above saying that your page or post has been moved to trash with an Undo link.
| Hint: Once a page or post has been moved to Trash, you can recover it (see Next link below). |
Restore Or Delete A Post
If a Trash link exists, located next to the All link, you may want to click it to locate all the posts that you have deleted over the past 30 days.
Hover your mouse over to the title of the post that you want to delete or restore, and a sub menu of options will appear below.
Choose Restore to recover back your deleted post or choose Delete Permanently to delete the post forever.
| Caution: WordPress will empty the trash every 30 days. |
Post Revisions
What happens when you decide you need to go back and retrieve that version of the post you edited three days ago, or three weeks, or three months? On the edit post screen, there is a revisions box, which lists a different version of the posts in the system. Click on the version of the post you want to review.
On the compare revisions screen, you can use the timeline slider to compare the changes of the post over time. You can also use the "next" and "previous" buttons to move through the timeline. The red box on the left indicates what was changed in the previous version and the green box on the right shows the new changes in the latest version.
If you want to compare the difference between two specific revisions, tick the compare revisions check box and position the two markers on the timeline to specify the revisions that you wish to compare. To restore the post to a previous version, untick the compare revisions check box, move the marker along the timeline to the revision you want and then click the "restore" revisions and click the update button to save your changes.
View
Clicking on the View option under a page or post title will take you to the page or post on your website so you can see how it appears to the rest of the world.
Add New Post
You can access the Add New Post screen by choosing Add New from the Posts widget in the sidebar
The Add New Post screen looks like this:
This screen functions are exactly like the Edit Post screen with the exception that the "Update Post" button is now the "Publish" button because the post has never been published. Once the post is published this button will become the "Update Post" button.
There is no content on a new post so you are free to be creative and design your own post from scratch.
Tags
You can access the Tags screen by choosing Tags from the Posts widget in the sidebar
The Tags screen looks like this:
Add New Tag section is at the top of the screen. To add a new tag enter the Tag name and Tag slug and click on the Add Tag button. The tag name can be the full name of the tag to be used, for example "wedding". The slug will be a search engine friendly version of the tag. If you do not enter the slug, the system will automatically create one consisting of all lowercase words separated by a hyphen, for example "wedding ".
On the right of the screen is a table that lists all of the tags in the system. Clicking on the tag name will take you to the edit tag screen for that tag. Clicking on the number under posts will take to you to the Edit Post screen with a list of posts assigned with this tag.
Placing the mouse over the name of a tag in the list displays a menu of options as previously explained.
The Bulk Actions menu functions as previously explained.
Edit Tags
The Edit Tag screen looks like this:
Simply edit the tag name and tag slug and click on the Update Tag button to make your changes.
Quick Edit
Quick Edit allows you to edit the name and slug of the tag only.
Categories
You can access the Categories screen by choosing Categories from the Posts widget in the sidebar
The Categories screen looks like this:
Directly beneath the popular categories list is the Add a New Category section. Popular Categories are listed at the top of the screen. Clicking on a category in the list will take you to the Edit Categories screen, which is described in the next section.
To add a new category enter the Category Name and Category Slug, choose a Category Parent from the drop down list, enter the Description for the category and click on the Add Category button.
The category name can be the full name of the category to be used, for example "wedding". The slug will be a search engine friendly version of the category. If you do not enter the slug the system will automatically create one consisting of all lowercase words separated by a hyphen, for example "wedding ".
| Hint: Categories can have a hierarchy. For example, "Weddings" may be a parent category for the sub-categories of "catering", "photography" and "cars". If the category you are adding is a sub-category, choose the parent category from the drop down list. |
On the right of the screen is a table that lists all of the categories in the system. Clicking on the category name will take you to the edit category screen for that category. Clicking on the number under posts will take to you to the Edit Post screen with a list of posts assigned to this category.
Placing the mouse over the name of a category in the list displays a menu of options as previously explained.
The Bulk Actions menu functions as previously explained in the Edit Pages section.
You do not have access rights to use the category to tag converter so just ignore this option.
Edit Category
The Edit Category screen looks like this:
Simply edit the category name, category slug, category parent and description and click on the Update Category button to make your changes.
Quick Edit
Quick Edit allows you to edit the name and slug of the category only.
Media
Adding media to your website can be done in one of two ways:
- Directly into a page or post
- Added to the media library and then added to a page or post
Firstly, let's look at adding media directly into a page or post.
Add Media Directly Into A Page Or Post
If you want to add media into a page or post, the easiest way to do this is to simply drag an image from your desktop directly onto the editor.
Add Media
You can add media using the relevant blocks which we have already discussed. The Insert Media dialogue box looks like this.
There are three locations you can choose to add an image from…
- From your computer
- Another webpage (From URL)
- Media Library
Once you have added media to your page you can also add it to a gallery, which will display thumbnails of your media on the page and provide links to the individual files. This is handy if you're using multiple images on the one page for example. This is covered in greater detail in the Add Image To Gallery section.
Add Image From Computer
To add an image from your computer, you can either click on the Select Files button or drag the media inside the big dotted square.
After you have uploaded your images into the system you will be able to add titles and descriptions as well as set the size and alignment of the image on your page:
The uploader will now show you a thumbnail (small, cropped version) of the image you uploaded. Enter a title for your image as well as a caption and a description. Depending on the way your website has been developed, the caption and/or description may appear below the image on your page. Entering a title and caption for each image will help your webpage become more visible to search engines like Google and Yahoo!
If you want the image to link to another page, enter a URL in the Link URL field. You can also use the File URL button to have the image link to itself (which will display the image on its own page) or the Post URL button to have the image link back to the same page we are already on. This may help people find your webpage who are searching the internet using an image search tool like Google Images for example.
The alignment setting allows you to align the image to the left of the text, in the center or to the right. Any of these settings will force the text to wrap around the image. A setting of none will place the image on its own line and the text will appear above and below it but not next to it.
The size of the image can also be set by choosing thumbnail, medium, large or full size. Be aware that choosing thumbnail may crop your image and display the center of your image so you may lose information towards the edges. The image will appear on your website very similar to the thumbnail that appears on this very screen.
When you are happy with your settings, click on the Insert into Post button to insert the image into your page.
| Hint: The Add Media functionality is identical for adding media to a page or a post. |
Add Media From URL
The Add Media From URL screen looks like this:
To add media from a URL, enter the full URL into the URL field, the media title into the Title field and a caption into the Image Caption field.
Then choose the alignment of the image as None, Left, Center or Right as previously explained.
Finally choose a link for the image and click on the Insert into Post button.
Add Media From Media Library
At the top right of this screen, a search bar allows you to search for specific media. At the top left your existing media is displayed by type, (All, Image, Video, Audio) to give you a quick reference as to how much media you have at your disposal.
Clicking on any image will bring up its properties to the right:
These options are identical to the options given when you Add Media From Computer. When you are happy with your settings, click on the Insert into Post button to insert your image inside your post or click to Use as Featured Image link to use the image as the main representation of your post. If you wish to make changes to the settings for the files in the media library without inserting any media into your page or post, click on the Save all changes button. This will remember the changes you have made for the next time you access the media library.
Alternatively, if you wish to delete the file from your media library, click on the Delete permanently link.
Add Image To Gallery
The Add Image To Gallery screen looks like this:
Any media you add to a page or post is automatically included in a Gallery for that page or post.
You can sort the order of media in the gallery by clicking on any media file, holding down the mouse button and dragging it to a new position in the list. You can also manually enter the order for each media file in the Order box.
Clicking on the Show link will show you the options as previously explained in the media library section.
The gallery settings on this page allow you to link the thumbnails of your media files to either the image file (displayed on its own in the web browser) or the attachment page which looks and feels like a normal post on your website but contains only the media file.
You can also choose to display the images by menu order (as they appear in the list above) by name or date. Choosing descending will reverse the order you have chosen. Gallery columns will organize the gallery into the number of columns you specify. For example, if you specify three columns and you have five images on the gallery, the gallery will display a row of three thumbnails followed by a second row of two.
Once you are happy with your settings, click on the Insert gallery button to insert the gallery into your page or post.
Create Audio Or Video Playlist
To create an audio or video playlist, simply start by adding audio files to your media files as explained above. Audio and Video files are treated in the same way as image files.
Click on Create Audio Playlist. Then select the audio files you want to be part of the playlist.
Then click on create a new playlist, and you can now reorder the tracks. After you are happy with the order of the tracks, click insert audio playlist.
The playlist will appear when you publish your page.
Featured Image
Featured Image Panel looks like this:
To set a featured image for a post or page, scroll to the bottom right of the edit screen, and click featured image.
You can either, upload an image from your computer or from a URL, if you already have uploaded image to this page or post, then you can choose one from the Gallery, or you can choose from the Media Library.
Once you have chosen an image, you can edit the title, alternative text, caption and description.
Scroll down and click - Use as featured image.
Your Featured Panel will now look like this:
Then click update button to save all changes.
If your website has been set up to use this feature then this image will be used to represent this page or post.
Library
The Media Library can be accessed from the Media widget:
By default, the Media Library lists all the media that has been uploaded into the system in a Grid View.
You can toggle between the view options from Grid View to List view by clicking the icons above.
The Media Library lists all the media that has been uploaded into the system. Whether you upload media directly into pages or posts or into the media library, once any media has been uploaded into the system it will be available for you to use in the media library. Once the media is in the media library it can be used on any page or post throughout the site.
At the top left of the Media Library screen, your media is sorted into type and tallied to give you a quick reference as to how much media, and what type of media are available for you to use. Clicking on any of these headings will filter the list to media of that type only. At the top right of the screen there is a handy Search bar allowing you to search the Media Library for any files containing particular words. Underneath the Search bar is the number of Items the Media Library currently has.
| Technical: This search function will search the file names, titles and descriptions of all files in the library. |
Directly beneath the media type headings and search bar is the Bulk Actions drop down menu which essentially allows you to delete multiple files at once as previously explained. Next to the Bulk Actions menu is a date filter that allows you to filter the media list to media uploaded in a certain month. Simply choose the date you require from the drop down list and click on the Filter button.
Below the bulk actions and filter tools is the list of media. The list displays a thumbnail of the media file, the file name and type, the author who uploaded the media, any pages or posts the media file is currently attached to, any comments on those pages or posts, and the date the media was uploaded. Media that is not an image will show a generic thumbnail for that media type. For example, Audio will show a thumbnail of musical notes, and Video will show a thumbnail of a clapperboard with a play button.
Clicking on the page or post in the "Attached to" column will take you to the Edit screen for that page or post.
Clicking on the comments icon will take you to the Edit screen, which is covered in more detail later.
Placing the mouse over the media file thumbnail or name will display the Options menu, allowing you to Edit or Delete Permanently the media file or View the media file as its own post.
Edit
Clicking on a thumbnail on Grid View will pop-up a new window and allow you to edit your media details. Once you've made your changes, you can click the "x" button on the top right hand of the page and your changes will be saved automatically.
Clicking on Edit on List View, or in fact the media file name or thumbnail, will take you to the Edit Media screen, which looks like this:
At the top of the Edit Media screen, you will find a larger thumbnail of the media file, the file name, type, and the date when it was uploaded.
Click on the Edit Image button (button shown below), and it will lead you to an image editor. This section is further explained when you click on the Next link below.
The fields you can edit are the Title, Caption and Description.
Once you are happy with your changes, click on the Update Media button.
Cropping Or Scaling An Image
The Edit Media Toolbar
| Crop | |
| Rotate Counter Clockwise | |
| Rotate Clockwise | |
| Flip Vertically | |
| Flip Horizontally | |
| Undo | |
| Redo |
To crop an image, click and drag the mouse to the image to select the desired part. If satisfied with the desired part, click the crop icon in the Edit Media toolbar.
You may click the help link beside the image crop title to help you with cropping the image.
When you wish to scale an image, click Scale Image on the right part of the page.
Change dimensions according to your desired size and hit the Scale button.
When done editing, you may hit Save and Update Media, to save the changes you have made.
Other Editing Image Icons
Other editing icons for images include rotating counter-clockwise and clockwise, flipping vertically and horizontally, undo and redo.
You may rotate an image, either counter-clockwise or clockwise, with the help of the second and the third icon from the left of the editing image toolbar.
And you may flip an image, either vertically or horizontally, with the help of the fourth and fifth icon from the left of the editing image toolbar.
Finally, the two other icons left are helpful if you wish to undo or redo an editing action that you have just made.
Thumbnail Settings gives you an option on where you want to apply the changes you made with the image.
When done editing, you may hit Save and Update Media, to save the changes you have made.
Delete
Clicking on the Delete Permanently option under any media file title will delete the media file permanently.
| Caution: Once a media file has been deleted, you cannot get it back. |
View
Clicking on View will show you the media file as its own post on your website.
Add New
You can add new media directly to the media library by clicking on Add New in the Media widget:
The Add New Media, or Upload New Media screen looks like this:
To add new media either click on the Select Files button or drag and drop the media file that you want to upload. This functions exactly the same as adding media directly to a page or post.
Once you have uploaded your file you will be able to set the Title, Caption and Description for the file:
Enter the Title, Caption and Description into the appropriate fields and click on the Save all changes button to save your changes in the media library.
Comments
Visitors to your site can make comments on pages or posts. Comments are a good way to encourage user contributions to your site and help foster a sense of community. Comments may or may not be enabled on your site depending on how it has been developed.
NB: If you are unsure about whether or not comments are enabled, consult with your web developer or IT department.
If comments are enabled then you can view, edit and reply to comments by clicking on the Comments widget in the sidebar. You can also mark comments as spam, approve or unapprove them and delete them.
The Edit Comments screen looks like this:
This screen displays any comments made by visitors on your website. At the top left of the screen your comments are sorted into status and tallied. At the top right is the Search tool. Under the Search tool is the Total number of Comments.
Underneath the tally headings are the familiar Bulk Actions and Filter tools. The filter tool allows you to view comments, pings or both in the table list.
The table of comments displays the Author, that is the actual visitor to your website who made the comment, the comment itself and the post or page the comment was made on.
Placing the mouse over any comment in the list will display a menu of options. The comments menu options are:
- Approve/Unapprove
- Reply
- Quick Edit
- Edit
- Spam, and
- Trash
Approve/Unapprove
If a comment is approved it will be visible to the public on your website. Depending on the nature and/or subject matter of the comment you may want to prevent it from being displayed on the website until further consideration by yourself or a colleague. If you "Unapprove" a comment it will be marked as pending. This means the comment remains in the system but is not published on the website until it is approved.
Spam
If a comment is considered spam it may automatically end up in the spam section, depending on how your site has been developed. If you think a comment is spam and it has been approved, or is marked as "pending", you can mark it as "spam" and the system will hold the comment in the spam section until further action. From the spam section you can approve comments to be published or delete them. This works in a similar way to the spam filters in many popular email programs.
Trash
Clicking on the Trash option under any comment will move that comment to the Trash link located above, next to the Spam link.
Click the Trash link to locate all the items that you have deleted for the past 30 days.
Hover your mouse over to the title of the comment that you want to delete or restore, and a sub-menu of options will appear below.
Choose Restore to recover back your deleted comment or choose Delete Permanently to delete the comment forever.
Edit
The Edit Comment screen looks like this:
This screen allows you to edit the comment, including the author's name, email and URL, as well as the body of the comment. You can also change the status of the comment by using the radio buttons in the right-hand side Status widget.
To save your changes, click on the Update Comment button or click on the Move to Trash link to move the comment to Trash.
Quick Edit
The Quick Edit comment screen looks like this:
This screen allows you to edit the author's name, email and URL as well as the body of the comment from within the comments list table, without loading a whole new page.
Reply
The Reply To Comment screen looks like this:
This screen allows you to reply to any comment on your website. Simply enter your reply in the bottom half of the editor and click on the Reply button or the Cancel button to cancel your reply. Once you submit a reply it will be published on you website for the public to view.
Tools
Press This
Some of the following information has been sourced from Lorelle on WordPress:
http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2005/09/15/wordpress-power-user-features-just-press-it/
Press This is a bookmarklet: a little application that runs in your web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari) and lets you grab bits of websites and publish them on your website.
You need to save the Press This application to your bookmarks or favorites before you can use it.
Then, when you are visiting a site you want to post about on your website, just click the Press This link in your favorites or bookmarks and a window will pop up with either your website's login or, if you are already logged in, a condensed version of the Write Post screen. Inside will be the title filled out with the title of the website you are visiting (if there is one) and a link in the Editing text area. You just fill in the text, mark the categories, then save it as a draft or private or publish it.
The Press This screen looks like this:
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NB: Before using Press This you should consult with your web developer or IT department and you should seek legal advice regarding using content from other websites on your own site.