After a few months in the works I’m happy to announce Custom Metaboxes and Fields for WordPress version 0.9 is out and ready for consumption. [Read more...]
Exclude categories from WordPress search results
Excluding a category (or categories) from the WordPress search results is easy peezy, however, that doesn’t stop most of the snippets I’ve found from doing it wrong.
<?php
add_filter( 'pre_get_posts', 'ja_search_filter' );/** * Exclude category 7 from search results. * * @since ?.?.? * @author Jared Atchison * @link https://gist.github.com/1300302 * * @param WP_Query $query Existing query object * @return WP_Query Amended query object */function ja_search_filter( $query ) {
if ( $query->is_search && !is_admin() ) $query->set( 'cat','-7' );
return $query;
}Steve Jobs
It’s impossible to load up Twitter, Techmeme or HackerNews without reading the tragic news of Steve Job’s death.
Like everyone else, I was incredibly saddened by the news. I will always have the fond memories of following his famous keynotes through liveblogs or occasionally even getting to stream them. Only Steve could make things like that exciting.
Like so many others, I owe much of what I do today to Steve and his company. I really started to get into computers when I was in Jr. high. The small school I attended only had Apple computers – I built the foundation of my deep interest in computers on OS7, OS8, and OS9. The first program language I learned was HyperTalk for HyperCard on OS8. Fast forward to today, I’ve since ran full circle and use only Macs in my daily work routine.
We lost a visionary 30 years too soon.
Taking advantage of the template_include filter
If you are like me, you often want to control what template file WordPress uses. Some of the methods I’ve seen around the internet try to use template_redirect. Others are even worse and employ sticking tons of conditionals inside WordPress template files (eg category.php).
Well I am here to tell you there is a much easier way. It’s fairly unknown and sparsely documented. It’s the template_include filter. [Read more...]
Starter Genesis child theme
UPDATE 1/23/2012: The starter theme has been completely rebuilt using the styles and features from Genesis 1.8. I created a new repo (and removed the old one) so the links below have been updated accordingly. Please check out the readme for more information!
This is my personal “starter” theme (base theme) I use when working with a project running the Genesis Framework. It is based on of the Sample child theme by StudioPress with some minor modifications. Feel free to use it as you see fit. Obviously, it requires the Genesis Framework. Suggestions and forks encouraged. The GitHub page contains a bit more information.
bbPress 2.0 RC5 brings Genesis compatibility
Just a few days ago bbPress 2 rc5 was released. It has a handful of tweaks, but the one I wanted to point out is addressing Genesis Framework compatibility.
Ticket #1622 was opened just 2 weeks ago by jjj and was based on the bbPress Genesis Extend plugin I had thrown together to fix a few issues with Genesis. After a week of tossing the patches back and forth with jjj, we ended up with solid fix and he committed it just in time for rc5. 
[Read more...]
Favorite OSX Apps
A buddy of mine, Gil Rutkowski (@flashingcursor), is in the process of switching over to OSX. Both to help him, and serve as a quick reference for myself, I compiled a quick list of my favorite OSX apps. Maybe it contains some hidden gems to you! [Read more...]
Genesis bbPress Extend
I recently had a project which required integrating bbPress (which, obviously I am a fan of) into a site built on top of the Genesis Framework.
From my experience, 90% of the integration went smoothly. There are a few things that may crop up and screw with your iteration depending on how you have your Genesis settings configured.
I have thrown together a quick (translation: rough) plugin that should keep these oddities for occurring. [Read more...]
Giving away 2 copies of Professional WordPress Plugin Development
The title say it all – I’m giving away 2 copies of Professional WordPress Plugin Development. Two recent events spurred me to do this.
First, lately I’ve had to deal with an obscene number of plugins that are terrible. The concept behind them is great, but the execution (code) is bad enough to warrant sticking a rusty fork in my eye. I understand, writing a good plugin is no easy task. However, thanks to new information available (such as this book), there is really no excuse for a plugin to cut corners. Or have no corners at all. I want to raise awareness and promote writing plugins the right way.
Secondly, I just released my own plugin into the wild: bbPress New Topic Notifications.
Professional WordPress Plugin Development is the best (and only) book which walks you through writing a plugin properly. It covers all the APIs and best practices, so you can be sure and receive all the praises of writing an awesome plugin.
Entering to win is simple. Just leave a comment that describes a plugin you would like to see written. Example: I’d like to see a plugin that enables avatar uploads for bbPress 2.0.
Two winners will be selected and announced on Friday.
Update: Congrats to Nick P. and Mannie S. – they were the two randomly selected winners. Check your inbox for more details! I’m hoping to run another giveaway with more goodies next month!
bbPress New Topic Notifications
Preview of the admin settings
Many people who run forums would like to know when a new topic (thread) has been posted but do not have the time to constantly check their forum for activity. This solves that!
bbPress New Topic Notifications will send an e-mail notification to specific addresses when a new topic has been posted. The users who receive notification along with a simple e-mail template is configured in the bbPress settings.
Please report any bugs you find in the comments or the plugin page on WordPress.org.
The next major item on the to-do list is to add the option for notifications when a reply is posted.
