Twenty Twenty Five

Category: First things first

This is the default category for posts. If you forget to create a category it will go here. If you delete a category, the associated posts will end up here. If you cannot be bothered with categories, you can hid the category in many themes.

  • Switch your front page to any other page and enable a posts page

    Switch your front page to any other page and enable a posts page

    In the default WordPress setup the front page is set to a preset list of posts. Depending on the template you may get a grid of articles, a simple list or an embellished list, with featured images.

    Some people prefer a static page to a list of posts as this offers greater layout options – perhaps a welcoming message. But you can still add a list of posts on the static page.

    The default posts page remains a handy fallback as it gives access to the entire archive of posts. So before you switch your front page to a static page we’re going to enable a new posts page. Here’s how:

    1. Create a blank page and give it a sensible name like News, or Blog or All Posts. Don’t write anything in it, or a note to self to remind you (or your colleagues) not to edit that page! There should be a note from WordPress too.

    2. Now in Settings > Reading reassign your front page to the static page you have just created and point your posts page to the blank posts page just created.

    The posts page doesn’t have to be prominent or even in your main menu, but it makes sense to learn how to access it as it will have the authoritative and complete paginated list of all your post content.

    Rookie errors

    • To fail to assign the front page at all – the user gets a blank front page
    • To create a static website and add news manually to the front page or add new pages when something newsy happens
  • Twenty Twenty One

    Twenty Twenty One

    Is our new default theme, i.e. when you fire up a new site.

    By all means upgrade to Twenty Twenty Two, if that feels right for you or you fear being left out of the full site editing experience, but we’re old fashioned and prefer the old world editing experience and the traditional customizer – with blocks and block patterns thrown in. In other words the best of the old and the new.

    If you have just created a brand new site, don’t edit these pages – delete them instead and start afresh – or spend a little time familiarising yourself with what is possible, the different post types, and examples of block arrangements or layouts and then delete them.

    sample page – a short help guide on one page

    If you hit a problem just ping us an email:

    ourlocality@sustainingdunbar.org

  • Customise key aspects of your site or switch template

    Customise key aspects of your site or switch template

    To open up the customizer, select from the top bar or Dashboard > Appearance > Customizer. The customizer provides a key route to modifying many of the website fundamentals, e.g.:

    • Switch template
    • Change colour scheme (template dependent)
    • Change fonts and font styles (template dependent)
    • Modify menus (you can do this also from the Dashboard > Appearance > Menus)
    • Modify Widgets (these are the marginalia like the sidebar and footer, if supported)
    • Adjust the front page settings
    • Add custom styles (for advanced users mainly)

    Some templates will open up a raft of other options, sometimes a little bewildering so choose a simple template if this is your first time.

    Here’s the customizer with our website showing alongside

    The customizer’s main feature is the ability to preview the changes on screen before you commit to them. Moreover you can save a draft of your changes, share that draft with colleagues, or abandon the changes altogether later if they are not approved. You can also schedule a change to go live at a later time or date.

    KEEP IT SIMPLE

    It should not take you months and weeks to create your first website, but it is recommended that you set aside a day or so. With practice you can create and populate a simple website in just a few hours →

    Rookie errors:-

    • To invest in a complicated template feature rich but is too difficult to customize, let alone maintain
    • To create a complex architecture of blank pages to fill with content later …
    • To believe time is not your enemy … now is the time and it only runs out!