I always find WordPress interesting when it comes to functioning it. WordPress, in a nutsell, is a blog engine, which give you the capabilities of, creating entries in a page, create pages, comment here and there. But recent update of WordPress helps so much on developing it into all other kind of website.
Here are a few which I personaly think a good hack to develop a website other than a weblog using WordPress.
Feature entries / Specific categories update
This is useful when it comes to a web magazine or a business blog.
<?php
wp_reset_query();
query_posts(‘showposts=’5&cat=Feature’);
if (have_posts()) : while (have_posts()) : the_post();
?><h1><a href=”<?php the_permalink() ?>”><?php the_title(); ?></a></h1>
<?php the_content(); ?><?php endwhile; endif; wp_reset_query(); ?>
The wp_reset_query(); is to destroy the specific query. Since it reset the query, you are free to add as much as you want on your design.
Widgetize
This is, almost certainly a feature never missed. But how to write a good one and understandable? Name it and style it. The widget code looks like this:
if ( function_exists(‘register_sidebar’) )
register_sidebar(array(
‘name’ => ‘Sidebar’,
‘before_widget’ => ‘<div class=”sidebox”>’,
‘after_widget’ => ‘</div>’,
‘before_title’ => ‘<h2>’,
‘after_title’ => ‘</h2>’,
));
On the ‘name’ => give it a name on each and every widget you designed. Some theme has more than 5 widgetized areas.
Theme options
Themeforest blog has a great tutorial about how to create a theme option. However, how you develop it is the key.
What can a theme option possibly do? Here are list of what I did after the tutorial.
- Enable disable – Almost any thing, from breadcrumb, social icons and etc.
- Feature slider with category name and number of entries
- Twitter username and it’s number of update or enable/disable the update
- Changing stylesheet
It may seems hard to create on, but it definitely easier if you understand how it work, even you’re a PHP noob, like me 
Below I compiled a list of auto-generated checkbox, text form, textarea and select input.
$settings = array(
‘desc’ = “Something about the description’,
)$themename = “WP theme option”;
$shortname = “mythemename”;
$options = array (array(
“name” => “Function name”,
“id” => “a_message”,
“std” => $settings['_message'],
“type” => “textarea”,
“note” => “A message.”,
),
array (
// More function //
),);
function mytheme_admin() {
global $themename, $shortname, $options;
if ( $_REQUEST['saved'] ) echo ‘<div id=”message” class=”updated” style=”position: absolute; top: 0px; right: 0px;”><p><strong>Settings saved</strong></p></div>’;
if ( $_REQUEST['reset'] ) echo ‘<div id=”message” class=”updated” style=”position: absolute; top: 0px; right: 0px;”><p><strong>Settings reset</strong></p></div>’;
?><form method=”post” action=”">
<?php } elseif ($value['type'] == “text”) { ?>
<p>
<h2><?php echo $value['name']; ?></h2>
<input onfocus=”this.select();” name=”<?php echo $value['id']; ?>” id=”<?php echo $value['id']; ?>” type=”<?php echo $value['type']; ?>” value=”<?php if ( get_settings( $value['id'] ) != “”) { echo get_settings( $value['id'] ); } else { echo $value['std']; } ?>” /> <?php echo $value['note']; ?></p>
<?php echo $value['div']; ?><?php } elseif ($value['type'] == “textarea”) { ?>
<p>
<h2><?php echo $value['name']; ?></h2>
<textarea name=”<?php echo $value['id']; ?>” id=”<?php echo $value['id']; ?>”><?php if ( get_option( $value['id'] ) != “”) { echo stripslashes(get_option( $value['id'] )); } else { echo stripslashes($value['std']); } ?></textarea>
<?php echo $value['note']; ?></p>
<?php echo $value['div']; ?><?php } elseif ($value['type'] == “select”) { ?>
<p>
<h2>?php echo $value['name']; ?></h2>
<select name=”<?php echo $value['id']; ?>” id=”<?php echo $value['id']; ?>”>
<?php foreach ($value['options'] as $option) { ?>
<option <?php if ( htmlspecialchars(get_option( $value['id'] )) == htmlspecialchars($option)) { echo ‘ selected=”selected”‘; } elseif ($option == $value['std']) { echo ‘ selected=”selected”‘; } ?>><?php echo $option; ?></option>
<?php } ?>
</select></p>
<?php echo $value['div']; ?><?php } elseif ($value['type'] == “checkbox”) { ?>
<p>
<h2>?php echo $value['name']; ?></h2>
<?php if(get_settings($value['id'])){ $checked = “checked=\”checked\”"; }else{ $checked = “”;}?>
<input type=”checkbox” name=”<?php echo $value['id']; ?>” id=”<?php echo $value['id']; ?>” value=”true” <?php echo $checked; ?> /> <?php echo $value['note']; ?>
</p>
<?php echo $value['div']; ?><?php } elseif ($value['type'] == “header”) { ?>
<?php } }?><div style=”clear: both; padding: 20px; overflow: hidden”>
<input name=”save” type=”submit” class=”button-primary” value=”Save changes” /><input type=”hidden” name=”action” value=”save” /></form>
<form method=”post” action=”"><input name=”reset” class=”button” type=”submit” value=”Reset” /><input type=”hidden” name=”action” value=”reset” /></form><?php }
add_action(‘admin_menu’, ‘mytheme_add_admin’);
foreach ($options as $value) { if (get_settings( $value['id'] ) === FALSE) { $$value['id'] = $value['std']; } else { $$value['id'] = get_settings( $value['id'] ); } }
foreach ($settings as $k=>$v) { $var = $shortname.’_’.$k; if (!empty($$var)) $settings[$k] = $$var; }
function dp_settings($key) { global $settings; return $settings[$key];}
?>
There, I placed all the possibility use of the options. Text, textarea, checkbox and dropdown select. Go wild with your creativity!
Page template
Sometimes, you can’t get away from create a page with a unique design. That’s what most web designer will do, even a blog.
<?php /* Template Name: Template name */ ?>
<?php get_header(); ?>
Your content is here
<?php get_sidebar(); ?>
<?php get_footer(); ?>
Web designers likes to custom design a profile page on their weblog. That is when the page template comes to play.
Custom homepage without setting
Some of us like to use the static option to set a specific homepage. But that will only help query run more and longer. To shorten it and go straight into the custom design, this code:
<?php if(is_home()) { ?>
<?php include(‘custom_design_content.php’); ?>
<?php } else { ?>
<?php get_header() ?>
<div id=”content”>
<?php include(TEMPLATEPATH . ‘/post/feature.php’); ?>
<?php if (have_posts()) : while (have_posts()) : the_post(); ?>
<?php include(TEMPLATEPATH . ‘/post/post.php’); ?>
<?php endwhile; ?><!– END Loop –>
<?php pagination(); ?>
<?php include (TEMPLATEPATH . ‘/post/pagenavi.php’); if(function_exists(‘wp_pagenavi’)) { wp_pagenavi(); } ?>
<?php else : ?>
<?php include(TEMPLATEPATH . ‘/post/none.php’); ?>
<?php endif; ?>
</div><!– END Content –>
<?php get_sidebar(); ?>
<?php get_footer(); ?><?php } ?>
So if it is on homepage or index page, it will directly show custom_design_content.php instead of the normal blog entries listing.
However, the big down side is that it cannot use static to show a blog entries page.
WordPress 3.0 was said to be better developed and was like a CMS instead of blog engine. Can’t wait for the release now Let’s see if the release helps cut short all the tips and hacks we usually found online.