When you first start with WordPress you’ll likely say, “Oo!” and “Ah!” It is one of those programs that is over half way to being what it should be and this wows us. What with the trashy, unfinished piles of garbage that are given snazzy names and marketed as programs these days, I do not blame anyone for being awed by WordPress.
Yet, it falls shy of perfection. Many get started and read a little here and there to help them along. For instance, they may download one of the many themes available for it and wonder where this Excerpt area is they keep talking about. It is only one of many options that are hidden that is a necessary tool.
That is exactly why this article now exists. You will find out the necessary secrets for beginning with WordPress.
1. Reveal Hidden Options and Fields in Admin Config
Screen Options is a small tab in the upper right of your user’s admin screen. It reveals a list of things that can be shown or hidden for that window based on the tick boxes.
In the Dashboard you can turn off or on the WordPress Blog feed, Other WordPress News, and in fact every section you see. When you are viewing the list of posts the Screen Options allows you to define how many posts are listed per page and which columns to show or hide. When you are viewing the Add New Post window the Screen Options is where you will be able to make visible the Excerpt section, which has for some insane reason been hidden by default.
The best way to learn what options are available under each window is to explore them yourself. Just leave the Screen Options window dropped down where you can see it while you click another option in the admin menu to the left.
2. Scripts Vanish in the Visual Editor
The Visual Editor won’t allow scripts. This is in fact a security design which makes as much sense as paving the floor in front of your front door with grease to burglars won’t be able to stand up when they want to break in. You’re going to break your own neck when you step out the door in the morning. That is what this no-script feature in your visual editor is like.
Turn off the visual editor, insert the script, and you’re in business. To turn it off, go your User config area and it is the first option.
3. Press Anything On the Internet in Firefox
While you are surfing the Net you can press anything you see to your WordPress site. You simply need the Press This button in one of your toolbars.
You can find Press This in the Tools menu. Drag it up to the toolbar where you want it. Right click and choose properties like any bookmark to rename it.
4. Post Editor Size is Too Small
The size of the post editing pane can be enlarged by dragging the lower right corner of the pane. Of course, you can shrink it that way too. Either way, the size is remembered. Another way is to change it under Settings menu – Writing – Size of Post Box.
5.Sub-Menus are Graphically Built
Sub-menus can easily be built by moving the menu item slightly to the right within the widget area and moving the top item of a list of menu entries to the left by one allows you to drag the whole group by this top entry and move anywhere you like.
Now these secrets are yours and you must pass them on.
The guest author, Ajeet Khurana, is a tech blogger. In the past, he has set up several blogs such as TechnoZeast and TechnoTropis.