WordPress website changes

[dthomsen8]

The WordPress website I am developing is finally looking fairly reasonable.

Take a look. (http://cccpap.org)

Questions:

1) How do I make the pages of this CMS into a structure, that is, with a Home page, and, for instance, a Membership page with an Application page below it? (Currently, every page is on the same level, on the menu on the right.)

2)Worse yet, some long names are in tiny print in that menu. Yes, I am going to look for a CSS to change, but why are there different sizes?

3)What is a Category? Must I have one, or can I hide it? I can imagine why categories would be useful in a blog, but this is a website, not a blog.

4)Must every page online be displayed on the menu? The Mission_old is just that, an old version of the Mission page, but must I display it or else just delete it?

[ktinkel]

1) One common approach is to use Pages (not Posts) for all the pages you propose (which you seem to have done). Pages do not require categories.

Then in Settings, you tell WordPress to use About (or some other Page) as your Home page. In the Sidebar, you could change the heading from Pages to some other, more descriptive name.

2) I see only two sizes: the headings (Pages, Archives, etc.) and the lists of titles (About, Membership, Mission, etc.). The differences relate to headings vs topics.

3) Category is something like a key word, or, literally, a category: fruit, vegetables, meat, whatever. I am tired and not feeling very creative about this, but you can comment out anything you like in the sidebar.php, including the headings.

4) Do you want people to be able to find the Mission_Old? If so, you need to accommodate it somehow, but maybe only by a link from another page.

I need to think a bit about this. I am trying to do what you are, but right this minute cannot figure out the best approach.

[Kelvyn]

David, although WordPress is really a blogging system it can work well as a basic CMS. There is a good example of a WP based site here (http://www.castlerigg.co.uk/). You have to play with different ways of working to get it to do what is right for your users.

Looking at the site of your template developer I see a small text issue there, too. WP css is not too difficult to work with so it should be relatively easy to fix.

The big advantage with WP is the ease of updating news items and inviting comments on proposals or news items. WP anti-spam tools are pretty good at preventing spam posts in comments, but it would be advisable to use a registration/login system. This also allow you to keep a record of interested parties.

[dthomsen8]

...
I need to think a bit about this. I am trying to do what you are, but right this minute cannot figure out the best approach.I find that sleeping on it, especially after dinner, is better than playing with it then.

I do see that it is best to look at the site on my wife's computer using the refresh as I do updates. On my own computer, it seems that WP knows I am an administrator and puts the Admin logon at the bottom of the page, but that doesn't happen elsewhere. Since the two computers are side by side, looking at results there is easy to do.

[ktinkel]

I find that sleeping on it, especially after dinner, is better than playing with it then.And now I have no time; we are going to Trader Joe’s and I need to prepare! <g>

I do see that it is best to look at the site on my wife's computer using the refresh as I do updates. On my own computer, it seems that WP knows I am an administrator and puts the Admin logon at the bottom of the page, but that doesn't happen elsewhere. Since the two computers are side by side, looking at results there is easy to do.That’s a good idea, and maybe I will try it, as I have an older computer right next to my regular one.

Usually I use two browsers: Firefox for viewing (where I can use the Web Developer plugin, a fabulous tool for finding your way around the CSS) and Safari for editing, the two pages side by side. I realize that the admin log-in would not be there for a regular visitor. (Actually, if you never log in in the viewing browser, it will not know you are admin, either.)

But I like your method, and will try it next time. Less confusing, and I can open the editor page the way WordPress wants me to (boo, hiss).