Create WordPress Post Thumbnail

So you’re wondering how everybody has that thumbnail for all of their posts in their blog’s homepage?

Well, if you’re using WordPress 2.9 (or above) then this will be a simple work for your theme. Otherwise, you would be doing extra work in preparing your theme (by means of using custom field feature).

Two things that you will be working on, are:

1. Your functions.php
2. Your corresponding theme file (for instance: the index.php)

functions.php

There are two things that you can define in your theme’s functions.php file. First is the function activation line:

add_theme_support( 'post-thumbnails' );

That line will enable Post Thumbnail User Interface (inside your dashboard) for both Post and Page content types. From now on, you can see an entry field – usually on the right side of your posting screen – for “Featured Image” selection.

Now the second thing is the dimension of your thumbnails

set_post_thumbnail_size( 50, 50 );

You have two options here: box-resizing and hard-cropping. Box resizing shrinks an image proportionally (that is, without distorting it), until it fits inside the “box” you’ve specified with your width and height parameters. For example, a 100×50 image in a 50×50 box would be resized to 50×25. The benefit here is that the entire image shows. The downside is that the image produced isn’t always the same size. Sometimes it will be width-limited, and sometimes it will be height-limited. If you’d like to limit images to a certain width, but don’t care how tall they are, you can specify your width and then specify a height of 9999 or something ridiculously large that will never be hit.

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Custom WordPress Maintenance Note

Recently, I moved my WordPress blog to another hosting plan. And to make sure that no changes was made during the migration process, I set a maintenance notice. Hence, visitors got nothing when they visit my blog. So no more comments being left from the database backup.

Well, the process was plain simple, with plain result. But then I learnt a way to make the notice sounds more like an “apology”. A simple custom page, to show your personalized message to your visitor. This way, people will know that there is nothing wrong with your blog, and that you simply undergoing a maintenance process.

In terms of SEO, this approach is also a good way to keep your index alive.

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Keep Your Themes Safe

There are times where I simply lack the interest to keep my things up-to-date. I’ve got my reasons. Let me tell you one; when you are doing well, no need to rush for the new trend.

Recently I’ve found a flaw (or some might use the word; bug) on WordPress 3.2.1. Not that it’s a critical one, or in such a manner that exposing your site to a security vulnerability. It simply giving people access to some things that you probably don’t want others to get their hands on.

The Uploads Folder

We all use this great engine of WordPress to simplify our interest in blog. This powerful CMS provide us with almost everything (if you are looking for the ultimate remote control, look somewhere else).

One of the great aspects of a CMS, is how it eases you getting your images and videos so that you can show them to others. Believe me, you will enjoy more in life without handling the upload process and getting the URL and stuffs all by yourself.

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