With the release of WordPress 2.7 just around the corner, I've had a chance to look at the new features and the updates needed to your theme to make use of these new features. Whilst older themes will continue to work with 2.7 (just as old themes worked when widgets / dynamic sidebars were introduced, and when other various features such as built in gravatars have been introduced), there are a couple of additions that will improve your control over your site, and to use the new pagination or threaded comment system you'll need to add in the new, necessary code.

I've written about the new features and the comment code for the pagination over at Blogging Tips:

WordPress Theme Enhancements I
WordPress Theme Enhancements II
WordPress Theme Enhancements III

And I'll be writing about the code for threaded comments next week. Added the 3rd post above

I've already made these changes to my own theme in anticipation of the release of either the full 2.7 version or at least the release candidate version, that I've read is to be coming soon. For my comments file I still wanted comments and pings/trackbacks separated, so with a bit of alterations to the code on my post at Blogging Tips, I've now got this working. The only slight difference is the layout, however I've got a couple of final changes to do and then my theme is ready for 2.7.

So, if you want to make use of the new features in WordPress 2.7, mainly the comment pagination and/or threading, then I recommend making these changes ready for its release.

Just a brief update as it's been pretty mad round here lately. I'm now working about 60 hours a week trying to get all of my work cleared before Christmas, and people still want more done! I thought the UK, in fact half the world, was suffering a credit crunch, or maybe it's more a case of businesses now turning to their website and the Internet as a way to make more profit with less costs. Let's face it, if you do it right you can run a business straight off a site without the need for the overheads of a shop or premises. Still, it keeps us in business so whilst I'm exceptionally busy I know to be thankful that we have enough work coming in for both of us.

I have taken 5 minutes out however to redo my Blogging Tips Posts page, so that it's now split into the different subjects that I write on there. The latest two posts are also listed below my recent posts on my sidebar over there ->

I've set up a simple database table to hold this info in and when I have time I'll set this up as a plugin as it may be of use to others who write guest posts for various sites, or perhaps writes on a couple of other sites and wants to highlight those posts on their own blog.

So at present it's just work, work and more work. I will try and get back to getting on course with my WordPress CMS posts this week and try and grab an hour or two on Sunday to write a few for the forthcoming weeks.

Anyone running a small business and wants the flexibility to have business calls come to a varying specified number and then be able to schedule when these calls are accepted (ie. office hours only) needs a Virtual Switchboard! Also, if you happen to work with others but are not necessarily in the same location all of the time, again, a virtual switchboard could be your solution.

What is a Virtual Switchboard?

We know what a switchboard is right? Can accept calls, offer options (press 1 for this, press 2 for that etc). A virtual switchboard is simply software that does the same job, but you can control it online or via a telephone. You get a telephone number of people to call and then you can set up your options, upload your own voice files to read out the options, and set which number each option should call, or even set an option to just read out a message or accept a voicemail. If a call isn't answered, the user can leave a voicemail and this is then emailed through to you.

The benefits of a virtual switchboard is that you can:

• Set up a number of options, each option can go to a different number around the world, to both landlines and mobiles.
• If you're already on a call or don't want to accept the call, the user can leave a voicemail message that's emailed to you.
• Set up options to just play a recorded message.
• Set up options to just play a recorded message and then accept a voicemail.
• You can usually get a local number eg. 020, 0151, 0161, either for free or for an additional cost.
• You can schedule when your switchboard directs calls ie. your office hours, and it can just go straight to voicemail at all other times.
• You get a call log of who's phoned you plus their number if it's not withheld.
• It can all be maintained via website or telephone menu.

I've been using DM Club Switchboard for the last year and a bit, however it's not been without problems, so much so most of my clients have gone back to just using my mobile which defeats the object of having a switchboard! Plus they have a habit of phoning in the evening and/or weekends!

Press1 Switchboard

I recently signed up to Press 1 and I have to say that I'm already far more happy than I was with DM Club. First off, the web site works which always helps. The admin is pretty simple to set up too. The main points that I would recommend Press 1 for are:

• When you're on the phone to another call the second caller gets a busy message instead of just going straight to voicemail, so that they're aware that you're already busy.
• They don't charge for directing calls to landlines, so unless you need to go out and you change your redirect to your mobile, you won't pay call charges on top of the switchboard charge.
• They offer a switchboard on 0844, 0845 and 0870 numbers, but you can also pay for a local number to have redirected to your switchboard too, which means I can get an 0151 number and give people a better idea of where I'm located.
• You can set it so that you get an email whenever someone calls your number, even if you don't speak to them.
• They just charge you at the end of the month for your switchboard and any call charges accumulated.

Press 1 offer a 1 week free trial so if you're thinking of trying a switchboard out, give them a go and see what you think. After using a switchboard for almost 18 months I can definitely recommend that it's worth the (minor) cost and Press 1 have certainly impressed me so far. The costs for Press 1 vary depending on which number type you select however at the very cheapest, you can pay just £4.99 a month for an 0844 switchboard. Also, for a limited time (at a guess) if you use the promo code 'buynow' you can currently get your setup fee at half price.

Visit Press 1

A few weeks ago I explained how to set up your WordPress site as a CMS. So to follow on from this, the next job is start creating your pages. Using WordPress as a CMS is slightly different to using it as a blog. Your main content will be made up of static Pages (note the capital 'P' to denote a WordPress 'Page' as opposed to any page, yes this is going to get confusing!), so you'll be using the Write Page section instead of the Write Post section.

Write a Page

Creating a new Page isn't too much different, there are just a few different boxes on the page, and a few different options to check on. I've already listed the ideal, must have plugins for using WordPress as a CMS, so I'll assume these are installed and activated. When you open up your Write Page section you'll see a number of input boxes available to you (this list currently references WordPress 2.6.3, it will differ slightly for older or newer versions!):

Continue Reading

Being the impatient sod that I am, I decided to grab the public beta of WordPress that was released yesterday. I had tried to get a nightly build last week but the zip file was corrupted.

So, what's the new version like? I have to say it's pretty fine! Actually it's better than that. It's such a major improvement in the admin, and there's plenty of nice new features built straight into it.

The Admin

This is the best improvement of all. The Admin screen has been completely redesigned again, but for the better. The upgrade on WordPress 2.5 was nice but it had removed some of the great features from before, such as being able to drag your boxes around on the Write Post/Page screen, plus it put the categories for posting below the write post box which was annoying to say the least!

The new version has got the nice sleek design look of WP 2.5 however it also has the menu to the left with all options easily available – so we no longer need to install the drop down menus plugin The dashboard is improved in that you can write a quick post directly from there (although that's not something I'd probably use) or moderate your comments directly in it. However, the best improvement is on the Write page. Opening up Write Post, the categories box is back to the right of the content box where it should be! You can also drag your boxes around to change the order. To add to all this, there is a screen options link up top, which you can open up and select which boxes are hidden, afterall there's always something you never use (bye bye Tags!).

You can move boxes around on a lot of the management pages, and also turn off selected boxes and sections on various pages too. This gives you so much more flexibility in how your admin appears and can remove the clutter that you just have no use for.

New Features

There are a few new features that have already caught my eye.

WordPress Upgrader

This is now built into the default installation. You can select whether you just want to download the latest version or allow it to upgrade automatically (note this doesn't mean it'll upgrade as soon as a release comes out, it just means that you can press a couple of buttons and it'll upgrade right before your very eyes rather than you having to mess around with the FTP). I've used the Automatic Upgrade plugin and am guessing that this upgrader is built on that, or perhaps incorporates that into the default build.

Sticky Posts

Ever wanted a featured post, or a post that stays at the top of the front page until you say otherwise? Well that's now an option too. In the Write Post page you can tick an additional box to make the post 'sticky' and it will stay at the top of the front page until you uncheck it. No more need for a hidden featured posts category or anything like that!

Comment Control

You now have several more options with comments. You can select when comments are closed on older posts if you want to. For example, if you wanted to allow comments for 3 months on individual posts but then have them closed then you could turn this setting on and set it to close comments after 90 days.

The option to have threaded comments is also available. This means if someone wants to reply to a specific comment they can do, and their reply will appear below (and indented) the comment they've replied to rather than at the bottom of the list. It's potentially useful but I don't know how confusing it could be or whether it would be used, although I have seen it on other sites, it just depends how many replies a comment gets I guess.

You can select whether you want to have your comments in ascending order of date (so oldest at the top) or descending, so the newest comment is at the top of the comments.

Finally, and the most interesting to me, is to have your comments go onto more than one page if you get a large number of comments on a particular post. Recently I've been intending to set this up on some of my posts with more than about 25 comments, as it makes the page very long to read and load. This new feature means I don't need a plugin to do the job. You can also set it so that the most recent posts are displayed under the post and then the user can go through the pages of comments to read older posts if they wish.

Release Date

WordPress 2.7 is currently due out on 10th November late November and I for one can't wait! It's going to make upgrades so much more quicker, and the improved admin will be great to work in. All I need to do now is check my plugins work with it (they should do but it's always good to confirm this!) and also make sure they fit in with the new design.

For a full run down of the features see the 2.7 Codex Page.