Overview
First off, it is important to understand the concept that there are three sides to any WordPress site; that the management of the web site’s layout (theme) and the information (content) that the site contains requires two separate approaches and tool sets. Additionally, you can add Plug-ins to provide specific application functionality. Once this concept is understood, things get much clearer when you work with WordPress.
Themes – your site’s framework
WordPress uses a “theme” as a layout (framework) of a web site. You can choose from over 800 different themes for your site – see the official WordPress Theme site. Once you have chosen a theme, that theme is fully customizable via CSS (cascading style sheets) – you can modify color, images, font style, etc. throughout the site with a single tweak of code. It is also easy to switch between themes – you could have seasonal or event themes, change between them at a single click.
To modify the layout or appearance of a selected theme, you would use Dreamweaver (or any capable web page editor) to modify your chosen theme’s files. Normally, once a site’s framework and/or appearance is set up, there are few further requirements to make changes. Should further changes be required, these are easily done by a knowledgeable person.
The Content – your stuff made easy
To create, modify, update or delete your site’s content (text/photos/videos in pages or posts, categories, links, etc.), you would do this through the password protected WordPress administration panel (the Dashboard). As you work with your content, WordPress saves your new or updated content into a database. Once your content is published, as visitors select pages to view, the content for a selected page is called from the database and is “poured” into the theme framework which then provides structure and formatting for the content.
Plugins – turbocharge your website!
WordPress provides the ability to use add-on modules (plug-ins) that provide all kinds of functionality to your web site – menu scripts, e-commerce, spam control, image display, specialized searches, Google maps, contact forms, random header, etc. These plug-ins can be installed at a click of a button and enabled in the same way. Once enabled, most provide additional configuration screens within the user’s Dashboard, allowing flexibility in configuring the given functionality to your site’s needs.
There are over 6500 plug ins available to choose from – see the official WordPress Plugin site.
Content Management
The Dashboard
content coming soon!
Pages
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Categories
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Posts
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Tags
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Widgets
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Shortcodes
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