The Capabilities of pre-defined roles in wordpress

• Administrator [level_0 - level_10] – All the administration capabilities, just super admin.
• Editor [level_0 - level_7] – Publish and manage posts and pages, including other users' posts management, etc.
• Author [level_0 - level_4] – Publish and manage their own posts.
• Contributor [level_0 - level_1] – Write and manage their posts, but can not publish them.
• Subscriber [level_0] – Manage their profile only.

Capability vs Role Table refer to http://codex.wordpress.org/Roles_and_Capabilities

WordPress defines 11 levels to indentify the roles's capabilities. In the database design, wp_user_level is defined in table wp_usermeta.

How to view or judge the user's capabilities?

1. Judge a user's privilege in common blogs, categories, and pages.

<?php
if(is_user_logged_in()) {
if(current_user_can('level_7')) {
//....
}
}
?>
?>

2. If you want to look up a group of roles.

Here it is a example of look up Editor role in usermeta, all the matchs will be returned.

<?php
global $wpdb;
$roles_arr= $wpdb->get_col("SELECT user_id FROM $wpdb->usermeta WHERE meta_key = 'wp_user_level' AND meta_value = 7");
foreach($roles_arr as $v){
//...$v is the user_id
}
?>

You can use get_the_author_meta to display some information about the roles.

More Reading:

http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/the_author_meta

http://codex.wordpress.org/Roles_and_Capabilities

Install a wordpress theme from the official site.

1. Login your wordpress, navigate to the menu Appearance and click Themes, Screenshot shown this:

2. Here Twenty Ten is the default theme from wordpress version 3.0, if you do not like it, you may install another free themes by click Install Themes.

3. In Install Themes window, you can type your keywords with your preferred style, author and tags in the search box, and press Enter, you may find so many free themes shown. You can also customize your searching result based on some specific features, such as colors, columns, widht, etc. When you find a preferred theme, just a example like this.

4. Click Install in the theme exhibition, Press Install Now icon in the pop window.

5. Now wordpress will downloading install package from the official site. When installed the theme successfully. you may find the tips like this.

6. Click Activate link to activate the theme, yes it will be the current theme for your wordpress. Your wordpress theme will be changed as a new one.

7. If you change to another Available Themes, Just Activate it in the Manage Themes window. There two parts in it, one is the Current Theme, the other is Available Themes.

Install a wordpress theme from your uploading

Last method is from the official site, for so more people, they like to install a customized theme from themselves. That is just a simple thing.

1. Upload your theme's files to the \wp-content\themes using FTP software or other methods. The theme should be a directory with some template files or folders in it, please transfer these files in their original list mode, do not compress or change these files directory.

2. When you finished uploading. you must find the theme be in the \wp-content\themes directory.

3. Navigate to the Appearance menu in the wordpress manage panel, Click the Themes link in the sub menus.

4. Just click the Activate link in the window. your theme will be replaced with the newer theme.

Notes:

• If you do not find the theme exhibition, please check if it has been sleeping under the \wp-content\themes directory. If so, this theme may have something wrong or compatible problems with the current wordpress version. You must fixed these bugs before reinstall it.
• If you have some other questions with the theme installation, please let me know without any worry. 

Free space or a basic stater space

There are much competition in hosting market, so many hosting provider promote many free hosting space for the beginners. but these free space may be put in some advertisement or great limitation. Yes this is free for everybody, do you like it?

In my opinion, if you are not sure for your blog's future or want to try it for some days, you can choose this free hosting. But if you have a clear location for your blog. Just looking for another paid hosting. that will give you more confidence.

Requirements for wordpress hosting

Whatever you choosed, some basic requirements for the hosting must be considered by you. For the last version of wordpress 3.0.1, these requirements are essential.

• Unix/Linux system is a good selection, even wordpress can working on windows server with some necessary plugins, but windows is trouble in usagge of apache/nginx.
• PHP version 5.0 or greater, because wordpress will give up some support of PHP upper version, so the newer version of PHP is required. At least PHP version 4.3.
• MySQL version 4.3 or greater, MySQL 5.0 is more better.
• Apache mod_rewrite function, this is very useful for every blogger, even it is a optional requirement in wordpress official site. but for every bloggers, this should be essential for your optimization for SEO.

Some Attentions for wordpress hosting

Disk space – disk space may be different for different hosting providers, it may be 600M, 1G, 2G, and or unlimited disk space. if you prepared writing some articles with few picture or music/files, that is enough.

Band width – this is a "strange" advertisement for some providers. even he claimed band width is not limited, but the total volume may be limited, for instance it may be 20G, 50G, 100G or a larger number. there are also some provider may limit computer 's resource occupation instead of bandwidth or total volume in a month.

Administration Panel is another attention for beginners. If you are familiar with some special administration panel, please making sure they will provide. for example, C-Panel is a good panel, but many providers do not give it.

If you have some other puzzle with the wordpress hosting, just leave your comments.

More Links:

http://codex.wordpress.org/Hosting_WordPress

http://www.prelovac.com/vladimir/wordpress-server-requirements-experience

Method 1: Change the default avatar directly

Modify the default function named get_avatar(), usually you can it in your theme's files.

<?php echo get_avatar( $id_or_email, $size, $default, $alt ); ?>

Parameters:

• id_or_email – Author's user ID or an e-mail address.
• size – The size of gravatar to return.
• default – The default avatar.
• alt – Alternate text for the avatar

We can change the default avatar by changing default parameter in function. for example:

<?php echo get_avatar( $id_or_email, $size,get_bloginfo('template_url'). '/images/new-avatar.jpg', $alt ); ?>

OK, finished, you can accomplish this syntax in your theme's files, such as single.php and page.php, etc. Remember create a image named new-avatar.jpg and place it in your theme's directory images.

Methe 2: Add filter to the avatar processing

Just open your function.php in your theme, add this code:

add_filter( 'avatar_defaults', 'new_avatar' );

function new_avatar ( $avatar_defaults ) {
$myavatar = get_bloginfo('template_url'). '/images/new-avatar.jpg';
$avatar_defaults[$myavatar] = "Default Avatar";
return $avatar_defaults;
}

Okay, you can change the default avatar in your wordpress dashboard(Settings – Discussion), screenshot shown above. Surely a image called new-avatar.jpg should be placed in the images directory under the current theme as mentioned above.

More Link: http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/get_avatar

1. Check

First of all, you should check back the new version's requirements, we know, every new version will has a good compatible with the older mysql and php's version earlier, but now, wordpress is becoming more and more complex, in paticular, more codes are wasted in compatible older systems. So there is very necessary to discard some redundant features.

So before your update, you should check the new version wordpress's requirements from:

http://wordpress.org/about/requirements/

2. Backup

If you decide to update your wordpress right now, you should back up some contents listed here, Usually you should backup them all even if you know why you don't need. If you don't know more about the wordpress updating, I think you should backup all the files of your wordpress, or move the important to another safety directory.

1. WordPress Database, all your posts, comments, almost all the settings, etc are in.
2. Some files which have been changed by you manually, excluding your current theme, uploading directory, which will be keep on without any changed for wordpress. Usually these files will be replaced by new version. You may need to check or modify these personal files to make sure they will work proper in the new version.
3. .htaccess files if you have change it manually.

3. Disable Plugins

For every new version, wordpress can not test it for all plugins. This is a very common problems  in wordpress update, some plugins can not work in new wordpress, you need waiting for a new version of the plugin. So disable plugins may avoid some extensive problems with the new version.

4. Update

For many wordpress users, automatic update is a good choose. But you can download the last version from the official site and update it manually. that has the same effect.

More Links: How to update WordPress: Automatic update

5. Test the update

When you finished update, please do not enable your plugins right now, you should check the effect at first, if you find no problems, enable them then.

If you have some trouble with your wordpress update, you can look for helps from the official site or let me know without any worry.

More Links: http://codex.wordpress.org/Upgrading_WordPress

1. Log in Google Custom Search

Google Custom Search Address: http://www.google.com/cse/, Screenshot shown this:

2. Enter Your Custom Search Engine Information

Input information includes:

• Search engine name
• Description
• Search engine language
• Site to Search
• select a edition (the Standard Edition is free for every individual)
• Accept the license and agreement

Screen shot shown here:

When finished settings, click Next.

4. Custom Search Engine Management

Choose a customized style and click Next:

Here it is the search element code, but it is only the default search code, we do not use it commonly, we will get another customized search code from Look and feel. Just follow with the next description.

5. Indexing your sitemap

Indexing your web site from a special sitemap. If you are using Webmaster tools. You may choose the xml record for your web site here.

6. Make Money

If you have no google Adsense account, You may ignore this step. Usually google will put some ADs in the search results, you can customized its layout from the panel. If you have a google adsense account, you can associate the custom search with it.

Select I already have an Adsense account and type some necessary information of your adsense.

Note: After setting here, you will get a email from goole, you still need to authorize it's access to your adsense from your email. 

7. Look and Feel

Highlights:

• Search box and search results display not a single page
• Need to modify Sidebar.php, or changes in the background Widge (if supported)
• Need to manually create a Search Page

Here it is a example of Iframe option. Click Look and feel in the left menus, select Iframe in Choose a hosting option. This is a common selection for most users. you can put your search box code and search results code in different pages. Screen shot as:

When finished selections, click Get Code.

8. Get Custom Search Code

You may get this page like this. There are two partition code for us.(Note, if you choose search element in the selections, you may get only one code here. 

Enter your address in the specified URL box for the search results displayed, such as http://www.zzsay.com/search, make sure your typed address can be normal access to.

9. Copy and Paste Search box code

Usually search box code should be placed in your widge or top banner. They will work properly in both methods. Here it is a example of placing in widge(Sidebar. php file under your current theme). You can modify this file from the wordpress background or a professional editor.

The search results code should be pasted in a single page usually. You can create a new page for search results, just like this screen shot. Paste the search results code in the source code of the new page. when finished, click Publish in your wordpress panel.
 

10. Congratulation!

Okay, you can using your google custom search engine now, if you want to view the effect, just search something in my site from the side bar. If you get some errors or questions from this article, feel free to let me know.

If you want to delete or manage these comment spam, refer to:

How to Activate and Manage Akismet Plugin

If you want to delete these comment spam quickly, just follow this:

1. Log in MySQL by PHPMyadmin or another MySQL manager.

2. Locate the database of your wordpress, and click the table wp_comments. If you have another prefix, please change it.

3. Excute this syntax, you can choose one for your requirements:

DELETE * FROM  wp_comments WHERE  comment_approved = 'spam';

DELETE * FROM  wp_comments WHERE  comment_approved = '0';

Note: the first syntax will delete all the comment spam quickly, the next will delete all the waiting-approved comments.

4. Okay, Finished, refresh your comments manager windows in WordPress panel, you will find all the spams disappeared.

1. Log in MYSQL by PHPMyadmin or another Mysql manager.

2. Locate the database of your wordpress, Click the table wp_users. If you have another prefix, please change it Correspondly.

3. Look up the ID value of the original author(i.e, AuthorA) using:

SELECT ID FROM `wp_users` WHERE  display_name='AuthorA';

Remember the author ID(Remembered as AuthorA_ID) from the search result, usually there should be only one record, if you get nothing or more than one records, please check your syntax or look up the author ID by user_login or user_nicename, Just like this:

SELECT ID FROM `wp_users` WHERE  user_login='AuthorA';

SELECT ID FROM `wp_users` WHERE  user_nicename='AuthorA';

4. Look up the ID value of the destination author(ie, AuthorB) using the same method as Step 3, Remembered as AuthorB_ID.

5. Batch modify the post's author to another other() using this syntax:

UPDATE `wp_posts` SET post_author = 'AuthorB_ID' WHERE post_author = 'AuthorA_ID';

6. Finished.

1. Log in your Google account and open your access analytics services

Log in your google account, and then click this URL:

http://www.google.com/analytics/

Click Access Analytics, screen shot shown this:

2. Add a new domain profile or Select a existing domain

Click the link of Add Website Profile» in the Analytics Settings panel. If you are using google adsense or other services relate with your websites. You can select Add a profile for an existing domain, if not, please select Add a profile for a new domain.

Type your domain in the input box, and select the time zone country or territory from the selection, If your domain has existed in google, you can select from the other selection easily, then press Continue.

3. Get the tracking code

The code that has a blue background is just the tracking code, copy it surely.

4. Paste this code on your wordpress

But where should I place this tracking code? Well, just follow this:

1. Download Your theme that you are using currently, which should be in wp-content/themes/xxxxx, xxxxx is your theme's name.
2. Open the header.php file, and paste the tracking code before the closing </head> tag, Screen shot like this.
3. Save header.php, and copy/paste or upload it to your website, and cover the original header.php file.
4. Okay, please wait for about 2-24 hours for data to appear in google analytics account.

Addition 1: Tracking status introduction

There may be these three status under the column status:

1. Waiting for Data – The tracking code has been detected on your website, Please waiting for the data appeared.
2. Tracking Unknown or Not Verified – The tracking code has not been detected on the homepage of your website, please verify your code installed correctly.
3. Receiving Data – all are working properly.

Website profiles screenshot shown this:

More Links: http://www.google.com/support/analytics/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=174894

Addition 2: Why don't Google Analytics tracking my website?

Refer to: http://www.google.com/support/analytics/bin/answer.py?answer=57053

1. Add <!–more–> tag in your post article from the editor

<!—more-> tag is a simple method for displaying a excerpt. Commonly, you can add <!—more-> tag from the editor toolbar, like this.

Or, you can add "<!—more->"  in the HTML mode, it will has a same effect. When you add MORE tag in your post article, wordpress will output excerpts from the beginning to the MORE tag.

2. Write your personalized excerpt in the Excerpt edit box

Write your personalized excerpt in the Excerpt box behind the post edit box. If you want make your article more friendly. You can try this method. You can copy some main abstract content from your post article to Excerpt box, and update the article synchronously. This method has a little trouble for more users, because you have to write or copy some excerpt for every posts.

3. Using a Excerpt Plug-in

Using Excerpt plugin is more easy to do. there are several famous plugin that can accomplish this. For instance,

Fancy Excerpt – This plugin will replaces the default automatic excerpt generator with a sentence aware excerpt generator, and generate excerpts automatically.

Advanced Excerpt – This plugin will adds several improvements to WordPress' default way of creating excerpts. You can customize the excerpt length and the ellipsis character.

There are also some other excerpt plug-in from the wordpress official website, you can find more from searching the keyword "Excerpt" from you manager panel -> Plugins -> Add New.

4. By modifying the wordpress source files manually

You can modify the wordpress source file of your themes. Usually there may be these files, index.php, etc.

Replace these codes in your index.php:

<?php the_content(); ?>

With:

<?php the_excerpt(); ?>

Notes: Function the_excerpt() will cut off your post's content with a maxlength 55 words. If you have some HTML tags or images in the front of content, they may be stripped.

the_excerpt() will display the excerpts with the end "[...]", if you don't like it, please follow the next method to modify it.

How to change the excerpt default length?

If you want to change the default length(55 words) parameter. Please add these codes in your function.php of your theme:

function my_excerpt_length($length) {
return 250;//change to your length.
}
add_filter('excerpt_length', 'my_excerpt_length');

How to change the default end of excerpts?

Add this filter in your function.php.

function my_excerpt_more($post) {
return '<a href="'. get_permalink($post->ID) . '">' . 'Click Me For More Details...' . '</a>';//change to your name preferred.
}
add_filter('excerpt_more', 'my_excerpt_more');

If you have any other questions, please let me know by your comments.