Though we are all working with data at the heart of the WordPress database, we often take it for granted.

But data drives our content, our navigation, our presentation, our whole website.

Wouldn’t it be a good idea if we managed it properly?

I must confess, I love data. Actually, that’s as perverted as loving money – I actually love what can be done with data, rather than data itself. Structured and handled properly, application development, from the most basic WordPress plugin to a full blown web application becomes much more scalable and easier to manage if we get the data right.

WordPress Database With Pods (click image for full size)

Each Pods project starts with data. This is the basic building block, known simply as a Pod. In complex applications, the hard part is learning how to structure data, especially if it needs to be split into different Pods.

Our example is very simple – every record in the Pod is just a lyric from the song. Experience tells me that I need keys to data in databases. In this case I use a simple line number identifier, which allows me to sort the records should I wish to output the whole song.

It is a good habit to always think of record keys when designing a Pod, or any other database. Pods helps us here by always creating a field called name, which will always uniquely identify records. With the Pod created, we simply need to add the text to each record, which we do with the standard Pods CMS record editing screens.

Job done, except that we need to get the data out. I’ll be looking at presentation in the next article. In practice, when planning this type of application, you would start by designing the display(s) that need to be produced, and work back to the data required to fulfill that. The crucial point is that the two are completely separate. We have the song data held independently as text records, unchanged but for some keys to identify individual lines.

It is important to grasp this separation between data and presentation. It is also important to plan them both before you start. This example is fairly trivial, but it illustrates the guiding principles. For example, had the application been to present random words, then the database structure would be different.

If you are new to databases, it is a good idea to create some example Pods to familiarize yourself with the features available. When you design an application in future, you will always start planning the outcomes first, then the data structures. When we build the application, it is data first, followed by presentation and often some calculation or other forms of data manipulation.

In this series, we are also concerned with distributing our data via the WordPress Pods Plugin Builder. There are two elements – the data structure, and the data records.

Pods has an inbuilt mechanism for exporting and importing Pods data structures within its Pods Package feature. This is exposed programatically through the Pods UI plugin, with an import routine demonstrated in the Pods UI demo plugin. The demo has the import code hard-coded into the plugin, but I needed this to be file based for maximum portability. As this is more than just data, I’ll cover the routines for programatically exporting and importing Pods packages in a later installment (I should also suggest this for the Pods codex, so remind me if I forget).

Similarly, the Pods API exposes import and export methods, so I included these in the builder, to build sample data and import it. To my delight, the proof of concept works fine. The builder creates files for the data structure and data records and a plugin.php file. The plugin imports these during initialization and all is fine, except that it doesn’t really…

It is still fine, but the data import has to be separate from the structure import. I have a fairly good idea why this is the case, but as I was thinking about the solution I realized that the data record import SHOULD be separate from the structure import.

To make Happiness Today really useful, it is important to allow users to easily package their own text messages and links. Therefore, I believe that the data import, complete with block delete and export functions should be included in the basic plugin as user routines, separate from installation routines.

My only dilemma is that the extra layer of functionality adds a little more complexity to the idea of a very simple example. Perhaps it is pointless to take simplicity below the level of usefulness?

Then WordPress removes the incentive for you to contribute by adding a nofollow link to your comments!

In turn, I remove that nofollow attribute, in most circumstances, so that you get search engine rewards for your valued contribution.

I interrupt my series on the shrewdBar development of a Pods package to highlight the benefits you get from joining the web hosting discussion on this site. By discussion, I mean adding valuable questions, comments or theories to existing topics, or starting a new discussion on a web hosting, or WordPress, related topic.

I have updated my link policy today, to explain more clearly how you can get incoming links to your site.

I have also added a top contributors list on the sidebar, to give extra links for those who contribute most. This list is automatically generated by the No Follow Free (NOFF) plugin. This plugin removes the nofollow attribute from links. It has a range of settings, but the important ones for you relate to the thresholds at which nofollow tags are removed. I have lowered the default settings so you get the nofollow free benefits as a guest when you add more than one comment, and immediately if you register.

I’ll be on the lookout for abusers, and raise the threshold later if necessary.

The purpose of this policy is to encourage meaningful debate without rewarding the people who add “me too” comments. Can you think of improvements, or is the whole nofollow debate flying over your head?

I leave it to you to decide if you prefer book, or website format. This book covers some aspects of WordPress in more detail than I do on this website, though if you ask the questions, I’ll try to give you the fullest answers I can.

This review is designed to tell you the topics covered by WordPress for Dummies. It is not an in-depth review, so please feel free to add your own opinions if you have read this book.

One review of the book comments:

I recommend it to anyone wanting to gain basic familiarity with WordPress (and related technical jargon), see whether it’s the thing for you and, if so, get started using it.

My view is that you would get a much better feel for this by joining WordPress.com and just doing it – you can always shout out here if you get stuck.

WordPress For Dummies Topics

After the foreword and introduction, WordPress For Dummies is divided into six parts. Here is a summary of the chapters:

I. Introducing WordPress

1: What WordPress Can Do For You

The benefits of WordPress and choosing between the hosted version at WordPress.com, or self-hosting with WordPress.org, in single or multi-user varieties.

2: WordPress Blogging Basics

Describing blogs and introducing blog technologies including arches, feeds, trackbacks, and spam. Also, a (very) brief look at business blogs, with the very important advice on the need to plan first (which is why we have shrewdies.com).

II. Using the WordPress Hosted Service

3: Getting started with WordPress.com

Creating an account and finding your way round the key features and initial settings.

4: Writing and Managing Your Blog

A wide-ranging chapter covering all aspects of publishing and categorizing content, links, and users. I feel there are management and planning of some aspects, especially categorization, that warrant a separate chapter. You should have a categorized blueprint before you even begin to think about starting a website. Having said that, the book is about the mechanics of WordPress, so it is unsurprising that management aspects are under-represented.

5. Enhancing Your Blog with Themes, Widgets, and Upgrades

Enhancements with WordPress.com are much less than self-hosted blogs, so themes and widgets are covered. Surprisingly, there are no shortcodes listed, which is the way WordPress.com exposes the plugins it installs for you. This used to be limited to just a contact form, but is much more extensive now – ask if you want a feature on this growing aspect of WordPress.com.

III. Self-Hosting With WordPress.org

6: Setting Up Blogging Base Camp

Registering domains, finding a host, and running the installation.

7: Understanding the WordPress.org Administration Panel

The options and settings that you have to manage extra to WordPress.com.

8: Establishing Your Blog Routine

Expands on Chapter 4 to cover extra options you have when writing your blog on a self-hosted site.

IV. Flexing and Extending WordPress

9: Media Management: Images, Audio, and Video

Inserting, aligning, and managing media files.

10: Making the Most of WordPress Plugins

What plugins are, and how to find, install, and use them.

11: Finding and Installing WordPress Themes

Unlike plugins, we already know what themes are from the WordPress.com chapters, but now we can look for more. Then a look at some premium themes, though since I’ve never seen a theme yet that does not need editing, I think a look at the editor might be more appropriate. But wait, the next part is …

V. Customizing WordPress

12: Understanding Themes and Templates

The structure of themes and how template files work together. How to use template tags in posts and sidebars, and which are particularly useful.

13: Tweaking WordPress Themes

The basics of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and where to look for more.

14: Beyond Blogging: WordPress as a Content Management System

A miscellany of extra features that take WordPress beyond mere blogging. With the advent of Pods, the CMS angle is largely outdated, but the points are still relevant to how you organize and optimize your blog.

15: Deciding to Bring in the Pros

Roles played by designers, developers, and consultants, and how to make the most of them.

VI. The Part of Tens

Chapters 16 to 18 feature lists of 10 WordPress web sites used as a CMS, popular WordPress plugins, and free WordPress Themes. Poor trees

Finally, we close with an appendix: Migrating your existing blog to WordPress, and the index.

I love books. They make great gifts, and are easy to read when traveling, in bed, or by the pool.

We have no dummies here. We are all trying to be shrewdies – but maybe a good book can help us on the way.

Websites like this are great to get your questions answered, and share opinions and experiences. If you want to establish a clear plan for hosting your own website, it is better to use the guidelines here, and discuss your options on the forum.

However, sometimes it is just good to sit down with a book. They often add depth to a topic that is missing from discussions. I can see that many people are interested in “Web Hosting For Dummies” yet, at least for now, there is no such title.

So let me introduce you to some relevant titles in the “for dummies” series.

Best Selling Web Hosting Dummies Books

Title (link to review)	Description	US Store	UK Shop
#1 WordPress For Dummies	A guide to WordPress blogging, with all the reference material you need to start creating blogs. Introductory guides to blog design and web hosting bring your website nearer reality. Just the thing for beginners who need to blog.	WordPress For Dummies (USA)	WordPress for Dummies (UK)
#2 Google Blogger For Dummies	Help for Google Blogger – introductory guides to creating blogs using the search engine giant’s free platform. Reviewers see this book about blogging, a blogging 101, as something of an aid to make money online. It’s certainly true that Google Blogger allows monetization, but the authors are wrong in suggesting that WordPress.com sites do not.	Google Blogger For Dummies (USA)	Google Blogger for Dummies (UK)

Most Relevant Web Hosting Dummies Books

It’s a discussion tool for WordPress web sites that helps visitors become contributors, and helps administrators provide customer service.

shrewdChat Benefits

• Efficient Promotion: Build mini-lists of potential customers, and know their interests automatically.
• Efficient Administration: Easily track and moderate contributions. Integrates with shrewdBar for at-a-glance moderation queues.
• Efficient Contribution: Uses native WordPress post and comment structure, so contributors do not have to learn separate forum methods.
• Efficient Visitor Optimization: Simple navigation via familiar tagging and category constructs with added shrewdChat yakability.
• Efficient SEO: Discussions easily organized to give maximum search engine exposure.
• Efficient Browsing: User, topic, time-based, keyword and subject views ensure quick access to related and relevant discussions, especially with optional shrewdBar accessibility.

shrewdChat Features

• Easy installation with look ‘n’ feel customization (skinning planned for future versions).
• Easy to change forum lists.
• Tidy install & uninstall routines leave WordPress database clutter-free.
• Excellent learning tool for Pods package developers.

Why Is It Shrewd

Everything at shrewdies has to be shrewd, or on it’s way to shrewdness. The forum/discussion/conversation manager (call it what you will) is designed to make you more efficient as a webmaster, and give your visitors an efficient way to express opinions, share experiences and ask questions.

What’s another word for efficient?

Main Entry:

efficient

Part of Speech:

adjective

Definition:

adept, effective

Synonyms:

able, accomplished, active, adapted, adequate, apt, businesslike, capable, clever, competent, conducive, decisive, deft, dynamic, economic, economical, effectual, efficacious, energetic, equal to, experienced, expert, familiar with, fitted, good at, good for, handy, masterly, organized, potent, powerful, practiced, productive, proficient, profitable, qualified, ready, saving, shrewd, skilled, skillful, systematic, talented, tough, useful, valuable, virtuous, well-organized

That’s why its called shrewdChat.

shrewdChat RoadMap

Version 1

Proof of concept. February 2010. Pods application to integrate posts and comments for live discussions and integrate them with related archived questions. Basis for Pods tutorials and gain developer feedback.

Version 2

Internal testing & feature review. February – March 2010. Install to relevant shrewdies sites and gain visitor feedback.

Version 3

Public Release. Make available as WordPress plugin or Pods package, as determined by discussion of distribution methods and version control for Pods.

For questions or discussions, please see the WordPress Functionality Forum.

It’s a navigation tool for WordPress web sites that helps visitors find relevant content quickly, and helps administrators see the important tasks and click straight to them.

shrewdBar Benefits

• Efficient Promotion: Attract traffic to your most rewarding content.
• Efficient Administration: Relevant key tasks highlighted for admins, e.g. comments to moderate.
• Efficient Contribution: Relevant key tasks for contributors, e.g. latest contributions, and live discussions list. Integrates with shrewdChat and easily extended to other forum/discussion formats.
• Efficient Visitor Optimization: Relevant key information for visitors, e.g. bookmarked posts and top content lists.
• Efficient SEO: Your key content gets the links that make search engines love you.
• Efficient Browsing: Login, logout and key pages where you can find them quickly – fixed anywhere on the page or on the screen.

shrewdBar Features

• Easy installation with look ‘n’ feel customization (skinning planned for future versions).
• Easy to change menu lists.
• Tidy install & uninstall routines leave WordPress database clutter-free.
• Excellent learning tool for Pods package developers.

Why Is It Shrewd

Everything at shrewdies has to be shrewd, or on it’s way to shrewdness. The toolbar / menubar / linksbar (call it what you will) is designed to make you more efficient as a webmaster, and give your visitors an efficient way to navigate your content.

What’s another word for efficient?

Main Entry:

efficient

Part of Speech:

adjective

Definition:

adept, effective

Synonyms:

able, accomplished, active, adapted, adequate, apt, businesslike, capable, clever, competent, conducive, decisive, deft, dynamic, economic, economical, effectual, efficacious, energetic, equal to, experienced, expert, familiar with, fitted, good at, good for, handy, masterly, organized, potent, powerful, practiced, productive, proficient, profitable, qualified, ready, saving, shrewd, skilled, skillful, systematic, talented, tough, useful, valuable, virtuous, well-organized

That’s why its called shrewdBar.

shrewdBar RoadMap

Version 1

Proof of concept. January-February 2010. Pods application to copy & paste into theme. Basis for Pods tutorials and gain developer feedback.

Version 2

Internal testing & feature review. February – March 2010. Install to all shrewdies sites and gain visitor feedback.

Version 3

Public Release. Make available as WordPress plugin or Pods package, as determined by discussion of distribution methods and version control for Pods.

For questions or discussions, please see the WordPress Functionality Forum.

• Either a better dashboard, or restrict it completely.
• Alternative way to create new posts, or autosave with current
  form.
• Edit post should not use admin area, but IE does not format Front Edit correctly.
• Working profile page.
• New/updated Topics on menu bar.
• Subscribe/watch topics

Edit of original post and comments should be either paragraph or full. Edit
should be limited by activity, not by time.