This blog post will show you how to fix this issue and regain access to these essential editor screens.

Identifying the Issue: Theme File Editor and Plugin File Editor Missing in WordPress Dashboard

To begin, navigate to the “Appearance” tab on your WordPress website and search for the Theme File Editor option. Alternatively, you can search for the Plugin File Editor screen under the Plugins tab.

In some cases, especially with new themes developed by the official WordPress team, the editor screens can be found under the Tools tab.

If you can’t find either, a function inside the wp-config.php file prevents it from appearing. Therefore, we will need to access the file and modify the function.

You can access WordPress core files through FTP or a file manager plugin. Once you’ve made the necessary changes, refresh your website, and voila! You’ll have the theme file editor and plugin file editor back in your dashboard.

Fix the Missing File Editor Screens in WordPress

Following these steps will restore the missing options in your WordPress dashboard, allowing you to edit themes or plugins effortlessly.

Please remember to back up your website before editing core files.

Conclusion

The file editor screens are handy when using code snippets or modifying certain pages and templates.

Not having the option to access those screens can slow us down or prevent us from achieving our desired website look.

This tutorial showed you how to restore the theme file editor and plugin file editor back in your dashboard.

The post How to Fix the Theme File Editor is Missing in WordPress appeared first on PluginsForWP.

Although it sounds like an advanced topic that may only be relevant to power users, that’s not the case.

What is cPanel? Must WordPress have a cPanel, and how to access it? These are only some of the questions that you may have.

This article will dive deep and teach everything we need about WordPress and cPanel.

Integrating cPanel with WordPress combines the popular web hosting control panel, cPanel, with the open-source content management system, WordPress.

This integration allows website owners and developers to easily manage and host their WordPress websites, taking advantage of the comprehensive suite of tools and features offered by cPanel.

When cPanel and WordPress are combined, website owners can easily manage all aspects of their website, including organizing and uploading files, setting up email accounts, and maintaining databases.

Additionally, it provides a selection of security solutions to assist in keeping its website safe and secure.

It is simpler for developers to manage many websites, streamline development, and rapidly launch new sites and apps when cPanel and WordPress are integrated. In addition, as websites expand and change, developers may quickly add additional resources and features because of cPanel’s scalability.

What is cPanel

The cPanel is a web-based control panel with a graphical user interface (GUI) for managing your website and hosting account. It’s the most popular platform for managing and hosting websites, providing an easy-to-use user interface for all levels.

It’s stacked with many tools and features to help the website’s administrator manage the account, including:

• File management capabilities include uploading, editing, and renaming files, including images, videos, other media types, CSS, PHP, etc.
• Create and manage email accounts of your domain name.
• Access, manage, create, and back up the database tables of your website, like MySQL, etc. (For example: in one of our articles, we showed how to change a username by accessing the DB users table.)
• Create subdomains or subdirectories. This feature can be handy when adding a knowledge base to a website.
• Performance & security: access the cPanel to install SSL, upgrade the PHP version to speed up the website, etc.

The cPanel is the engine under the hood of your website and will enable you to perform any task related to it. The one-stop solution makes managing your online presence easy, convenient, and efficient.

Does WordPress Require cPanel?

Because WordPress is a stand-alone open-source content management system (CMS), it doesn’t require a cPanel.

Moreover, it can be installed on other alternative hosting environments, such as local machines, shared hosting, virtual private servers (VPS), and dedicated servers.

cPanel is only one intuitive way to manage WordPress websites, while other tools can be Plesk, command line, or a custom web-based application.

However, due to its easy-to-navigate and understand interface and its popularity, hosting companies choose it as their tool.

Therefore, although cPanel is a standard option for many uses, running WordPress and enjoying its full features is optional. Instead, you can install WordPress on any server that meets the system requirements and manage the platform with any of the abovementioned tools.

The Benefits of Using cPanel with WordPress

Now that we know what the cPanel is and whether it is required to install with WordPress let’s discuss its advantages and how it can benefit you.

The list below will point out only some of the pros of using cPanel with WordPress:

• The intuitive user interface makes it easy and doable for beginner users to perform and simplify complex tasks.
• Regular backups are a feature most hosting companies offer, and you can access it from the cPanel.
• Because the cPanel is known and used by many, most developers you’ll hire will already know how to get by, saving them time and money.
• If a plugin or theme breaks your WordPress website, you must rename the folder to recover it by logging in to the cPanel to access MySQL and perform the task.
• Integrating cPanel with WordPress makes deploying new sites and applications easier, with a simple installation process and customizable configurations.
• cPanel provides performance optimization tools, such as website stats and resource usage monitoring, to help optimize your website’s performance.

Now that we’re hooked on why we should use cPanel with WordPress, let’s move on to the next section and learn how to access it.

How to Access Your WordPress Website cPanel

Now that we’re familiar with the great features of the control panel, you must be eager to know how to log in.

To access your WordPress cPanel, follow these steps:

1. Visit and login into your hosting company’s website portal.
2. Inside the hosting dashboard, locate and click on the Launch cPanel button.  
3. Click on the WordPress Manager app under the Software section.
4. Choose and edit any of your WordPress sites from under the Installation columns on the following screen.

The steps above will lead you to the WordPress platform of your websites. However, if you want to use any other available features, such as installing an SSL certificate or adding email accounts, you can do it from the cPanel screen (step 3).

How to Install WordPress on cPanel

Congratulations, you successfully installed a fresh WordPress on your domain name from the cPanel.

Now, keep learning how to use and optimize your WordPress website. Our blog archive is an excellent resource with many articles and tutorials to help you maximize your website while enjoying the journey.

Conclusion

Whether you are a beginner or an experienced webmaster, cPanel provides a convenient and efficient way to manage your website with improved security, scalability, and performance.

Take the cPanel for a spin and familiarize yourself with it. You’ll be surprised by all the hidden features and capabilities you can do with it.

Leave us a comment and tell us if you have any questions regarding the subject or if you need extra clarification.

The post How to Install WordPress From Your Hosting Provider’s cPanel appeared first on PluginsForWP.

You’ve certainly stumbled across WordPress as a reliable solution while surfing web pages off your laptop. Combining the most robust CMS platform with CSS will create a beautiful powerhouse website.

This beginner’s tutorial will expose you to clear answers to any doubts or questions you may have about WordPress and CSS.

What is CSS?

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is a coding language that creates the overall appearance, feels, and layout of a website. CSS is combined with HTML to build a website’s graphic elements. Websites would be confined to boring plain text on white backgrounds if CSS wasn’t used.

In the late 90s, CSS development by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) allowed for more flexibility and creativity in web page design. Before CSS, Web pages were limited in how they looked and functioned.

Their browser page came off as a hypertext – made up of images and plain text. CSS changed all that, allowing for a much richer and more varied user experience on the web. CSS enabled significant advancements in website layout, including the ability to:

• Provide fonts away from the browser’s default fonts
• Text and links became distinguished by their color and size.
• Fill colors to plain backgrounds.
• Use boxes to contain site items and float them to particular locations on the page.

How Does CSS Work?

To fully comprehend the essentials of how CSS operates, it is first necessary to have a working knowledge of HTML. Web developers typically arrange pages using the “box model.”

This model envisions a web page as a series of boxes, with each box containing a separate element. These boxes are then integrated within each other.

For example, the header of a page is typically a box containing several smaller boxes, each of which comprises all of the elements that make up the header, including the logo, social icon buttons, etc. A CSS developer can assign different styles to the “header” box, such as specifying text color, font type, and size.

CSS is written with [Property] : [Value] pairs and commands the browser on how to style the elements of the document. For example:

header {
background-color: blue;
}

The CSS rule above will paint the header’s background color blue.

Why Use CSS?

CSS has a lot of advantages; some of them are:

User-friendly experience

CSS isn’t just about making things look good—it’s also about making them easy to use. It’s a better experience for everyone when the buttons and text are in suitable locations and everything is neatly arranged.

Faster page speed

When there’s more code on a page, it takes longer to load. CSS also allows you to write less code and execute a single CSS rule to all instances of a specific element in an HTML page.

Swift development output

With CSS, there’s no need to rewrite the same code for every page. You can create one set of rules and have it automatically apply to everything else. This is especially handy when you want pages to share a familiar look and feel.

Simple formatting styles

If you need to change the look of specific pages, it’s easy to do with CSS. You don’t need to edit each page individually. Just apply the CSS code to the page’s body class, and you’ll see the changes applied to all the pages.

Cross-compatibility in devices

In today’s world, responsive web design is more critical than ever. With so many different devices out there, your web pages must be easy to see and navigate on whatever people are using.

CSS and HTML work together to make responsive design possible so that you can reach everyone no matter what.

Best CSS Practices to Help You

Maintaining a vast CSS file gets more complex as you work on larger stylesheets and projects.

Let’s look at some recommended practices for writing CSS that make it simpler to maintain and some methods that others are adopting to make it easier to maintain.

Stay Consistent on It

Whether you’re in control of the project or working alone, it’s critical to maintain continuity. Consistency can refer to various things, such as defining color in the same manner, every time, using the same naming conventions across classes, or performing the same work consistently.

Because many decisions have already been made, following basic principles can make CSS easier to write and implement.

Go Easy on the Colors

The colors in your design should be the same throughout. It’s essential to maintain your brand’s colors. It’s easy to get carried away if there are too many different tones of the same hue.

Use caution while using rgba() or hsla() since the colors will change based on the backdrop. For a more specific color, we suggest using hex code.

Make it Readable

Most people do not think about CSS readability, although it’s pivotal to the survival of your website. It will be much easier for you to manage your CSS in the future if it is well-written and straightforward to understand.

You’ll be able to discover elements faster and make adjustments with more ease. Plus, you never know when someone might need to look at your code.

Let HTML Come First

Numerous designers develop CSS as they go, integrating it into the HTML as they build their site’s prototype. This may appear obvious, but creating the HTML first will save you time in the long run.

The logic behind this strategy is that you already know all of the items you’ll need for your site’s layout, but you’re not sure what CSS you’ll require.

Making the HTML first helps you see the entire page and think about CSS from a more comprehensive, top-down perspective.

CSS zen garden is full of great examples of how the same HTML structure can look unique when applying different CSS rules.

Make Use of a Reset Stylesheet

A reset stylesheet is essential if you want your website to seem consistent across all browsers.

This will override the browser’s default styles and render everything uniform. For the most remarkable effects, make sure you apply styles to the majority of HTML components.

There are a lot of alternatives when it comes to CSS resets. Eric Meyer’s CSS reset is one of the most popular resets available.

Where is the CSS in WordPress?

You can edit your stylesheet directly from the WordPress dashboard, which is the most straightforward method. There is no need to install any FTP or coding editors. With built-in syntax highlighting, you can easily edit any file.

Always backup your WordPress site before making significant modifications to the main files. If you’re new to CSS, it’s simple to make a mistake that can destroy your site’s design, and finding out how to undo your modifications may be challenging.

Log in to your admin once you’ve created a backup. Go to the menu and choose Appearance> Theme Editor to access the editor.

A window should appear, alerting you not to change these files directly. Don’t be concerned; click “I understand.” It’s just a heads-up to utilize a child theme and store your website’s data before making significant modifications. If you follow those procedures, you should be able to modify them.

And that’s it! You’re in! If you’re not already on the stylesheet, go to the right-hand menu to see your theme files.

You will access template files such as functions.php, header.php, and single.php, in addition to style.css. All of these things have an impact on how particular pages on your site behave.

However, before entering those specific files, you should acquaint yourself with PHP.

Remember that most of the CSS decisions you make here will affect the whole site. For example, if you alter the font of your H1 headers, it will appear on every website page. To modify the style of specific pages, you’ll need to utilize special syntax.

How to Edit WordPress CSS

You can also use the theme editor to alter your CSS by editing the .css files. It’s best to utilize a child theme and make a backup of your data while using this strategy.

While in the Theme File Editor screen, find the CSS file you wish to change in the right column (Theme Files). If your theme has a file titled custom.css, that’s where you should put your custom CSS code. Alternatively, you may change the supplied style.css file to suit your needs.

Remember to click the Update File button when you’ve finished editing to save your changes. That’s how you can modify your theme files from the dashboard without using an FTP client like Filezilla to update the files.

Another option to edit WordPress CSS is through the Customize panel.

To get started, go to your WordPress dashboard. Click on the left menu, hover over Appearance, and choose Customize (Appearance > Customize).

Expend the Additional CSS option and hit it once you’re on the customization page with a real-time preview of your site.

You will see an empty field where you can write your code; you can also update the CSS of your site.

To save your changes, hit the Publish button after updating your CSS.

How to Add Custom CSS in WordPress

Use the following ways if you don’t want the current CSS code changed and only want to add your styling: Using the WordPress customizer or a specialized plugin.

For starters, CSS code uploaded using one of these techniques is much simpler to access and utilize. In the future, you don’t have to worry about putting your new CSS in the wrong place or forgetting where you put it.

Furthermore, CSS applied via one of these ways will not be deleted whenever a theme is updated (though it may still disappear if you change themes). However, it is likely to undergo a theme change.

This eliminates the need for a child theme, and if anything goes wrong, erase the CSS you just applied.

Remember that you should still make a full backup since some users have experienced destroying their CSS after significant changes. Nonetheless, this procedure is much more dependable than manually modifying theme files.

1. How to Edit CSS Using WordPress Customizer

People typically utilize the Theme Editor screen to update the design of their website, but you can also do it from the WordPress backend. Log in and go to Appearance > Customize to get a preview of your site with some choices on the left. Colors, menus, and widgets may all be customized.

An “Additional CSS” box should be at the bottom of the menu. You will be directed to a new window with a code entry field and directions when you click it. Syntax highlighting and validation are available on the “Additional CSS” tab, letting you know if your code is incorrect.

After coding, you may either push it online, schedule it to go live later or store it as a draft. You may even get a preview link to distribute to others.

Additional CSS is much more sophisticated than the Theme Editor and is ideally equipped to add code rather than wreaking havoc on your theme’s core files.

The CSS code you provide here will replace your theme’s default style and will not be removed when upgrading your theme. Use the correct CSS code selectors if you don’t see them in your preview.

If you don’t take better care, whatever CSS you create will be lost forever if you move themes. Therefore, backing up your website is essential before switching themes so you won’t lose valuable work.

If you’re experiencing difficulties with this option or need a workable solution with any theme and can target specific pages more simply, consider utilizing a plugin instead.

2. Installing Custom CSS in WordPress: How to Do It Using Plugins

The first technique only enables you to store custom CSS for a presently active theme. You should copy-paste your CSS into the new theme if you change the theme.

This solution is for you if you want your custom CSS to be applied regardless of the WordPress theme you’re using.

The first step is to download and install the Custom CSS plugin. Navigate to Appearance » Own CSS after activation and paste your custom CSS.

Remember to save your modifications by clicking the Update Custom CSS button. You may now log on to your site and test how the custom CSS works.

3. Using the Full Site Editor to Add Additional CSS (FSE)

The Full Site Editor is another option to apply custom CSS to WordPress (FSE). You can, with FSE, use the WordPress block editor to change the layout and style of the whole website, just as you would when updating a blog post or page.

Please remember that you can only access the entire site for specific themes.

To begin, open the Customize screen as we showed above. Alternatively, you can also proceed to your browser and paste this URL displayed below, substituting ‘example.com‘ with your website’s domain name.
https://example.com/wp-admin/customize.php

After doing so, you’ll be sent to a restricted version that houses the theme customizer. At the bottom of the left-hand menu, you should notice the option to add custom CSS. Select the Additional CSS tab.

Now insert the CSS code in the section where you will find the Additional CSS. Click the Publish button after entering the code.

Different Plugins for CSS

The specific features you need in a WordPress CSS plugin will depend on your level of programming ability.

Some users may opt for plugins that rely entirely on the visual editor (no programming skills required), but others may want more control and plugins that provide multiple CSS editing.

If you’re a complete newbie, you should seek a live customizable plugin that allows you to make changes. The plugin will generate the necessary CSS code for you. Some CSS plugins even provide a design library you can use instead of relying on your imagination.

The CSS Hero WordPress Plugin

Get the plugin: official website ($29) || or from us ($4.99)

Once activating the plugin on your website, click on the CSS Hero from the admin bar.

The plugin’s screen will be divided into two panels. The panel on the left will show you the chosen selector with styling options, while the one on the right will be a live preview of your website. Start by clicking on any element from the right panel.

Then, click on the styling properties that you would like to add to the elements. For example, we can expand the background tab and choose a background color. Once selected, the CSS rule will be added to the component.

Finally, save the changes and visit the live site to verify it looks as expected.

SiteOrigin CSS Plugin

The SiteOrigin CSS plugin is another excellent choice to add custom CSS.

Once you activate the plugin, navigate to Appearance > Custom CSS and enter your CSS rules into the Textarea field.

Alternatively, you can also open their live site editor by clicking on the eye icon from the top right corner.

Then, navigate to your desired page by entering its URL at the top, or stay on the current page to start editing the homepage.

The OriginCSS plugin shares many similarities with the Hero CSS plugin. Select the element from the right side, and add styling options from the left sidebar.

Once styling your elements, click on the checkmark icon to approve and save the changes.

In addition, Advanced CSS Editor, Microthermer, and TJ Custom CSS are some of the most popular CSS editors.

The Custom CSS Plugin vs. Adding Custom CSS in the Theme

All of the strategies listed above are ideal for newbies. Advanced users may also easily customize their sites with custom CSS.

Adding custom CSS to your parent theme, on the other hand, is not advised. If you update the theme and forget to save your custom changes, you will lose your CSS changes.

Instead, a child theme is the best option. Many rookies, however, do not wish to develop a child theme. Aside from modifying CSS, many have no idea how to use the child theme.

It is possible to store your custom CSS independent of your theme using a custom CSS plugin. This approach makes switching themes easy while still having access to your custom CSS.

If you want to keep your custom CSS independent from your theme, an excellent way to do this is by using a custom CSS plugin. This way, you can easily switch themes without losing your customizations.

CSS Hero is a great plugin for adding custom CSS to your WordPress site. With it, you can edit almost every CSS style on your site without writing any code.

Conclusion

Working with the coding of your website might be frightening, especially for beginner users. However, when it comes to making fundamental changes, many of the languages on which your website is built are remarkably user-friendly.

Learning how to utilize custom CSS in WordPress may take some time, but it will provide unparalleled power over your site’s design and layout.

Instead of editing your theme’s CSS style sheet directly, use the WordPress Customizer to quickly and safely add CSS code. This method allows you to change the sizes, fonts, colors, and positions of various elements without completely changing the core code of your active theme.

Furthermore, you will be able to preview your changes in real-time, so you know the effects they have.

The post WordPress and CSS (Add, Edit, and Customize Your Site Appearance): a Comprehensive Guide appeared first on PluginsForWP.

When you want to disable a plugin or edit a theme or a particular file, using FTP (File Transfer Protocol) can be the most straightforward and most direct solution.

It lets you upload files straight from your computer onto your WordPress website. No need for the dashboard — which is super handy if it’s in maintenance mode or you’re locked out of your account.

This guide will show you how to access FTP and use it to make quick and easy changes on your WordPress site. As well as explaining how to do it, we’ll also look at why you might need to use an FTP WordPress connection.

OK, let’s get started.

What is FTP?

FTP — short for File Transfer Protocol — is one of the most tried and true ways to transfer files online.

If you’re asking the question, “what is a protocol?” let us explain. A protocol is a term used in networking circles to define the rules that allow two different systems to communicate. Data gets broken into little chunks, and you need the sender and receiver to “speak the same language” so the information can be reassembled accurately.

In FTP and WordPress, we can just think of a protocol as a handy way of transferring a file from one system (your computer) to another (your website hosting website). And that is precisely what an FTP WordPress connection will allow you to do.

If you have a website, it will have an FTP server. When you want to communicate with it (without using the WordPress dashboard), you must access an FTP client and connect it with your website’s FTP.

Once you’ve established this connection, you’ll be able to:

• Access files on your website
• Transfer files from your computer

In What Scenarios Should We Use FTP?

So, you might be wondering why we need an FTP WordPress connection. After all, we already have an excellent way of uploading files from our computer to our website.

The main reason it’s great to have an FTP WordPress connection option is when you have a problem with your website, or if it’s experiencing technical difficulties. This trick is essential when your website is down for whatever reason and you’re trying to troubleshoot the issue.

Let’s explore the main reasons to establish an FTP-WordPress connection.

1. You can install plugins and themes directly if the WordPress dashboard is in maintenance mode or unresponsive.
2. To manually disable themes or plugins when the WordPress dashboard is giving your trouble.
3. WordPress can be a little sluggish when uploading files. If you have large-sized media files you want to upload a single or bulk of files, you can access FTP and send the files to your website hosting service.
4. To troubleshoot or fix errors on your website.
5. Customize specific WordPress functions.
6. Customize WordPress plugins or themes.
7. Back up the files from your website and onto your personal computer.

As the years have rolled by, WordPress has improved the functionality of its product and dashboard functionality. As a result, most people no longer need to access FTP to perform many duties. However, FTP still plays a vital role if your site has crashed or you’re having security issues.

What are good FTP clients?

You’ll need an FTP client if you want to run an FTP WordPress connection. There are several different options to choose from on the market. We’ll outline a few of them below to see which one works best for you.

FTP clients provide a user-friendly and intuitive user interface, so you perform typical functions like copying, renaming, editing, deleting, or uploading different files and folders.

While many FTP clients have the same basis and similar functions, some differences exist.

Some of the main questions to ask yourself when you are choosing an FTP client are:

• What operating system do you run? Which version?
• Do you prefer a point and click interface or drag and drop?
• How fast do you need your files to transfer?
• What size of files do you want to send?
• Does it support transfer to third-party sites like Google Drive or Dropbox?
• Does it have extra features, like user shortcuts, file explorers, search tools, etc.?
• Which FTP clients offer the best security?

Below, we’ll recommend the five best FTP clients you can use for your FTP WordPress transfers.

Top 5 FTP clients for FTP WordPress connections

Cyberduck

Cyberduck is available on Windows and Mac. There is a lot to love about Cyberduck: it’s free, super quick, and the interface is intuitive. Another significant advantage is that it can link your website to third-party cloud-based options like Google Drive, Microsoft Azure, and Dropbox.

Cyberduck is also pretty secure. It uses encryption to send your files securely. Finally, it features a simple drag and drop interface.

All in all, it’s a superb option.

FileZilla

FileZilla is another great free FTP client. Just like Cyberduck, it’s straightforward to use. While it might not have Cyberducks polish, it has plenty.

FileZilla has a helpful drag and drop interface, a fantastic side-by-side file display, and a simple remote file search.

It has a pretty active community of users and developers, and the software is frequently updated. In addition, it also supports the transfer of large files (up to 4GB)

It is also available for Mac and Windows and comes in a few different languages.

WinSCP

WinSCP is a free, open-source FTP client for Windows. It has an effortless drag-and-drop interface with a side-by-side window to track which files are on your computer and which are hosted on your website.

The best thing about WinSCP is how user-friendly it is. Documentation on the website is good, and the forum is active enough to provide support if you need it.

Two other pluses are language support and secure encryption.

WS_FTP Professional

WS_FTP Professional is an excellent option for security-conscious website administrators. It’s a premium option, but that is reflected in the price of $54.95.

This client won’t be for everyone, mainly when so many good free alternatives exist. However, it’s your best choice if you’re worried about network sniffing. FTP transfers sent over WIFI could become interceptive, and depending on your site’s content, you might need to employ an extra layer of security.

WS_FTP Professional uses encryption, file syncing, and backups. The high level of encryption makes this a standout option.

Transmit

Transmit is a free FTP client for Mac. It’s the most popular option for Apple users. The interface is good and an excellent choice for managing and transferring files.

Transmit has a free option, but the full version is $45. For many people, the interface and extra functionality will justify the price. For example, it allows you to manage files on multiple servers and has good security functions and integrations with DropBox and other file hosting services.

Transmit’s lightning-quick speed, batch editing, and excellent shortcuts are also great. Overall, a superb FTP client.

How to Get the Server Credentials?

When you need to run an FTP WordPress connection, you’ll need access to the FTP server credentials.

The newly created FTP account will be added to the existing FTP accounts list.

How to Connect to WordPress with FTP

OK, now that you:

• Know what FTP is
• What FTP client is best for your needs
• How to get your server credentials

It’s time to learn how to use FTP for WordPress file transfers.

We’ll take you through a simple step-by-step process.

#1. Always backup your website files

The first and most crucial step is to back up your website files. When you make changes to your website via the WordPress dashboard, there are undo / History options where you can revert any mistakes or errors.

FTP WordPress changes are different. They are both direct and permanent.

With that in mind, it’s best to ensure you have a backup saved in case anything goes wrong.

It’s good practice to automate your backups. Relying on manual backup can be poor unless you are very disciplined.

WordPress websites have three main sections. They are:

WordPress core files: This section is the code that runs WordPress. You can download this anytime, so it’s not an essential backup item.

The wp-content folder: This section has all the files and images you’ve uploaded. You may already have them on your computer, but it’s nice to have them in one place, so they’re worth backing up.

This section also contains plugins. You can back them up, but they’re also available to download unless customized. So, not an essential backup but worth having.

Database: This section contains all your essential data. It has your users, posts, admin data, etc. You need to ensure that this is backed up.

You have three choices for backing up your files before making any FTP WordPress changes.

Backup Plugins: There are many free or low-cost options like BackWpup or BackUpWordPress These plugins backup your WordPress files and data and store them safely on a third-party server.

Ideally, you should store any backup on a different server than your host files. If anything happens to one server, you have the other copy.

Third-party off-site options: Jetpack/VaultPress is the WordPress backup solution. It’s not free, but it has some great options, like an automated backup.

For $3.50 per month, you get an off-site backup solution and excellent security features. It’s easy to use too, which is always a bonus.

Webhost backup solution: Your web host may also offer a backup solution. Typically, web hosts connect with the WordPress server for all their clients.

However, don’t assume your web host offers this service. Read their documentation or simply ask them how they handle backups.

#2. Install your FTP client

Before making any FTP WordPress changes, you must install your FTP client. We’ve provided a list of the top 5 options above. For this article, we’ll use FileZilla because it’s available for Mac and Windows and has some great features.

Simply go to the FileZilla website and download the “FileZilla Client.” You won’t need the FileZilla Pro version, but we recommend downloading the free version with the manual.

Once you have the file, run and install it, and it will be on your desktop and ready to go.

When you’re ready to make some FTP WordPress changes, just click on the FileZilla icon, and it will launch.

The first screen you see is split in two. One side is for the files you have on your computer, while the other shows the files on your server. If you’re running FileZilla for the first time, this section will be empty and say, “Not connected to any server.”

#3. Connect to the server

The next step is connecting to the server.

Four text boxes are running along the taskbar on the FileZilla interface. They are:

• Host
• Username
• Password
• Port

You’ll recognize some of these from the section above where we showed how to get your server credentials. If you haven’t done that step, you must do it now! You can’t perform FTP WordPress changes without connecting your computer to the server via your FTP client.

To establish a connection to your website via FTP, you’ll need

• Your web host’s FTP address
• FTP username you chose earlier
• The FTP password you picked above
• The designated port your host uses for FTP

Use the method shown above for accessing your credentials via CPanel. Enter them into the
text fields in FileZilla and your FTP WordPress connection should be established.

Most times, the host address is ftp.yourdomain.com and the default port is 21. You can try it first with your username and password and test the connection.

If it didn’t work, click on the configure FTP client link to reveal the unique credentials of your host.

Now, you are ready to make FTP WordPress file transfers.

#4: Manage and access FTP WordPress files

Once FileZilla is connected to the server, the interface should be split into four sections.

On the left are two panels—the first displays the folders on your computer, and the second displays subfolders and files.

On the right, there are also two panels. These have all your website files and folders.

FileZilla is all about simplicity. To move files from one part to the next, you must drag and drop from one panel to the next.

What files and folders do I need to know to do an FTP WordPress file transfer?

To make changes or edits to your site, you must find the relevant files and folders on the server.

Click on the top right panel. There should be a file named after your website’s domain name. If your site is www.johnsautorepairs.com, the file will be johnsautorepairs.

However, there are some situations where it might be labeled differently. It could be simply called www or public_html.

Access this folder and look at the content. Find a subfolder called public. This folder will contain all your website data.

Remember the wp-content folder we talked about in the data backup section? Well, that’s what you’ll want to find.

Inside wp_content, you’ll see two essential subfolders which will contain your:

• plugins
• themes

You have a few options when it comes to themes. Your FTP WordPress connection will allow you to:

• change your current theme
• delete a theme
• or install a new theme

All of these choices are useful in specific scenarios. For example, if you want to install a new theme, you can drag and drop it from your computer files into the theme folder.

It’s important to note that you create a new copy while dragging and dropping a file from your computer to the server. The original file will remain on your computer, while the new document will be on your server.

#5: Open and edit the files

All the things you can do via your FTP WordPress connection are available when you right-click on a file in FileZilla.

The six-core options are:

• Download the file via FTP straight to your computer
• Add the file or files to the queue
• Delete a file from your reserver
• Rename a particular file
• Change or adjust a select file’s permission
• Create new files or directories.

Drag-and-drop makes this process straightforward.

To add a new theme, you must download it to your computer first. Then, select it on the left panel and put it inside the wp_content/themes folder.

Uploading plugins and themes are done in the same way. Once your FTP WordPress transfer is complete, you should go to your dashboard and click, for example, “Plugins” on the left panel. From here, you can activate the plugin that you have uploaded.

Downloading a file to your computer is just as simple. Once your FTP WordPress connection is established, you can select files on the server and bounce them over to your computer folder on the left-hand side.

Establishing an FTP WordPress connection is that simple.

PRO TIP: While drag-and-drop is super easy to use, some people say it’s better to use the right-click option and select “Upload.” The reason is that when you use drag-and-drop, there’s a slight chance you’ll upload a file to the wrong folder. If your files are in the wrong place, WordPress won’t run properly, so whatever option you choose, ensure you get things right.

Conclusion

Running an FTP WordPress connection is helpful for several reasons. If WordPress is down or you’re locked out of your account, you can use an FTP client to perform fixes, disable plugins, or grab any needed files. Additionally, it can be a great way to remove any malfunctioning plugins or themes.

The other benefit of using an FTP WordPress connection is that it gives you a deeper understanding of how WordPress works. If you are a website admin or user, it’s good to open the hood and look at how the platform works.

While knowing how to access your WordPress files in an emergency is a handy skill, it shouldn’t cause you to become complacent.

The only way to know that your files are safe is to set frequent backups to a server in a different location than your website’s hosting. Having two (or more) copies of essential files is the best and most secure practice.

The post How to Use FTP with WordPress – the Definitive Guide appeared first on PluginsForWP.

The requirements page on the WordPress website, recommends using PHP 7. However, it states that PHP 5 can still be used to run WordPress. Currently, it reads:

Note: If you are in a legacy environment where you only have older PHP or MySQL versions, WordPress also works with PHP 5.6.20+ and MySQL 5.0+, but these versions have reached official End Of Life and as such may expose your site to security vulnerabilities.

https://wordpress.org/about/requirements/

In this article, we will explore the reasons why we hope and encourage WordPress to drop PHP 5 support completely and embrace PHP 7 as the minimum version required, even 7.4. The main reasons are security, language features, speed, and future proofing WordPress.

Security

This is one of the top reasons for dropping PHP 5 support in WordPress and other applications. PHP 5 and even 7.1 and 7.2 have reached the end of their lives. See the PHP supported versions page for more info. 7.3 is close to getting there.

It has been a long time since PHP 5 received security updates, and with each passing day, the chance of vulnerabilities being discovered and exploited increases. Running any application that is no longer being updated, especially one as large, low-level, and critical as a programming language runtime, is risky.

Some distributions such as old versions of Ubuntu (16.04, I think) and others still under Long Term Support (LTS) may be supporting PHP 5 still with patches. This is due to their commitment to support all their packages for a certain amount of time. If this is the case and one is running on one of these distributions, it is a bit safer. However, unless there is a good reason not to, one should upgrade to a newer version and take advantage of what PHP 7, and in the future, PHP 8 have to offer.

Language Features

This is one of the biggest reasons to leave PHP 5 behind. PHP 7 introduced many new language features that make working with the language much easier and evolve the language to better serve its users. From scalar type declarations adding a bit of compile time type checking, to the null coalescing operator simplifying assignments. These features have become the bread and butter of the modern PHP developer.

WordPress needs to catch up. By eliminating support for PHP 5, WordPress and more importantly, the plugin authors can upgrade their code to use these new features. New plugins can be written with the new features enhancing code readability and usability. If support is not eliminated, plugin authors will feel compelled to write code for the largest audience, and thus be limited to PHP 5 language features.

Having a thriving network of developers is important and using modern language versions and features is crucial to this. No developer will want to work in WordPress if they are stuck on an old PHP 5 codebase when they could be doing modern PHP development with 7 or 8 and leveraging what is essentially, a much cleaned up and updated language.

Finally, there are also many things that were deprecated or scheduled to be deprecated in PHP 7. Some of these were features that led to their own security issues or were inconsistencies or performance issues. Upgrading code and getting rid of code using these deprecated features is crucial to keeping WordPress and its plugins working optimally and allowing them to work with future PHP and WordPress versions.

Speed: PHP 5 vs PHP 7

A huge speed gain was seen by almost all code moving from PHP 5 to 7. In my own tests, I noticed a roughly 2-2.5x speed-up. That’s over 100% speed gain or a reduction of over half of the total running time. Same code deployed to different PHP runtimes differing only by version. This alone should have one rushing to upgrade.

Speeding up all WordPress requests by a factor of two is quite noticeable and is not an easy task. There are many areas where one can make gains in regard to entire site performance. However, cutting server response times in half is certainly a huge win that is unlikely to come in any other way or at any other time. The folks working on PHP have done an amazing job with version 7. Version 8 has ever more amazing features in store, like a JIT, and could bring another speed boost.

Finally, it’s worth noting that there are even speed gains between version 7.0 and 7.4. The speed gains don’t stop with major versions. Each version often brings gains along with security fixes, bug patches, and new features.

Future Proofing

The final category is future proofing. Making WordPress a viable platform for development in the future. We touched upon this when discussing language features, upgrading, and deprecation of old features. It’s important to keep WordPress development going in the same general direction as PHP development. Using new language features, supporting the newest versions, and dropping support for old legacy versions that are holding things back is key.

Also, attracting and keeping developers on the platform is key. The GPL license plays a huge role in this. It attracts developers and creates a huge community of great plugins and themes, many of which are on our site. The technical side to this is WordPress and PHP being and staying a viable platform for development. Both new and advanced developers want to work with WordPress. Both should be accommodated. By modernizing the platform, WordPress will bring in and keep more experienced developers without scaring away the beginners.

Conclusion: Drop PHP 5

In conclusion, there are many reasons for WordPress to drop PHP 5 support. Security, language features, speed, and future proofing are the top four. We examined each of these ideas and showed why it’s advantageous from multiple viewpoints for WordPress to modernize. Finally, we looked into what the future of WordPress might hold as PHP 7 itself will give way soon enough to PHP 8.

The post Why WordPress should drop PHP 5 support appeared first on PluginsForWP.

The featured image will represent the page or post in various places like Facebook shares or search result engines.

This article will teach you everything you need to know about WordPress featured images. You’ll learn how to set them up, resize them, and why you should.

Why Use Featured Images

Using a featured image will benefit your pages, posts, or products immensely.

A good featured image will attract potential readers to prefer reading your article over your competitors.

For example, out of many books that you’re interested in, you’ll most likely choose the one with the cover that will attract your attention.

It is a fact. A good cover image will improve book visibility by 50%, and it’s also true when talking about the article we choose to read online.

You see, the post featured image is like the book’s cover. It sets the article’s tone and can be the difference between spending more time on your website or moving to a different one.

The featured image can attract your website visitors to enter a blog post or a product page and spend more time on your website.

Visitors who enjoy your content will revisit you in the future and most likely will convert to customers.

When to Use Featured Image

Here are some of the many places where the WordPress featured image will be used and displayed:

• When setting up a featured image for a post. It will be shown on the posts archive page along with a short description and a ‘read more’ button.
• Store archive pages when displaying various products in a grid or list view.
• When adding a product to the cart the featured image will be displayed in the cart.
• Sharing a page or blog post on social media channels such as Facebook.
• Google will pick up your featured images and will display them on the images search result page.
• RSS feed.

There are many more scenarios where the featured image will be shown. The ones above are just the tip of the iceberg, but I think you got it.

Enable Featured Image on Your Website

By default, many themes support featured images as it has become the standard. If your theme does as well, skip this step and move on to the next section.

However, if you don’t see the option to set a featured image while editing your page, post, or custom post type, you’ll have to add the option manually.

To do that, we will need to add a custom function to the functions.php file of your child theme or create a website custom plugin.

Navigate to Appearance -> File Editor and look for the functions.php file from the list on the right.

Scroll to the bottom of the file and paste this function:

<?php add_theme_support( 'post-thumbnails' ); ?>

Great, now you added the option to set a featured image picked up by search engines and social media channels. That will help your SEO a lot.

Later in this article, I’ll show you how to auto display your featured image in your pages and blog posts.

Set Featured Image for Your Pages and Blog Posts

Once the featured image option on our WordPress website is enabled, it’s an excellent time to show you how to set it up.

Navigate to any page, post, or product screen and click on the ‘Document‘ tab on the right.

Under the Document tab, you’ll have a few options, and one of them is called ‘Featured image.’

Please choose an image from your media library or upload a new image from your computer.

Tip: when setting up a featured image for a blog post, upload the image to the specific post using the edit screen instead of the media library. That way, when Google displays the picture, it will link back to the post itself and not to the image file.

Once uploading and choosing the image, click ‘Update.’

Great job. With that small step, you improved your page immensely. Now go ahead and upload a featured image to all the other blog posts and your most important pages.

WordPress Featured Image Sizes

Unlike Facebook cover images or YouTube featured images for a video, you’re the only one who controls your website look and design.

Thus, no one size will fit all websites perfectly. However, a recommended size will look excellent for most websites.

The recommended WordPress featured image size is 1200 x 628 pixels. A rectangle shape will look good in most screen sizes, and we would like to keep a ratio of about 2 to 1 between width and height.

Because most content width does not expand over 1200 pixels, there is no reason to create a larger image. A large image can slow down the website’s loading time.

Whichever size you choose, please make it consistent between all the featured images across your website.

How to Change the Featured Image Size

When uploading a photo to WordPress, it’s automatically creating three more sizes in addition to the original size of the image.

The three extra sizes are:

• Thumbnail (150 x 150 pixels).
• Medium size (300 x 300 pixels).
• Large size (1024 x 1024 pixels).

Different plugins and share buttons use the extra sizes to display the images on your sidebar or various social platforms.

Scroll below this post and see the ‘You may also like’ section with three images to different blog posts.

The sizes of the images in that section are way smaller than the original sizes of the pictures that were uploaded initially.

When there is no need for WordPress to use the full-size image, it can use one of the other created versions such as the thumbnail or the medium size.

WordPress is an intelligent content management system that efficiently maintains its resources by serving us the correct size.

If you would like to change the different sizes of the thumbnail, medium, or large options, do it from the Media option under the Settings tab.

There you can change the settings of any of the options above. Just remember to save the page after you are done changing the numbers.

Create the Perfect Featured Image

There are many websites where you can download royalty-free images to use on your website. You can see the complete list in our how-to add a header image article.

Because the featured image is essential to attract visitors, a simple idea is a mistake, and we should aim for a great featured image.

Today is straightforward to make stunning featured images like professional graphic designers when using the right tools.

This is how I create the thumbnails for our blog posts, and you should do the same.

Choose the right template

Open Snappa and create your free account.

Scroll down and choose the Blog Featured Image option inside your dashboard under Blogging and Infographics.

Then, you’ll have many templates to choose from with various designs. Take your time and select the design you like the most to fit your brand.

Don’t worry about the text or the colors. We can change them easily with a click of a button.

Click on the Background icon from inside the editor screen and search their image library. If you already have a photo, feel free to upload and use it instead.

Edit the image

After finding the right image, you can flip vertically or horizontally and zoom in or out to fit the canvas better.

If you see a grey overlay, fix it inside the Effects tab. Just adjust the color overlay and the saturation options.

If you want the background to appear without any effects, set all values to 0.

Great, it starts to look good.

All we have left to do is change the text and the colors and save the image.

Highlight the text you would like to change and enter yours instead. You can also change anything related to the text, such as the font, color, size, etc.

Next, we need to change the color of the rectangle shapes to any other color.

Click on the shape and then choose your desired color.

Save the image

Perfect, the final result looks fantastic. All we have left to do is download the image and set it as the featured image to our blog post.

How to Display the Featured Image

Images don’t worth much when hidden, and so does the featured image.

Although most themes will show the featured image at the top of the blog post, that may not be the case with your theme.

Therefore, it will be helpful to learn how to display your featured image in your template files and blog posts.

Inside a template

To display WordPress featured image inside template files, use the code below:

<?php the_post_thumbnail(); ?>

It is recommended to use the code above inside the WordPress loop.

Let’s take the default Twenty-Twenty theme, for example. It displays the featured image at the top of every post. In addition, we would also like to add it to the bottom of the blog post as well.

To do that, edit the content.php file, which is the template that generates each of the blog posts.

Navigate to Appearance -> Theme Editor and look for the content.php file under the template-parts folder on the right side.

Choose where to display the featured image inside the file and paste the code above.

To display the featured image at the bottom of the article, paste the code above before the closing entry-content div.

Once saved the changes, the post will show the featured image at the bottom as expected.

The example above is only one out of many. WordPress lets you place your featured image anywhere you desire inside page templates or using functions.

Use a function

Use the function below to display the featured image under the title of a blog post without modifying the template file. Make sure to paste it at the bottom of the functions.php file of your child’s theme:

<?php

// Add featured image under post title
add_filter('the_title', 'pfwp_add_featured_image_under_title');
function pfwp_add_featured_image_under_title($title) {
  if(is_singular( 'post' )){
    $title .= the_post_thumbnail();
  };
	return $title;
}

?>

Once you have saved the file, visit the relevant page and verify that you see the featured image.

Conclusion

In this article, we talked about WordPress featured images in great detail. We learned what they are and how they can benefit your website.

We recommend you go through all of your blog posts and most important pages and set one for each. It will help you in many ways from an SEO perspective to reduce bounce rate and increase page view duration time.

Leave us a comment below if you have any questions about the subject.

The post WordPress Featured Image – the Ultimate Guide appeared first on PluginsForWP.

This article will dive deep and talk about WordPress and GPL, what it is, and how it works.

Here are some of the subjects we will cover:

What is GPL

The GNU General Public License is one of the most commonly used free software licenses, often shortened to GNU GPL (or simply GPL).

One of the basic tenets of the GPL is that anyone who acquires the software must make it available to anyone else under the same licensing agreement.

The GPL was created by Richard Stallman, a free software movement activist and programmer.

Richard Stallman created the GPL to protect GNU software from being made proprietary. The four central core beliefs of the GPL are:

1. Run the program for any purpose.
2. The freedom to study how the program works and functions.
3. You have the right to redistribute copies to others.
4. You can improve and modify the program or software and release your improvements to the public so the whole community benefits.

GPL is designed to ensure that every user of a program gets the essential freedoms—to run it, to study and change the source code, to redistribute copies, and to publish modified versions

Richard Stallman

WordPress and GPL

WordPress and thousands of other software are also under the GPL license.

As mentioned above, WordPress benefits a lot from the GPL license. That is one of the main reasons WordPress is the most popular CMS software today.

Thanks to the GPL, the public can access all WordPress files. As a result, developers worldwide started studying the code, modifying it, and improving it.

A big, vibrant community started to form around WordPress. As a result, it created hype and caused more people to join and try the software.

Over 36% of the world’s websites use WordPress as their CMS platform. It is an unbelievable number only possible thanks to WordPress is GPL.

Moreover, WordPress is the most popular CMS (Content Management System) platform and has over 60% market share.

Even though all the other CMS platforms were created around the same time as WordPress, not being under the GPL held them back and let WordPress open up a significant gap in usage and popularity.

Matt Mullenweg, the co-founder of WordPress, is one of the world’s most prominent promoters of GPL. He repeatedly stated, ‘If WordPress were a country, our Bill of Rights would be the GPL because it protects our core freedoms.‘

Matt himself knows and believes that for the software to thrive, you should release it under the GPL. That is why they protect their Bill of Rights and live by it.

Many of WordPress’ competitors that are not GPL vanished and died over the years. That happened because they didn’t have enough users to keep their heads above water.

Eventually, the users who used their platform left them and moved to a more evolved software like WordPress. This was due to other developers improving it thanks to the GPL.

GPL and Ethics

Some developers may look at the GPL as a double-edged sword.

On the one hand, thanks to the GPL, they can reach millions of customers worldwide, and therefore, WordPress is the most popular system, as we discussed above.

But on the other hand, everyone can redistribute copies of the plugins and themes because that is legal under the GPL license.

We believe redistributing the plugins and themes can greatly benefit developers, so we created this website.

Think about it. If a developer sells his plugins for hundreds of dollars, it will be almost impossible for a beginner site owner to afford and purchase the plugin.

As a result, the website’s owner won’t be able to scale up and reach the full potential of his business.

Suppose the website’s owner could purchase the desired plugin from us for a small fee. In that case, there is a better chance for him to scale up his business, make more money, talk about the plugin, spread the word to his partners and customers, and even purchase a license from the original developer to get help or support.

Like the WordPress and GPL founders, we honestly believe that when more people use a plugin or theme, whether purchased from the original developer or us, it will benefit the original developer in the long term.

Is GPL Safe?

The short answer is yes. The longer answer will be: it depends. Let me explain.

Similar to us, there are many WordPress plugins and themes redistributing websites, but they are not all the same.

Many sites first download the plugins and themes to their computer, modify the products (usually with ads) and upload them to their websites to sell. They do it to get a quick buck with ads.

Unlike them, we do it differently. We developed an intelligent bridge mechanism (plugin manager) that connects our website servers to the original developers’ websites.

As a result, the bridge we developed will automatically download the newest versions from the official websites and upload them straight to our website.

Above all, we DO NOT change or modify the products in any shape or form. It’s going straight from the original developer to our website. The plugins and themes you’re downloading from us are identical to the original developer’s.

One of our core beliefs is not changing or modifying the files whatsoever.

Frequently Asked Questions About WordPress and GPL

Conclusion

This article teaches what GPL is and how WordPress benefits from it.

GPL is an excellent software license that benefits WordPress immensely. Therefore, it helped WP develop and become the most popular CMS platform of all time, with millions of users worldwide.

Please let us know in the comment box below if you have any comments or questions.

The post Everything You Need to Know About WordPress and GPL appeared first on PluginsForWP.