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WordPress Multisite Administration
WordPress Multisite Administration

WordPress Multisite Administration: A concise guide to set up, manage, and customize your blog network using WordPress multisite

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WordPress Multisite Administration

Chapter 2. Customization

Now that you've got a working multisite installation, we can start to add some customizations. Customizations can come in a few different forms. You're probably aware of the customizations that can be made via WordPress plugins and custom WordPress themes. Another way we can customize a multisite installation is by creating a landing page that displays information about each blog in the multisite network, as well as displaying information about the author for that individual blog.

I wrote a blog post shortly after WordPress 3.0 came out detailing how to set this landing page up. At the time, I was working for a local newspaper and we were setting up a blog network for some of our reporters to blog about politics (being in Iowa, politics are a pretty big deal here, especially around Caucus time). You can find the post at http://www.longren.org/how-to-wordpress-3-0-multi-site-blog-directory/ if you'd like to read it. There's also a blog-directory.zip file attached to...

Theme management


You can install themes on a multisite installation the same way you would with a regular WordPress install. Just upload the theme folder to your wp-content/themes folder to install the theme. Installing a theme is only part of the process for individual blogs to use the themes; you'll need to activate them for the entire blog network or for specific blogs.

To activate a theme for an entire network, click on Themes and then click on Installed Themes in the Network Admin dashboard. Check the themes that you want to enable, select Network Enable in the Bulk Actions drop-down menu, and then click on the Apply button. That's all there is to activating a theme (or multiple themes) for an entire multisite network. The individual blog owners can apply the theme just as you would in a regular, nonmultisite WordPress installation.

To activate a theme for just one specific blog and not the entire network, locate the target blog using the Sites menu option in the Network Admin dashboard...

Plugin management


To install a plugin for network use, upload the plugin folder to wp-content/plugins/ as you normally would. Unlike themes, plugins cannot be activated on a per-site basis. As network administrator, you can add a plugin to the Plugins page for all sites, but you can't make a plugin available to one specific site. It's all or nothing.

You'll also want to make sure that you've enabled the Plugins page for the sites that need it. You can enable the Plugins page by visiting the Network Admin dashboard and then navigating to the Network Settings page. At the bottom of that page you should see a Menu Settings section where you can check a box next to Plugins to enable the plugins page. Make sure to click on the Save Changes button at the bottom or nothing will change. You can see the Menu Settings section in the following screenshot. That's where you'll want to enable the Plugins page.

Enabling the Plugins page

After you've ensured that the Plugins page is enabled, specific site...

Creating a blog directory / landing page


Now that we've got the basic theme and plugin stuff taken care of, I think it's time to move onto creating a blog directory or a landing page, whichever you prefer to call it. From this point on I'll be referring to it as a blog directory. You can see a basic version of what we're going to make in the following screenshot. The users on my example multisite installation, at http://multisite.longren.org/, are Kayla and Sydney, my wife and daughter.

Blog directory example

As I mentioned earlier in this chapter, I wrote a post about creating this blog directory back when WordPress 3.0 was first released in 2010. I'll be using that post as the basis for most of what we'll do to create the blog directory with some things changed around, so this will integrate more nicely into whatever theme you're using on the main network site.

The first thing we need to do is to create a basic WordPress page template that we can apply to a newly created WordPress page. This...

Summary


You should be able to effectively manage themes and plugins in a multisite installation now. If you set the code up, you've got a directory showcasing network member content and, more importantly, know how to set up and customize a WordPress child theme now. In the next chapter, we'll be going over how you can let your users manage their own blogs. This includes using plugins and themes for creating and editing posts.

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Key benefits

  • Learn how to configure a complete, functional, and attractive WordPress Multisite
  • Customize your sites with WordPress themes and plugins
  • Set up, maintain, and secure your blog network

Description

WordPress is an incredibly popular blogging platform. Few people realize that the software behind WordPress.com, which is a standalone WordPress with multisite enabled, is available for free, for anyone to make use of. WordPress Multisite is a special “mode” built into WordPress, which allows you to create a network of multiple websites, all running on a single installation of WordPress. WordPress Multisite Administration is an easy-to-understand book filled with information, tips, and best practices to help you create and manage a blog network similar to http://wordpress.com/, by using WordPress Multisite. WordPress Multisite Administration will take you through all the steps necessary to get WordPress Multisite installed and configured on your server. It covers everything from installation and initial configuration to customizations and some helpful troubleshooting tips. You will also learn how to build your own blog directory that features the authors in your WordPress Multisite network. The blog directory is built by making use of WordPress child themes, an incredibly useful thing to know how to do. You'll learn everything you need to know about running and maintaining a WordPress Multisite installation.

Who is this book for?

WordPress Multisite Administration is ideal for anyone wanting to familiarize themselves with WordPress Multisite. You'll need to know the basics about WordPress, and having at least a broad understanding of HTML, CSS, and PHP will help, but isn't required.

What you will learn

  • Create a WordPress multisite network, similar to http://wordpress.com/
  • Learn theme and plugin activation and management
  • Make a custom blog directory featuring network author content
  • Secure your WordPress Multisite installation
  • Migrate multiple regular WordPress sites into one WordPress Multisite installation
  • Tips and best practices for optimization
  • Update themes, plugins, and WordPress core
  • Create a basic WordPress child theme for the blog directory
  • Set up multiple sites on your WordPress multisite network
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Publication date : Aug 26, 2013
Length: 106 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781783282470
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Product Details

Publication date : Aug 26, 2013
Length: 106 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781783282470
Concepts :
Tools :

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Table of Contents

7 Chapters
Getting Started with WordPress Multisite Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Customization Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
User Management and Permissions Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Protecting Your Multisite Network Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Migrating Multiple WordPress Blogs to a Multisite Network Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Site Optimization Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Stability Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon 2.5
(2 Ratings)
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3 star 50%
2 star 50%
1 star 0%
Sue Nov 13, 2013
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon 3
It is stated at the start: "This book is geared towards people who have some experience with WordPress already." And in the first section, it goes through a quick (5 minute install) of WordPress, and assumes the reader knows how to and has already uploaded the files to the server and edited wp-config with the database connection info, since it begins with the "Installing WordPress" by starting the install wizard.Then, in the next section on configuring MultiSite, it goes through how to upload the files, edit wp-config.php, etc - why cover it now and not prior? This was confusing to me. I would simply say that installing a multisite is done by installing a single site (and go through the procedures here), and then what to edit in the wp-config.php to allow multisite. Go through the file upload, editing the wp-config with your database information, change the prefix for security, add salts, etc - get the single site installed and working. Then add the multisite code lines to wp-config to convert to a multisite and continue with the network setup. It should all be one chapter, and since readers *should* already be familiar with WP setup - the file unzipping, upload, and initial username and password setup does not need to be covered in such great detail. And if you it is to be covered, put it in the single site section, since it needs to be done and a single site install working before multisite can be set up. It was confusing to me the way it was written.If anything, I would have expected a brieft "how to set up a single site" review, and then go right to editing the wp-config, reupload it, and on to the multisite dashboard and changes.The later chapters on security, caching, optimizing, provide good info, but not necessarily, specifically for multisite. Everything could apply to all WP installs, not just multisite. I would consider the plugins mentioned as suggestions only as each developer will find their own set of tools to use. (I have several not mentioned that I use for security, monitoring - and there are lots more out there.)I would have liked to see a chapter on subfolders vs subdomains, advantages and disadvantages of either setup, the difference between the two, and a chapter on domain mapping (unique URLs for each sub site). The book "assumes" the sub sites will all be shown on your directory of sites, and are all interconnected. This is not always the case; each sub site may be a distinct site with its own URL. And that is where I, personally, had the biggest struggle in setting up my multisite - getting each subsite its own URL (site1.com, site2.com, etc).The book does give info on multisite administration, but I feel it does not go into the depth I was expecting, and does not cover enough different situations to be considered a complete guide to multisite administration. Much of what is covered applies to ANY WordPress install, and the plugin suggestions, as I mentioned, were lacking. A good start, but room for improvement! 1783282479
Amazon Verified review Amazon
donallover Dec 30, 2016
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Am I reading this right? $33.00 for a 100 page book? I don't have an opinion because I'm dumbfounded could possibly be true but I had to choose a star rating in order to ask my question.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
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Disclaimer:
All orders received before 5 PM U.K time would start printing from the next business day. So the estimated delivery times start from the next day as well. Orders received after 5 PM U.K time (in our internal systems) on a business day or anytime on the weekend will begin printing the second to next business day. For example, an order placed at 11 AM today will begin printing tomorrow, whereas an order placed at 9 PM tonight will begin printing the day after tomorrow.


Unfortunately, due to several restrictions, we are unable to ship to the following countries:

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  2. American Samoa
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  4. Brunei Darussalam
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  7. Eritrea
  8. Guinea-bissau
  9. Iran
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