#WCLVPA @salcode

Owning Your Website

Sal Ferrarello / @salcode

salcode.com/wclvpa

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Marshmallow Launcher

Wildly unsuccessful

Sometimes You Need to Read the Instructions

WordPress

  • Free / Freedom
  • Monetary Costs
  • Customization

If WordPress is Free, Why am I Spending Money?

Copyright

Applies to

  • Literary works
  • Musical works
  • Motion pictures
  • Paintings, drawings, photographs
  • and more...
Music Lead Sheet for Ostentatious Contention

Copyright

  • Control over Derivative works
  • Distribution

Computers Follow Instructions

WordPress is a set of instructions

GPL

License giving Premission to:

  • Make Derivative works
  • Distribute

Free(dom)

  • No cost for WordPress code
  • Can make derivative works
  • Can distribute
  • Can not be taken away
  • Freedom to take data and leave

Things You Need that Cost Money

Hosting

Computer where the instructions are performed

Domain Name Registration

Register my domain name (e.g. salferrarello.com)

Things You Need that Cost Money

  • Hosting (& Backups)
  • Domain Name Registration

Customize Your Website

without writing code

  • Customizer
  • Theme
  • Plugins

Customizer

Customizer

Theme

Plugins

Plugin vs Theme

Theme Plugin
Number per website 1 (or 2) 0 - many
Add functionality yes yes
Define WordPress templates yes no

What if You Want to Do More Customization?

Custom Coding

Custom Coding

Hire a Professional
or
Do It Yourself (DIY)

Hiring Someone

Auto Mechanic.

When hiring someone

  • Get referrals
  • Quote or set spending cap

Do It Yourself (DIY)

DIY CSS

in the customizer

Customizer

Customize button in the WP admin toolbar.

Additional CSS

Additional CSS highlighted in the customizer menu.

Additional CSS

Customizer Additional CSS to make a dark mode theme.
Site with Customizer Additional CSS applied.

PHP

Where do I put the code?

Source Files

SFTP access to your hosting

Separate Your Code and the Theme

Do not put your PHP in functions.php

mu-plugins

/wp-content/mu-plugins/

Example

/wp-content/mu-plugins/stopmail.php

Recap

WordPress Copyright

  • WordPress is instructions
  • WordPress is copyrighted
  • WordPress is licensed GPL
    • Make Derivative Works
    • Distribute
    • Keep GPL license

Things that Cost Money

  • Hosting (& Backups)
  • Domain Name Registration

Code-free Customizing

Custom Code

  • Hire Professional
    • Get referrals
    • Quote or spending cap
  • Do It Youself (DIY)
    • CSS (customizer)
    • PHP (mu-plugins)

Iron Code Studio

Sal Ferrarello

salcode.com/wclvpa

@salcode

Resources

Image Credits