I’m working out the details of a project I’ve had planned for a very long time. This project will be using WordPress MU as the back end system, and I’m looking over requirements as I write this.
Out of the box, WordPress MU is a splogger’s paradise. The system does not allow the administrator to moderate what blogs are created, which means that any script kiddy or splogger bot can set up a blog, post two or three completely spammy posts, then disappear into the Internet ether, never to be heard from again. This was the main reason that I halted work on this project the last time I looked in to it. before I even had the chance to dive in to reworking MU to do what I needed it to do, I was faced with the task of deleting over 100 user accounts and splogs per day!
Looking over the WordPress MU help site has given me a bit of insight into the steps that need to be taken to prevent all of this from happening on the next round, so as a step in getting this project off the ground, I’ll be starting from scratch and recording the steps here. Hopefully my experiences with getting this thing installed and working correctly will help someone else in the future.
One of my primary goals is to use only plugins to get the system where I need it. A lot of solutions for modifying MU involve hacking core files. This is absolutely against my better senses, as it means that any upgrades would have to be modified as well. This is not only a time consuming process, but is a complete waste of administrative time, since upgrades are something that the users of the system will be more than happy to see as well.
In the next installment we’ll get down to brass tacks. Stay tuned!
Jerry Blogging, WordPress, WordPress MU WordPress, WordPress MU
One of the projects I’m working on is a community-based blog system. Because of what I’m trying to accomplish, I have a need to add extra fields to my user’s profile information. Without giving anything away, I need a profile picture, some information on what organization my members belong to, state, and a few other pieces of information from each user to realize the vision I had when I started piecing this project together.
While it is completely possible to go in and hack the core files of WordPress MU to give me the functionality I need, I’d be giving up the ability to upgrade easily on the next release cycle, and for me, that’s just not an option. If at all possible I don’t want to mess with the core files at all.
Cimy Extra User Fields provides all of this functionality and a lot more. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come out of the box as a WordPress MU capable plugin. After looking around a bit, I found that it could be adapted, and I’ve done so, though not to the level I’d like… Just yet.
Read more…
Jerry WordPress MU, WordPress plugins
WordPress MU uses two types of plugins. The standard WordPress Plugin, located (as expected) in the wp-content/plugins/ folder, and global, always on plugins, located in /wp-content/mu-plugins/ folder.
Finding plugins that are compatible with WordPress MU installs can be a bit tricky. Some work out of the box as expected, but many of the more advanced plugins have a bit of difficulty. Almost all will work as expected when placed in the standard plugins folder, but when you’re looking to add a site wide enhancement, you may find that things don’t go as expected.
For my current project, I found that I have a need to add additional fields to my user’s profiles. I want several unique pieces of information displayed, and I would like the user to populate this information when logging in. At first, I thought I had the solution with Cimy Extra User Fields. I’d even found an article on how to get it to work with MU. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get this working, and rather than dig through thousands of lines of code to find where the issue might be, It seems I’ll have to code something myself.
*Note. I’m going to give it one more shot, but mostly because I’m just to stubborn to give up on it yet, and there’s always a chance that I messed something up somewhere.
There is a resource to help those of us using WordPress MU as a platform, however. The Wordpress Codex has a list of compatible plugins for WordPress MU that may be of considerable assistance to you if you’re looking for something in particular.
I hope this helps someone. I know it took me a bit to find it.
Jerry WordPress, WordPress MU
With the release of WordPress MU version 1.25, I decided the time was ripe to take on a project that’s been stewing in the back of my mind for a while. I love WordPress, and the release notes for the latest version seemed promising.
On first inspection, everything was wonderful. The install went flawlessly, setting up my first blog was remarkably easy, and everything worked as I expected it should. I was on my way, right?
Wrong.
WordPress MU is still lacking in some features at this point. Most of those, just like in it’s single blog cousin, can be added quickly and easily with a plugin or two, but that’s where the rub comes in. those plugins are obscure and at times difficult to find. The forums are not necessarily helpful for some issues either (though i haven’t asked for help yet, I’m stubborn that way.)
For now the verdict is “I think this could be a good thing, if I can make it work”.
Look for more on Wordpress MU here in the next few days. Right now I’m off to install a fresh copy to erase some of the errors that either I, or a plugin not specifically designed for mu, caused
Jerry WordPress MU
