4
INSERTING IMAGES
When you want to insert an image, create a new block
beneath the currently selected one by clicking the “+”
button next to the WordPress logo. Choose “Image” from the
pop-up menu that appears to create an image block. Click
“Upload” to upload a file from your computer.
>> The image will be uploaded to your media library, allowing
you to use it elsewhere on your site too. To aid you in finding it in
the future, take the time to provide a title and description. Once
done, click “Select.”
>> The image will appear at your cursor point. To flow the
following paragraph’s text around the image, click the “Change
alignment” button and choose “Align left” or “Align right,”
depending on where you want the image to sit.5
ADD MORE PAGE ELEMENTS
WordPress supports all kinds of useful page elements.
Some, like “Heading,” “List,” and “Quote” are self-
explanatory. “Page break” enables you to insert a page break
between two existing blocks—a handy way to break up lengthy
posts. Where the break occurs your readers will see a “Pages:
1 2 3 4” prompt to jump to different parts of the post (or page).
>> Gallery enables you to select a group of photos and
display them as a simple multi-columned gallery—use
the “Block” sidebar to set the number of columns, and the
images will automatically reflow to suit.
>> You’ll also see a “Group” option, which allows you to
select multiple blocks and group them as one, making it easy to
move them together. To do this, select all your blocks, and you’ll
see the group icon appear above them —click this followed by
“Group” to transform them into a group [Image B].
>> You’ll still be able to edit each individual block; to select the
blocks as a group again, use the ”Block Navigation” tool that’s at
the top of the page. Another handy use for blocks is to duplicate
similar layouts—all you then need to do is swap out the old
content for the new.6
PUBLISH YOUR POST
Keep clicking “Save Draft” to periodically update your
post. Click “Preview” to open a preview in a separate
tab—you can leave this open, and when you next click “Save
Draft” the preview will update accordingly.
>> Once you’re happy with your post, hold off clicking the
blue “Publish...” button. First, switch to the “Document” tab on
the sidebar [Image C]. Here you’ll see options to set the post’s
visibility (choose private or password-protected to restrict who
can see it), and change the publish date to schedule a post toCbe published at a specific point in the future. Ignore the
post format option for now—more on that next issue.
>> You’ll also see a link to compare different saved
versions of your document, enabling you to roll back
to an earlier version should you ever need to. Beneath
this are options for creating a “permalink” (a convenient
URL to share with others), plus assign the post to a
category and add tags. These can help your readers
to find posts, and once you create them, they’ll
appear here with convenient checkboxes so you
can easily add them in future. Tags and categories
can also be managed via the main WordPress
dashboard—click the “W” icon in the top-left corner
to return here after saving or publishing your post.
You can set a “featured image”—this appears above
your post and accompanies it in the main feed [Image
D]. Finally, use the “Discussion” section to disable
comments and pingbacks. Once done, click “Publish”
(or “Schedule” if you’ve set a future publishing date).DNEXT ISSUE:
ADVANCED
TIPS AND
TECHNIQUES.You’ve secured your WordPress website, but you still need
to protect yourself against data loss. If you’re hosting
your own site, or your provider doesn’t provide automatic
backups, you’ll need to take matters into your own hands.
A WordPress backup consists of two elements: All the
files on your web server, of course, plus the underlying SQL
database that powers your installation. You can back these
up manually using a combination of FTP and phpMyAdmin,
but a simpler—and more sensible—solution is to make use
of a free plugin.
Most backup plugins come in free and paid-for
versions—the free versions will back up ever y thing to your
own web space (so you’ll need to download this manually),
but reserve some options, such as backing up to the cloud,
for their paid-for licenses. One plugin that offers several
free remote backup sources—including Dropbox, Amazon
S3, FTP, and Google Drive—is UpdraftPlus.
Install it via “Plugins > Add New,” then click “Activate,”
and UpdraftPlus will guide you through taking your first
back-up—be sure to click “Settings” when prompted to
connect to your chosen backup destination, and set an
automatic backup schedule for your files and database.
Now you can sit back and relax—your WordPress site is
being backed up on a regular basis.BACK UP YOUR WORD-
PRESS INSTALLATION
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