Creating Content
WordPress content is made up of Pages and Posts.
Pages
- Pages are generally considered to contain web content that isn’t time-dependent. Pages are standard web pages that present static information to viewers.
- Pages can also be organized into groups of pages, as well as sub-pages.
- Pages cannot be associated with Categories, and cannot use Tags.
- Most University web content consists of Pages.
Posts
- Posts are generally considered to contain dynamic web content. For example, BroncoBytes and UPDATE are University news sites that change daily (sometimes more often) and use Posts for content. Another example of a Post may be a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page that is continually being updated depending on the questions being asked.
- Posts are always associated with a date, which is included in the Post’s URL (web address).
Creating Pages and Posts
First, decide if you’re going to create a Page or a Post. Then, from the WordPress Dashboard, choose Posts or Pages as appropriate from the menu at left:
Click Posts > Add New or Pages > Add New. The WordPress editor window will appear.
Titles
Both Pages and Posts require titles. Your cursor will blink in the title field as soon as you create a new Page or Post.
Notice the “Permalink:” section beneath the title? That’s the direct address viewers will use to link directly to a specifc Post or Page. As you can see, WordPress uses your title for the Page or Post permalink. So, keep your title brief, and avoid special characters within your title (though hyphens and underscores are okay to use). You can modify the permalink if you wish by clicking the Edit button.\
Attributes, Tags and Categories
Page Attributes
Pages have Attributes, which are found to the right of the editor:
In the “Parent” section, you specify whether a Page exists beneath the main site (home) page, or is a sub-page of another page. For example, a Page for “All Courses” might live directly beneath your main site (home) Page, but a Page for “Biology 100″ might be a sub-page of “Biology Classes,” which itself could be a sub-page of “All Courses.”
You can also determine the Page Order. By default, Pages are organized alphabetically, but if you number Pages to your whims using the Order Attribute, you can control the order the Pages appear in the left-navigation portion of your site.
Keep in mind you must publish your pages before page links will appear in the left-side navigation menu of your WordPress pages.
Post Categories and Tags
Posts don’t have Attributes like Pages, but do require at least one Category, and ideally should have at least one Tag.
If you don’t choose a Category for a Post, WordPress will automatically apply a Category of “Uncategorized.” It’s a good idea to not choose a unique Category for every single Post; instead, get into the habit of using a handful of descriptive Category names, and use Tags instead to help further refine the description of a Post’s content.
Categories are general in nature; Tags are specific.
Keep in mind you must publish your posts before post links will appear in the left-side navigation menu of your WordPress pages.
Publish (or Submit for Review)
Once you’re finished with your Page our Post, click Preview to make sure it looks okay, then either Save Draft or Publish (or, depending on your WordPress role, Submit for Review may be the only option available).
Of course, the OIT Help Desk is available for any WordPress questions you may have. We’re open 7:00 am – 6:00 pm Monday – Friday, and you can reach us at 426-4357, or via e-mail at helpdesk@boisestate.edu.