One crucial component in the process of developing a website is making sure your site is compatible with all target devices and browsers. While in an ideal world, every end-user would be using the latest versions of contemporary browsers such as Chrome or Firefox, this is, unfortunately, not always the case. A site’s content and intended user experience should be accessible to everyone (as much as possible), regardless of browser or device used. There are many different tools and methods for cross-browser testing — Chrome Developer Tools, BrowserStack, BrowserShots, etc. While all of these tools can be useful for checking […]

I’ve lost count of the number of posts I’ve read about unit testing; how to set it up, why you should do it, and what tools to use. It’s something I’ve been pushing myself to do and get better at but I’ve always struggled to translate what I’ve read about testing into writing tests for my own code. However, recently I feel like the principles I’ve been reading about are finally clicking in my brain and I’ve actually been able to successfully write unit tests for my code, including legacy codebases that I had previously thought were untestable. Recently, I’ve […]

One of the many advantages of object-oriented programing is that it allows us to write more descriptive code — code that by design has to be used a specific way. This helps move us from conventions to programmed rules in our code. That’s good, but it can complicate things. Arrays and standard class objects can hold any data, which is super-flexible but also leads to poorly-formed systems. The repository pattern gives us a way to have objects that can contain arbitrary data, but also enforce rules. I’ve written about other design patterns before. Like any other software design principle, following […]

One of the biggest tasks you can undertake with a client is a complete redesign of their website. However, WordPress has a myriad of moving parts, which can make producing consistent work a challenge. When tackling a redesign project, you’ll benefit from a clear checklist to guide you through the process. Everyone has their own project management style, but you should always maintain a high-quality service. Keeping a quality assurance checklist around will help you hit your goals every time. In this article, we’ll offer you a nine-point checklist to follow in chronological order as you redesign your next WordPress […]

As we progress in learning object-oriented programming (OOP) as PHP developers, the uses of certain established patterns become more important, such as one that I’v been using lately, the decorator pattern. On a textbook level, the decorator pattern lets us change a class when it runs, while extending a class allows us to change it when it is designed. That difference seems trivial, but it has important consequences on the readability and scalability of your applications. The decorator pattern is a different way of adding functionality to a class. Instead of extending it using inheritance — class A extends class B […]

WooCommerce is an increasingly popular plugin for adding robust ecommerce capabilities to WordPress. As more and more WordPress stores use the platform, you’ll need to be on the ball to develop quality WooCommerce solutions. As with WordPress, there are two ways to build your own solutions for WooCommerce. You can build custom store themes, or extend its ecommerce capabilities with plugins – and WooCommerce provides in-depth documentation to help you along the way. To keep up with the growing platform while producing custom solutions, you’ll need to stay attentive to coding standards and updates. In this article, we’ll introduce you to […]

WordCamp Brisbane 2017 will be held on July 22-23 at QUT Gardens Point in Brisbane, Australia. With 300 people slated to attend and an awesome line-up of speakers already announced, the two-day event is shaping up to be an impressive one. While today there are multiple WordPress meetups and WordCamps in the Land Down Under, this wasn’t always the case. In fact, in the past, there was just one WordCamp for the entire country of Australia. In this interview, WordCamp Brisbane Organizer, Ricky Blacker explains the evolution of the WordPress community in Australia and how WordCamps have evolved alongside it. […]

It’s a profoundly sad time for WordPress. Yesterday, we lost another great member of the community – father, husband, and good friend to many, Jesse Peterson. Jesse was a beloved member of the WordPress community, owner of Peterson Media Group, and founder of Genesis The.me. He was living with Cystic Fibrosis and was on the waitlist for a double lung transplant. Jesse’s good friend, Ben Meredith wrote: “Friends, This is not the post I wanted to write today. I wanted to click “Publish” on the draft we’ve already got saved named “It’s a GO!” But God in His providence—a providence […]

The Internet has revolutionized the way we live, communicate, and do business. There’s almost no company out there anymore that doesn’t rely on the world wide web in some sort of capacity. In addition to that, mainly thanks to mobile devices, the online world has permeated our entire lives. Now we can get on the Internet pretty much anywhere and at any time. And now with the Internet of Things (IoT) this connection will become even stronger. The Internet of Things describes the growing number of devices that have online connections. You might not be aware of it but Internet […]