RL Digital

Beach Camera July Coupon Event

Robert — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 02:58:41 +0000

WordPress Code Injections – A New Threat

Robert — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 00:25:10 +0000

One of my clients has a rather popular sports site on based on WordPress. The site is up-to-date and running on DV server. A few weeks ago malicious code starting to appear on the site setting off warnings from anti-virus programs that monitor websites.

Sometimes, entire files are uploaded that contain malicious scripts. Most of the time, however, JavaScripts are appended to existing PHP or HTML files. One of the favorite targets is the WordPress index file (index.php). A self-executing JavaScript is added after the closing ?> tag. How they append the file is a bit of a mystery as permissions are correctly set at 644. The purpose of the malicious code seems to vary. Some code attempts to spread worms/trojans, steal passwords, or re-direct to spam sites (meds).

The best defense is a good file monitoring plugin such as WordPress File Monitor. This plugin monitors the file system for added/deleted/changed files and sends you an email when a change is detected. You can exclude certain folders or files. Still, you will get notification emails when you update plugins or work on a theme. This is a small price to pay for the knowing when a file has been changed by someone else.

WordPress File Monitor will not tell you if you have infected files already. You need to use it to prevent future attacks. If your site is already infected, you can re-install WordPress. Then, replace your plugin files and possibly theme files. If your site is clean now, it’s much easier to keep it that way with WordPress File Monitor.

How to make DomainKeys using Plesk 8.60 with external DNS control

Robert — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:35:20 +0000

Server-generated emails on websites requiring registration or verification, often do get not through Hotmail and Yahoo Mail spam filters. Hotmail requires a valid SPF record which is easy to implement. And, Microsoft will whitelist your domain for Hotmail if you request it.

Yahoo filed a patent for the DomainKeys concept in 2003. They still use DomainKeys and require it especially for server-generated emails. Implementing it used to require running a Perl script to generate the key pair for the electronic signature. And, instructions for updating your server DNS are difficult to find.

Plesk 8.6.0 has DomainKeys built into the Plesk CPanel. However, there is one extra step that is critical if you control the DNS externally (for example, with Media Temple’s Account Center). Here’s how to do it:

In Plesk 8.6.0, go to the Server Panel click on the Mail icon and turn on DomainKeys globally. Then, you need to go the domain, click on the Mail icon, and turn on DomainKeys for that domain. Plesk 8.6.0 will then generate the key pair (public and private) and update your DNS records in Plesk.

However many Plesk users have disabled “named” to save resources and control their DNS from their Media Temple Account Center or other external service.

That means, you need to copy the 2 DNS entries for DomainKeys from the Plesk DNS settings to wherever you control the DNS. Make sure to copy the keys exactly.

Once that’s done, wait for the records to propagate. Then, you can test your DomainKeys by sending an email from the domain to: sa-test@sendmail.net which is a DomainKeys/DKIM reflector (autoresponder).

More background information is here.

WordPress Leading Whitespace Fix – XML Parsing Error…

Robert — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 10:28:33 +0000

I recently got the nasty “XML Parsing Error: XML or text declaration not at start of entity Location” error instead of RSS feed on two client WordPress sites.

First, I tried the Fx-RSS-Feed plugin. No luck! it identified several hundred WordPress and theme files with unnecessary whitespace. Most of the files were write-protected. Way too much work for me to change all the permissions, run the plugin, and change them back.

Instead, I used the fix at Wejn’s lair. Scroll down the page and download the file “wejnswpwhitespacefix.php” or get the text version here.

Upload the PHP file to your root directory, then add this line to your index.php file: include("wejnswpwhitespacefix.php");

The only downside is that auto-upgrading your WordPress installation will overwrite the index.php file. You will need to re-insert the extra line of code. Instead, you might try the htaccess file modification described in the head of the file.

Dynamic Font Replacement for WordPress

Robert — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:28:53 +0000

Most common internet browsers only support a limited number of fonts. A client wanted to emulate the look achieved by BBC’s Later site using WordPress. That meant using SEO unfriendly images to replace the headings or dynamic font replacement. The latter is not only SEO friendly; it is also much easier to implement.

I looked at two WordPress plugins: Facelift Image Replacement (FLIR) for WordPress and Dynamic Font Replacement DFR4WP.

“Facelift Image Replacement (FLIR) for WordPress” seemed very promising. It is easy to implement and offers a wide-range of fonts that come with the plugin files. It is limited, however, to a single font replacing one or more tags of your choice. The main reason I abandoned it though, was a strange green highlighting showing up in IE8.

The “Dynamic Font Replacement DFR4WP” plugin did what I needed it to do without any artifacts in Internet Explorer. It has the added benefit that different fonts can be assigned to different tags. It conveniently installs a separate easy-to-find menu block in your WordPress Admin Panel sidebar. The only gotcha is that fonts can’t be uploaded directly to plugin admin panel. The fonts need to be converted here first. Once you figure that out, the rest is easy!

With either plugin, you will probably need to up-size your default heading font sizes to achieve the look you want.

You can see a very clever application of dynamic font replacement on this WordPress site.

The Best Dummy Text Generators – Lorem Ipsum

Robert — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 04:54:23 +0000

Web developers use dummy text as placeholders when building websites. Dummy text is required when the final text is not yet available from the client. It is used to demonstrate the appearance of different typefaces and layouts. Usually, the dummy text is nonsensical or unreadable my most people as not to distract from it’s purpose.

Lorum Ipsum can be traced back to ‘De finibus bonorum et malorum’ (On the extremes of Good and Evil) by Cicero in 45 BC. The original passage began: Neque porro quisquam est qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit (Translation: “Neither is there anyone who loves grief itself since it is grief and thus wants to obtain it”). It is not known exactly when the text acquired its current standard form; it may have been as late as the 1960s. The passage was discovered by Richard McClintock, a Latin scholar who is the publications director at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, by searching for citings of the rarely used Latin word “consectetur” in classical literature. source Wikipedia

Where can you find dummy text? Of course, you can copy and paste from online editions of ‘De finibus bonorum et malorum’. Better yet, use on the free online dummy text generators. Here are (2) of my favorites:

Lorem Ipsum Generator

BlindTextGenerator

Both generators have options to use other obscure languages as well as a variety of fonts. Have fun!

How to Hack-Proof your WordPress Blog

Robert — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 12:10:38 +0000

I just finished helping a friend bring back a Sports Blog after a nasty hacker attack. Luckily, we had a backup of the database. Otherwise, we had little chance to restore the site.

Here are a few tips to keep unwanted visitors from doing damage to your blog.

Set your File Permissions Properly

Use 755 for directories, 644 for plugins and core WordPress PHP files, and 666 for active theme files. You can check and change file permissions with your FTP client.

Use the Login Lockdown Plugin

Hackers know where to find your login page. The basic WordPress installation offers little protection against a brute force attack. Yes, the new WordPress revisions have started using hardened passwords. However, I still recommend giving yourself the added protection you get from the Login Lockdown Plugin. And, check your current or new password with The Password Meter.

Just upload it and activate it. The plugin defaults to a 1 hour lock out of an IP block after 3 failed login attempts within 5 minutes. This can be modified via the Options panel.

Use a Database Backup Plugin

Manual WordPress database backups are neither easy nor convenient to do. It requires knowledge of phpMyAdmin. Fortunately, WordPress plugin writers have addressed the problem. The best known plugin for this purpose is Lester Chan’s WP-DBManager. With this plugin, you can have WordPress automatically send you backup via email or store them in a folder on your server (or both).

Turn off Registrations

Go to Settings –> General. Untick the ‘Anyone can register’ box. Save your settings. Need to allow registrations? Then, I strongly recommend using the Sabre Plugin. Sabre is an acronym for Simple Anti Bot Registration Engine. It’s a set of counter measures against spam registration on your blog.

Keep your Installation Up-to-Date

If you are not running the latest version of WordPress, then there is a higher probability that your site will be compromised. Hackers take advantage of the open-source nature of WordPress to analyze the source code and test it for potential vulnerabilities. Then, it is left up to developers and users to detect, track down, and then close off the code vulnerabilities that hackers are using.

Backup your Theme, Images, and Plugins Folders

It’s also a good idea to backup your theme, images, and plugins to your personal computer or on to a backup drive. If your host’s server completely crashes, you can restore your entire site.

Hide your Email Address from Spammers with a Simple JavaScript

Robert — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:11:43 +0000

Javascripts to hide email addresses from spammers have been around for a while but perhaps you missed this one. I have been using it more and more for my client’s HTML-based websites.

If the email address is: joe@mydomain.com, most websites use:

<a href="mailto:joe@mydomain.com">joe@mydomain.com</a>

That line of basic HTML is easily harvested by spambots. Within a few weeks, the spam will start trickling in. After a few months, there will be a flood of annoying spam emails.

What can you do? Start with a fresh email address and use this small JavaScript:

<script type="text/javascript"><!--
var name = "joe";
var domain = "mydomain.com";
document.write('<a href=\"mailto:' + name + '@' + domain + '\">');
document.write(name + '@' + domain + '</a>');
// --></script>

Simply replace the email address segments in lines 2 and 3. Then, paste the JavaScript into the HTML code for the page (replacing the mailto code). You are done!

Make your own eBay widget!

Robert — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:37:10 +0000

eBay’s new affiliate program, eBay Partner Network, is an excellent source of income for product-related blogs and websites. It takes some skill, however, to integrate eBay links and images into content and templates. The program offers several creatives that can be pasted into sidebar widgets. However, I found them to be slow-loading as well as poorly converting (to sales).

I decided to make my own eBay Sidebar Widget. You can see an example of the widget (GPS on eBay) running in the sidebar just to the right. Does it make money? Yup, it does. That’s why it gets a prime position.

I have outlined the steps below. The WordPress PHP widget and TWP auction code are free.

Steps to make your own eBay widget

PHP Code Widget

TWP Auctions

3. Upload the files twpauctions.php and twpfunctions.php to your root directory.

4. Go to your Widgets Page and add one PHP Code Widget.

5. Paste in the TWP code into the PHP Widget.

You will need to configure the TWP code according to the instructions in the readme file. The TWP code supports negative keywords so you can filter out cables, batteries, accessories, adapters, etc.

The final code should look something like this:

<?php
$epn_campaign_id = "0000000000"; // EPN campaign id
$customid = "Post"; // EPN custom id (optional)
$keyword = "ipod -charger -case"; // put your keyword here 
$display = "2"; // how many items to display
$country = "us"; // see country_codes.txt for info
include "twpauctions.php"; ?>

I chose to display 2 ads to emulate a 300×250 ad widget although the eBay widget height is a bit more than 250px.

Make sure to use the correct version of TWP depending on whether your server is running PHP 4 or PHP 5. And, don’t forget to put in the correct campaign ID from the eBay Partners Network. Also, it is best if you have a theme with sidebar that is about 300px wide.

You can the style the widget by adding the following classes to your stylesheet:

Squeeze More Income from your Blog with Slayer’s Custom Widget Plugin

Robert — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:04:22 +0000

The introduction of sidebar widgets in WordPress have resulted in a huge time savings. Gone are the days of pasting code into sidebar.php just see your layout go wacky. The capabilities of widgets in the basic WordPress installation are, however, very limited. By default, all widgets appear wherever the sidebar is loaded within your theme. If you are using widgets to display ads, you cannot choose on which pages the widgets appear.

Slayer’s Custom Widget Plugin solves this problem. This plugin enables you to select which widgets appear on specific posts, pages, categories, author’s posts and tag pages. You can even configure where widgets are displayed per WordPress template using conditional tags.

Installation is easy. Upload the slayer-custom-widgets directory to wp-content/plugins. Then, activate the plugin in the usual way. If you already have widgets installed, you can go directly to the Slayer’s Custom Widgets link found just under the settings section of your admin panel (WordPress 2.7). Configuring your widgets is simple and the layout is very logic. You’ll want to go back to the Appearance Menu and add more widgets once you get the hang of it.

I have already installed Slayer’s Custom Widget Plugin in two blogs. Both are working perfectly. The level of control that the plugin provides is really fantastic. Watch the short video then go to the WordPress Plugin Directory and download the plugin.

Click here to view the embedded video.