SevenSpark

How to add links to WordPress image captions

sevenspark — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 22:35:37 +0000

The WordPress media manager allows you to add captions to your images, which can be inserted into your post content wrapped in the caption shortcode.

You can see that I’ve placed anchor tags in the photo caption to link to the photo credit:

1	Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nattu/2735064420">nattu</a>

When you click the "Insert into Post" button, you end up with this markup in your editor:

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[caption id="attachment_1133" align="alignleft" width="300"
caption="Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nattu/2735064420">nattu</a>"]

[/caption]

Skip to the code solution

The Problem

The issue is that all the HTML entities in the caption attribute (specifically, the anchor tags) are encoded. That is, instead of

1	Photo credit: nattu

we have

1	Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nattu/2735064420">nattu</a>

As a result, instead of getting the desired output in our caption:

Photo credit: nattu

We get the encoded HTML markup instead:

Photo credit: nattu

The Solution

Now, the HTML entities have to be escaped in order to safely place them in the caption="" attribute of the caption shortcode (or at least the double quotes do), and in any event it's very inconvenient to decode the entities manually. What we'll need to do is decode them programmatically when the shortcode is processed at run time.

Helpfully, WordPress's img_caption_shortcode function (wp-includes/media.php) includes a filter that allows us to hook in and override the caption. Here's the original function:

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/**
* The Caption shortcode.
*
* Allows a plugin to replace the content that would otherwise be returned. The
* filter is 'img_caption_shortcode' and passes an empty string, the attr
* parameter and the content parameter values.
*
* The supported attributes for the shortcode are 'id', 'align', 'width', and
* 'caption'.
*
* @since 2.6.0
*
* @param array $attr Attributes attributed to the shortcode.
* @param string $content Optional. Shortcode content.
* @return string
*/
function img_caption_shortcode($attr, $content = null) {

// Allow plugins/themes to override the default caption template.
$output = apply_filters('img_caption_shortcode', '', $attr, $content);
if ( $output != '' )
return $output;

extract(shortcode_atts(array(
'id' => '',
'align' => 'alignnone',
'width' => '',
'caption' => ''
), $attr));

if ( 1 > (int) $width || empty($caption) )
return $content;

if ( $id ) $id = 'id="' . esc_attr($id) . '" ';

return '

. $id . 'class="wp-caption ' . esc_attr($align) . '" style="width: ' . (10 + (int) $width) . 'px">'
. do_shortcode( $content ) . '

' . $caption . '

';
}

add_shortcode('gallery', 'gallery_shortcode');

We're just going to hook in and use the same code, but add a line of our own to decode the HTML tags.

1	$caption = html_entity_decode( $caption );

The Code

So, our final function, which I've placed in functions.php, looks like this:

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//Our custom caption shortcode function is based on the WordPress Core version with a small change
function custom_img_caption_shortcode( $a , $attr, $content = null) {

extract(shortcode_atts(array(
'id' => '',
'align' => 'alignnone',
'width' => '',
'caption' => ''
), $attr));

if ( 1 > (int) $width || empty($caption) )
return $content;

$caption = html_entity_decode( $caption ); //Here's our new line to decode the html tags

if ( $id ) $id = 'id="' . esc_attr($id) . '" ';

return '

. $id . 'class="wp-caption ' . esc_attr($align) . '" style="width: ' . (10 + (int) $width) . 'px">'
. do_shortcode( $content ) . '

' . $caption . '

';
}
//Add the filter to override the standard shortcode
add_filter( 'img_caption_shortcode', 'custom_img_caption_shortcode', 10, 3 );

And that's it! Just pop that code into your functions.php and you should be able to add links to your photo captions. If anyone knows a better way of doing this, let me know in the comments. Enjoy!

SevenSpark - Web Design Studio

How to Add a Custom Class to a WordPress Menu Item

sevenspark — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:27:06 +0000

This is a question I get a lot related to UberMenu – WordPress Mega Menu Plugin, though it’s actually baked into WordPress Core. It’s a very powerful feature, as it allows you to target either a single menu item or a group of menu items with a single class. However, the option is hidden from the UI by default. In order to add a class to a menu item, you first have to reveal it.

1. In Appearance > Menus, click the Screen Options tab

2. Under Show advanced menu properties, check CSS Classes

3. Now expand any menu item to reveal the CSS Classes (optional) text input.

4. Enter your class name and save your menu to apply the class to the menu item

The class will be added to the LI (list item) element, the same element that has the menu item ID attached. You can then style your item like this, where .menu is replaced by the class used for your menu:

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/* Target the menu item LI */
.menu li.myClass{
/* Margin might go here */
}
/* Target the menu item Anchor (link) */
.menu li.myClass > a{
/* Colors, font sizes, would normally go here */
}

/* Target the menu item LI in UberMenu */
#megaMenu ul.megaMenu li.myClass{

}
/* Target the menu item Anchor (link) in UberMenu */
#megaMenu ul.megaMenu li.myClass > a{
/* Colors, font sizes, would go here */
}

Remember that you may need to increase your selector specificity or use the !important flag in order to ensure that your new styles are applied.

5. Enjoy even more customization control over your menu!

Note that this is a standard WordPress feature and works with or without UberMenu.

SevenSpark - Web Design Studio

State of the Agility

sevenspark — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 04:07:12 +0000

UPDATE: May 11

Agility is now available!

UPDATE: May 1

Agility is now in beta testing!

Over the past few months I’ve received a steady stream of requests for status updates on the development of the WordPress version of my Agility template. In an effort to address these inquiries more efficiently (and thereby free up more time to work on the theme!), I’ve decided to write this quick post.

First off, let me say how much I appreciate everyone’s interest and enthusiasm – it really means a lot! I’m very exited about it myself. Unfortunately, a series of events outside my control have delayed its release somewhat. I’m very disappointed that it hasn’t been possible to release Agility sooner, especially because I know there are people waiting for its completion, and for that I apologize. At the same time, I am developing the theme as quickly as I possibly can – however, I won’t sacrifice the quality of the product for an earlier release date; that won’t help anyone.

Let me assure you that completing Agility is my top priority, and I will be releasing it as soon as I possibly can. Whenever I have an update, I will post it to Twitter and Facebook, so be sure to check there for any announcements.

I’d respectfully request that those who are interested in the theme restrain themselves from requesting release date information directly; I promise, I will have it out as quickly as possible (trust me, I want it to be released more than anyone!). But responding to serveral individual requests for information each day isn’t helping speed things along, as I’m sure you understand :)

Thank you so much for your patience! I’m really pleased with how Agility for WordPress is coming out, and I hope you will be too!

All the best,

Chris

SevenSpark - Web Design Studio

What’s new in UberMenu 2.0? (A Responsive, More Flexible WordPress Mega Menu)

sevenspark — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:30:51 +0000

UberMenu 2.0 – WordPress Mega Menu Plugin brings some awesome new features to the table, including responsive menus, enhanced CSS, refreshed skins, and easily defined submenu columns.

It’s been a year since I first released UberMenu – WordPress Mega Menu Plugin. In that time it has sold almost 4,000 copies and continues to be an extremely popular WordPress menu solution. I’m so lucky that this plugin has had such success – it has allowed me to move my business to digital goods development full-time, which has been wonderful. I’d like to thank all of the great customers who have bought UberMenu, I truly appreciate it.

Are you upgrading from an old version of UberMenu to version 2.0? Please read the Important Upgrade Instructions

In the last year I’ve gathered a lot of insight into the menu process through my interactions with the many users I’ve supported. I’ve learned a lot about what features users make the most use of, what tends to cause confusion, common customization needs, and a whole lot more.

I’ve spent the last month and a half distilling this accumulated knowledge into what is now UberMenu 2.0, refining functionality and enhancing the feature set. My goals with UberMenu 2.0 have been:

Increase the intuitiveness of the plugin
Improve areas that tend to cause customer confusion
Increase javascript efficiency
Increase plugin extensibility
Improve menu design, robustness, and flexibility

I’m very proud of the new UberMenu 2.0, which represents a huge time investment to deliver major enhancements. Here are some of the new features in UberMenu 2.0.

Enhanced CSS

The basic CSS structure of UberMenu has been torn down and rebuilt to provide an even stronger foundation for the menu. This means menus act more intuitively out of the box, and customizations are simpler to implement. It also means that UberMenu works excellently as a pure CSS menu with full-width submenus.

More Efficient Javascript

A stronger CSS foundation means less calculations in the javascript, which leaves us with a much lighter weight and more efficient jQuery plugin enhancing UberMenu. The javascript has also been rewritten as a jQuery plugin, implementing jQuery best practices. The upshot is that UberMenu now loads and runs faster than ever.

Full Width Submenus and Defined Columns

One part of UberMenu 1.x which was less intuitive than it could be was column formatting. Columns were sized entirely based on their content size, which led to some interesting corner cases. While these issues were easily resolvable via custom CSS, for users without a working knowledge of the box model, such strange behavior was frustrating and confusing.

In UberMenu 2.0, columns can be sized in two ways, on a per-submenu basis: naturally, or in grid based columns. In a natural layout, each column is sized to its contents, and each column may be a different width. This is great for single-row submenus. For multiple-row submenus, UberMenu 2.0 adds the ability to set a submenu to be full-width, and apply a specific number of columns to the submenu. These columns will be uniformly sized, and extend the entire width of the submenu automatically.

I believe this new system is much more intuitive and will provide users a much better experience when wrangling their submenus into the formats they desire.

Fully Responsive Menus

When designing Agility HTML5 Template, I spent a long while studying responsive design best practices. UberMenu makes use of that knowledge to deliver a responsive mega menu. As the viewport changes, UberMenu’s contents size intelligently to optimize display at each size. (Note this can be disabled for non-responsive themes).

iPhone and iPad Compatibility

Going hand in hand with the responsive mega menu enhancements, UberMenu is now even more compatible with iOS devices, delivering an intuitive user experience for responsive themes.

More Flexibility

Another goal of UberMenu 2.0 is to build in some of the most common customizations into the Control Panel, to avoid core UberMenu edits. Now you can:

Customize dropdown animation speeds
Trigger via hover in addition to hoverIntent and click
Customize hover intent timing
Disable image resizing
Enable or disable loading UberMenu on registration and login pages

Fresh menu skins

Both design trends and my own design skills have advanced a lot in the last year. UberMenu 2.0 features refreshed menu skins, with progressive CSS3 enhancements. The designs are now cleaner and more modern (the old designs are still included for legacy use, if desired).

Watch for more menu skin options coming soon!

Rewritten Style Generator

The UberMenu Style Generator has been completely rewritten to make use of LESS via lessphp. This means more consistency and easier upgrades. The new Style Generator also has the ability to write your custom style to an external stylesheet rather than including the CSS in the site header (though that is still an option).

A note on backwards compatibility

In developing UberMenu 2.0, I’ve made every effort to maximize compatibility with previous UberMenu installations. All menu items and their options, as well as UberMenu Control Panel options, will remain intact. Unfortunately, some sacrifices had to be made in the name of progress. Because the underlying CSS structure has been enhanced, some types of customizations may no longer appear as desired and may need to be reworked – though in some cases they will no longer be necessary at all! Specifically, submenu positioning and column resizing may need to be readdressed. However, all previous class names and IDs have remained consistent to minimize the impact and make the transition for users from 1.x to 2.0 as smooth as possible.

Well, that’s about it. I hope UberMenu customers enjoy the upgrade! It’s been a long process getting to this point, and I’m very pleased with the results. Feedback is always welcome and will be considered for future releases whenever possible.

Thanks again to all UberMenu customers for your business!

SevenSpark - Web Design Studio

ReplyPantry – Text in a Can for the Envato Marketplaces

sevenspark — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 16:34:21 +0000

Download View on GitHub

ReplyPantry is a Google Chrome Extension that allows Envato Marketplace users to insert customized text snippets into forum posts or item comments.

Once you install ReplyPantry you’ll see the can icon below your reply boxes in the forums – and above in the item comments. Click the can icon to show the canned text snippets (“cans”), and click a can title to insert that canned text. You’re able to add, save, edit, and remove cans. Hopefully it’s fairly intuitive.

If you’re using Google Chrome, clicking the download link should allow you to download and prompt you to install the extension.

SevenSpark - Web Design Studio