Go with the Flow - A Guide to a WordPress Workflow
- 1. GO WITH THE FLOW BEGINNERS GUIDE TO A WORDPRESS WORKFLOW
- 2. ● Ann — @redrambles ● Mom of four ● Self-Taught developer ● Teaches Beginners ● Life-long learner ● Strong belief in mentoring ● Also a fan of craft beer (hint, hint)
- 3. HOW I GOT STARTED
- 4. LOOK WHAT I FOUND
- 6. LOCAL
- 7. WHAT IS A WORKFLOW? A process by which you make edits to a live site.
- 8. TODAY’S WORKFLOW LIST ✓ Local Development Environment ✓ Solid Text Editor ✓ Command Line ✓ WPCLI ✓ Git / GitHub ✓ Staging Site ✓ Recovery strategy
- 9. WHY USE A WORKFLOW? ● Makes you more efficient ● Fewer errors slip into production ● Increases your confidence as a developer
- 10. LOCAL
- 11. A server environment on your own computer. LOCAL DEVELOPMENT WHAT IS IT?
- 12. LOCAL DEVELOPMENT ● Just you and your computer ● Much faster - direct access to your files ● You can work offline ● Don’t have to pay for hosting ● Allows for a much wider range of tools ● Grows your confidence as a developer WHY USE IT? e
- 13. ● MAMP / XAMPP / WAMP ● Local by FlyWheel ● Desktop Server Beginner friendly options LOCAL DEVELOPMENT Advanced options ● VVV / Vagrant ● Lando ● Docker
- 14. LOCAL
- 15. WHAT IS IT? TEXT EDITORS OR IDES A computer program used to edit code.
- 16. What to look for TEXT EDITORS OR IDES ✓ Cross Platform ✓ Rich Plugin / Package Environment ✓ Speed / Light weight ✓ Customizable ✓ Git integration * ✓ Terminal integration * Does not replace the Command Line
- 17. Some great options: TEXT EDITORS OR IDES
- 18. TEXT EDITORS OR IDES ● Make a choice and stick to it (minimum 3 months) ● Read up on Tips / Tricks / Best Practices ● Search for your text editor and your preferred language(s) for even MOAR tips! Recommendations:
- 19. LOCAL
- 20. ● It’s the most flexible and powerful way to interact with your computer ● Manipulate Files / Directories (list | copy | mv |delete | create) ● Download files (curl) ● SSH ● Search ● Show hidden files ● See what’s running on your computer and how much CPU is consumed WHY BOTHER? THE TERMINAL
- 21. ● Able to install software as a superuser (sudo) ● Quickly run scripts (PHP, Node, Ruby, Python) ● There are some things that you can only DO in the Terminal OK THAT’S NICE, BUT REALLY WHY BOTHER? THE TERMINAL
- 23. ● Have your computer speak out loud (Mac only) ● It can even sing! Sort of. FUN THINGS TO DO THE TERMINAL say -v "Good News" "Thank Goodness for coffee" ● Play games (Snake, Tetris, Solitaire)
- 24. LOCAL
- 25. WHAT IS IT? WPCLI Command line tool for interacting with and managing your WordPress sites.
- 26. ● Check which plugins are active ● Update WP Core / Themes / Plugins ● Export your database ● Run a search replace (includes serialized data!) ● Create a new user / update a password ● Delete all comment spam ● Create a child theme What can you use it for? WPCLI TIPS / TRICKS: Aliases are your friends! Use the --prompt flag Use the help command Combine commands Read the documentation!
- 27. wp core check-update && wp plugin list --update=available && wp theme list --update=available WPCLI wp db export --add-drop-table --exclude_tables=wp_users,wp_usermeta backup_$(date +%F).sql wp db query 'SELECT * FROM wp_options WHERE option_name="home"' Backup database with timestamp Check on all the things Before running search replace
- 28. LOCAL
- 29. WHAT IS IT? GIT Distributed version control system ● Keeps track of your code history ● Takes multiple ‘snapshots’ of your project ● Very light and fast
- 30. ● You can save snapshots of your project at any point in time ● You can isolate changes by using branches ● Makes it easy to collaborate with several developers ● Can be used to deploy instead of FTP ● Can be used to reveal a massive amount of info about your project HOW IS IT USEFUL? GIT
- 31. ● Git is NOT GitHub ● Use a .gitignore file ● Git workflow ● Stick to the command line CONSIDERATIONS GIT
- 32. LOCAL
- 33. WHAT IS IT? STAGING SITE A clone of your live website that lives on the same server The bridge between your development and your production site Live Staging Local (Start Here)
- 34. ● Can test in the same environment as your production site ● A space to get feedback ● Another full backup ● Can be password protected HOW IS IT USEFUL? STAGING SITE
- 35. LOCAL
- 36. ● Make FULL backups regularly ● Automate this process. ● Test it! WHAT IF SOMETHING STILL GOES WRONG? RECOVERY STRATEGY
- 37. ● Managed Hosting ● Plugins ● Have a backup off-server ● Local Dev Environment (TimeMachine) Recommendations: RECOVERY STRATEGY
- 38. Managed A WORD ABOUT HOSTING ● Staging site ● Git Deploy ● Dependable Recovery Strategy Unmanaged ● DIY Staging Site (Subdomain) ● SSH ? Git Deploy : Nope ● DIY Recovery Strategy
- 39. LOCAL YAASS
- 40. WHAT WE DIDN’T TALK ABOUT ● Task Runners (Gulp / Grunt) ● Dependency Management (Composer) ● Unit Tests ● Preprocessors (Sass) ● CD / CI
- 41. MAIN TAKEAWAY ?
- 42. ● Pick ONE thing ● Research it ● Fold it into your workflow ● Become comfortable ● Rinse and Repeat ● Win at Life WORKFLOWS ARE INCREMENTAL!
- 43. Q&A BREAK Thank You. Questions? @redrambles