If you have a WordPress website and use it regularly then you probably have a good idea of how everything works. But it does take a little digging to access the full suite of WordPress functionality. There’s a whole host of hidden WordPress features that, once uncovered, can help you get the most from your CMS. Having already covered 1 -10, here is the 11-20 hidden features we like our clients to know all about:
11. Image editor
While not anywhere as powerful as the likes of Photoshop, the WordPress built-in image editor does provide a quick and simple way to flip, rotate, resize and crop your images. Access this functionality by navigating to Media > Library> and choose your image > Edit Image.
12. Default image sizes
WordPress offers four sizing options – thumbnail, medium, large and full-size – by default. You can customise the default image dimensions by navigating to Settings > Media and then you are able to configure the maximum dimensions for each sizing option.
For more information on making the most of the WordPress hidden features just join us for our next blog post or contact the team from Website Design Centre.
13. Menus
WordPress allows you to add external links, pages, categories and posts by default to your menus but you can also add other menu items such as tags. Dependent upon your theme and plugins you might also find specialty menu items such as custom post types. Access by clicking Appearance > Menus > Screen Options and them select the check boxes for the items you would like to have as options to add to your menus. You can also access numerous advanced menu setting via Screen Options.
14. Accessibility mode for widgets
If you don’t want to use the WordPress drag-and-drop functionality for placing widgets then you can use the accessibility mode. Access by navigating to Appearance > Widgets > Screen Options > Enter accessibility mode – now you can click to place widgets. This feature will open up a new screen allowing you to configure the widget and assign it to a preferred widget area.
15. Favourite plugins and themes
While this hidden feature is related to the WordPress.org website it is definitely useful to know all about. When you are logged into your WordPress account and browsing the official repository you have the option to ‘favourite’ any theme or plugin. You can view all of your favourited themes and plugins by clicking through to your account page.
16. Close comments
Whether it’s due to an overwhelming number of comments or spam, you can close comments on old posts to stop the need to respond eating into you day or the notifications driving you crazy. Navigat to Settings > Discussion and configure the comments to automatically close comments on posts over a certain age.
17. Default category
If you happen to have forgotten to assign a post to a category you can quickly and easily fix that by updating the default post category – avoiding WordPress publishing it as ‘uncategorised’. Create a new category – Posts > Categories > Add New Category. Then go to Settings > Writing
In the Default Post Category you can now select your newly created category from a drop-down menu.
18. Favicons
Add favicons to your website by navigating to Appearance > Customizer and then to Site Identity tab. Here you can select an image from your media library to act as your website’s favicon.
19. Responsive previews
The Customizer is also a good way to preview your website – as it would appear on a desktop, tablet and mobile device. Navigate to Appearance > Customizer and look for the three small icons at the bottom of the left-hand column. Click on the preview option you would like to open.
20. Master options
There’s a master options panel hidden in your WordPress admin. To access it, navigate to www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin/options.php You can configure lots of WordPress options here but be warned, this is where the master settings live so tread carefully…
For more information on making the most of the WordPress hidden features read our last blog post or contact the team from Website Design Centre.
