Understanding WordPress
If you have a blog, the best thing to do is to maximize its readership through a CMS such as WordPress. Over the years, the portal has evolved into a state of the art blogging platform that can be used to create, edit and publish highly customizable content in real time.
If you have used WordPress even once then you know that in order to access your account all you have to do is log into your administrator dashboard using ‘your-site/wp-login.php. You can easily upload new content, modify old blogs or publish new, install plug-ins, themes etc. However, have you ever thought how you can maximize its potential?
The ultimate aim of the CMS is to generate HTML pages on a dynamic basis which is why an HTML page and web page are considered synonymous with each other. WordPress uses SQL and PHP to store data and the PHP code makes up the core for the CMS while the database makes up its memory. Each installation of WordPress gets its own database and the following information you enter is stored there:
- User information such as your name, password, email address etc.
- All pages, posts, tag, relationships and categories
- Custom posts
- Revisions, trashed options and drafts
- Approved and unapproved comments
- Themes and plug-in data
- Spam
Images, documents and the rest of the files are stored in a folder called ‘wp-content’.
The Base Folder or Root Directory
This is the installation directory for WordPress and everything related to the CMS is based here besides the database. Also known as the ‘root directory’, it comprises of the contents of the ‘public_html’ in case an account is running on shared hosting servers through cPanel. The directory comprises of three folders:
- Wp_includes
- Wp_admin
- Wp_content
These also include other PHP files such as w_config which you can alter to add customization options that aren’t normally available in the admin dashboard. For instance, you can disable revisions, allow maintenance mode and more.
However, whatever else you do, you should not tamper with the wp-config.php file since it contains critical data such as your access information for your WordPress database. If anyone gets access to that, they will have complete control over your account and this includes making controversial posts and changes.
Wp_Admin
This is one of the most important components on your WordPress dashboard since it comprises of all of the administrative functions that go into each post such as:
- Moderating comments
- Writing and publishing posts
- Installing plug-ins and themes
All of these and more can be managed from the dashboard but only by registered users and even that can be restricted by the main account holder. Full access can be granted to editors, contributors and subscribers.
These are just some of the basic components that can allow you to have an understanding of how WordPress works and how it can be managed. However, to get the whole CMS experience, installing plug-ins will ensure a more streamlined experience.