WordPress Update: WordPress 4.2.1
WordPress 4.2.1 is now available and should be applied to all your sites as soon as possible as it contains a critical security update.
You can read more about the update: https://wordpress.org/news/2015/04/wordpress-4-2-1/
You can download WordPress 4.2.1: http://wordpress.org/wordpress-4.2.1.zip
WP Engine Spring Hosting Sale
We here and SDAC Inc have been using WP Engine for over two years and have enjoyed unparalleled support and satisfaction. Before referring one client to WP Engine, we tested them with our business and personal sites for over a year. After we were completely comfortable with the service/support we began referring our clients to WPEngine and our clients have also been very happy with them.
If you are unhappy with your current host or looking to start a new WordPress site and need a great host?
For a limited time only – WP Engine is running a special on their hosting: 33% Off the first 2 Months of a monthly Personal, Professional, or Business plan.
WordPress Update: WordPress 4.2 Now Available
WordPress 4.2 is now available with all sorts of great features including:
- An easier way to share content
- Extended character support (including emoji) 😉
- More embeds (tumblr and Kickstarter)
- Streamlined plugin updates
- For developers…Complex query ordering, utf8mb4 support, shared term splitting, and javaScript accessibility (send audible notifications to screen readers)
You can read more about the update: https://wordpress.org/news/2015/04/powell/
You can download WordPress 4.2: http://wordpress.org/wordpress-4.2.zip
WordPress Update: WordPress 4.1.2 Now Available
WordPress version 4.1.2 is now available to download and contains changes to address the following serious security issues:
- A serious critical cross-site scripting vulnerability, which could enable anonymous users to compromise a site.
- Files with invalid or unsafe names could be upload.
- Some plugins are vulnerable to an SQL injection attack.
- A very limited cross-site scripting vulnerability could be used as part of a social engineering attack.
- Four hardening changes, including better validation of post titles within the Dashboard.
You can read more about the update: https://core.trac.wordpress.org/log/branches/4.1?rev=32234&stop_rev=32144
You can download WordPress 4.1.2: http://wordpress.org/wordpress-4.1.2.zip
We Can Help You Create Mobile Friendly Sites
Are you ready for April 21?
Big changes are coming in the next few weeks with Google’s search results. Starting April 21 Google will be taking mobile friendliness into consideration when showing search results.
With only a few weeks left – consider taking a look at Google’s Mobile Friendly Test. If you need help creating a mobile friendly site – let us know. We have been working non-stop for the last several weeks creating mobile and responsive sites which are ready for the big change. We are happy to go over options with you and help you for the big change.
More information from Google: Finding more mobile-friendly search results.
HOWTO: Easily Create Custom Buttons for Bootstrap
Looking to create custom Bootstrap buttons to fit in your custom design? There is a great tool available online: http://charliepark.org/bootstrap_buttons/ that allows you to select the exact colors you need in order to create a custom button class.
In the screenshot above – you can see I used the Photoshop color eyedropper to get the exact color information I needed – and then matched up the values (hue, saturation and lightness) with the eyedropper values (H,S,B). This makes creating custom Bootstrap buttons extremely easy because after selecting your values – the custom CSS class is then available for you to copy and paste into your stylesheet.
No Excuses! Keeping WordPress Up to Date is Easy
Every once and awhile I will see an older version of WordPress when working on something for a client. Yesterday I saw a super blast from the past: WordPress 3.04. This prompted me to do a service announcement: keeping WordPress up to date is easy. Fixing a hacked version of WordPress can be complex.
Let’s break it down:
Keeping WordPress up to date is easy.
- Easiest: automatic background updates (WordPress 3.7+)
- Easy: One-click update (WordPress 2.7+)
- Manual (still pretty easy – but not everyone is comfortable with FTP)
Documentation on updating WordPress: http://codex.wordpress.org/Updating_WordPress
Fixing a hacked version of WordPress can be complex.
- Google can/will blacklist your site with Google Blacklist
- Simple updates take moments, having someone find the source of the hack, fixing it, and cleaning up can take hours.
- Did you really have a good backup? Whoops.
- All passwords, secrets will need to be changed
- Hacks can insert spam into your content. No one wants content spam
- You will need to scan your site for malware to make sure everything is removed so it does not happen again right away
Documentation on what to do if your WordPress site has been hacked: http://codex.wordpress.org/FAQ_My_site_was_hacked
In the end:
You are going to have to update to the latest version of WordPress anyways. You have options (automatic, one click, manual) – not excuses.
WordPress Update: WordPress 4.1.1 Now Available
WordPress version 4.1.1 is now available to download and contains 21 bug fixes from 4.1. If you have not updated (or are not set up for automatic background updates) – take some time to backup your site and update.
You can read more about the update: http://wordpress.org/wordpress-4.1.1.zip
Fix Missing Padlock for SSL Sites
Ever since Google announced that they would take into account whether sites use secure, encrypted connections as a signal in their search ranking algorithms, a lot of our clients have been moving towards making their sites use SSL. Most clients find out that after moving to a SSL site – that they get a warning saying that not all items on the site are loaded securely. No fear – figuring out how to fix that is easy!
Why is my SSL web page insecure?
In order to make the entire site load using SSL without warnings any references to assets (images, fonts, CSS, javascripts, etc) must all be served securely as well. There are a number of ways to find insecure items on your site but one of our favorites which our clients can easily use as well is: Why No Padlock?. By simply submitting your site or page URL – you can see what resources are loaded using SSL and which are not – making it easy to identify and fix the issue.
Screenshot of Why No Padlock?:
If you are looking for a quick and easy way to figure out a SSL issue – check out this free and easy to use site.
We Are Hiring
We are currently looking to hire a full time PHP developer to work on a number of projects (WordPress and custom frameworks).
We are looking for someone with the following:
- Great communication skills (this is a remote position)
- Mid-senior level PHP developer (with code samples to prove it)
- Love for all things WordPress
- Focus on creating beautiful code (clean, simple, and well commented/tested)
- Familiarization with unit testing, continuous integration
- Availability during business hours
- Ability to work with other remote developers
If you have the following skills and are looking for a new challenge – contact us. We have a number of great projects going on and look forward to adding another talented developer into the loop!