With the latest WordPress and Semiologic Pro updates, a lot of things have moved around, they’re still there, just not in the same place. Here’s a quick rundown on some of the frequently used items, where they are found.
Design > Widgets
This is where the most changes have occurred. Lots of the settings that were previously scattered about and many of the things that used to be handled by custom.php are found here.
When the page loads, you’ll see a section on the right called Current Widgets. This area will show you what widgets are activated by area. When it loads, it will usually show Left Sidebar.
On the left hand side it will show you the available widgets.
To edit a widget’s settings, click edit to expand the options. This is also where the Remove button is, if you want to remove a widget. Update your settings and click Change, then be sure to click Save Changes.
- For the Top Nav Bar: Show Header Widgets, then edit the Nav Menu.
- For the Bottom Nav Bar: Show Footer Widgets, then edit the Nav Menu.
Other settings you’ll be looking for:
- Settings > Reading: Front Page Displays – this is where you set a static page for your home page and your blog page.
- Manage > Pages > Page Order – used to reorder the pages, can be used by section.
- Settings > Google Analytics
- Settings > SEO – I like to use the Append the name of the site to the title of each web page. (you set this under Settings > General)
- Settings > Permalinks – where you set what your links will look like and the get rewrite code you’ll need for your .htaccess
Page Editing:
When you’re editing a page, to change the page’s name you used to look for slug on the right hand sidebar – now it’s at the top under the title, look for Permalink. It will also display what it currently is set to use along with an edit link to change it. Note: this doesn’t show up if you aren’t using .htaccess and redirects. Scroll down and you’ll see all your other page related options.
Page Parent controls how your pages will display in the Silo Page menu system. Only parent pages show, unless you within a particular section.
This Page in Widgets: is very useful. Say you don’t want your home page, blog page, about page to appear in the silo page widget in your sidebar. Edit each of those pages, look for the This Page in Widgets section and click Exclude. This also lets you configure each pages Title and Description that get used in other Widgets.
Page Specific Header: Want a different header image on a page? This is where you upload it.
SEO - Here’s where you can over-ride the entry-specific meta fields. You can specify the Title, Meta Keywords and Meta Description on each page by using this section.
There’s a lot more to this theme, these are just the items that seem to be frequently used when setting up or managing a site. Enjoy!