Category: Talks

From URL to Query–WordCamp Atlanta 2013

Today at WordCamp Atlanta, I reprised my latest talk, From URL to Query. This was an expanded version of the content I delivered at WordCamp Phoenix in January. Briefly, this was the intent of my talk:

Ever wonder what process WordPress undertakes when someone visits your site? Or how it translates that nice permalink to the database query that ultimately delivers the content your visitors requested? Or what it takes to load the appropriate template from your site’s theme?

In this talk, I’ll walk through WordPress’ loading process and shed some light on the various APIs used. I’ll also discuss how these APIs work together to make the software function.

Slides are available at http://slides.ethitter.com/from-url-to-query/.

I’ll link to the video once it becomes available. The recording of the WordCamp Phoenix iteration is available in the meantime, but isn’t as in-depth as what I covered in Atlanta.

From URL to Query–WordCamp Phoenix 2013

Today at WordCamp Phoenix, I presented my newest talk, From URL to Query. Briefly, this was the intent of my talk:

Ever wonder what process WordPress undertakes when someone visits your site? Or how it translates that nice permalink to the database query that ultimately delivers the content your visitors requested? Or what it takes to load the appropriate template from your site’s theme?

In this talk, I’ll walk through WordPress’ loading process and shed some light on the various APIs used. I’ll also discuss how these APIs work together to make the software function.

Slides are available at http://slides.ethitter.com/wcphx-from-url-to-query/.

WordCamp Phoenix 2013: WP401

Yesterday, Paul Clark (@pdclark, pdclark.com) and I ran WordCamp Phoenix 2013’s WP401 session. We covered everything from object-oriented plugin development to CSS preprocessors to WordPress’ rewrite system.

The session was recorded, so video should eventually be available on WordPress.tv.

In the meantime, slides for those topics I prepared them for are available:

Thanks to all who attended! It was a great day, due in no small part to the great audience we had. It was a pleasure to work with Paul on this as well!

The Power of WordPress’ Roles and Capabilities: Understanding map_meta_cap–WordCamp Toronto Developers 2012

Today I delivered a followup talk to The Power of WordPress’ Roles and Capabilities that delves into the map_meta_cap filter. This presentation is intended for developers who need greater control over permissions than roles alone provide.

Here’s the abstract:

In the second installment of this talk, I’ll discuss the true power behind WordPress’ roles and capabilities system, map_meta_cap. Starting with an overview of how it relates to the system as a whole, including the functions discussed in the first installment, this talk will then use real-world examples to demonstrate how the map_meta_cap function and filter can be properly used to fully leverage WordPress’ capabilities system. For anyone who’s ever needed to conditionally grant or deny a user or group of users a certain ability, or wondered what the map_meta_cap flag in register_post_type() does, this talk will provide the answers.

Slides are available here.

All You Ever Wanted to Know About Automattic

Hurricane Sandy disrupted life along much of the east coast, but couldn’t stop the Boston WordPress meetup. We couldn’t meet in person, so we used a Google Hangout instead. I spoke for around 90 minutes about all things Automattic.

Here’s the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdiUuGlAE08

And the slides:

Moving Beyond the Codex: Learning WordPress from Itself

Today I delivered my talk, Moving Beyond the Codex: Learning WordPress from Itself at WordCamp Providence. Here’s the abstract from my talk:

The WordPress Codex is a great resource for new developers, but as many have noted, it is far from complete and isn’t necessarily always accurate. While there are myriad web-based alternatives that can serve as a guide to WordPress’ inner workings, there is no better aid than Core itself.

Intimidated by all of those files? Don’t be. They’re actually rather well organized, and with a bit of guidance, one can easily locate the appropriate function for a given task.

As you’ll find, there are even many useful functions that don’t even appear in Core. I’ll provide an overview of how Core is organized, discuss why certain functions exist only in wp-admin, and highlight some of the exceptions to the organizational rule that lead to frustration when first exploring Core.

With this understanding, not only can one more efficiently identify the proper function for a given situation, but also give back to the community by updating the Codex; it’s just a Wiki after all.

Slides are available at http://slides.ethitter.com/moving-beyond-codex/. I’ll add a link to the video once it becomes available.

The Power of WordPress’ Roles and Capabilities–WordCamp Toronto 2012

Today, I presented an expanded version of my latest talk, The Power of WordPress’ Roles and Capabilities, at WordCamp Toronto 2012. I first gave this talk last month at WordCamp Chicago, but today’s version included additional information for users just starting out with WordPress.

Abstract for my talk:

WordPress’ roles seem simple enough on the surface, but behind the Administrator, Editor, and the other default roles is a powerful system that can be customized extensively. While some have said that other CMS’ have an advantage when it comes to security and customizing capabilities, I’ll demonstrate in this talk that that isn’t true.

Starting with a walkthrough of how to modify existing roles and create new ones, I’ll then cover how to leverage custom roles in your code. I’ll wrap up with a discussion of some powerful filters that will prove WordPress has as flexible and able a roles and capabilities system as the popular competitors often touted as having superior implementations.

Slides are available at http://slides.ethitter.com/wcto-roles-and-capabilities/.

The Power of WordPress’ Roles and Capabilities–WordCamp Chicago 2012

Today, I presented my newest talk, The Power of WordPress’ Roles and Capabilities, at WordCamp Chicago 2012.

Abstract for my talk:

WordPress’ roles seem simple enough on the surface, but behind the Administrator, Editor, and the other default roles is a powerful system that can be customized extensively. While some have said that other CMS’ have an advantage when it comes to security and customizing capabilities, I’ll demonstrate in this talk that that isn’t true.

Starting with a walkthrough of how to modify existing roles and create new ones, I’ll then cover how to leverage custom roles in your code. I’ll wrap up with a discussion of some powerful filters that will prove WordPress has as flexible and able a roles and capabilities system as the popular competitors often touted as having superior implementations.

Slides are available at http://slides.ethitter.com/wcchi-roles-and-capabilities/.

The video is also available at http://wordpress.tv/2012/12/02/the-power-of-wordpress-roles-and-capabilities/.

Moving Beyond the Codex: Learning WordPress from Itself (WordCamp NYC 2012)

A few weeks ago, I presented a new talk at WordCamp NYC 2012. Here’s an overview of what I covered:

The WordPress Codex is a great resource for new developers, but as many have noted, it is far from complete and isn’t necessarily always accurate. While there are myriad web-based alternatives that can serve as a guide to WordPress’ inner workings, there is no better aid than Core itself.

Intimidated by all of those files? Don’t be. They’re actually rather well organized, and with a bit of guidance, one can easily locate the appropriate function for a given task. As you’ll find, there are even many useful functions that don’t appear in the Codex.

I’ll provide an overview of how Core is organized, discuss why certain functions exist only in wp-admin, and highlight some of the exceptions to the organizational rule that lead to frustration when first exploring Core. With this understanding, not only can one more efficiently identify the proper function for a given situation, but also give back to the community by updating the Codex; it’s just a Wiki after all.

The slides from my presentation are available at http://thinkoomph.com/slides/wcnyc-ethitter-moving-beyond-codex/ or http://slides.ethitter.com/moving-beyond-codex/.

I’ll be giving the same presentation at WordCamp Boston next month (http://2012.boston.wordcamp.org/).

How to Scale WordPress (WordPress Phoenix)

Today, Chris Lauzon (@squireX2) and I presented a talk at WordCamp Phoenix entitled How to Scale WordPress. Here’s how we described our talk:

Developing and managing an optimized WordPress site can be challenging for anyone not familiar with how to scale a site. This presentation will cover some of the basics of putting together a WordPress site designed for excellent performance and scalability, followed by discussion about more advanced infrastructure topics.

Running a high-scale WordPress site starts with code optimization, including effective use of WordPress’ APIs. We’ll discuss WP_Query and the advantages of using it instead of direct database queries. We’ll also delve into the appropriate and effective use of WordPress’ two native caching APIs, which will lead into the infrastructure portion of our talk.

There are a million options when it comes to hosting your WordPress site, such as shared hosting, managed hosting, VPS, etc. Each has its advantages, which we’ll explore while discussing when stepping up to the next level becomes appropriate. We will also cover different methods of caching, including using database optimization methods, and implementing a content delivery network (CDN).

Our slides are available at http://goo.gl/p92Ja. The video is available at http://wordpress.tv/2012/03/04/erick-hitter-chris-lauzon-how-to-scale-wordpress/.