Facebook iLike is a powerful tool that allows you to utilize the new “Facebook Like” functionality within your WordPress install. We’ve taken a simple feature and added flexible components so that for every page / post you create, you can customize the settings for the “Like” button.

How To Embed The Code

To embed the “Like” button in a post or a page, paste this code into your post/page at the desired location:

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[facebook_ilike]

If you prefer to embed the “Like” button in your theme’s templates rather than within specific posts, use this PHP code in your template:

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<? facebook_ilike(); ?>

All options set globally can be overridden on any post / page edit for specific page settings.

Global Options

Globally set any / all of these values.

• Site Name: Name of your web site
• Facebook Admins: Once users have liked your page, you can publish stream updates to those users and get statistics about your pages, just like you can with Facebook Pages. To administer your page you need to associate it with your Facebook account. To do so, add a comma-separated list of the user IDs or usernames of the Facebook accounts who own the pages here.

  Each listed user must click Like on the URL to be approved as an admin. This is to prevent users being made admins without their consent. Also, the first user listed in this tag cannot be removed, or moved later in the list of user IDs.

  Once you have associated the page with your Facebook account, the page will show up in Pages You Admin on Facebook. From that interface, you can publish stream updates and get detailed analytics about the users who have liked your page.

• Facebook App ID: Some sites may have hundreds or even thousands of pages with meta data. To handle a site with lots of pages, you can link your pages to your Facebook Platform application, which will enable you to publish stream updates to your pages programmatically. To connect your Page to your Facebook application ID, include your application’s ID here.

Layout Options

Customize the look and feel of the plugin.

• Layout Style: Choose between ‘Standard’ or ‘Button Count’ – Standard shows you “John Smith and 5,830 others like this” while Button Count shows you just the count of people who like / recommend the page.
• Show Faces: Display thumbs of friends who like the page / post under the like button. Only works if you use the ‘Standard’ button.
• Width: Set the max width of the FB Like widget.
• Height: Set the max height of the FB Like widget.
• Verb To Display: Choose between a ‘Like’ button or a ‘Recommend’ button.
• Font: Choose a font from the predefined list.
• Color Scheme: Set to light if you have a light colored web site. Set to dark if you have a dark colored web site.

Basic Information Options (Optional)

Override of page title, page description and page sent to Facebook when page / post is “liked.”

* Note: by default, the_title(); is used as the title passed to Facebook when someone clicks “Like” on a post. If you wish to change this at a global level, be aware that what you enter will be used on all pages of your site when a user clicks “Like” rather than the dynamic the_title() variable.

• Page Name: By default, uses your post / page title.
• Page Description: By default, uses the description of your blog entered in the Settings > General screen.
• Page Type: Specify the type of content you publish.

Location Options (Optional)

Specify the location of the published content.

• Latitude:
• Longitude:
• Street Address:
• City / Locality:
• State / Region:
• Postal Code:
• Country Name: two characters max (ie: US, UK, CA)

Contact Options (Optional)

Specify ways to contact the author of the published content.

• Email Address:
• Phone Number:
• Fax Number:

Installation:

1. Upload Facebook iLike to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory
2. Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress
3. Activate the plugin from the WordPress admin panel
4. Configure the options under the admin panel: Settings – Facebook iLike

Change Log:

Global Feed Image

Through Feedme, you can assign an image to your global feed. This ‘brands’ your feed to all readers. Options include:

• Show Single Image On Global Feed: Enable / Disable image from the feed.
• Full URL To Custom Image: This is the full url path to your custom image. If left blank, it will use the plugin’s default image.
• Width x Height: Default: 75×75. Set this to the dimensions of your custom image.
• Image Link: Default: WordPress Install URL. Override url of the default image when it is clicked.

Post Feed Images

Select the default image assigned to each post. Specify the default size to show in the feed. Options include:

• Show Images Per Post In Feed: Enable / Disable default post image from displaying within the feed.
• Set Default Image Size: Default: Thumbnail. Set image size to either Thumbnail or Medium.

Feed Delay

Frequently updating your latest posts? You can set the delay time it will show in the feed so your changes aren’t published out until you’re ready.

Many times, our clients have the need to post content, and then make quick changes / spelling corrections / etc. By setting a delay, your content will show up after the allotted number of minutes you specify in the delay. Call it a gut check if you will on publishing your content out to external sites / feed readers.

Exclude Categories

By checking the box next to each category, you exclude the content from that category from displaying in your WordPress Feeds.

CMS Function: Disable Feeds

Using WordPress as a CMS? Perhaps you don’t want to display RSS on your site. Check the boxes next to each feed type to disable the feed.

Installation:

1. Upload feedme to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory
2. Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress
3. Activate the plugin from the WordPress admin panel
4. Configure the options under the admin panel: Options – Feedme

Change Log:

None At This Time

The first one – the Billboard Manager – lets you create highly customizable billboards for your site.  These can include video, stills, or other Flash content.  The editor lets you easily swap in assets, create playlists and control the look and feel for a high visibility promotional component to your site.

The second one – AJAX Report Coments – gives high traffic blogs with lots of comments a simple and powerful tool for users to flag inappropriate comments for the the site admin using AJAX or email.

Check them out and let us know what you think.  And stay tuned for some additional new plugins coming in the next few weeks.

Short Code Examples

Billboard Playlist:

If you are looking to embed a playlist within a page / post, you can use the following short code.

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[ti_billboard name="Billboard Demo"]

The name of your billboard is referenced back to the database, where all of your saved settings (color, navigation, title card overlay, etc). You’ll never need to update your shortcode again should you make a style change or adjust settings.

Single Audio Track:

If you are looking to embed a single asset within a billboard, you can use the following short code.

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[ti_billboard media="242"]

Please keep in mind that if you use a single asset that is not its own playlist, you will have to copy / paste all of the shortcode that is generated each time you make an update. Single assets do not save billboard settings like a playlist does, so you’ll need to make sure you include everything within your WordPress post. See the following example:

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[ti_billboard media="242" width="450"  height="290"  delay="9" autoplay="0" repeat="0" background="0x000000"  navigation="0xffffff"  titlebarcolor="0xcccccc"  titleTextColor="0x000000"  glow="0x000000"  overlay="1" justify="center"  keeptitles="1"]

Our advice is, that if your billboard only has a single media file within it, save it as a playlist so you don’t have to worry about changing the shortcode should you want to make a skin change.

Templates:

You can embed a billboard playlist into any WordPress template. By setting the title of your saved playlist in your template code, it will inherit all of your saved settings. If you change those settings, it will automatically reflect out on the page it is embedded.

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<? if (function_exists ("ti_bbm_print_player")) {
   print ti_bbm_print_player (array(
    "name" => "tierra"
    )); 
} ?>

To embed a single asset item from your billboard, here are all of the options you can set to customize your player. You can only save options for a playlist, thus you will need to enter your values into the template if you want your billboard to resemble a playlist billboard.

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<? if (function_exists ("ti_bbm_print_player")) {
	print ti_bbm_print_player (array(
		"media" => "1",
		"width" =>  440,
		"height" =>  280,
		"repeat" => 1,
		"delay" => 8,
		"autoplay" => 1,
		"background" => ffffff,
		"navigation" =>  000000,
		"glow" => 9999ff,
		"overlay" => 0,
		"titles" => 1,
		"titlebarcolor" => 000000,
		"titletextcolor" => ffffff,
		"thumbnails" => 1,
		"keeptitles" => 0,
		"justify" => left,
		"rollovers" => 1,
		"titlesonrollover" => 1
    )); 
} ?>

Custom Template Variables

If you are embedding a single asset file, the below template variables can allow you to customize your single asset billboard. You will not be required to set all values if you plan to leave some as the default. Only specify override values in your template code. The above example shows all variables which can be set, so you can use that as a guide to update as needed.

media: this is the id number of an individual billboard item. You can gather this information by clicking any preview / embed link next to any asset.

width: the width of the player, specificed in pixels. The default value set is 440.

height: the height of the player, specificed in pixels. The default value set is 280.

repeat: specify whether you want the billboard to continue cycling content indefinitely or stop after the last asset is played. The default value is 1 which sets the player to auto repeat. Setting it to 0 if you want the billboard to stop after the last asset.

delay: the mount of time between each asset item. This does NOT apply if you have loaded an audio or video file. Those files will play until completed. For static images / content, delay applies here. The default value is 8 (seconds).

autoplay: start the player once the page loads. The default value set is 1 (yes). Set it to 0 to require users to click play first.

background: set the background behind the billboard. The default value set is ffffff (hex).

navigation: set the background behind the navigation bar. The default value set is 000000 (hex).

glow: set the highlight color on each navigation orb. The default value set is 9999ff (hex).

overlay: specify how you want the navigation to appear. The default value set is 0, which fixes the navigation at the bottom of the billboard. Setting it to 1 will float the navigation on top of your content, expanding the viewing region of the billboard content.

titles: specify whether you want title cards to show when each asset has loaded. The default value set is 1, which shows the title cards. Setting it to 0 will omit the title cards from loading.

titlebarcolor: set the background of the title card. The default value set is 000000 (hex).

titletextcolor: set the font color of the text within the title card. The default value set is ffffff (hex).

thumbnails: specify whether you want a WordPress generated thumbnail to show within the title card. The default value set is 1 which will show the thumbnail. Setting it to 0 will omit it from tht title card window.

keeptitles: specify whether you want the title cards on the screen at all time. The default value set is 0 which will not keep them at all time. Setting it to 1 will keep those title cards loaded at all times.

justify: set the text justification within the title card. The default value set is left. You can also specify ‘center’ or ‘right’ as options.

rollovers: show each asset’s title card when you hover over a navigation orb. The default value is set to 1 which shows the title card of each asset on orb hover. Setting it to 0 will not display the title card on orb hover.

titlesonrollover: show the current asset’s title card when you hover over the billboard. The default value is set to 1 which shows the title card of the current asset on billboard hover. Setting it to 0 will not display the title card on billboard hover.

Supported File Types / Limitations:

Image formats:

• PNG
• JPG
• GIF (non animated)

Audio Formats:

• MP3

Video Formats:

• FLV
• MPEG4 h.264 (extensions may vary, but h.264 encoding is a must)

Flash/Flex formats:

• SWF

ActionScript API within Flash content:

By default, Flash movies (SWF content) are presented using the same “delay” default as that used for still images, and the billboard maintains control of the mouse. Therefore, regardless of SWF length or desired interactivity, a SWF-based billboard may only be shown for 8 seconds (depending on the defaults assigned to the billboard itself), and any mouse movement or clicks will be ignored by the SWF. This ensures that the billboards play as expected, and continue content rotation, regardless of the content itself.

Flash content developers can override this default behavior, however, by including calls to the billboard manager’s API to request that the billboard suspend its normal behavior and return control to the content SWF itself. Because the interaction is handled through an external (Javascript) interface, both AS2- and AS3-based SWFs may use the same API calls:

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//Give mouse control to the SWF, rather than using the default "click on the billboard to jump to the linked URL" behavior:
 
	ExternalInterface.call('ti_bbm_takeMouseControl', ExternalInterface.objectID);
 
// By default, the billboard will advance to a new item after X seconds. The following call allows a SWF to override this behavior.
// Please note, it should always have an accompanying "ti_bbm_resume()" call, too (see below). Otherwise, the user will need to use
// the navigation menu to move on.
 
	ExternalInterface.call('ti_bbm_suspend', ExternalInterface.objectID);
 
 
// By default, the billboard will advance to a new item after X seconds (or, if ti_bbm_suspend() is used, never). The following allows the SWF
// to terminate itself, advancing the billboard to the next item.
 
	ExternalInterface.call('ti_bbm_resume', ExternalInterface.objectID);

Example uses:

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// Check to make sure the ExternalInterface is available and the page supports SWF/browser interaction.
//
if (ExternalInterface.available)	{
 
	// Give mouse control to the SWF, rather than to the billboard URL link. Note that all calls are wrapped in try/catch constructions, which allows more flexibility
	// for content designers, as the same SWF can now be used both inside a Tierra billboard AND independently elsewhere.
	//
	try{
		ExternalInterface.call('ti_bbm_takeMouseControl', ExternalInterface.objectID);
	} catch (e)	{
		trace ("Billboard SWF could not claim mouse control: " + e.text);
	}
 
	// Suspend the autoadvance...
	try{
		ExternalInterface.call('ti_bbm_suspend', ExternalInterface.objectID);
	} catch (e)	{
		trace ("Billboard SWF could not suspend auto advance: " + e.text);
	}
 
	// When a user clicks a clip named "closeButton," resume the billboard and advance to the next item.
	closeButton.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, function ()	{	
		try{
			ExternalInterface.call('ti_bbm_resume', ExternalInterface.objectID);
		} catch (e)	{
			trace ("Billboard SWF could not resume auto advance:  " + e.text);
		}
	});
 
}

Change Log:

AJAX Report Comments is a powerful add-on for any WordPress blog, particularly larger blogs with a higher volume of user comments. It provides blog visitors the ability to report an inappropriate comment to the blog’s moderator with a single click using AJAX and email. You can even enable a ‘comment’ box so your users can say why they are flagging the comment.

Through the WordPress Admin you can modify many aspects of the plugin including the text of the “Report Comment” link, setting a threshold for the number of reports before hiding the comment on the front end, the “Thank you” message for enabled email notifications, the email address to send the inappropriate comment to and the layout and content of the generated email itself. You can even modify the HTML surrounding the “Report Comment” link to suit your needs.

After a comment is reported, any site moderator / administrator can log into the WordPress admin and moderated the comments. Once a comment is approved, users can no longer report it. A comment can additionally be edited or deleted from the plugin’s moderation panel. You can even view a report per comment which includes the original posting author as well as all users who have flagged the comment. If you’ve enabled the email notify feature, the email address you specify will receive a message including the text of the reported comment and a link to view the comment on the site.

Installation:

1. Download and unzip the above file
2. Upload the entire report-comments directory to your plugins directory
3. Activate the plugin from the WordPress admin panel
4. Configure the options under the admin panel: Options – AJAX Report Comments

Change Log:

Tierra WordPress CMS Toolkit One-Sheet

For those of you who didn’t receive our one-sheet in your schwag bag, we’ve posted it below for download and viewing. This one-sheet document summarizes our efforts on the WNET.org project and the plugins that we’ve released to the WordPress community.

Session Video

We hope to have video from the session soon posted here. You can sign up for our newsletter where we will notify you when it is available.

If you attended our session, or if you were unable, we would love to hear from you and answer any questions you may have about how we were able to leverage WordPress as a viable and cost-savings CMS solution. Keep checking back as we post new plugins to the WordPress community.