Example of a Sandbox Post for Testing WordPress Themes

This is the H1 Heading

This is an example of a sandbox post for testing WordPress Themes and web page designs to ensure every design detail within the content area of a Theme meets with your design needs.

To use this sandbox post for your own testing, right click the following link and save the file as a text file. Open it within a text editor and select all of the text and paste it into your WordPress site with the HTML/TEXT editor – not visual editor. Save the post or publish it to view the post content designs.

This is the link to the sandbox post text file.

This sandbox post is available for free. Use as you wish.

At the top of this paragraph should be the H1 heading for your web page. If it is not visible, the design settings for the H1 tag is set to display:none which many WordPress Themes use to hide the blog title text and replace it with a graphic. Do not use H1 within your blog post area.

If the design in the H1 heading looks like your blog title or blog post title, then that is the style set for that HTML tag and you should not use it within your blog post area.

Inside of this test data section are most of the basic HTML and XHTML and CSS styles that you might use within your WordPress Theme. You need to know what that will look like as part of structuring your styles.

This is the H2 Heading

Above this paragraph should be the H2 heading for your web page. WordPress Themes use the h2 heading for various purposes. Logically, it should be either the post title or the first heading in the post content.

However, it is used all over WordPress Themes including the subtitle, tag line, post title, comment area, sidebar area, and even in the footer. Be specific when styling each h2 headings to ensure you are not styling all of them.

This is the H3 Heading

Is this the same heading as is in your post title or is this the section headings found within your sidebar? Or is it different? This is the post content heading for the HTML tag h3, as is the one below, H4, for section headings within your post to divide up topics. If there is an H3 or H4 tag in your sidebar, you will need to identify the parent HTML and CSS container for the sidebar and style those appropriate in your blog’s stylesheet.

For more information in searching for your styles in your WordPress blog, see CSS: Studying Your CSS Styles.

Also notice how the links in that paragraph are styled so you can style links within your post content area. Links have three styles. There is the link color, link hover color, and visited link color. Be sure and design for each style.

This is the H4 Heading

In this section under the H4 heading, we’re going to look at what the post content, the meat and potatoes of your site looks like. In general, you will have multiple paragraphs, so we will add another paragraph so you can adjust the spacing in between them to the look you want.

Paragraphs are not just for typing your blog babble, they can also hold frame and hold other information within your content area to help make the point you want to make in your writing. For instance, you will commonly have three types of lists.

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Introduction to WordPress Class 3 Homework

In Class 3 of Introduction to WordPress, we cover:

  • More on what can go into a WordPress blog post.
  • More on the differences between a Page and a post.
  • WordPress.com Shortcodes.
  • Uploading multimedia and publishing it.
  • Posts verses Pages

Homework Assignment

  • See Shortcodes — Support — WordPress.com and Shortcode – WordPress Codex for examples of how to use shortcodes in WordPress.com sites to add functionality.
  • Paste text file from Post Content Sandbox into blog post and preview it in the current WordPress Theme.
    • Change WordPress Themes to test that post by going to Appearance > Themes > Activate
    • Write a blog post describing which Themes you liked for your blog and why.
  • Publish a PRIVATE post with the password ctec280 as the password. Make it a funny story, cartoon, or graphic that will make the students laugh.
  • Add to your Policy Page another blog policy (comments policy, reprint policy, liability/hold harmless…).
  • Visit other student’s blogs and leave comments.

By January 24 You Will Have the Following on Your Blog

  • About Page
  • Contact Page
  • Policy Page
    • Copyright
    • Other polices
  • 5 blog posts under each of 5-7 categories
  • Class assignment posts
    • 1 with video
    • 1 with three images and text wrapped around them
    • 1 gallery post
    • 1 list post
  • Comments from every student in the class.

REMINDER: The classroom is open for tutoring an hour before the WordPress class. Alex and Lorelle will be available to help you, so come on in early.

Reading

The following are recommended reading assignments from the WordPress books in the 24×7 Book program. Please note the notes on book naming conventions and confusion in the class preparation post.

  • WordPress 24-Hour Trainer
    • Section VII – Lesson 27 – Overview of WordPress Themes
    • Section 4 – Lesson 15 – Working with Image Galleries
    • Section 5 – Lesson 18 – Managing Posts and Pages
    • Section 5 – Lesson 20 – Managing Post Categories and Tags
  • WordPress All-In-One for Dummies
    • Book 4 – Chapter 2 – Examining the Difference between Posts and Pages
    • Book 4 Chapter 3 – Uploading and Displaying Photos and Galleries
    • Book 6 Chapters 1-3 Customizing the Look of Your Site

Outcome

For those keeping track of overall outcomes, the goals of the third class were:

  • Learning the content management areas of WordPress.
  • Learning the difference and how to use the Visual and HTML Editors.
  • Learning how to include multimedia and galleries in a WordPress blog post.
  • Basic blog writing tips with WordPress structure and format.
  • Further exploration of the WordPress UI.