Mastering the Art of WordPress: 13 Years of Advanced Tips and Tricks
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Mastering the art of WordPress: 13 years of advanced tips and tricks - my presenation of WordCamp Sofia 2024. During my presentation, I shared the experience I had gained over the past 13 years working with WordPress. We explored advanced techniques for theme and plugin development, performance optimization, and security best practices. We discussed how to enhance WordPress and prepare it for various projects - from simple websites to complex business platforms. The session provided practical advice, tricks, and a look at future trends that would help improve skills and utilize the full potential of the WordPress ecosystem.
Mastering the Art of WordPress: 13 Years of Advanced Tips and Tricks
- 1. Mastering the Art of WordPress: 13 Years of Advanced Tips and Tricks Stanko Metodiev WordCamp So鍖a, 2024
- 2. Stanko Metodiev About Stanko CTO @ DevriX WordPress Core and community contributor (Co) Leader of the 鍖rst WordPress meetup in Bulgaria - WordPress So鍖a (WPBGUG) WordCamp Organizer and Lead Organizer of WordCamp So鍖a 2023 More than 13 years in developing complex SaaS platforms and multisite solutions Proud dad and a husband of princesses
- 3. Table of Contents A little bit of a backstory Some code snippets here and there Some WordPress tips and tricks Some tools Some personal thoughts and my journey so far And I hope you'll learn something new today
- 4. The personal growth From simply the blog owner to becoming a CTO
- 5. The personal growth Started university as both a joke and an experiment Stanko Metodiev
- 6. The personal growth Started university as both a joke and an experiment Met some amazing people and made connections Stanko Metodiev
- 7. The personal growth Started university as both a joke and an experiment Met some amazing people and made connections Demonstrated organizational skills Stanko Metodiev
- 8. The personal growth Started university as both a joke and an experiment Met some amazing people and made connections Demonstrated organizational skills Wasn't the best student :D (not an actual advice) Stanko Metodiev
- 9. The personal growth Started university as both a joke and an experiment Met some amazing people and made connections Demonstrated organizational skills Wasn't the best student :D (not an actual advice) Started as an intern Stanko Metodiev
- 10. The personal growth Started university as both a joke and an experiment Met some amazing people and made connections Demonstrated organizational skills Wasn't the best student :D (not an actual advice) Started as an intern Worked hard and learned daily Stanko Metodiev
- 11. The personal growth Started university as both a joke and an experiment Met some amazing people and made connections Demonstrated organizational skills Wasn't the best student :D (not an actual advice) Started as an intern Worked hard and learned daily Made mistakes and improved by doing them Stanko Metodiev
- 12. The personal growth Started university as both a joke and an experiment Met some amazing people and made connections Demonstrated organizational skills Wasn't the best student :D (not an actual advice) Started as an intern Worked hard and learned daily Made mistakes and improved by doing them Didn't give up Stanko Metodiev
- 13. Beyond the Code: Professional Growth Path
- 14. Open Source Community Build and share Write (technical) articles and share knowledge Mentor others Contribute to WordPress and Open-Source Speak at WordCamps and conferences Organize local meetups
- 15. Technical Excellence Master your craft Technical expertise Balance perfection with pragmatism Strategic thinking Learning routine Time management Develop leadership skills Write maintainable, scalable code
- 17. Lets get some (actual) advice, shall we? Stanko Metodiev
- 23. Performance impact - replaces the primary query, query_posts results in two queriesone for the original and one for the overrideleading to unnecessary database load Risk of unexpected behavior - accidentally alter the main query in ways that interfere with themes and plugins expecting the default query structure, causing compatibility issues Limited control: unlike pre_get_posts, query_posts doesnt allow developers to refine or manipulate the existing query Best practice: WordPress recommends using pre_get_posts or custom WP_Query instances for safe and effective query modifications Why NOT query_posts()? Stanko Metodiev
- 24. pre_get_posts()
- 26. Why pre_get_posts()? Stanko Metodiev Improves performance Reduce unnecessary queries Increased efficiency - load only relevant data, improving page speed Tailor query results Its just nice tool to have There are other pre_get_<something>, check them out
- 27. get_posts()
- 29. Why and when to use get_posts()? Stanko Metodiev Best for simple queries When you need just the post data Better performance with small queries Simple syntax Always use wp_reset_postdata() after custom queries
- 30. WP_Query()
- 32. Why and when to use WP_Query()? Stanko Metodiev Full control over queries Built-in compatibility Flexible data retrieval Enhanced performance options Pagination support And many more Always use wp_reset_postdata() after custom queries
- 36. Why you should be careful with -1? Stanko Metodiev Retrieve all posts without limitation Avoids pagination Useful for non-public data * Caution: be mindful when using -1 on high-traffic, public-facing pages with a large dataset, as it can impact performance.
- 38. WP_Query optimizations Stanko Metodiev use posts_per_page use post_status when applicable use no_found_rows when you dont need pagination use update_post_meta_cache argument if you dont need meta data use update_post_term_cache argument when do dont need taxonomy use fields when you need just IDs*
- 39. Object Cache is your friend
- 42. Why and when to use Object Cache? Stanko Metodiev Improves performance - reduces the number of expensive database queries Scales better with high traffic - caching frequently requested data prevents database overload during peak traffic Increases user experience - faster response times improve the user experience Flexible expiration
- 43. Transients are your friends
- 47. transients cache expensive data (e.g., API responses) to prevent repetitive processing Reduces server load Efficient caching control and Ideal for temporary Data Flexible storage - transients can be stored in the database or in-memory using object caching systems like Redis or Memcached Better user experience - faster load times improve the user experience Why and when to use Transients? Stanko Metodiev
- 48. REST API to the rescue
- 52. Why and when to use REST API? Stanko Metodiev In our example: Building social media cards or creating preview widgets Creating link previews in headless WordPress setups Getting optimized post data for mobile apps Headless applications Data hub applications 3rd party integrations Many, many more
- 53. What about security? Stanko Metodiev
- 54. Security 101 Stanko Metodiev Use strong and unique passwords. Full stop. Use 2FA/Passkeys Regular users audit Limited login attempts Solid hosting provider Regular updates Do not rely on security plugins * Never ever nulled themes/plugins
- 56. be careful with the items youll use here
- 57. What about some tools? Stanko Metodiev
- 58. Personalized Text Editor/IDE Shortcuts and alias Trusted plugins Templates for anything Code snippets, libraries, and templates Bash/SSH/Terminal WP-CLI and Query Monitor Chrome dev tools * Git/Version Control Tools Stanko Metodiev
- 59. AI Tools ChatGPT / Claude / Gemini AI changes the way we work AI can be your friend if you know how to use it AI website / WordPress builders Make sure to check some of the AI-related talks today! Stanko Metodiev
- 60. Thank you!
- 61. Get in Touch @metodiew Twitter metodiew WordPress.org metodiew.com Stanko Metodiev LinkedIn Stanko Metodiev