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Sweet Solutions

Web design with flair

Cool • Creative • Inspiring

PHP 5 is dead . . . Long live PHP 7

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Work deskPHP 5 is dead. It died on December 31, 2018. At the end of this month, security patches and updates will no longer be available. Hosting services everywhere are requesting that everyone update the PHP used on their account to PHP 7 . . . and the clock is ticking.

PHP 7 is the latest version of the popular programming, and it’s significantly different from PHP 5. Here’s everything you need to know about PHP 7. The good news is, PHP 7 is faster, more secure, and uses less server resources than previous versions. The bad news is, there is a chance you will need to make changes in your code as some WordPress themes and plugins being used might not be compatible with PHP 7.

Bummer. Nobody wants to do an update if it might crash their site.

There are all sorts of places on the Internet that give instructions on how to switch to PHP 7 safely. WP Engine offers excellent information, instructions, and one-on-one support if you need it.

My site, and those I design, are relatively small, blogs mostly, created in WordPress and Genesis—who both keep their code clean and up-to-date—and I only use WordPress plugins that can be swapped out if one or another has an issue.

Here’s what I did to switch myself and clients over to PHP 7 with as few issues as possible:

  1. Updated anything and everything calling for updates.
  2. Installed PHP Compatibility Checker by WP Engine. Plugin is a freebie in the WordPress Admin area under Plugins.
    • Scanned my website for compatibility issues.
    • Reviewed the report it generated and created a screenshot of the results. There were some warnings, and I figured the screenshot would help later. If anything was wonky after the update, I would know where to look first.
    • Deactivated and deleted the PHP Compatibility Checker plugin.
  3. Made a full backup of the website. This was important. If the site crashed after the update, there was still time to revert back to PHP 5.
  4. Logged into the hosting service control panel and switched to PHP 7.
  5. Refreshed the website and checked to see if all was well.
  6. Breathed a sigh of relief.

Although upgrading from PHP 5 to PHP 7 involves carefully checking for incompatibilities, both in your code and in any extras your code depends upon, the benefits make the effort worthwhile. Hire a pro if you don’t want to chance doing it yourself.

After this month, you have no choice. Long live PHP 7.

Filed under how to do it, PHP

Sweet Summer Days

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Wow, what a surprise! A cheery “Hello from Houston” popped up in my email first thing this morning from two of my favorite people, Tammy and CJ Renzi. It’s always nice to hear from clients, but even more so when it’s unexpected and out of the blue with nothing more to say than how much they love their website. Honestly, it was such a pleasure to work with them, and their energy is truly contagious.

Me? I closed shop shortly after I finished their website and a couple of other projects I had been working on this year so I could take a much-needed break and focus on other creative stuff I’ve been wanting to do . . . and my writing.

It’s true to say, I’ve stopped to smell the flowers. I’ve been working a lot on my gardens, planting flowers and watching them bloom. The gardenia tree on our back patio is my pride and joy—its flowers send the most incredibly delicious scent thru the air. We especially like to sit outside after dark listening to the fountain on our pond—so soothing—feeling the thick summer night all around. Little moments like that make all the hard work worth it.

In other news . . . I wear a Fitbit to measure my steps. I spend way too much time sitting and log only about 5,000 a day, but I did log over 10,000 a day on a recent trip to NYC. So, that’s something. Last year I walked the 5K Race for the Cure, and hope to do it again this September.

Hope you all are enjoying the summer. I certainly am. But never fear, if you need me, I’m always only an email away.

Filed under my other life

Sweet Solutions: Then and Now

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strawberryIt’s always interesting for me to look back to see how far I’ve come.

This website has evolved through the years. Essentially, it went from simple to complex, then back to simple in the blink of an eye.

I don’t have screenshots of its absolute first incarnation, but I remember it well. It was just a page that had a photo of a strawberry dripping with chocolate and a sales pitch that ended something like, “We have sweet solutions for every taste and budget.”

That was back in 2002. The name . . . Sweet Solutions . . . stuck and the strawberry followed me everywhere I went. By 2006, I was well on my way to where I am now.

Here’s a quick blast from the past . . .

Sweet Solutions
Sweet Solutions 2006—flash
Sweet Solutions
Sweet Solutions 2008—HTML
Sweet Solutions
Sweet Solutions 2010—WordPress/Elegant Themes
Sweet Solutions
Sweet Solutions 2013—WordPress/Genesis

. . . and how the site looks today

Sweet Solutions
Sweet Solutions 2015—WordPress/Genesis Mobile Responsive

Filed under Sweet Solutions

My Custom Taxonomy for Recipe Tags

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Tag cloud

Let’s say you have a blog, and on that blog you post recipes. Each time you post a recipe you file it under one or more tags—salads, soups, desserts, chicken, fish, Italian, Mexican, pasta, or another tag that’s appropriate.

Whenever you post anything on your blog, whether it’s a recipe or not, you tag it. Tags are a useful way of grouping related posts together. Readers can quickly tell what the post is about, or they can click on the tag to see a list of related posts they might be interested in reading.

Now let’s say, you want only the tags for your recipes to appear in your sidebar. The default tag cloud in the WordPress widget area will pick up tags for all of your posts, not just for recipes.

What you need is a custom taxonomy especially for “recipes.”

Here’s how to do it

IMPORTANT: In all cases, if you change the name of the taxonomy from recipes to something else, be sure to change every instance of “recipes” in the code.

  1. Create the custom taxonomy by adding the following code to your functions.php:
    /** Register custom taxonomy */
    add_action( 'init', 'register_taxonomy_recipes' );
    function register_taxonomy_recipes() {
        $labels = array(
        'name' => _x( 'Recipes', 'recipes' ),
        'singular_name' => _x( 'Recipes', 'recipes' ),
        'search_items' => _x( 'Search Recipes', 'recipes' ),
        'popular_items' => _x( 'Popular Recipes', 'recipes' ),
        'all_items' => _x( 'All Recipes', 'recipes' ),
        'parent_item' => _x( 'Parent Recipes', 'recipes' ),
        'parent_item_colon' => _x( 'Parent Recipes:', 'recipes' ),
        'edit_item' => _x( 'Edit Recipes', 'recipes' ),
        'update_item' => _x( 'Update Recipes', 'recipes' ),
        'add_new_item' => _x( 'Add New Recipes', 'recipes' ),
        'new_item_name' => _x( 'New Recipes', 'recipes' ),
        'separate_items_with_commas' => _x( 'Separate recipes with commas', 'recipes' ),
        'add_or_remove_items' => _x( 'Add or remove recipes', 'recipes' ),
        'choose_from_most_used' => _x( 'Choose from most used recipes', 'recipes' ),
        'menu_name' => _x( 'Recipes', 'recipes' ),
        );
        $args = array(
        'labels' => $labels,
        'public' => true,
        'show_in_nav_menus' => true,
        'show_ui' => true,
        'show_tagcloud' => true,
        'show_admin_column' => true,
        'hierarchical' => true,
        'rewrite' => true,
        'query_var' => true
        );
        register_taxonomy( 'recipes', array('post'), $args );
    }
  2. To have the new custom taxonomy appear at the bottom of your posts, add the following code to your functions.php:
    /** Customize post meta function */
    add_filter( 'genesis_post_meta', 'post_meta_filter' );
    function post_meta_filter($post_meta) {
        if ( !is_page() ) {
        $post_meta = 'Filed under how to do it, taxonomies';
        return $post_meta;
        }
    }
  3. The default number of tags in a tag cloud is 45. If you have more than 45 tags and want all of the tags to appear, add the following code to functions.php:
    /** Change number of tags in tag cloud */
    add_filter( 'widget_tag_cloud_args', 'custom_tag_cloud_widget' );
    function custom_tag_cloud_widget($args) {
        $args['number'] = 0; //adding a 0 will display all tags
        $args['exclude'] = array(); //exclude or include tags by ID
        return $args;
    }
  4. SAVE your updated functions file. Then—and this is important—go to your Dashboard >> Settings >> Permalinks and SAVE.

That’s it. Your new custom taxonomy will be listed in your Dashboard menu on the left under Posts. When you write a new post, you’ll find Tags and Recipes on the right side of the edit screen. To add a tag to the new taxonomy, click Add New Recipes. If the tag you want is already listed, just check the box. On existing recipes, delete tags and create new ones using the new custom taxonomy. If you want to use both tags and the new taxonomy, you’ll have to further customize the meta function.

Any questions, just ask.

Filed under how to do it, taxonomies

In the Cloud, in Someone Else’s Hands―Correct Me if I’m Wrong

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Cloud computing

I freely admit I’m technically challenged. I have a good working knowledge of computers, enough understanding to get me by, but I don’t even try to unravel the technology behind the Internet. When my IT, Tom, tries to explain anything to me, my eyes glaze over. Protocols. Ports. Unicodes. Integrated digital networks. Optical carrier. Stop. I don’t need to know what wire goes where, why data centers need to be sterile, or how a super flat laptop manages to have more capabilities than a fat old PC. Just plug me in, and I’m good to go.

One mystery that is here to stay is cloud computing aka the cloud.

What exactly is cloud computing?

Chances are your email is already in the cloud, and you login to access it.

The way I understand it . . . When you say something is in the cloud, it means that, instead of it being stored on your computer’s hard drive, it’s being stored on the Internet. For a small fee, companies providing cloud storage—like Google Drive, iCloud, or Amazon CloudDrive—allow you to upload your files to their servers, then provide a way for you to access whatever you’ve uploaded—files, documents, calendar, photos, music, whatever—anywhere at any time on any device that has an Internet connection.

There’s no doubt, it makes things more convenient . . . and it’s certainly a cost-effective boon for business. By storing everything in the cloud, businesses don’t need to keep expensive servers onsite or techs on the payroll. Employees can access their files anywhere and work from home or while on the road. Making backups is no longer necessary. Losing data is highly unlikely. Cloud storage companies make copies of everything you upload so it’s all stored on several servers, just in case one of the servers should happen to crash.

Whoa, wait a minute . . .

Just how many copies are we talking about? With hundreds of thousands of people around the world uploading to the cloud, that’s a lot of copies floating around. What happens if you want to delete something? You have to trust that the company will delete all copies. That could be bothersome. And who has access to the copies server-side? Can you trust them not to see/read/steal/exploit your stuff? Hackers had a field day with nude celebrity photos they found on iCloud. When you put personal or confidential or sensitive stuff out in the cloud, you’re taking a chance. You can’t be sure whose hands it might fall into.

Of course, I could be wrong. I lack a clear understanding of how the Internet operates.

Filed under hosting, the cloud

Choosing a Hosting Service

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fit inTrying to find the right hosting service for your website is mind-boggling. I know. I recently changed from a host I had been with since 2002 to another that promised faster, better, more-reliable service.

It wasn’t easy. There are literally dozens of hosting services out there, and all have hosting plans that look similar. How do you know for sure which ones are good? Honest? Reliable? The best value for the money?

This is what I was looking for:

  • A reputable company.
    • If you google “best web hosting services,” you get a boatload of sites you can go to for reviews, opinions, and comparisons. It’s a good starting point for the names of those hosting services who are consistently rated at the top.
    • Reading online reviews is another way to weed the good from the bad. But you can’t necessarily rely on reviews or review sites for honesty. Nor can you trust posted testimonials and opinions. Too many hosting services pay people to say nice things. They aren’t, however, going to pay anyone to write a bad review, so read the complaints to see if any patterns emerge, such as, horrible tech support or repeated website downtime.
  • An affordable hosting plan—no overkill or features that might not be needed. You can always upgrade later, if necessary.
    • There are four types of hosting: shared, VPS, dedicated, and cloud. Shared hosting is what most people choose—it’s the least expensive and good for just about any personal or small business website. If you anticipate having a lot of traffic, you might want to go with another plan. A live chat or phone call with a sales rep would answer your questions and help identify which of their hosting plans is best suited for your website and budget.
  • Friendly, informative customer service.
  • Prompt/same day customer support and techs who know their stuff and are willing to help.
  • Free domain registration—not necessary, but a plus.
  • Free cPanel.
  • Free database backups.
  • Unlimited bandwidth/transfers.
  • Unlimited storage/disk space.
  • 4 or more websites allowed on one account.
  • WordPress-friendly with one-click installation.
  • Data center located nearby . . . the nearer, the better.
  • Solid money-back guarantee.

It took a bit of time and research, but Sweet Solutions now resides happily on a shared server at InMotion hosting. As far as faster, better, more-reliable . . . so far, so good.

Filed under hosting

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Patricia Petro
Sweet Solutions
Findlay, OH USA

Email: patpetro@msn.com
somesweetsolutions.com

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