Fix for WordPress Courses sites with HTTPS issues

by Jesse Patching

It's possible to accidentally setup a WordPress Courses site which automatically redirects to the HTTPS version of the site instead of HTTP. When this happens, resources required by the theme and images in the course may not load correctly.

To fix this issue:

1. Login to the Courses site as usual
2. In the left hand sidebar, hover over "Dashboard" and click on "My Sites"
3. On the "My Sites" page, click the "Manage Sites" link at the top left
4. Find for your site in the list of Sites
5. Hover over your site, and click "Edit"
6. On the "Edit Site" page, click the "Settings" tab
7. Make sure that the "Siteurl" and "Home" inputs start with "http://"

install Wordpress from an xampp database

username: root
password: leave blank, there is no password using xampp (wamp uses "root" as the password)

install and run xampp as admin

even if you're logged in with admin access already!

Uploading VR move files to WordPress

VR (virtual reality or virtual tour) mov files are different from regular mov files. The are not uploaded through sharestream, instead treat them like a pdf file and:

1. upload them separately as media, 
2. obtain the URL
3. make a link to open in a new window, and include in the link text (requires Quicktime)

Uploading a non-mp4 (like FLV) movie to Sharestream

Only mp4's can be added directly as an asset to sharestream. To upload an mov file for instance, you need to go through the media migrator. Here's how:

1. Click on MediaMigrator


2. You may have to enable or allow java, then


1. Go into your uploads folder (this is temporary)
2. upload button
3. Add
4. choose the file(s)
5. Upload
3. Edit the file formats by


1. clicking on the video(s?)
2. Add to Work Basket
3. Select it (them ?) in the Work Basket
4. Edit File Format
4. Add Profiles


1. click in the transcode column
2. Add Profile(s)
3. select the bottom 3
4. Add
5. Add Destination


1. click in the Destination column
2. Add Destination
3. Choose the course folder
4. Add
5. Execute Job
6. Go back to Sharestream (close MediaMigrator)



1. select the course folder
2. right-click the movie
3. Show Deeplink
4. uncheck password (OK)
5. select and copy the URL
6. OK

How to upload a swf

1. Navigate to the folder you want to add the zip file (with an index.html in it) to, and add asset
   
2. Add title, your name and change to zipped media, then go to asset media file
   
3. Browse for the zip file and make it Streamable
   
4. Right click on the uploaded file and choose Show Deeplink
   
5. Take off password protect and copy the URL. OK.
   

Set front page in WordPress

To set the front page in WordPress,

1. Dashboard
2. Settings
3. Reading
4. A static page
5. select it
6. Save changes

Embedding an swf file into WordPress

When embedding an swf file into a WordPress page, make sure you make the wmode opaque, and embed the "movie" (or intaractivity) don't insert it into the page.

Posting Articulate quiz in Word Press

Assuming you have the original source file, even though it's in an older version...

1. If you notice an articulate quiz that's linked to the olde wwwacad server
   
2. grab the original .quiz source file using FTP
   
3. and double click it to launch articulate (newer versions won't file, open it)
   
4. select the destination and publish
   
5. zip
   
6. get rid of the spaces (put underscores instead), and save it where you want it (dropbox?)
   
7. close
   
8. exit and save the new version for a new source file
   
9. move the zip and source files from dropbox to where you need them
   
10. in wordpress copy (or cut) the link text
    
11. delete the link text and click articulate
    
12. browse for the zip file, upload, open in new window with the pasted link text, insert into post
    
13. update
    

Starting (attaching a template to) a new courses WordPress site

To attach the template to a new courses WordPress site:

1. go into the Word Press site
2. tools
3. import
4. WordPress
5. Browse
6. Choose WordPress Migration Content\Templates\elcc-template.wordpress.2015-01-13.xml
7. upload file and import
8. change the second author to you
9. check "Download and import file attachments"
10. submit

Make click on larger image in WP

To make a thumbnail open to a larger image in WP, load the regular big image, choose the display size you want the thumbnail to be, then choose link to Media file

lettered ordered list in WP

To get a lowercase lettered list in WP use:

<ol style="color: #000000;" type="a">

When you look at it in Visual, it looks like it didn't work, but when you publish it... 

It actually works!

You can subscribe people to receive emails

In Word Press, add the Subscribe2 plugin (not available in courses.mtroyal.ca)

Then mouse over Subscribe2 (now in the menu), Subscribers

Then add email addresses galore

Then, spam 'em good with every new post!

Add WP menu items

After you make a Word Press page, you need to add it to the menu.

In the dashboard, click Appearance, Menu

Check the new page, Add to menu, drag it to the right if it should be indented, then save the menu.