Riding Above The Rest
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Riding Above The Rest
John's Intro:
It's Episode 601 and we have plugins for Making WordPress Recipe's, Logging Session Timeout's… and WordPress News. It's all coming up on WordPress Plugins A-Z!
– ‘good morning, good afternoon, good evening, wherever you happen to be hiding out there on the globe today! Coming to you LIVE from …'
Amber's Rant:
Welcome to Episode 601 – Riding Above the Rest – We've got a couple of great in-depth plugins to cover for you, some recent news in both the WordPress World and the Tech World in general, and some awesome WordPress Tips!
I have been loving the Summer weather, but today we are getting some cooler overcast – and I'm honestly rather grateful! There's only so many days in a row of super heat one can take. I don't think it's going to rain, but the cool weather break is a nice change for sure!
Hoping everyone is doing well out there and keeping healthy!
Some reminders before we start the show today….
Reminders:
- Remember that the show starts at 12:30 PM Pacific Time, with a pre-stream starting around 12:15 PM Pacific Time. Pre-stream is where we twiddle with the dials and knobs and really just warm up our voices, so join in for some entertainment value!
- Our show notes for each episode can be found at wppluginsatoz.com – the newest show notes will be up within 24 hours and on our front page!
- Don't forget that this is a value for value show, and that you are a big part of it's creation! You are our producers, and we need you to help us produce! Get out there and hit some like buttons, share an episode or two, and let people know that you help to produce the longest running WordPress Plugins podcast!
That's it for reminders, don't forget to stick around until the end of the show for some possibly life altering advice!
…When you see this in the notes, it means we didn't read this on the show. The only way to find this information out is to read our Show Notes!
…You can send any questions/suggestions or notes saying ‘hi' over to me at amber@wppro.ca, or hit up our site wpppluginsatoz.com/contact – Be creative with the title so that the spammer eater doesn't eat your note though!
Let's start the show with this weeks Featured Artist:
Artist:
Greg's Graphics (Greg Holdsworth) — https://gregsgraphics.com
This piece of art makes me think ‘FREEDOM!!!' – also ‘AirShip starters!' I really like how this looks, and that it's over a desert – at least I think it's a desert. I think that would probably be the best way to travel across a desert.
Going through the Art Vaults is awesome, but we would love some new art! You can send it into us at https://wppluginsatoz.com/artwork/. You can also check out the art vaults yourself there too!
…We can NEVER have too much art!
Breaking News in the WordPress World at large!!
…If I missed something, shoot me a link at amber@wppro.ca – it may show up on the next show!
News this week:
WordPress Vulnerability Report – May 24, 2023 (https://ithemes.com/blog/wordpress-vulnerability-report-may-24-2023/) – As of May 20th, there has been a new update released for WordPress Core – 6.2.2. This has fixed the bugs introduced by 6.2.1 that broke shortcode functionality as well as security issues. The next major version of WordPress is slated to be released in August, and will be version 6.3.
There is quite a list of plugins that have been patched, including a lot of WooCommerce plugins, so be sure to check out that list and get the updates if you have not already.
There is a decent list for plugins without a patch that have vulnerabilities, the ones I most easily recognize are: Easy Forms for MailChimp, Custom Post Type Generator, Easy Captcha, and SEO Change Monitor.
There is also quite a list of WordPress Themes Vulnerabilities:
SparkleStore
MetroStore
BuzzStore
SpiderMag
CraftBlog
Kingcabs
Medical Heed
Appzend
Fitness Park
Kathmag
Online Estore
Be sure to check these lists out, you can find the link in our show notes
ACF Plugin's reflected XSS vulnerability attracts exploit attempts within 24 hours of public announcement
(https://wptavern.com/acf-plugins-reflected-xss-vulnerability-attracts-exploit-attempts-within-24-hours-of-public-announcement) – On May 5, PatchStack published a security advisory on Advanced Custom Fields and their XSS vulnerability that had been found – and within 24 hours attackers started exploiting the weakness. The most interesting part is that the attackers were taking Patchstack sample code to instigate the attacks. Very interesting and something to think about when putting out example code perhaps….
WordPress is developing a Command Center for quick search and navigation inside the admin
(https://wptavern.com/wordpress-is-developing-a-command-center-for-quick-search-and-navigation-inside-the-admin) – This idea was introduced into Gutenberg 15.6 under the experimental flag and currently has limited use in the site editor context while navigating and editing templates. The idea is to introduce it into the core to give users the ability to more easily navigate to other areas of the site, and to use as a quick search function.
New Proposal looks to retire older WordPress Default Themes
(https://wptavern.com/new-proposal-looks-to-retire-older-wordpress-default-themes) – A new proposal recommends winding down active maintenance on older themes and implementing a new system of requirements for retiring them. This proposal seeks to retire older themes after a minimum of five years of support and when usage falls to less than 1% of all WordPress sites as determined by WordPress.org data.
Shufflehound releases free Lemony Child Theme for agencies (https://wptavern.com/shufflehound-releases-free-lemmony-child-theme-for-agencies) – This is the company's first block theme and has more than 30 patterns – and is free! If the parent theme Lemony is something you find works well for you, you may be interested in picking up this free block theme.
WordPress turns 20!!
(https://wptavern.com/wordpress-turns-20) – On May 27 WordPress turned 20!! As part of its celebration.
WordPress and Drupal co-founders discuss Open Source, AI, and the future of the web (https://wptavern.com/wordpress-and-drupal-co-founders-discuss-open-source-ai-and-the-future-of-the-web)! – Both of these articles are worth checking out, you can find the link in our show notes!
A glimpse into AI's future in architecture: inflatable skyscrapers (https://thenextweb.com/news/a-glimpse-into-ais-future-in-architecture-inflatable-skyscrapers) – Yea, you heard/read that right. Inflatable skyscrapers – they can be inflated to lofty heights, and flattened right down for easy portability! Just need to be sure to dispose of all sharps before entry… Thank you AI for bringing giant balloons into the industry.
The Extras – check out our Facebook, or Twitter page for even more!
WordPress 6.2.1 update breaks shortcode support in block templates (https://wptavern.com/wordpress-6-2-1-update-breaks-shortcode-support-in-block-templates)
WordPress 6.2.2 restores shortcode support in block templates, fixes security issues (https://wptavern.com/wordpress-6-2-2-restores-shortcode-support-in-block-templates-fixes-security-issue)
WCEU 2023 publishes schedule, reaffirms commitment to Diversity (https://wptavern.com/wceu-2023-publishes-schedule-reaffirms-commitment-to-diversity)
A WordPress 6.3 development kicks off to conclude Gutenberg Phase 2 (https://wptavern.com/wordpress-6-3-development-kicks-off-to-conclude-gutenberg-phase-2)
Gutenberg 15.8 adds pages menu to site editor, revisions UI to global styles (https://wptavern.com/gutenberg-15-8-adds-pages-menu-to-site-editor-revisions-ui-to-global-styles)
Automattic releases wo-now: a local development environment powered by WordPress Playground (https://wptavern.com/automattic-releases-wp-now-a-local-development-environment-powered-by-wordpress-playground)
MariaDB Health Checks plugin now available on WordPress.org (https://wptavern.com/mariadb-health-checks-plugin-now-available-on-wordpress-org)
WordPress 6.2 core performance analysis finds improving template loading for classic themes could make a major impact (https://wptavern.com/wordpress-6-2-core-performance-analysis-finds-improving-template-loading-for-classic-themes-could-make-a-major-impact)
Cyber chiefs brace for major attacks in next 12 months (https://www.technewsworld.com/story/cyber-chiefs-brace-for-major-attacks-in-next-12-months-178283.html)
Crypto payments can now be traced like bank transfers under new EU law (https://thenextweb.com/news/crypto-payments-can-now-be-traced-like-bank-transfers-under-new-eu-law)
Your next home could be 3D printed. Here's how (https://thenextweb.com/news/a-glimpse-into-ais-future-in-architecture-inflatable-skyscrapers)
Dragon Rating Time!
John's Plugin
WP Recipe Maker
https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-recipe-maker/
The Lowdown:
Do you have recipes you want to share with the world, this is a plugin for you. It is easy to use and works well with Gutenberg.
Features:
An overview of WP Recipe Maker features:
- Compatible with both the Classic Editor and new Gutenberg editor
- Includes an Elementor block and shortcode can be used in other page builders
- Easy workflow to add recipes to any post or page
- Uses schema.org/Recipe JSON-LD metadata optimised for Google Recipe search
- Uses schema.org/How-to JSON-LD metadata optimised for non-food recipes and instructions
- Supports both regular and Guided Recipes for Google metadata
- Shoppable ingredients with the Shop with Instacart button
- Google AMP compatible
- Integrates recipe metadata with Yoast SEO and Rank Math schema graph
- Option to disable metadata per recipe if you want to publish non-food or DIY recipes
- Compatible with Pinterest Rich Pins and a setting to easily opt out
- Outputs ItemList metadata for Recipe Roundup posts
- Associate ingredients with instructions to have them show up exactly where needed
- Keyboard accessible and AMP compatible ratings for comments
- Interactive print recipe page with room for ads and optional credit to your website
- Fallback recipe shows up when the plugin is disabled
- Include a recipe video in the template and metadata
- Add photos or videos to any step of the recipe
- Print recipe and jump to recipe shortcodes
- Temperature shortcode with oven symbols
- This plugin is fully responsive, your recipes will look good on any device
- Easily change the look and feel to fit your website in the Template Editor
- Structure your ingredients and instructions in groups (e.g. icing and cake batter)
- Full text search for your recipes
- Access your recipes through the WordPress REST API
- Built-in SEO check for your recipe metadata
- Compatible with RTL languages
- Import your recipes from other plugins (see below)
WP Recipe Maker Premium
Looking for some more advanced functionality? They also have the WP Recipe Maker Premium add-on available with the following features:
- Use ingredient links for linking to products or other recipes
- Adjustable servings make it easy for your visitors
- Display all nutrition data in a nutrition label
- User Ratings allow visitors to vote without commenting
- Add a mobile-friendly kitchen timer to your recipes
- More Premium templates for a unique recipe template
- Create custom recipe taxonomies like price level, difficulty, …
- Use checkboxes for your ingredients and instructions
- Import recipes from the Paprika app
Even more add-ons can add the following functionality:
- Integration with a Nutrition API for automatic nutrition facts
- Unit Conversion to reach an international audience with a different unit system
- Have your users send in recipes through the Recipe Submission form
- Give your visitors the power of Recipe Collections for favourites, meal planning and more
If your already using another plugin many of them can be imported into this one.
Rating 5 Dragons
WordPress Tips
This is our newest segment, and we are looking for some feedback from our listeners. What would be most helpful and useful for you here?
Making Sites
– I have noticed that there have been some issues updating the Elementor pro plugin recently where when you try to update it from the plugins area, it tells you it's at its most recent update – but then has the notification that you need to update it and tells you there is a new update available… well, instead of going and getting the latest version I have simply gone into the dashboards update area, and updated it from there. I found that I had to clear the cache, then update from the dashboard's update area where you update themes – but it works like a charm every time so far for me.
You don't always need to go and get the latest version of whatever plugin it is that you are having trouble updating – sometimes you just need to try to update it from a different area. I have seen this a couple of times with plugins, and I don't think it's anything wrong, I think the system is just tired sometimes. It glitches a bit here and there, so just try going at it from a different angle.
Beginners Tips
– Sometimes when you are working on something on a site and you keep failing at getting something in particular working – just put it down and walk away. And don't walk away for just an hour or so – walk away until your mind is no longer picking at the issue, trying to figure out why it's not working. Walk away until you basically forget the issue is there – and then go back. Because once you have pretty well forgotten its existence, when you go back you will actually have fresh eyes, and will likely see the problem immediately.
– Also, don't lose sleep over it. If you are tired, and you've been working on this for hours already, go to sleep. It's always better to wake up early after a good sleep and feel behind rather than push through and be groggy and tired – you WILL mess up the coding, and you WILL click the wrong thing. And then you've got a whole new mess to deal with! We stare at screens all day – don't make your brain do it past your bedtime too.
…Some random entertainment in the World of WordPress!
…Matt's Famous Quotes
https://www.idrlabs.com/quotes/matt-mullenweg.php
…The hall of shame via Automattic:
transparency.automattic.com/tag/hall-of-shame/
Amber's Plugin
Login Timeout Sessions
https://wordpress.org/plugins/login-timeout-sessions/
The Lowdown:
I noticed this plugin because a while back I was trying to find a plugin for someone that had this capability – I wound up finding something different that had more options they wanted so it worked out, but I did not find a plugin at the time that did only this. This plugin is designed to limit or expand the number of days/hours that the session cookies, and remember me cookies are set for.
You can do this either as a global for all users, or you can do so via very specific roles.
This plugin uses the role definitions that you will find in the WordPress Codex, and they very helpfully give you a link to this Codex. There are a lot of names that don't make a whole lot of sense at first glance, so be sure you find the label in the Codex and are sure what the role is before setting it.
To use this plugin you will need to go to settings -> login sessions.
Here you will find the dashboard, where you can either set the cookies globally, or below set them individually.
There are two options:
New Session
Remember Me
The New Session setting is for when a person simply logs in; this will set the cookies to remember the persons login information for whatever time period you choose – you can choose minutes, hours, or days – and the number will allow a seemingly endless number… I counted up to 60 digits and gave up adding numbers.
Now, it seems that you can only choose ONE special role. There is not an option to set it for various roles, thus meaning that you need to either choose carefully, or go global.
I think this plugin could be very useful as a global setting, or very useful if you are wanting to set these limits or extensions for one role only.
The plugin works well, seems to play well with others.
Rating: 4 Dragon
Onto Our Producer Know How and Donations Segment!
Join in and be part of your own production and support the show at the same time!
There are loads of ways to use us as your tool to get on out there like getting an interview, leaving a review for a plugin or donating your own plugin review, or your own plugin license! I recommend you give it a go and see how it helps – you can check out our show notes in this section to see all the ways to be part of your own production!
…Reach out to John and get yourself Interviewed – use us as your tool to get out there!
… Looking for a way to get your name and work out there? Use us as a stepping stone! Hit us up at https://wppluginsatoz.com/interview
…Send in your Plugin Reviews, or suggestions for a Plugin reviews!
… Have a plugin you love? Or one you really think people should avoid? Reach out to us and get your words and opinion out into the world by hitting us up at https://wppluginsatoz.com/submit-plugin-review/
…Send in your own Plugin License and add it to the contest – this is a great way to get your name and your work out there!
… Is your plugin worth its salt in Dragons? If so, send it on into us and add it to the contests! You can do this by hitting us up at https://wppluginsatoz.com/plugincontest/
…Send in questions and/or comments – we always love hearing from our Producers!
… Have a thought to share? Send it in! You can stay anonymous or belt your name out in all caps! Stitcher Radio, Google Play, or the iTunes Store. Doing this will also help you in producing the show for your own benefit too!
…You can support the show by Subscribing to our Newsletter, Donating, or reviewing us on Stitcher Radio, Google Play, or the iTunes Store. Doing this will also help you in producing the show for your own benefit too!
…You can check us out on Facebook, or our YouTube Channel! Be sure to hit the ‘like' button and share share share!
… YouTube Channel and joining us live every Monday at 12:15 PM PDT is a FANTASTIC show of support – and since you're already on the net's, might as well check out the Facebook page and hit that ‘like' button and share it out!
… Just showing up to our YouTube Channel and joining us live every Monday at 12:15 PM PDT is a FANTASTIC show of support – and since you're already on the net's, might as well check out the Facebook page and hit that ‘like' button and share it out!
… Don't forget – if you leave a review of us on any platform, that will help the show get noticed too; and if you happen to add your name to the show via questions or that awesome spotlight offered with a War Room Producership, that will get YOUR name out there too!
Earn yourself a Producership Credit!
We have 3 levels of Producers that help to keep the show's larders stocked to bursting – Free-Lance Producers, Back-Room Producers, and War-Room Producers. There are special perks for Back-Room and War-Room Producers that you can learn about on our site wppluginsatoz.com. Click on Time, Treasure, or Talent Donations in our main menu to learn all the nitty gritty details on how you can add your 2 cents!
Free-Lance Producers:
… Free-Lance Producers always show up when least expected, and often times when most needed! No donation required to become a Free-Lance Producer – you just are one if you're here!
… If you have listened to even 10 minutes of this show, or shown up a single time to one of our live shows on YouTube, you are one of our many Free-Lance Producers! Although you guys are always popping in and out at unexpected times, we appreciate your support and periodic help with one thing or another – thank you!
Back Room Producers:
… Back Room Producers always seem to be about the place helping with our contests, artwork, site organization, notes, questions, suggestions, and even more! While they tend to hang out a lot in the back lounge and consume massive amounts of coffee and doughnuts, it's well earned through both hard work and their donations – never above $50 dollars and absolutely equal to their Time and Talent donations!
… Back Room Producers, if you ever notice something that needs some work feel free to reach out to us and let us know – you can offer to take it up yourself, or just let us know and we will add it to our list. We always appreciate your help in organizing and changing of the coffee – thank you!
War Room Producers:
… War Room Producers receive a few extra perks with their donations of $50 or more – an official A to Z Handle of their choice, a spotlight in that weeks show for a short speech, and an official Executive Producership Credit! These credits are real and can be used in the real world to your advantage! Only draw back is that they sometimes gotta make fresh coffee when the Back Room Producers emptied the pot…
**If you prefer to stay anonymous, please let us know at the beginning of your note to us regarding your donation! We are more than happy to keep you anonymous from the world – nobody is ever forced out of the tender embrace of the shadows on this show!**
… Official A to Z Handle means you will receive a specialized login to our site. We are working to update our site where we will have a Members Only section, and you will have access to a variety of things through your personalized handle for our site! To receive your Official A to Z Handle, think up an original name, and send it in to us along with the show number and the show name.
… Your spotlight can be an elevator pitch for your business, a note, or you can just skip it – just be sure to let us know your choice and we will adhere appropriately.
… The Producership Credit we offer is REAL! When you send your donation in to us of $50 or more, please be sure to note down the number and title of the show your donation appeared on, and we will back up your right to claim Producership!
… You don't ACTUALLY have to make the Back Room Producers coffee, but you might want to make yourself a fresh one. 😉 Especially if you are planning on pointing out things going wrong on the site… we got a long list and will likely try and convince you to help us out a little!
… War Room Producers, same as for the Back Room Producers, reach out to us if you notice something that needs work! Whether you are wanting to take up the job yourself or just inform us and leave it, we will add it to our ever-growing list!
Questions, Notes, and Feedback from our Producers out there:
You can send in your 2 cents and have it read out here on the show!
… No such thing as a stupid question people! I was new not too long ago, and I know how overwhelming it can be stepping into this world at this stage – I know for a fact that questions you have are the same questions others out there have!
Reach out through email to amber@wppro.ca, or through the site at wppluginsatoz.com/contact/!
Amber and John,
I need a plugin to track what time (hour/minutes i.e. 10:47 AM) people come to my site and how long they stay on each page. If it will tarck where on the page they scroll to that would also help. What would you recommend as the best one you know of so far?
Thanks,
Frank
Miscellaneous Announcements from us and Producers:
Have an announcement like a meetup, or to announce you'll be on stage at a WordCamp? Let us know and we will add it here and help get your news out to the world!
If you are interested in finding a WordPress Meetup somewhere around the world you can go check out the places here: https://www.meetup.com/pro/wordpress/
Next WordPress Victoria Meetup is on June 1st! This is an online meeting, be sure to check it out if this is your kinda thing! https://www.meetup.com/yyjwordpress/
There are 4 WordCamps happening around the world this month, you can check them out here: https://central.wordcamp.org/
Keep checking back every week to find out what else is going on!
And remember, the show notes found at wppluginsatoz.com has a whole lot of extra information to grab up that we don't read on air so be sure to check them out!
How to reach us:
We have a real brick and mortar address where you can send in art and/or notes – you can find the address in our show notes!
WP Plugins A to Z
C/O John Overall
20-754 E Fairview Rd.
Victoria, BC V9A 5T9
Canada
We also have virtual addresses too!
John:
- My website: http://www.johnoverall.com/
- WordPress Emergency Support: http://wppro.ca/wpemergency
- email: john@wppro.ca
Amber:
- email: amber@wppro.ca
Today's Plugins we covered were:
John’s Plugin:
WP Recipe Maker By Bootstrapped Ventures
- Compatible with both the Classic Editor and new Gutenberg editor
- Includes an Elementor block and shortcode can be used in other page builders
- Easy workflow to add recipes to any post or page
Rating: 5 Dragons
Amber's Plugin:
Login Timeout Sessions By Galaxy Web Links
- Set new login session.
- Set login ‘Remember me’ session.
- Set special timeout session for Users with a specific capability.
Rating: 4 Dragons
Q & A Time with Amber – Catch this info on our YouTube Channel
If you have questions you would like to have asked on the show, send them in to me at Amber@WPPro.ca – let's see if we can stump my dad!
- Since we are dealing with a lot of PHP updates recently, what is it that causes a site to be unable to update to PHP 8.0?
- What about being okay with PHP 8.0, but not PHP 8.1?
- When a person is part of an online game, they get this option to invite others to join them and be part of their ‘possy'. This link takes them directly to the right place and adds them into the right ‘possy' – can you explain how this link gives the right information to the receiver whether it is a phone they open the link on or a computer?
Questions asked after closing credits:
- What would you recommend to a person who needs to have control over content access via age range use for their site? What would be the most secure way to go and why?
- What would you recommend for user access tracking to figure out what they are most interested in, and why?
