An Introduction to React.js
The incorporation of the REST API into core is bringing to the fore JavaScript as a key part of WordPress’ future. While there’s no shortage of JS frameworks out there for taking advantage of the API, the WP community seems to be gravitating toward React.js as the framework of choice — as typified by Calypso.
This session will provide a basic overview to React.js: what it is, what problems it’s built to solve, and how to get started working with it using simple examples. If you’ve mostly written PHP, or have written jQuery but not gone deeper into JS than that, this should be a good primer.
Content Development & Quality
Do you create content for search engines or for people? If you answer, “people,” you’re at once ahead of your time and behind it.
Only now are SEO specialists finally catching up to what most copywriters have known since the medium first hit the computer screen – content matters more than keyword loading. Join Gery L. Deer, managing and creative director of GLD Enterprises Communications, Ltd., for a discussion on the elements of audience-focused, high-quality content to generate organic search results and retain visitors.
A Pulitzer-nominated, 20-year veteran freelance journalist, copywriter, IT professional, and entrepreneur, Gery has provided both code and content for website over the years and has always maintained content over keywords. “If the idea is to sell something or drive traffic to and through a website, the only option is to offer visitors the highest quality, user-focused content possible.”
He’ll also show how this concept will make your social media posts more effective and drive LIKES and new followers to your content.
Understanding How a WordPress Theme Works
Basic and very short description, Speaking about what makes a theme, What files are completed needed to make a theme work. What does the functions file actually do? How can you build a child-theme and how can you build a custom theme.
Javascript: Beyond jQuery
The goal of this talk is not to downplay or shortchange the importance jQuery has and will continue to play in Web Development.
It is however a talk, which will cover some Javascript concepts every Web Developer should know.
Primarily:
- Higher Order Functions (Map, Filter, Reduce)
- Object Compositions vs. Classical Inheritance.
- Closures – Understanding Closure will unlock Javascript’s full power.
Lastly, we will bring it all together, and show some slightly more advanced examples of why Higher Order Functions, Composition, and Closures are so important to understand. Hint: Functional Composition, and partially applied functions.
For new developers, you will get a good sense of what Javascript can do for you. You will also learn some less technical Javascript concepts like:
- Functions are first class citizens
- What do multi-dimensional arrays look like in Javascript
- Why it seems like almost everything is an Object in Javascript.
Writing WP-CLI Scripts that Work
WP-CLI is a great tool when you don’t need a fancy UI, need to write scripts to perform regular maintenance, or to provide deeper functionality to your awesome plugin. Like WordPress, it’s free, open source, and far more powerful than some people give it credit for.
This session covers the components necessary to write great WP-CLI scripts; from structure to execution, arguments to output, attendees should leave the session with everything they need to know to implement WP-CLI commands in their next project.
