WordPress as CMS: 4 content block plugins with WYSIWYG editors
We are constantly trying to find easier and better ways to create manageable blocks of content for clients.
Widgets
Widgets are only helpful up to a certain point since there isn’t a great plugin for a WYSIWYG visual editor that I’m aware of. The Rich Text Widget and WYSIWYG Text Widget are buggy and aren’t compatible with 2.9.2. Rich Widget is ok but requires too many clicks and is not so user friendly.
Custom Fields
Custom fields are only helpful up to a certain point – since once again there is no visual editor. Coding in your own add_meta_box to the functions.php to add customized, user-friendly custom fields takes a fair amount of time and quite a bit of PHP know-how. Also, explaining to clients the concept of custom fields is not a super joy.
So, what is the solution for expanding WordPress CMS functionality?
Content Blocks
I investigated a few CMS content block plugins, and here’s what I have to say:
1. Page.ly MultiEdit Excited to try out a new plugin that would help with editable content, I installed the MultiEdit plugin with instructions here. MultEdit lets you flip between tabs to edit multiple areas of content! So exciting, but no matter what I did, I couldn’t get the content in each tab to save properly. It only saved the content in the last tab called “Right”. Sigh.
2. Multiple Content Blocks This plugin is insanely easy to use. All you have to do is add one snippet of code <?php the_block (‘newarea’); ?> to a page template and voila! you have another WYSIWYG text editor in the admin area. Whatever you enter into this new content area will show up on the page where the snippet is. Amazing. BUT, I couldn’t figure out how to use this code in the sidebar since the sidebar isn’t a page. Sad.
3. Page blocks I followed the instructions for how to use the plugin like a good girl, but I still couldn’t get it to work the way I wanted with additional editors in the editing page area. 
4. Custom field template Bring out the champagne peoples! We have a winner! This plugin is the daddy of all custom field plugins. It lets you add whatever customization you want to the custom field and then add code into your template as if it were a regular custom field.
Here’s how to use it.
- Install and activate the plugin. Obviously.
- Go to the new tab in the admin area called Custom Field Template.
- Modify the example they have. Here’s the one that I created:[ContentAreaName]
type = textarea
rows = 4
cols = 40
tinyMCE = true
htmlEditor = true
mediaButton = true
This means that the custom field I created has a WYSIWYG TinyMCE text editor, an HTML view, and a media button so that the client can upload an image. There are tons more options explained in the settings page. - Add this code to wherever you want in your template files:
<?php if(get_post_meta($post->ID, “ContentAreaName”, true)) { ?>
<?php echo get_post_meta($post->ID, “ContentAreaName”, $single = true); ?>
<?php } ?>
or if you want to add it as a shortcode, use [ContentAreaName]
That’s all for now. If you have another content block CMS tip, please share!
Category: WordPress as CMS
Thanks. Btw, I can’t remember exactly where I saw it but there’s a plugin that lets you put php in a widget and it will run. If it works with your #4, as well as a widget manager, that might a nice approach over under the hood hacking.
Ah, I’ll look at the plugin code.. see if I can isolate the issue youdescribe.
Did you avoid <a href=”http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/pods/”>Pods</a>? I’d be curious to read what you think of it. Haven’t tried it myself, but caught a pretty impressive demo at WordCamp NYC. It looks a bit tricky to set up, but maybe worth the effort.
Sorry to double-down but I just found this widget plugin that might help: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/widget-logic/
Thank you much. I was one step away from writing some custom code to do this with a project that’s supposed to be low-budget.
Actually I think there are better options such as Magic Fields or More Fields.
Hi there ^^
After 2hours of googling, searching for a way to display two “pages” on the frontpage without adding them with code in templates because the client would not be able to modify them, I finaly ended up with the idea of creating one “home” page, with multiple areas. Great review of available plugins, I will try custom field template and see if it does the work
Thanx a lot
Is this still the best way to implement multiple content blocks? I’m really resistant to use a plugin in case WordPress creates this feature in the near future and breaks the plugin.
That’s it. I think I’m going to cry. My client needs to be able to add content blocks themselves. It’s a portfolio site, every portfolio piece is going to be a post, but there needs to be multiple ‘feature’ images on each piece that can not be included in the main content area. The client wants to be able to add as many as they want, so I can’t use any of these plugins that requires me to set up a number of fields for them. What I need is a repeatable content block. I have done so much searching and people keep sending me back to things like More Fields and Custom Field Template.
I basically need to be able to add fields, the way that the custom fields are added in WordPress out of the box, but with at least a tinymce attached to them. I’m starting to get the feeling that I am going to need to learn how to build plugins and build it myself.
Don’t cry. User custom post types: http://codex.wordpress.org/Custom_Post_Types
Tutorial here: http://www.vooshthemes.com/blog/wordpress-tip/create-a-professional-portfolio-using-wordpress-3-0-custom-post-types/
If I understood you correctly
I’m having trouble with getting my Custom Field Template area to appear on my page. Any advice?
Thanks!
I’ve had pretty good success with Page.ly MultiEdit
But for the love of god, cannot get a youtube vidoe to work in anything other than the “Main” area. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Jon
I found a fix for theMultiEdit plugin here: http://wordpress.org/support/topic/plugin-pagely-multiedit-tab-not-renderign-shortcodes
worksforme i can use multiedit and post youtube videos using some [shortcode], I’m very happy as I had pretty much designed my whole site around the multiedit plugin
I hope this helps you by the way