Speakers: Kathryn Presner

  • Untangling Templates

    Speakers: Kathryn Presner, Ariel Maidana

    April 1, 2024 — Let’s demystify templates together!

    It can sometimes be tricky to understand how the different pieces of the WordPress puzzle connect: how do blocks, patterns, template parts, templates, and themes differ? When should you use one versus another? We’ll untangle everything and help you harness the power of templates to create the site you envision.

    Diving into the Site Editor, we’ll explore the key elements that drive the look and layout of your site, clarifying the purpose of each built-in template. We’ll look at some scenarios when it makes sense to create a custom template, and get hands-on to build a couple of them live. By the end of the workshop, you’ll have a better understanding of the potential of WordPress templates, and be excited to play with templates on your own site!

    Presentation Slides »

  • Exploring global styles and the stylebook (Site Editor)

    Speakers: Wes Theron, Kathryn Presner

    June 28, 2023 — Global styles help users change the overall style of their website. It lets you avoid the hassle of editing individual blocks or pages. With Global styles, users have improved control over the layout and design of their websites.

    In WordPress 6.2, a new feature has been added to the global styles interface that allows users to preview every block that can be inserted into their site.

    In this session, we will explore using global styles and the stylebook to style your site.

  • Create a four page WordPress website: Explore Plugins + Contact Forms

    Speakers: Kathryn Presner, Sarah Snow

    June 22, 2023 — New to WordPress? Want to extend what your website can do? Watch this workshop to learn about plugins–how to find them, how to vet them, what can go wrong–in WordPress in 2023.

  • Custom CSS in the Site-Editing era

    Speakers: Kathryn Presner, Álvaro Gómez Velasco

    June 14, 2023 — WordPress 6.2 introduced two new ways to add custom CSS to your site: a global CSS editor, and a per-block CSS editor. Both methods let you add CSS overrides directly in the Site Editor, in order to tweak the way your site looks. In this session we’ll cover the differences between the two types of editors, and how to use them effectively and appropriately.

    We’ll also look at:

    – A brief history of custom CSS in WordPress.
    – The purpose of having custom CSS editors in the Site Editor in the first place; when to use them, and when not to.
    – A cross-section of practical examples that you can put into action right away!

    To get the most out of this workshop, you should have some knowledge of CSS basics and understand how to use a browser inspector to find the right elements to target. The workshop won’t cover how to write CSS itself.

    Presentation Slides »

  • Exploring some of the new 6.2 WordPress features

    Speakers: Wes Theron, Kathryn Presner

    April 12, 2023 — In this session, we will discuss the WordPress 6.2 release and explore some of the new features that have been included.

  • Start Blogging in 2023 Part 2: Planning Your Blog’s Content

    Speakers: Sarah Snow, Kathryn Presner

    January 11, 2023 — Twenty Twenty-Three has arrived! Why not start that blog you’ve always dreamed about? This is the second of two workshops on this topic. Over the course of this 1.5 hour long online workshop, you will brainstorm topics and create a list from which you can pull when you need inspiration throughout 2023,
    explore different content types and decide what is right for you, identify top level categories, sub-categories, and make a blogging plan for the first three months of 2023.

  • Let’s code: common APIs – shortcodes

    Speakers: Jonathan Bossenger, Kathryn Presner

    July 29, 2022 — Shortcodes are pre-defined, reusable pieces of code that can be added to posts or pages and used to perform dynamic interactions with the content.

    Shortcodes can be used to create anything from a contact form to a booking calendar. While they do have some limitations, they are also a very valuable tool in any developer’s toolbox.

    Join us to learn how shortcodes work in WordPress, which shortcodes ship with WordPress how to create your own shortcodes, as we showcase a few fun examples of what shortcodes can do.

    Presentation Slides »

  • Let’s code: creating your first WordPress plugin

    Speakers: Jonathan Bossenger, Kathryn Presner

    July 22, 2022 — When you need to add some custom functionality to your WordPress site, the best place to put it is in a plugin.

    A plugin allows you to add all sorts of things to your WordPress site, from small customizations all the way to up to API integrations, and more.

    Join us to learn how plugins work in WordPress, how to create your first plugin and a few fun examples of what plugins can do.

    Presentation Slides »

  • Kathryn Presner: CSS Secrets for Beginners

    WordCamp Montreal 2018Speaker: Kathryn Presner

    December 14, 2018 — CSS Secrets for Beginners

    Discover ten handy tips in ten minutes for customizing your WordPress site with CSS. From quick techniques to hide elements you’d rather not see – to sneaky ways to add in extra bits of text, this talk for CSS newcomers will show you just how useful CSS can be. It’ll whet your appetite for more and suggest where to continue your CSS journey after the ten minutes whiz by.

    Presentation Slides »

  • Kathryn Presner: A CSS Adventure

    WordCamp Halifax 2017Speaker: Kathryn Presner

    February 15, 2018 — Ever wanted to make small changes to the look-and-feel of your site but weren’t sure how to go about it? Itching to change the colour of your site title, tweak the size of your paragraph text, or hide the date on your posts? Let’s go on a CSS adventure together! In this session you’ll learn some basic CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and we’ll look at some practical examples, using a browser inspector to customize our site’s design.

    Prerequisites:
    Some basic HTML knowledge is helpful, but not required. You should be open to looking “under the hood” at a site’s HTML and CSS.

    Presentation Slides »