1. Open or create a functions.php file in your theme directory.
2. Then paste the code below into your functions.php file:

<?php
add_filter('page_css_class', 'custom_page_css_class', 10, 2);
/**
 *	custom_page_css_class()
 *	Hooks into page_css_class and modifies the page item class so that
 *	it uses the name of the page instead of the id.
 *
 *	@global int $id.		The ID of the page being viewed. Needed to set current_page_item.
 *	@param array $class.	The page css class being modified, passed as an array from Walker_Page
 *	@param object $page.	The page object passed from Walker_Page
 *	@return array			Returns the new page css class.
 */
function custom_page_css_class($class, $page) {
	global $id;
 
	if ($page->ID == $id)
		/* checks if the page ID matches the current page and if it does,
		    adds the current_page_item class
		*/
		$t = array( 'page_item', 'page-item-'.$page->post_name, 'current_page_item');
	else
		$t = array( 'page_item', 'page-item-'.$page->post_name);
 
	return $t;
 
}
?>

There you go! Yes, it’s that easy.

What the example does is it duplicates what’s happening in the WordPress source code but instead of using $page->ID, it’s using $page->post_name. It assembles the classes into an array and then returns it to be echo-ed out when the pagenav is generated. Note that $class isn’t used but it is necessary to have it as one of the parameters because WordPress passes it to the hook by default and we need the $page object in order to make the example work.

Happy coding!

• WordPress hook directory page_css_class
• WordPress Classes.php Source Reference
• WordPress Support: Add Link with Class to Page Menu

1. Just unzip into your WordPress plugins directory
2. Open the WordPress plugins page
3. Activate the YaECP plugin
4. Look for the new page called “Exclude Categories” in the Posts section.
5. Finally, select which categories you wish to exclude from the front page.

I whipped this plugin up on the spur-of-the-moment to deal with some issues that I found in the beta version of Manga+Press 2.5 having to do with it’s new exclude comic categories from the front page option. Apparently, if you want to exclude another category as well as the comic category, you can’t call query_posts() again because it will reset the Manga+Press query.

The plugin was tested on WordPress 2.8 so I’m not so sure how it’ll work with versions older than 2.8. I am also not so sure how the plugin will work with specialized themes that have multiple loops, such as magazine-style WordPress themes. Either way, hope someone gets some use out of it.

Freebies. I’ve been working on a set of scrap book-influenced freebies that contain some of the design elements that have gone into my current Dumpster-fairy.com layout. I really don’t have a set release date for the set, though I’m quietly gunning for a June release. While I’m on that subject, I am also working on a free WordPress theme. I’m looking at a July release for the WordPress theme; it still has to be cut up from Photoshop and the theme has to be coded.

Finally, I’ve been thinking about selling my design skills. I feel that I’m pretty good at what I do and I could use both the money and the experience since I am set to graduate next June. I also have a few other commercial ventures planned that will probably start in the next few months. I don’t want to say what just  yet, though

Till next time!

The reason is the hook that is called when Manga+Press is deactivated. The hook deletes all of the options and the two tables Manga+Press uses to keep track of comic posts. Since the proper way of upgrading a plugin usually involves deactivation and deletion of the files, this could be a problem for some users. However, I went ahead and tested the deactivation procedure on the server and…nothing happened. So either there is a bug in 2.7 (fortunate in this case) or the hook in question is no longer being used. Either way, I suggest either downloading the patch I’ve provided or backing up your database; the latter always being a wise choice whenever you’re upgrading a plugin, of course.

Manga+Press: http://manga-press.silent-shadow.net/
Download Patch: mangapress patch

Create a PHP file and name it…something…test.php…whatever, doesn’t matter as long as you can remember what it is Insert the following lines of code into your file:

Upload the file to your wp-content/uploads directory and then open it in your browser. The filename part may or may not be necessary; I tried it both ways and it seemed to work when I added the name of a file that was inside the directory I was trying to change. Try it without the file name first, and if you get an error; add the name of a file inside the directory and if you still get an error then try changing the permissions on the test.php file itself to 777 or 755. If you’re still getting errors, then it’s time to contact your web host and have them set the correct permissions on the folders in question.

At this point, what I want is feedback from anyone who has downloaded and is using the plugin in question. If you’ve run into errors, I’d like to know about it. If you send me a bug report, be sure to include the following:

• WordPress version (very important)
• Plugins installed (also very very important)
• Screenshots of the possible bug in question
• and, if you have access to this: Web server configuration info
  • Server version and config info
  • PHP version and config info
  • MySQL version and config info

Look for my email address in the readme.txt file that comes with the plugin. Sorry, but I really don’t want to give spam-bots a chance to harvest my email address. You can use the contact form here if you like but you won’t be able to send screen-shots.

Enjoy, and Happy New Year!

I’m aiming for a Friday release, so check back for more info!