Article DirectoryElite Article Directory On WordPress Engine

As you know, WordPress is the universal platform, that may be used not only for blog creating, but also for other web-site types.

Once me and my friend have created WordPress build for the article directory, but this build have one essential shortcoming.

To deduce the list of categories on the main page I had to edit source files of WordPress engine. But it has deprived of possibility to use WordPress as the article directory at release of new versions, because changing of the source codes each time is not reasonable decision.

The idea of creation of universal and convenient instrument for realisation on WordPress the catalogue of articles did not leave me. As a result I have created a plugin Article Directory.

The primary task of this plugin is deduce on the main page (or any another) the structured list of categories, which can be easily customized with CSS, how it’s made now on Articlesss.com web-site. In addition, with the plugin implemented several changes in the administrative interface that using it was more rational and convenient for both authors and for the administrator.

Plugin features

Standard optional features for categories list:

• Amount of articles in parent and child categories.
• Category description in link title.
• Showing the empty categories.
• Using hierarchy for subcategories.
• Exclude selected categories.

Special features:

• Simple and handy design using CSS. The structure of categories is the multilevel list which can be altered easily with CSS, as you need. The parent category have the <div> container to mark it out with CSS as a parent.
• Support WordPress starting from version 2.3 and above.
• Parent category is showing amount of articles in subcategories. The character also include the number of articles in this parent category.
• Ability to display the specified amount of child categories (2nd level).
• Ability to display categories on specified amount of columns.
• Ability to hide all subcategories.
• Ability to exclude the child categories articles from the parent categories archive pages.
• Ability to add icons for parent categories using CSS.
• Ability to get article source code.

Admin interface options:

• Ability to show warning to author, if not selected any category or if selected more than one category.
• Ability to hide unnecessary blocks from the “Write/Edit Post” page, if this is not the site administrator. It is “Comments & Pings”, “Excerpt”, “Password Protect” and other blocks. I.e. actually there is only a form of adding the article and the button to send it to moderation.
• Ability to specify the height of the categories block on “Write/Edit Post” page.
• Ability to put the “Terms of article publication” on “Write/Edit Post” page.

Installation

Installation of Article Directory plugin is a simple:

1. Copy the article-directory folder in WordPress plugins directory (…\wp-content\plugins\).
2. Copy the categories.css file in directory with your theme.
3. Activate the plugin through admin interface.
4. Add the following code in the index.php (or another file) of your theme:

   <?php if (function_exists('article_directory')) article_directory(); ?>

5. Add the following code in the style.css:

   @import 'categories.css';

That’s all.

Attention: if you are using a plugin simultaneously with Article Directory WordPress Theme, miss 2-nd, 4-th and 5-th items of installation, because this code is already there by default.

Customization

There are two things, that you can customize:

1. If it is necessary, you should customize a categories.css file under the site design.
2. Customize options on “Settings → Article Directory” page.

The plugin also lets you to display the list with the links to categories RSS feeds. To do this, you must:

1. Create a new page template.
2. Add the following code:

   <?php $rssfeeds=true; ?>
<?php if (function_exists('article_directory')) article_directory(); ?>

3. Create a new page in the admin interface and select the created template.

How to add icons for parent categories

It’s doing using CSS. You need to add the styles for icons in categories.css or in style.css file (both located in a folder of your theme).

Styles should be like this:

#cat-23 {background: url(i/icon.gif) 4px 3px no-repeat}

Here the digit 23 means, what this icon will be added in the 2nd column for the 3rd parent category from the top. Accordingly, it is necessary to create as many of such styles, how many you have parent categories, and specify the corresponding number for each icon.

i/icon.gif - this is the path to an icon file, beginning from a folder with your theme.

4px - icon shift value from the left of the parent category block.
3px - icon shift value from the top of the parent category block.

Download

Donation

If you enjoy this plugin, you can thank me and leave a small donation.

Version history

Version 0.9.8 (06.22.09)

• Added option “Forbid publication in parent categories?”.

Version 0.9.7 (03.07.09)

• Improved block of article source code.

Version 0.9.6 (01.25.09)

• Added new feature: ability to get source code of article.

Version 0.9.5 (01.04.09)

• Now it’s possible to sort a list of categories by your choice. This will require the My Category Order plugin.
• Plugin now works on WordPress 2.3 or higher (versions 2.1 and 2.2 are excluded).
• Removed feature on redirects your on home page when clicking on the link “Exit” because this feature is built into WordPress 2.7.

Version 0.9.4 (11.29.08)

• Changed the method of reading WordPress version. Therefore, the plugin now works correctly even if you use it simultaneously with third-party plugins replacing WordPress version.

Version 0.9.3 (10.05.08)

• Fixed data base error: SELECT SUM(count) FROM wp_term_taxonomy WHERE taxonomy = ‘category’ AND parent =
• Added French localization. Thanks to Le blogueur masqué.

Version 0.9.2 (08.19.08)

• Changes related to hiding unnecessary blocks from the authors.

Version 0.9.1 (07.25.08)

• Fixed the bug, when articles with the statuses “Draft” and “Pending Review” were available to view.

Version 0.9 (07.19.08)

• If not all subcategories is displayed according to options, the symbol “…” will be added after the list of subcategories.
• Ability to add icons for parent categories. To do this, read the instructions above in the article.
• Removed restrictions of functions in the administrative interface created by plugin for users up to the editor level.
• The error, when at entering on a comments page in administrative interface the message “Restricted area” was deduced to all users, regardless of status, is corrected.
• The message about the necessity to update WordPress is hidden from the authors.
• By pressing the “Logout” link the user is redirecting to the home page of the site.

Version 0.8.1 (06.28.08)

• Now it is possible to insert the “Terms of article publication” before the article edit form on “Write/Edit Post” page (terms are not shown for the administrator).
• Since not yet found a way to show for author on “Comments” page only his comments, access to this page is closed for him.
• The footer of admin interface is hidden from author as not the necessary element.
• In the top block of Dashboard is hidden some site statistic info from the author. If you also want to delete all the widgets from the Dashboard, I recommend you to use Dashboard Widget Manager plugin.

Version 0.8 beta (06.13.08)

• All the options transferred to the admin interface.
• Possibility of translation of a plugin on other languages.
• Functions of following plugins are integrated:
  • Manage Your Posts Only;
  • Kinderlose;
  • Forgot the Category;
  • “Write Post” blocks hide.

  Therefore, if you are using any of this plugins, they must be removed.

• On “Manage Posts” page the author sees now only own articles.
• On “Manage Comments” page the author does not see now such data, as e-mail and the IP-address of commentators.

Version 0.7 (05.22.08)

• Added ability to display the specified amount of child categories (2nd level).

Version 0.6 (04.22.08)

• Fixed incorrect counting the number of articles in parent categories in case they contain subchild categories.

Version 0.5 (04.11.08)

• Added ability to output the additional list with links to categories RSS-feeds.
• Made some changes in categories.css file for this page.

Version 0.4 (02.29.08)

• Added ability to disable the output of subcategories.
• Now it is possible of exception of selected categories/subcategories.

Version 0.3 (01.23.08)

• Added ability to disable the “No categories” output messages, if the category does not contain subcategories.

Version 0.2 (01.19.08)

• Added automatic sorting of parent categories.
• There is a possibility to display the list of categories by columns.
• Updated categories.css file.

Version 0.1 (01.07.08)

• First release.