I recently took a job to customize a couple of Wordpress sites (here and here). It was a great learning experience: I got to know the Wordpress architecture a lot better, appreciate the excellent new features of the latest WP 2.5.1 version, acquire a little more PHP coding skillz, and - most important of all - integrate two unrelated applications together.

Let me dwell on that last part a bit. The site makieduardo.net called for a modern-looking portfolio for showcasing the site owner’s photographs. As can be seen, images dynamically load when thumbnails stored under a “rolling” container are clicked. Seems simple enough, but it was HELL to implement with Javascript (Flash would have been cleaner and easier - if I knew Flash, which I don’t at all). The original plan was to simply copy over an already existing Wordpress template and make custom changes from there.

Turns out, the javascript part was not trivial at all to change. This has more to do with my absolutely zero experience with javascript. So days passed without any progress with the code. Out of frustration, I decided to scrap the existing javascript, start over using something else, while still keeping the same template at the WP engine-side. I found the E2 Photo Gallery which does almost exactly what I needed. It also operates under javascript, but I found the app’s code somewhat easier to follow (remember, I am a javascript idiot). The problem is that E2 is a standalone app - there is no port or whatsoever relating to Wordpress.

I decided to go ahead and integrate the E2 code with Wordpress - probably a stupid thing to do, not knowing whether the entire thing would work at all! Fortunately, it did, and in doing so I was able to save a few hours figuring out site navigation logic at the WP engine side. So, with the E2 at the front end, the backend was drastically simplified, with the added bonus of improved aesthetics.

So I am particularly proud of this accomplishment. This is the first manifestation of my postgrad studies applied in practice! If this project were given to me a year ago, I am pretty sure I could not have pulled off the integration.

That one was loads of fun (but also at times utterly frustrating/depressing). Now that I am done with it, I need to move on with the real challenge: a HUGE project for my last ever postgrad course. I finish this one, and I graduate.

More about said project at a later time. And a note to self: try to chronicle your developments regularly! It will help you write your final paper. Don’t be lazy - do it!