Putting blogroll on it's own page

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[Lightening]

Is there an easy way to put my blogroll onto it's own page (so that I can still update links etc on the blogroll page rather than manually) instead of having it in my sidebar?

In case it makes any difference - it's a self hosted wordpress blog.

[Lani]

I have mine on a separate page and use a specific template so I don't have to do anything but add new links in the categories I have in Admin.

Take a look at my "explore" page on cerebral mum.  If that's the sort of thing you want, I'll talk you through it.

[Snoskred]

How to add a page in wordpress -

Go to manage (light blue)
pages (dark blue)

You'll see a list of the pages you currently have.

At the bottom of those is "create a new page"

Click on that, and then you'll be taken to the write page screen. You can put in the title, put in anything you want on the page, format the text etc.

On the right hand side of the screen, you will see a bunch of blue options - if these have a plus symbol, click on the plus to drop down the menu. Before you publish a page you want to quickly check these settings to make sure everything is as you want it. You can set the settings in there like

- do you want to allow comments on that page,

- do you want to allow pings (if you link to a site it tries to let the site know)

- page password (don't put anything in here or else people won't be able to see the page without entering the password you put in)

- page parent (usually this will be main, leave it as it is)

- page slug (leave blank)

- page author

- page order - this one is important because it determines where the page will appear in the order across the page.

When you're done, you click on publish. This publishes the page.

The content you'll want to throw in there is this - this is your current blogroll.

Code:

<ul>
<li><a href="http://ajoyfulkeeper.com/my-blog/">A Joyful Keeper</a></li>
<li><a href="http://avisionsplendid.blogspot.com/">A Vision Splendid</a></li>
<li><a href="http://alteredcutlery.blogspot.com/">Altered Cutlery</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.sueblimely.com/">Blogging Sueblimely</a></li>
<li><a href="http://dancestothebeetofherowndrum.wordpress.com/">Dances to the Beet of her Own Drum</a></li>
<li><a href="http://dancingwithfrogs.blogspot.com/">Dancing with Frogs</a></li>
<li><a href="http://blogpond.com.au/">Dipping into the Blogpond</a></li>
<li><a href="http://facibus.com/onblogging/">Facibus on Blogging</a></li>
<li><a href="http://fitcatblog.blogspot.com/">FitCat</a></li>
<li><a href="http://lightening74.wordpress.com/">for I Know the Plans I Have for You</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.kinshome.net">Home of Slightly Cracked Dreams</a></li>
<li><a href="http://kezs-blog.blogspot.com/">Kez's Blog</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.snoskred.org/">Life in the Country</a></li>
<li><a href="http://lighteningsblogworld.blogspot.com/">Lightening's Blogworld</a></li>
<li><a href="http://magnetoboldtoo.wordpress.com/">Magnetoboldtoo</a></li>
<li><a href="http://meanderingsofemma.blogspot.com/">Meanderings</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.miscmum.com/">Miscellaneous Adventures of an Aussie Mum</a></li>
<li><a href="http://onblogging.com.au/">On Blogging Australia</a></li>
<li><a href="http://ourpatch.blogspot.com/">Our Patch</a></li>
<li><a href="http://ourredhouse.blogspot.com/">Our Red House</a></li>
<li><a href="http://ridiculousrantingsnravings.blogspot.com/">Rantings from the Walking Dictionary</a></li>
<li><a href="http://sarcasticmom.com/">Sarcastic Mom</a></li>
<li><a href="http://rachellegardner.blogspot.com/">Seek First His Kingdom</a></li>
<li><a href="http://simpleaussie.blogspot.com/">Simple Aussie</a></li>
<li><a href="http://simplewordsiunderstand.blogspot.com/">Simple Words I Understand</a></li>
<li><a href="http://somedaywewillsleep.com/">Sleepless Nights</a></li>
<li><a href="http://redsultana.com/">SultanaBlog</a></li>
<li><a href="http://thetinhouse.blogspot.com/">The Tin House</a></li>
</ul>

If you want to add extra blogs to the list, you can use this code -

Code:

<li><a href="link">text</a></li>
<li><a href="link">text</a></li>
<li><a href="link">text</a></li>
<li><a href="link">text</a></li>

[Lightening]

Do you mean your "explore" page or "read" page?  I think I want to go simpler than that anyway.  Just a nice little alphabetised list (I tried categories once before for a blogroll and couldn't decide what to put where  ).

I need something that doesn't require a plug-in as right now I don't have my head around FTP access for my blog.

[Lightening]

Snos - so I would need to make the changes manually but I can copy and paste my current blogroll.  Is that what you're saying?

[Lani]

Sorry, yes, I meant "read".  Even easier as just a list.  If you give me half an hour or so, I'll have a look at your theme files and email you a template to upload with instructions on how to use it.  It will be fully automated.

[Lightening]

Sorry, yes, I meant "read".  Even easier as just a list.  If you give me half an hour or so, I'll have a look at your theme files and email you a template to upload with instructions on how to use it.  It will be fully automated.

Okay.  Thanks Lani 

[Snoskred]

Lani's solution sounds like it might do the trick for what you want, Lightening. My solution would require manual updating.

[Lani]

Lightening, or Snosk.

The original theme files don't have a page.php

If you've created one, can you email it to me?

[Lightening]

Lightening, or Snosk.

The original theme files don't have a page.php

If you've created one, can you email it to me?

If it makes it any easier I can give you temporary access Lani.  Just PM me.

[Lani]

S'all good.  Just busy with bub.  Just put him down for a nap.  Looks like nothing dramatic has been changed.  Will get something to you asap!   

[swollenpickles]

Here's what I use in my sidebar to display the blogroll. In theory I think you could add this to a page and it would run out as content and you'd still be able to manage the links using the wordpress panel.

Code:

<h4>Friends of the Pickle</h4>
<ul>
<?php get_links('14', '<li>', '</li>', '<br />', FALSE, 'rand', FALSE, FALSE, 20, TRUE); ?>
</ul>

In the above "14" represents the link category I wanted to display (as I only wanted links from one link category there), "rand" means they are displayed in random order, and "20" means it will show 20 links maximum.
Hope that helps.
Someone smarter than me will probably come along and express this better hopefully.

[Lani]

Grrrr.  Link 3 server failures from my ISP this week wasn't enough.  I had to have a power failure in the middle of doing this!   And I think Cas has an ear infection, just to top off my day!  Anyway...


Pickles, I think get_links is deprecated and has been replaced by wp_list_bookmarks.

Lightening, I'm attaching the file you need and this is what you have to do...

1.  Upload the file via FTP to the folder the theme you use is in

2.  Go to "write page" and enter the title you want for the page, but nothing in the content section.

3.  I the right column of the edit screen you'll see "Page Template".  In that box there is a drop down list.  Select "Blogroll". (which is the template you've just uploaded)

4.  Save.  Check page on site.

If anything is looking wacky or not the way you want, we'll talk further..

[Lightening]

mumbles.......FTP.....FTP.....

Okay, it's on the top of my "learn how to do list".  Deep breath.

I will do it the manual way for now and come back to this when I can actually do FTP.   

Lani - sorry to hear things aren't going well with Cas.  Hope his ear improves.  They sure do HURT!!!  And don't get me started on power failures.  They're a regular occurence here....Thanks for all your effort with this.   

[swollenpickles]

Pickles, I think get_links is deprecated and has been replaced by wp_list_bookmarks.

Dammit, I just figure out how to use it then they go and depreciate it!

[Lani]

I'm pretty sure the rest remains the same.  Try just switching to wp_list_bookmarks without changing anything else and see if it works.

Lightening, FTP is a handy thing and not too hard to learn.After a couple of goes it will be as easy as moving a file on your computer.  but you've just moved to Firefox.  There's only so much you can take on at a time.    And I probably should have checked if you could use it first. 

It will be sitting here if you can use it later, anyway.

[Jaycee]

I've got a blogroll on its own page and now I don't manually update it because I'm showing my Google Reader items as a list on my blogroll page. I'll be blogging how I did that shortly. I don't use the Wordpress blogroll page.

And I agree, that FTP is very easy to use, just like moving files around on your computer. I use Core FTP Lite and it was free. You just might have to find out from your web host the settings you need but once you've done them and saved, they are remembered.

[katef]

Oh now this is something I'd like to do as well... I had an empty links page when I launched my new blog and it got 20 hits in the first few hours so figured I needed to put something there fast, but it is still sorely lacking!

Just a simple way to add links to my links page without me having to cut and paste it all in and get the alphabetical order right (I have three kids = no brain cells) .... Is there a plugin that would do this or I kind of didn't follow if anyone decided there was an easy way to insert blogroll into the page??

And yeah ftp is easy once you get your head around it... even I can do it!

Kate

[Lani]

kate, I've tried several times since you joined to open your site but I always get "problem loading page".

Every theme is different but if you have any page templates you can just copy it and replace a bit of code.

The beginning of a page template always looks like this...

Code:

<?php
/*
Template Name: TemplateName
*/
?>

If you have anything like that, feel free to copy and paste the code in here, and I can either edit it for you or walk you through it yourself. (hopefully) 

[katef]

ah bugger bum poop wee! about the page loading error that is... I have had problems with the name servers... I think I screwed something up when I did them, but my host tells me they have found the error and have fixed it but it will take the usual 'up to 24 hours' for it to all filter through... however that all works.  Everyone cross your fingers for me that this is the problem and it is all fixed soon!

And thanks heaps for the offer.. now for the dumb questions....

I have a 'links' page but for the life of me can't think where to find that pages code?

Argh baby awake again... how is a girls supposed to blog with a child who never sleeps! Will be back tomorrow to see if I can sort this out!

kate

[Lani]

Lol.  I don't usually have that problem with my bub, but I'd say when he's big enough to have his own bed and not trapped in the cot it's going to get much, much harder.  He's a stubborn one.

To see if you have any templates go to "Presentation" then "Theme Editor" in your admin panel.  On the theme editor page there will be a list of files and the right.  Click through them and see if you have any that begin with the code I pasted above.

If you do, copy and paste it here.  If you don't, but you have a file called page.php, copy and paste that here instead.  If you don't have a page.php, I actually need to see your theme files to help.

Note: to paste it as code use the button with the # on it above the smileys.  See you in the morning!

Hushabye,
Don't you cry,
Go to sleepy little baby,
When you wake,
You will find,
All the pretty little horses...

[guera]

I´ve been meaning to join this thread for days it seems and I keep forgetting. I was going to ask, Lani, if you could tell me how you did your links page. I was wanting to move mine from the sidebar and I like your layout with the headings/categories.

The file that you attached for Lightening, would that work for any theme? I have a page.php file - here is the code:

Code:

<?php get_header(); ?>

<div id="content">
<?php if (have_posts()) : while (have_posts()) : the_post(); ?>
<div class="post">
<h1><?php the_title(); ?></h1>
<p><?php edit_post_link('edit page', '', '  '); ?></p>
<?php the_content('Read the rest of this entry &raquo;'); ?>
</div>

<?php endwhile; else: ?>
<p><?php _e('Sorry, no posts matched your criteria.'); ?></p>
<?php endif; ?>
</div>
   
<?php include (TEMPLATEPATH . '/sidebarRight.php'); ?>
<?php include (TEMPLATEPATH . '/sidebarleft.php'); ?>
<?php get_footer(); ?>

I really have no idea about php (on my to learn list) but I am comfortable with ftp - I use filezilla which is free, if anyone is interested. It´s not difficult, Lightening, once you get the settings from your site host they are all saved in the connection settings and from then on its just drag and drop.

Thanks!

[Lani]

No, it won't work for anyone's theme but hers.  If you look at the code you just pasted, you can see very clearly where it's asking for your header and your sidebars but different themes get that framework in lots of different ways.

In yours, if you'd like to edit it yourself, what you need to do is...

1. Copy and paste that entire code to a new text file.

2. At the top, add the template code. I've named it Blogroll but the name can be whatever you choose.  That code is what tells WP it's a template so it will be added to your "Page Template" dropdown list in the "Edit Page" screen.

Code:

<?php
/*
Template Name: Blogroll
*/
?>

3. Then paste this line of code

Code:

<?php wp_list_bookmarks('categorize=0&title_li='); ?>

between

Code:

<div id="content">

and

Code:

<?php if (have_posts()) : while (have_posts()) : the_post(); ?>

4. Save the text file as "blogroll" and then upload it to your theme's main folder.  (Not a subfolder.)

5. In you FTP client, rename the uploaded textfile from "blogroll.txt" to "blogroll.php"

6.  Create a new page as described previously, selecting "Blogroll" as the page template.

Note:  Normally I would paste the code after the content is called so that I could write an opening paragraph if I wanted but because you're using a social bookmarking plugin on your pages, this would make your links appear under the social bookmarks, which looks weird.

Also, the code I have given you will display the links as an uncategorised, alphabetical list.  There are many other ways to display it (like my categorised & columned one on The Cerebral Mum) but if that is all you need this should do it.

[guera]

Thank you so much, Lani! You are an  :angel:

I will get on to that this evening, once I get the kids in bed. (Hope Cas´ear is better BTW)

[Lani]

Hope it works!

Cas has gromments so when he starts pulling at his ears I get worried.  I might just bump up that audiology appointment.  Which probably just means he'll be fine and I'm a Mum.