Command-Tab » WordPress http://www.command-tab.com Technology and Mac geekery. One part exuberance, two parts obsession. Sat, 07 Jan 2012 18:00:29 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 fmTuner for WordPress 2.7 http://www.command-tab.com/2008/12/14/fmtuner-for-wordpress-27/ http://www.command-tab.com/2008/12/14/fmtuner-for-wordpress-27/#comments Sun, 14 Dec 2008 22:45:35 +0000 Collin http://www.command-tab.com/?p=465 This is just a quick note to fmTuner users — WordPress 2.7 is out, and fmTuner needed a few minor appearance tweaks, which are now present in version 1.0.4. So, if you have the time now, upgrade your blog to WordPress 2.7 and fmTuner to 1.0.4, and you’ll be all set!

(Comments are closed on this entry — any bugs or other issues should be reported on the original fmTuner page. Thanks!)

]]> http://www.command-tab.com/2008/12/14/fmtuner-for-wordpress-27/feed/ 0 fmTuner: A Last.fm Plugin for WordPress http://www.command-tab.com/2008/09/06/fmtuner-a-lastfm-plugin-for-wordpress/ http://www.command-tab.com/2008/09/06/fmtuner-a-lastfm-plugin-for-wordpress/#comments Sun, 07 Sep 2008 04:43:16 +0000 Collin http://www.command-tab.com/?p=448 fmTuner is a WordPress plugin for retrieving song details from your Last.fm profile and publishing them anywhere in your WordPress theme. It provides options for choosing among your Recent, Loved, or Top tracks, as well as tools to adjust the update frequency and appearance:

Settings - fmTuner: A Last.fm Plugin for WordPress

Of particular note is the customizable Display Format option. Using simple tags like [::artist::] and [::image::] intermixed with regular HTML, you can tweak your Last.fm tracks exactly how you like, or however your WordPress theme requires. You have full control!

Download

Download the latest fmTuner from WordPress.org

Requirements

  • WordPress 2.7 or newer.
  • PHP 5 or newer
  • Basic knowledge of PHP, HTML, and WordPress.

Installation

  • Upload fmtuner.php to a directory inside /wp-content/plugins/ directory. For example: /wp-content/plugins/fmtuner/fmtuner.php
  • Ensure /wp-content/plugins/fmtuner/ is writable by your webserver.
  • Activate the plugin through the “Plugins” menu in WordPress.
  • Set up options in the “Settings” menu in WordPress.
  • Place the PHP code if(function_exists('fmtuner')) { fmtuner(); } in your templates, to call up fmTuner.

Release History

  • fmTuner 1.1
    Released on Feb. 1, 2010
    Added a placeholder image field to the fmTuner Settings page, which will be substituted when tracks have no artwork.
    Tested under WordPress 2.9.1.
  • fmTuner 1.0.8
    Released on Nov. 3, 2009
    Fixed a bug with the [::url::] fmTuner tag that caused Last.fm links to appear incorrectly.
  • fmTuner 1.0.7
    Released on Apr. 23, 2009
    Tracks with foreign character sets now display more accurately.
  • fmTuner 1.0.6
    Released on Mar. 29, 2009
    You can now display more than 10 Recent Tracks, and you should get fewer tracks without artwork.
  • fmTuner 1.0.5
    Released on Mar. 22, 2009
    Track information is now properly escaped to handle $ signs, quotes, and other non-alphanumeric characters.
  • fmTuner 1.0.4
    Released on Dec. 14, 2008
    Made minor tweaks for fmTuner Settings page under WordPress 2.7.
  • fmTuner 1.0.3
    Released on Nov. 15, 2008
    By request, a [::number::] fmTuner tag has been added, which emits a sequential number for each track (starting at 1). This is particularly useful for CSS and JavaScript display purposes.
  • fmTuner 1.0.2
    Released on Oct. 5, 2008
    Added a cURL-based alternative to file_get_contents to hopefully resolve “URL file-access is disabled” issues. If allow_url_fopen is disabled in the php.ini, cURL will be used to fetch the Last.fm feed instead.
  • fmTuner 1.0.1
    Released on Sept. 9, 2008
    Added better failure checking and informational messages, removed development code, and updated instructions.
  • fmTuner 1.0
    Released on Sept. 6, 2008
    Initial release.
]]> http://www.command-tab.com/2008/09/06/fmtuner-a-lastfm-plugin-for-wordpress/feed/ 93 WordPress 2.5 Released http://www.command-tab.com/2008/03/29/wordpress-25-released/ http://www.command-tab.com/2008/03/29/wordpress-25-released/#comments Sat, 29 Mar 2008 18:16:54 +0000 Collin http://www.command-tab.com/2008/03/29/wordpress-25-released/ WordPress, the publishing platform for many blogs including this very site, just hit a major milestone featuring a redesigned admin interface, instant plugin upgrades, vastly improved speed, and more.

The new administration system now sports a minimalist and streamlined look without skimping on the options you’ve already come to know and love. The oft-ignored Dashboard screen has been refined to a now usable level, and the Manage section has seen a nice overhaul as well. For newcomers, the controls are far less intimidating, but all the bells and whistles seasoned bloggers need are still easily within reach.

Keeping WordPress itself up to date is sometimes a hassle, but any plugins you employ also need periodic replacement. With WordPress 2.5, plugins can be upgraded right in place, though WordPress itself continues to only notify you of available updates. Still, the feature is a very nice touch for those who use several plugins like the spam-defending marvel that is Akismet, Google Sitemaps, and so on.

From a reader’s perspective, the new version offers improved speed. One of my biggest gripes about WordPress is how it tends to buckle under a heavy load, and it appears that the new version will be able to dispatch content to visitors’ browsers much faster than before, reducing the workload when under stress from a Digg or Slashdot stampede to a particularly popular post.

Overall, WordPress 2.5 is a highly recommended upgrade for anyone currently operating a blog, and a must-have for those of you still on the fence. What are you waiting for? Get WordPress and get writing!

]]> http://www.command-tab.com/2008/03/29/wordpress-25-released/feed/ 2 Forerunner: Halo WordPress Theme http://www.command-tab.com/2007/09/23/forerunner-halo-wordpress-theme/ http://www.command-tab.com/2007/09/23/forerunner-halo-wordpress-theme/#comments Sun, 23 Sep 2007 21:21:57 +0000 Collin http://www.command-tab.com/2007/09/23/forerunner-halo-wordpress-theme/ Forerunner: Halo WordPress Theme

]]> http://www.command-tab.com/2007/09/23/forerunner-halo-wordpress-theme/feed/ 11 Teaser http://www.command-tab.com/2007/08/11/teaser/ http://www.command-tab.com/2007/08/11/teaser/#comments Sun, 12 Aug 2007 00:17:14 +0000 Collin http://www.command-tab.com/2007/08/11/teaser/ Halo WordPress

]]> http://www.command-tab.com/2007/08/11/teaser/feed/ 8 Gravatars are Back http://www.command-tab.com/2007/05/15/gravatars-are-back/ http://www.command-tab.com/2007/05/15/gravatars-are-back/#comments Wed, 16 May 2007 01:54:09 +0000 Collin http://www.command-tab.com/2007/05/15/gravatars-are-back/ For the longest time, gravatar.com was having troubles serving up the thousands of icon requests from blogs around the world, but it appears that — for now at least — they’re back up and running at full speed. I’ve just re-enabled display of the icons on Command-Tab, and it doesn’t appear to incur much of a performance hit. I’m glad to see some other images around the place instead of the default Mac “shadowy figure” you get stuck with if you haven’t yet signed up for this great little service.

]]> http://www.command-tab.com/2007/05/15/gravatars-are-back/feed/ 3 WordPress 2.0 http://www.command-tab.com/2005/12/24/wordpress-20/ http://www.command-tab.com/2005/12/24/wordpress-20/#comments Sat, 24 Dec 2005 06:53:51 +0000 Collin http://www.command-tab.com/index.php/wordpress-20/ WordPress 2.0 is almost here and sports a long list of new features, including the Akismet antispam plugin I rave about, as well as a backup plugin to keep your site safe. I can’t wait to upgrade, and may do a bit of a redesign shortly after (my CSS is ridiculous in size, and is still broken here and there). Having messed with a number of blogging systems on my own machine, I can yet again highly recommend WordPress for its two-minute installation, nearly infinite customizability, and overall ease of use.

]]> http://www.command-tab.com/2005/12/24/wordpress-20/feed/ 1 WordPress.com Goes Live http://www.command-tab.com/2005/11/22/wordpresscom-goes-live/ http://www.command-tab.com/2005/11/22/wordpresscom-goes-live/#comments Tue, 22 Nov 2005 05:57:38 +0000 Collin http://www.command-tab.com/?p=225 Mentioned briefly in my post about the comment spam filter Akismet, WordPress.com is out of beta and open to anyone who wants to sign up. Not to be confused with the downloadable version at wordpress.org, WordPress.com is a free Blogger style site where you can create an account and instantly run a blog powered by (you guessed it) the WordPress publishing system.

]]> http://www.command-tab.com/2005/11/22/wordpresscom-goes-live/feed/ 1 Akismet Kills Comment Spam http://www.command-tab.com/2005/11/06/akismet-kills-comment-spam/ http://www.command-tab.com/2005/11/06/akismet-kills-comment-spam/#comments Sun, 06 Nov 2005 04:52:07 +0000 Collin http://www.command-tab.com/?p=207 Akismet is a new comment spam defeating system designed by WordPress creator Matt Mullenweg. Instead of filtering all comments locally, each comment’s data is sent out to the Akismet servers and tested among spam for other sites to create a far more accurate judgment of it’s validity. The only prerequisite is a WordPress.com API key, which can be signed up for at their site. Installation couldn’t be simpler, too. Per their public request, I’ve disabled other comment spam plugins such as Bad Behavior (which may or may not fix RSS issues a few people are having). So far, I’m quite impressed with how easy it is to use. Time will tell if it really works. If you’re interested in using it on your own site, you can check out their FAQ, or go right ahead and download the WordPress plugin.

Update: It’s been 15 days since I activated Akismet and disabled all my other comment spam plugins, and so far I’ve seen only one unmoderated spam comment, while Akismet has blocked 1477 others. Those are impressive results! Also, WordPress.com is out of beta for those interested in getting an API key.

]]> http://www.command-tab.com/2005/11/06/akismet-kills-comment-spam/feed/ 4 Stopping Comment Spam http://www.command-tab.com/2005/08/29/stopping-comment-spam/ http://www.command-tab.com/2005/08/29/stopping-comment-spam/#comments Mon, 29 Aug 2005 19:35:57 +0000 Collin http://www.command-tab.com/?p=147 Lately, I’ve been getting a ton of comment spam on Command-Tab. Fortunately, WordPress (combined with an extensive “bad word” blacklist) has been able to catch 100% of it, so you never see it. However, I have to deal with the comments held in moderation and actually delete them. I’m wondering how to stop it altogether…

I’ve considered several options, including challenge/response schemes like a question or a captcha image script, but I want to make it as easy as possible for real humans to leave comments (without registering — I don’t like that idea), but near impossible for an automated machine.

For now, the spam is from a specific few IP addresses, which I’ve blocked altogether by blacklisting them in my .htaccess file. What are your suggestions on stopping comment spam?

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