Blog Improvements Page

This is a list of plugins that I’ve used to tweak WordPress to my liking – both for my memory and for your use! This page will grow as I find things and remember to write them down!

First a note about wp-cache, which Dreamhost highly suggests using (wp-cache comes with the WP install)!

Anyone using wp-cache and PHP 5 should note there is a problem with blank pages coming up when wp-cache is enabled. Here’s a fix I found on another site (taken from google cache since the original site was down):

I’m a big fan of WP-Cache – in fact, it’s one of my Top 9 Wordpress Plugins. When I first installed it though, not all was well. I’m sure many of you have had the same problem, so I’m going to address it here, and offer the simple solution.

If, after enabling WP-Cache, all your pages fail to load, then you have a problem. You can only see the page after you reload it – not acceptable! Fortunately, the solution is very simple, and not very techy. Here goes.

Open up the WP-Cache folde, and look for a file called wp-cache-phase2.php. This is the offending file that is causing the problem. Open it up, and do a search for “ob_end_clean()”. Once you find it, simply replace that phrace with “ob_end_flush()”. Save the file, re-upload it and overwrite the existing file, and you’re done. Your pages should load flawlessly, and a bit quicker to boot.
Why is this fix necessary? Well, WP-Cache was written for php4, and many people now have php5 on their web server. PHP 5 needs the ob_end_flush() command to work correctly.

Inline AJAX More – turns all “more” tags into an extended entry on the same page using AJAX!

Spoiler Tag – keeps information from being spoiled until the reader wants to read it!

IM Online Status – widget and plugin that shows whether you’re available for IMing!

Filosofo Home Page Control Plugin – allows you to quickly specify what you want your static homepage to be for your WordPress install (if you are trying to use it as a CMS) and what directory you want your blog to “appear” under.

Netflix Plugin – gets information on what your current Netflix movie is

Netflix Widget – displays what your current Netflix movie is, to be used with Sidebar Widgets

WPG2 – WordPress Gallery2 Plugin – allows you to embed part or all of your gallery 2 into WordPress

Weather Underground Widget – displays your current conditions, courtesy of WeatherUnderground.com

Sidebar Widgets – a neat plugin that allows easy customization of your sidebar

WPG2 Block Widget – makes the WPG2 gallery image block a widget so you don’t need to hardcode it into your theme.

LiveJournal Crossposter – have a LJ blog as well? Use this plugin to past your WP entries to a LJ account!

Now Reading – have an extensive library to read? Want to share what you’re reading, what’ve you read, and what’s to come? Here’s the plugin for you!

Advanced TinyMCE Editor – actually makes the WYSIWYG editor in Wordpress useful!

Lightbox 2 for Wordpress - brings Lightbox display functionality to your images in Wordpress. – Has major problems with firefox. Use this instead – LightBox 2.4 plugin for Wordpress

Countdown Timer - allows a countdown to be placed on a page or in your sidebar as a widget

Page Sidebars – lets you have different sidebars for each page!