Thanks for blogging with us! Below are some basic instructions for making a post.
Plan to create one post, which you will return to and edit as you proceed with your build. This helps us make sure the story of each boat is easy for readers to follow.
If you’re already familiar with WordPress, the most important takeaway from the below is that we use the Advanced Gallery block instead of the standard Gallery block for more options when adding multiple images.
Starting Your Post
To create a new post, click Posts in the dashboard sidebar, and then click Add New
Click on Add title to give your post a title. We recommend including your name, the boat you’re building, and where you’re located.
Next, start writing your post. You’ll be typing in what WordPress calls the Paragraph Block, which is one of the three main blocks you’ll be using.
Paragraph blocks have an editing menu above them with basic formatting tools, like bold, italics and a link tool. These work the same as in any word processing program.
WordPress will autosave your post, but it’s always a good idea to hit Save Draft in the top menu from time to time while you’re working, or before you leave the page if you’re not going to publish your post right away. At any time you can preview your post on the site by clicking the Preview button at the top of the page.
Each time you hit return, WordPress will create a new Paragraph block. You can add a different block by clicking the + icon at the left of top menu bar, or the + at the bottom of the block you’re working on. You can also type return and then / to bring up the block menu.
The main blocks we’re going to use are the Paragraph, Image, and Advanced Gallery.
Adding an image
To add an image, select the image block.
A prompt will appear. Just like most word processing programs, you can either drag and drop a file directly from your desktop, or click Upload and select the image you want to use.
Once you’ve selected your image, it will appear in the page. You’ll see settings in the column on the right — generally for single images, we leave the Image size set to Large or Full Size.
Adding a Gallery
To add a gallery of multiple images, we use the Advanced Gallery block. If you don’t see it in the default blocks menu, use the search bar to find it. This will give you more options to work with than the standard gallery block.
Just like the Image block, drag and drop or upload the images you want to include in your gallery. You’ll be able to select multiple images to upload at once.
You’ll see the images you’ve uploaded into the block. At any time, you can use the gray bar at the bottom to add more images to your gallery.
You can click on images and use the blue arrows to change their order within the gallery or the X to delete images. You can also click the edit button in the block menu to edit your gallery.
Use the sidebar on the right to style your gallery. Generally we use the Grid setting. You can choose the number of columns to display, and what ratio to crop the images to.
If you have a mix of vertical and horizontal images that you don’t want to crop, you can also try the Masonry setting.
Finally, if you want larger versions of your images to pop up in a lightbox, select Media File under Link to and Lightbox under Link Triggers.
Editing Your Post
You can move blocks around by clicking the up/down arrows to the left of them, or dragging and dropping them within the page. You can also click the More options menu to duplicate or delete a block.
You can always click on a block to edit it. There are also undo and redo buttons in the top menu of the page.
Publishing Your Post
Before you publish your post for the first time, you’ll want to set the Categories and the Featured Image for your post.
Make sure the Document tab is active in the right sidebar. Click on the Categories menu and check Student Builds and the boat that you’re building.
Next, click Set featured image
Just like with the image blocks, you can upload an image, or select an image you’ve already uploaded from the Media Library. Then click Set featured image.
And finally, when you’re done with your first entry, click the blue Publish button!
Whenever you have an update to add, you’ll just select this post from your dashboard and add to it. Some folks like to title their installments, or add dates, and some just leave it as one continuous story. It’s up to you. Each time you add a new installment to the post, click Publish again when you’re done to update the version live on the site.