This presentation will be on how to push WordPress to another level with Elliot Condon’s brilliant “Advanced Custom Fields” (ACF) plugin. ACF is a free plugin with optional add-ons, some of which are paid, but all totally worth-it. I’ll go in-depth with some PHP code samples and build a couple of real-word examples so you can see the power of ACF, and how it can make the lives of both the developers and the clients using WordPress easier. Advanced Custom Fields allows the developer to build a custom UI in the backend for clients to enter content that wouldn’t normally “fit” into the default content editor. Then the developer can pull the information that he/she needs with ACF’s simple API within the loop or custom page template. ACF also has a couple of special fields, such as “repeater” and “flexible content” fields, as well as a location selector field.

I’ll show how ACF not only makes it easy to pull data that the developer specifically needs, but also how it impresses the client and provides the opportunity for the client to have a no-brainer way to add content to even the most complex of sites. I have a few sites that use ACF extensively that I’ll show off, so that the audience can see real-world working (and complex) examples of the plugin in action on every page. Drupal developers say that WordPress is “limited” and isn’t customizable enough for developer’s needs. With ACF, WordPress can retain and display data in a simple to use, easy to manage interface that makes sense for everyone.

Lastly, I’ll go over my approach for planning a WordPress site with a client, knowing about ACF’s abilities. Keeping Advanced Custom Fields in mind, the options developers can offer to their clients seem limitless!

Speaker: Julien Melissas
Track: Developers