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Ok = I've looked around a lot for a clear answer to this, but find very few real answers. I would really appreciate some info from experienced individuals.

A tiny bit of background. I've worked content generation (among other thing) on a largeish website for many years, and it follows the pretty basic file system and discreet html (.aspx) pages for content. You want a new page, you make a new file and build your content. Done. I've built a dozen or so brochure sites like this as well. This is the system that makes sense to me, and I find myself a little hesitant to veer away.

CMS systems, like WP, obviously do not work like this. I am not inexperienced with wordpress. I've built and implemented a couple custom themes, but have "tried" to make the above file structure work "along side" of a wordpress install - mostly leading to headaches.

That is where I currently sit, having spent a couple of months of weekends building my new personal site (which is almost finished). The format of the site is pretty straightforward - its a developer blog (I do a lot of AS3), a portfolio for artwork, and a main intro page that contains a bit of both.

My file structure looks a bit like so:

 mysite.com-
     /css/ 
     /home/ 
     /images/ 
     /javascript/
     /portfolio/ 
     /php/ (holds a lot of php snippets that is included elsewhere)
     /swf/
     /wordpress/../theme/ (draws upon img/css/php in external folders)
     index.php

While I do very much like the familiarity of this structure, the cross sharing of assets between static files and dynamic wordpress content is a pain. My option is to turn all static files into templates, and make use of WP's database driven page system.

What do I stand to gain from "buying into" the WP system completely? Or, conversely, is a static file structure external to wordpress "workable" - and are there preferred methods of doing so?

I realize this question is somewhat subjective, however, the proper handling of static content is, I think, a quite valid point of inquiry (tho... you might not think it, considering how little info there is to be found on the subject).

Thanks

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2 Answers 2

Reset to default
3

Put everything into WordPress. This way, you can search your entire content from the built-in search engine, and you can edit each piece.

If you need pages with special markup create templates for your theme.

Naked Template

<?php
/*
 * Template Name: Naked
 *
 * That’s the complete template!
 */

Basic HTML5

<?php
/*
 * Template Name: Basic HTML5
 */
?>
<!doctype html>
<meta charset="<?php bloginfo( 'charset' ); ?>">
<title><?php wp_title( '' ); ?></title>
<?php
while ( have_posts() )
{
    the_post();
    ?>
    <h1><a href="<?php the_permalink(); ?>"><?php the_title(); ?></a></h1>
    <?php
    the_content();
}

Import

To import your old HTML pages use the plugin Import HTML Pages.

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3
  • I had not really considered the point about searching. That's the best reason I've heard yet. It brings up several questions about adding static pages... Considering I'm still going to use netbeans/ dreamweaver/ notepad++ for editing, is it just a copy/paste situation to get static content into WP pages? That seems like... a hassle at best. What about migrating that data from a testing to a live environment? What about internal folder structure in the theme - if i have a ton of content? ...lol... answer what you like, it looks like I have some studying to do. Thanks for the help.
    – Bosworth99
    Commented May 24, 2011 at 14:34
  • 1
    Pasting content seems like a hassle initially, but once it's entered, that's it. I just did a complete site redesign for a client, 500+ content pages. It took me a couple of hours from design to completion, I touched exactly 3 files. If presentation and content were mingled, that would be impossible. I also added a caching plugin- everything cached and static files on a content delivery network with a few button clicks, possible because WP is managing all of the files.
    – Milo
    Commented May 24, 2011 at 15:05
  • @Milo I have added a link to a plugin which should help you migrating the static pages.
    – fuxia ♦
    Commented May 24, 2011 at 15:21
0

I prefer using dynamic WP pages. So I feel more organized and I dont break the structure.

Just my opinion :)

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3
  • 1
    This does not provide an answer to the question. To critique or request clarification from an author, leave a comment below their post.
    – Brian Fegter
    Commented Aug 28, 2012 at 5:31
  • 1
    @BrianFegter Oh, it does answer the question :) "Looks good" for me, but the question itself got a close vote for "not constructive".
    – kaiser
    Commented Aug 30, 2012 at 13:05
  • @kaiser Word :)
    – Brian Fegter
    Commented Aug 30, 2012 at 13:16

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