So I’ve been coding (PSD to WordPress) this site (Deer Hill Expeditions), and I had a HECK-of-a time dealing with plugins. Specifically, I used MM Forms for the forms on the site. Well… let me back up even more. I started out with the Contact Form 7, a widely used form generator that failed me a great deal.
I installed Contact Form 7 and styled it to a “T” with great precision and detail. I had done this on a test WordPress install and had completed the design and implementation of the entire site. I will say that this site, as WordPress standards are concerned, isn’t an opus to me, but rather a site that sits as a standard WordPress design. The form had gone right along with the site; a great fulfilling piece.
I went on to migrate from the test site to the clients host company. Among the complications and problems, my Contact Form 7 plugin failed. I spent two weeks trying to figure out the problem. I’d like to say that up to this point in my WP endeavors, I have NEVER had a problem with any plugin. I do not assert that plugins are flawless and made by robots, but rather people who create these php tweaks for WP.
But I digress…
The fault that I kept running into was that the form was cached into the database that I was using. Not being that knowledgeable in php or databases, I gave up after 3 days of playing with it. I don’t feel like I threw my hands up in the air with the site or form. I found MM Forms, which mimics the Contact Form 7 and has worked NEAR flawlessly.
But, wait! This post wouldn’t be complete without another challenge. I installed MM Forms and, low and behold, there’s a bug!
For some reason the tag [name] is unacceptable for the plugin. It took me forever to figure this out, but I had to search for the right term on http://www.wordpress.org. I finally found it here: http://tinyurl.com/ylcgcoz. By not giving a specific name to the [name] tag, the form would go to a 404. The simple fix was take out [name] and replace it with [somethingelse-name] and then it worked fine.
The only reason why I bring up this issue is because of the human faultiness that is brought to the table when designing with a preset CMS and open source systems. All around the world, people contribute to the ever expanding to the internet and do it for free. This great, wonderful and powerful tool that we all use without thinking about it’s origins, catch up to us and delight us and frustrate the hell outta us. The contributors should never go unnoticed or overlooked. But what happens when the clustered-organization fails you?
Well, in this instance I had the opportunity to ask for help. But isn’t that the point? Along with the obscure design and implementation process of open source coding is the support behind it. I can’t think of a time where I haven’t had the opportunity to reach out to a web forum or someone I know that can help me.
This all may be the obvious, but I think that the thought of shouting out to the designers and beyond, deserve that “thank you” that you may have forgot.
So in my case…. thanks to all those who have ever contributed to my WordPress success.
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My WP profile… http://wordpress.org/support/profile/225863
