[wp-edu] how to set new site defaults on WordPress 3.x network

[James Tryon]

This sounds fun,

This is going to be a quick replay, sorry for any typos ;c p

I have done a couple sites like this in the past.

I have used a couple plugins from wpmudev.org so yes you would need to signup but its worth it.

1 - created an example site.
2 - Use a child theme to keep a clean upgrade path. 
	- Strip out things from the theme file that you do not want. Like the commit include in single.php
3 - set all your settings and remove anything that you do not need or want.
4 - set it as a template | http://premium.wpmudev.org/project/new-blog-template
5 - set the template as the default theme on creation of new site.

I have also taken this a step further for a network of site that where city based and added to more plugins 

One for custom short codes  and the other was a post or page lock. 

I went in and created the whole site.
then swapped out things like 
- emails
- addresses
- dates
- names

what ever the client wanted the sub-sites to change but not all the text on each page. 

Then we set up the post/page lock on most of the pages. Left some unlocked, like the about pages. 
Only the super admin can change the locked page status.

And all the sub-sites can do what they want but cant brake or change anything.

Thats a quick run down on how I have set something like this up in the past.

James Tryon, Creative Director
Easily Amused, Inc.


On Mar 31, 2011, at 4:10 PM, Whisler, Dave wrote:

> I’m running a WordPress 3.0.1 multi-site network at my university where I work.  
> I need a way to easily change some of the new site “default” parameters that are used when I create a new site on the WP network.
> While I want to do this, I want to do it safely without modifying core (for obvious reasons) or something else that might put the site at risk when upgrading, etc..
> It seems like this should be rather easy, but I have yet to figure out where to do this.
>  
> Here’s my preferences for a new site:
> 1.       No posts
> 2.       No pages
> 3.       No links
> 4.       Comments are disabled sitewide
> 5.       timezone to “New York” (aka:  EST / UTC – 5 hrs)
> 6.       set a certain header image of my choice
> 7.       permalinks – Month and name
> 8.       writing settings – size of the post “25” lines
> 9.       widgets – set which ones should be in any new sites
>  
> I realize that likely some or all of these cannot easily be accomplished, but setting some up front as we need, would be better than none.
> As of right now each time I create a new site for someone, I either need to walk them thru setting up the defaults and deleting the “default” content off the new site OR do it myself, which either way is wasted time.
>  
> Thanks,
>  
> Dave Whisler
> University of North Carolina at Charlotte
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> wp-edu at lists.automattic.com
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