Show Takeaways

Pods has over 30,000+ active installs and is actively maintained.

Developing a Fields API for WordPress is hard because so many plugins and developers have created their own custom fields APIs.

Having a WordPress mentor like Helen Hou-Sandi is very beneficial for Scott and this Feature Plugin.

You should test and give feedback for the WordPress Fields API.

On this episode we hangout with Scott Kingsley Clark who works for 10up. Scott’s been maintaining and championing the WordPress plugin Pods and also leading the WordPress Fields API feature plugin for possible inclusion in WordPress core.

Show Notes

• Scott tells us about his history and how he got into WordPress.
• Scott tells us about the WordPress plugin Pods and how the Drupal CCK that started the plugin.
• Plans for Pods Version 3 and integrating it with CMB2.
• We talk about the WordPress Fields API project and how a mentor helps with Feature Plugins for WordPress core.
• Scott talks about the goals that need to be meet to make Core Fields a success.
• We talk about repeatable fields and various ways to store this meta in a performant way.
• Scott wants your feedback on the WordPress Fields API project.

Get In Touch With Scott

You can find Scott on Twitter.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 59:42 — 64.8MB)

Show Takeaways

Drupal and WordPress can co-exist

Throw right into the fire and work it out as a group (for transitioning platforms)

Don’t have preconceived notions to which platform is best and let the client requirements decide which one will work out

We hung out with Ethan Hinson, Senior Architect from Blue Tent. Blue Tent started out as a Drupal shop however found some inefficiencies with the theming layer for some client projects. Ethan took it upon himself to explore WordPress for the company and laid out a product to sell to potential clients built on WordPress.

Seeing as he is the principal architect for Blue Tent and managing developers and projects in both platforms, we thought we’d bring him on the show to chat.

Show Notes

Drupal

• With PSR-0 namespacing, modern PHP coding standards, and that Drupal is committed to RESTful web services coming, it’s an exciting time in the Drupal comunity
• Blue Tent is using Drupal building mobile applications by using Ionic
• Drupal will be used for the foreseeable future due to a 12 year investment to a proprietary piece of software

WordPress

• Early adopters of the API using 1.x branch moving to 2.x branch doesn’t seem daunting
• Ethan highly recommends learning Bourbon and Neat
• Day #1, deployment, continuous integration and provisioning happens with all projects
• Use Jenkins to handle all the automated processed for setting up staging sites, ticket resolution, etc
• Use Behat for behavioral driven tests rather than Unit tests
• Talk about the Fields API and some existing faults with the current solutions

Transitioning from Drupal to WordPress

• Developers weren’t kicking and screaming to use WordPress, but the sales and account managers were
• Loads of education for the developers, alongside the rest of the company
• Just get into it and see what happens then share experiences

Get In Touch With Ethan

You can find Ethan on Twitter and Blue Tent website.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:34 — 56.1MB)