This method allows my clients to manage their own gig / event list by simply creating events as individual WordPress posts in a particular category – for sake of argument let’s assume a category entitled ‘Gigs’. The code then takes posts from this ‘Gigs’ category and displays them – past and present – in a listing.

Now this was always possible for past (published) post dates, but clearly that is not of much use in this situation, since the whole point of a gig or event list is to advertise future events, rather than past events. Fortunately, since the advent of WordPress 2.xx (not quite sure what version of 2 – to be safe use the latest version), you are now able to display future (scheduled) posts and it’s this functionality that I exploit to display a gig / event listing.

A later refinement has two headings on the web page, ‘Gigs’ and ‘Previous Gigs’; once the gig / event date has passed and the scheduled post becomes a published post, it dynamically moves from below the ‘Gigs’ heading and reappears below the ‘Previous Gigs’ heading. Sweet!!

Examples

Links to live examples …
http://www.heathersimmons.co.uk/gigs.php
http://www.digbyfairweather.com/gigs/

Notice how the ‘Gigs’ events are ordered in chronological (ascending) order with the next event at the top of the page and future events further down the page. As the top most event date passes, it dynamically drops down the page and reappears beneath the ‘Previous Gigs’ heading and the next dated event is then displayed at the top of the page under the ‘Gigs’ heading. The ‘Previous Gigs’ are listed in reverse chronological (descending) order.

Q: Why display past gigs / events at all?
A: Well, I’ve found that some artistes like their punters to see which of the more salubrious venues they’ve recently performed at – particularly if they’ve just played the 100 Club, or Ronnie Scotts, for example.

This is how it works …

Display Past Events

As mentioned earlier, it has always been possible to display a list of past events (published posts) – after all this is pretty much the anatomy of a blog. So to display only past posts from the ‘Gigs’ category – ie previous events / gigs …

<h2>Previous Gigs</h2>

<?php
$my_query = new WP_Query('category_name=gigs');
while ($my_query->have_posts()) : $my_query->the_post();
$do_not_duplicate = $post->ID;
?>

<dl class="giglist">
<dt><?php the_time('l, F jS, Y') ?>:</dt>
<dd><?php the_content(); ?></dd>
</dl>

<?php endwhile;?>

Note how the ‘WP_Query’ function is used to query only for posts in the ‘gigs’ category:
WP_Query(‘category_name=gigs’);
Then the results are displayed in a definition list – with a class of ‘giglist’ to enable future styling.

Display Future Events

However, to display future dates (scheduled posts) from the ‘Gigs’ category, I exploit the ‘post_status=future’ function which became available within WordPress 2.xx …

<h2>Gigs</h2>

<?php
$my_query = new WP_Query('category_name=gigs&post_status=future&order=ASC');
while ($my_query->have_posts()) : $my_query->the_post();
$do_not_duplicate = $post->ID;
?>

<dl class="giglist">
<dt><?php the_time('l, F jS, Y') ?>:</dt>
<dd><?php the_content(); ?></dd>
</dl>

<?php endwhile;?>

Note how this time the ‘WP_Query’ function queries only posts with a post status of ‘future’ in the ‘gigs’ category and also specifies that they are listed in ascending (ASC) order:
WP_Query(‘category_name=gigs&post_status=future&order=ASC’);
Again the results are displayed in a definition list – with a class of ‘giglist’ to enable future styling.

Complete Code

Of course, it makes more sense to have your future gigs / events at the top of the page where they are most visible and previous gigs further down the page. So the final code would be …

<h2>Gigs</h2>

<?php
$my_query = new WP_Query('category_name=gigs&post_status=future&order=ASC');
while ($my_query->have_posts()) : $my_query->the_post();
$do_not_duplicate = $post->ID;
?>

<dl class="giglist">
<dt><?php the_time('l, F jS, Y') ?>:</dt>
<dd><?php the_content(); ?></dd>
</dl>

<?php endwhile;?>

<h2>Previous Gigs</h2>

<?php
$my_query = new WP_Query('category_name=gigs');
while ($my_query->have_posts()) : $my_query->the_post();
$do_not_duplicate = $post->ID;
?>

<dl class="giglist">
<dt><?php the_time('l, F jS, Y') ?>:</dt>
<dd><?php the_content(); ?></dd>
</dl>

<?php endwhile;?>

A Touch of CSS

Now, all that that remains is to add that touch of style:

h2 {
font: 120% Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-weight: bold;
}

.giglist {
font: 80% Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
margin: 0 0 0 10px; padding: 0;
list-style-type: none;
 }

.giglist p {
margin: 0; padding: 0;
}

.giglist dl {
margin: 0; padding: 0;
list-style-type: none;
}

.giglist dt {
margin: 0; padding: 0 20px 0px 20px;
font-size: 90%; font-weight: bold;
background: url(http://www.stylegala.com/img/_bullets/0093_bullet.png)
no-repeat 0 50%;
}

.giglist dd {
margin: 0 0 19px 0; padding: 0 20px 0px 20px;
}

In Closing

The precise time of day at which an event dynamically moves between ‘Gigs’ and ‘Previous Gigs’ can be manipulated by adjusting the post’s time parameter. If it’s an evening event I tend to set the time to around 22.00hrs or 23.00hrs. This way the event is listed under the ‘Gigs’ heading all through the day and only transfers to the ‘Previous Gigs’ heading when it’s too late to be advertised under that day’s events. After all, there’s little point punters turning up to a gig if the drummer’s already loading his kit into the van!!

I’ve used definition lists as a means of displaying these events – now, should I have used unordered lists instead? I guess it comes down to your take on the W3C directives. However, if unordered lists, or even tables (since it’s tabular data) are your preference, then these layouts are easily implemented.

There’s a setting in WordPress, ‘Blog pages show at most’ which determines the maximum number of posts displayed on a page. The default setting of 10 will need to be increased if you intend displaying more than 10 gigs / events on your page.
In WP version 2.3.x, it’s here: Options / Reading / Blog Pages / Show at most.
In WP version 2.5.x, it’s here: Settings / Reading / Blog pages show at most.

For alternative bullets – look here:
http://www.stylegala.com/features/bulletmadness/

Thanks to ‘mfields’ of the WordPress community who put me on to the idea of exploiting the ‘post_status=future’ function in the first place.

And blog’s your proverbial uncle!!

Appendix 1

Display a message if no future gigs exist – thanks to KayBee for thinking of this – a useful refinement I think. Seagyn Davis has the answer – an if statement with the have_posts().

I’d do it like this I think …

<h2>Gigs</h2>

<?php
$my_query = new WP_Query('category_name=gigs&post_status=future&order=ASC');
?>

<?php
if ($my_query->have_posts()) : while ($my_query->have_posts()) :
$my_query->the_post();
$do_not_duplicate = $post->ID;
?>

<dl class="giglist">
<dt><?php the_time('l, F jS, Y') ?>:</dt>
<dd><?php the_content(); ?></dd>
</dl>

<?php endwhile; else: ?>
<p><?php _e('Sorry, no shows at present.'); ?></p>
<?php endif; ?>

Question:

• My server provider, Talk Talk, advertise ‘Up to 8 Meg download speeds’. What does this actually mean?

Answer:

• By 8Meg, they are in fact referring to 8Mbps (megabits per second), not MBps (megabytes per second). This can be misleading since people often quantify the amount of data they are downloading in megabytes (MB). So if, for example, you were to download a 10MB file, over this 8Mbps Internet connection, it would in theory take 10 seconds. I say in theory, because few people ever hit their advertised speed – factors such as distance from the exchange, congestion and traffic shaping can all slow down the connection speed.

To Explain The Above:

As the names imply, megabit refers to individual bits, whilst megabyte refers to a unit of 8 bits. Most authors use the convention whereby: Mbps = megabits per second & MBps = megabytes per second. The conversion is easy: 1 byte equals 8 bits, so 1 MBps = 8 Mbps.

Most networking hardware is rated in megabits per second. For example, a 10Base-T Ethernet operates at 10 megabits per second and a 100Base-T Ethernet operates at 100 megabits per second. Internet access is also measured in megabits per second. Although service providers seem to do their very best to confuse the issue by often quoting their speeds in Meg.

So in the Talk Talk example above, where a 10MB file is being downloaded over an 8Mbps Internet connection – the calculation is as follows:

• 10MB (megabytes) = 80Mb (megabits) – remember 8 bits in a byte.
• 80Mb (megabits) / 8Mbps (megabits per second) Internet speed = 10 seconds.

From l977, after giving up his day-job, he worked amongst others with Dave Shepherd, the Midnite Follies Orchestra, the co-operative quartet ‘Velvet’ (formerly Stephane Grappelli’s Trio) and the Pizza Express All Stars. Later, from l983 he concentrated on a variety of solo projects (including collaborations with veterans Nat Gonella, Britain’s first star trumpeter, and double-bassist Tiny Winters) and led his own band the ‘Jazz Superkings’ … read on …

Visit: Digby Fairweather’s Site / Blog »

Blog Design

Is it a website or is it a blog? Now that’s a good question.

The site is certainly WordPress based and utilises a blog, however, as with normal websites there are also static pages – including the ‘Gigs’ page, which is updateable by Digby himself through the WordPress admin function.

As with my other blogs, this site utilises LAMP technologies (Linux, Apache, PHP and PHP), is wholely customised, Web Standards compliant, usable, accessible and cross-browser compatible – tested in Firefox, Safari and against all odds even Internet Explorer!!

Visit: Digby Fairweather’s Site / Blog »

Also, read what the real movers and shakers in the business are saying about Heather, including a reference from the late great Humphrey Littleton.

Heather’s music draws from the 30′s / 40′s Jazz era, so the remit was to recreate that look and feel.

The page has a simple and uncomplicated appearance, accomplished through the use of three background images forming the header, content and footer areas of the page. The page itself has a subtle drop shadow effect to define the page boundaries.

Although the home page is largely static in nature, it does use WordPress as a Content Management System (CMS), pulling in content from two WordPress categories into two divs at the bottom of the page entitled ‘Heather’s News’ and ‘Forthcoming Gigs’. These WordPress categories are fully managed by Heather herself.

To display posts with a future date, the Gigs page utilises a new WordPress function available only in versions 2 and above (I think) called ‘post_status=future’. Consequently, Heather is able to create gigs as though they are posts, giving the post the date of the gig. Using a PHP query, the page displays any gigs with a future date under the ‘Forthcoming Gigs’ heading and as the gig date passes, the post dynamically disappears from the ‘Forthcoming Gig’ heading, reappearing under the ‘Previous Gigs’ heading. And, this is all fully managed by Heather herself.

Sweet!!

Since this calendar / gig list is something I have seen addressed in numerous unresolved WordPress Forums postings, I will be writing this up in more technical detail in the near future.

The site is of course fully ‘Web Standards’ compliant, usable, accessible and cross-browser compatible – tested in Firefox, Opera, Safari and against all odds even Internet Explorer!!

Visit: Heather’s Website »

A disabled person can make a claim against you if your website makes it impossible or unreasonably difficult to access information and services. If you have not made reasonable adjustments and cannot show that this failure is justified, then you may be liable under the Act, and may have to pay compensation and be ordered by a court to change your site.

The Disability Discrimination Act, 1995 (chapter 50) can be downloaded in its entirety here

Part III of the DDA (Disablity Discrimination Act) refers to the provision of goods, facilities and services – and the Code of Practice 1, specifically mentions websites. However, the relevant sections from the 175-page Code of Practice are as follows:

• 2.2 (p7): “The Disability Discrimination Act makes it unlawful for a service provider to discriminate against a disabled person by refusing to provide any service which it provides to members of the public.”
• 4.7 (p39): “From 1st October 1999 a service provider has to take reasonable steps to change a practice which makes it unreasonably difficult for disabled people to make use of its services.”
• 2.13 – 2.17 (p11-13): “What services are affected by the Disability Discrimination Act? An airline company provides a flight reservation and booking service to the public on its website. This is a provision of a service and is subject to the act.”
• 5.23 (p71): “For people with visual impairments, the range of auxiliary aids or services which it might be reasonable to provide to ensure that services are accessible might include … accessible websites.”
• 5.26 (p68): “For people with hearing disabilities, the range of auxiliary aids or services which it might be reasonable to provide to ensure that services are accessible might include … accessible websites.”

Before spending vast amounts of money on over-priced Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) consultants, ask your web developer to ensure that your website conforms to W3C and WAI standards; then, sit back and watch your ratings soar.

There’s an excellent article written by Roger Johannson, entitled ‘Basics of Search Engine Optimisation’, which explains this in some detail. I’d recommend that anyone interested in improving their SEO, and hence their site’s rating, should read this article before doing anything else. However, the main gist of the article is to emphasise how much SEO has in common with accessibility, usability, and high quality markup – the very principles of web standards. It transpires that search engine robots love valid, semantic markup – so yet another reason to use accessible and well marked up content.

With all my websites I take considerable trouble to mark up the pages in semantically correct fashion, conforming to Web Standards as defined by the W3C and accessibility as defined by the WAI. You’ve heard of political correctness; well I may not be PC, but my sites are most certainly SC.

That said, I’ve realised that none of my current websites are any longer using faux columns except for: Captain’s Blog » and the Digby Dog Blog ».

Thanks to Dan Cederholm », from whom I got the idea of faux columns.

And you can read Dan’s article in full here: Faux Columns ».

The W3C states that tables should only be used for the presentation of tabular data – more specifically, it states that:

• “Tables should not be used purely as a means to layout document content as this may present problems when rendering to non-visual media. Additionally, when used with graphics, these tables may force users to scroll horizontally to view a table designed on a system with a larger display. To minimize these problems, authors should use style sheets to control layout rather than tables.”

Well, there you have it!

This site, which displays no tabular data, consequently uses no tables – woohoo!! The layout is achieved purely through style sheets – look Mum, no tables!

The site is a static 950 pixels wide and as such can be viewed in any screen resolution from 1024×768 upwards without any horrid horizontal scrolling.

Tested in: Netscape 7.xx; IE/Win 5.xx, 6.xx & 7.xx; Safari 2.0.1.

Thanks to Darren Hoyt and his ‘Mimbo’ WordPress theme for the inspiration for this magazine style layout.

It was was great there, loads of good places for long walks in the country and lots of pubs let me in, which was excellent, as it encouraged the Ancient Silver Bearded One (ASBO) to take me out. He also helped me set up this blog, so that I could keep in touch with Z.

Well, as soon as Z finished her travels she came straight down to Wiltshire to pick me up and we returned to Leigh-on-Sea in time for Christmas. It was great to see all my friends again – they all made a proper fuss of me. But, the funny thing is, everyone kept asking if I was going to keep the blog going – apparently I’ve got fans all over the place – I’ve even had a fellow blogger trying to sell me life insurance!! So, Z and K said I could keep on blogging – woohoo!!!

Visit: Digby Dog Blog »

Blog Design

This WordPress based blog, utilising LAMP technologies (Linux, Apache, PHP and PHP), is wholely customised, Web Standards compliant, usable, accessible and cross-browser compatible – tested in Firefox, Safari and against all odds even Internet Explorer!!

Visit: Digby Dog Blog »