To Page or Post?... that is the question...

Discussion in 'WordPress' started by Bizza, Aug 3, 2010.

  1. #1
    Hi gang,

    I don't know anymore! So we've got "pages", "categories" and "posts" in WP... right? What I don't understand is what the difference is with each? And...

    Is it better to create my articles as a post or a page? And...

    How can I change a category to become a page so that I can assign posts under?:confused:

    Thanks in advance.:eek:
     
    Bizza, Aug 3, 2010 IP
  2. CoderJosh

    CoderJosh Peon

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    #2
    Use pages for something rather static, like "About me" and "Contact".

    Use posts for regular articles.
     
    CoderJosh, Aug 3, 2010 IP
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  3. Bizza

    Bizza Active Member

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    #3
    Thanks Josh :D
    When you mean "static", I'm guessing it means non-dynamic?
    If so, isn't an article (a "post") just the same (i.e., a static page/file)?
    If so, why can't we turn posts into pages and then assign them under a relevant sub-page instead of a sub-category? The reason is, when you click on a category, the link takes you to a page which outputs all the posts (articles) assigned under it. Is there a way of adding content to the categories file (or whatever it is?)? Hence the reason why I need to change the categories to pages. ;)

    The current structure (from what I've gathered so far):
    Pages > Categories > Posts > Tags

    What I need is:
    Categories (+sub-categories) = Pages or Topics (+subs)
    Posts = Articles
    Tags = Glossary


    => Topics > Articles > Glossary

    But I can't get the categories to change to pages (or vice versa), unless I create a new page under the same category name (incl changing the permalink). Curiously, you get a URL for both that reads the same, and it doesn't separate the two by creating a "2" on the end of the filename! But which one it output first(?) I don't know.

    Any suggestions?
     
    Last edited: Aug 3, 2010
    Bizza, Aug 3, 2010 IP
  4. hmansfield

    hmansfield Guest

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    #4
    You use pages for information that doesn't change frequently
    You use posts for new information and updates.
    You use your categories to organize your posts by subject matter.

    Don't over think it. That's all there is to it.
     
    hmansfield, Aug 3, 2010 IP
  5. Bizza

    Bizza Active Member

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    #5
    You know... you're absolutely right! I think my mind has been so cluttered lately that I've forgotten how to think simply again.
    Thanks matey ;)
     
    Bizza, Aug 3, 2010 IP
  6. ayekaye01

    ayekaye01 Peon

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    #6
    use post for articles like news, updates etc. and use pages for home, about, contact us and the like.
     
    ayekaye01, Aug 3, 2010 IP
  7. psharma

    psharma Prominent Member

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    #7
    Do you really think so much?
    Try to think simple again and you will get to know that:

    WP Pages are meant for pages in your website that contain permanent data and are meant to be listed on the home page.

    For example: if your website is a portfolio website ( using wordpress ) use pages to show "our previous work" and you can also use subpages to categorize that work into "logos" , "banners" and "websites". More pages must display about us, prices, order form, etc.

    Categories simply categorize the posts which are actually blog entries and are meant to be displayed most recent first. tags simply connect similar posts and tag cloud help someone find a post of his interest
     
    psharma, Aug 4, 2010 IP
  8. Bizza

    Bizza Active Member

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    #8
    Thanks for that psharma ;) I really appreciate your (and everyone's) help on the matter.

    I totally understand what you are all saying, but I think my question was more related to 'how WP creates permalinks' for pages vs categories under the same topic?

    Another question I have is; how can I get to edit the categories page, or tags page? When you go to click on a tag, or category, it spits out all the relevant articles assigned to it right? Now on that page, what do you see it say? It would say something like... "Posts tagged Sunglasses". Now where can I go to change or add info for that tag page (i.e., how do I edit sunglasshut(dot)com/tag/sunglasses)?
     
    Bizza, Aug 5, 2010 IP
  9. psharma

    psharma Prominent Member

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    #9
    Ok, I understand your question.
    Permalink of a page named news would be: http://www.sitename.com/news
    permalink of a category named news would be: http://www.sitename.com/category/news
    and about editing, you can not do much with the category url. it is autogenerated ( and also a serious cause of duplicate content as it shows the same posts as content which have their own urls each) but some plugins can make it possible to customize the categories a bit.
     
    psharma, Aug 5, 2010 IP
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  10. Bizza

    Bizza Active Member

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    #10
    That's very helpful and nice to know. At least now you can see my dilemma :p
    All I wanted was to have a main static page describing the topic (as the category) in more detail (with images etc). Then have a list of all the articles on that url.
    I know I could turn everything into posts, then assign them within the relevant category, but the category url created by WP is not easily accessible, let alone editable.
    If there's a plugin to remedy this, it would be awesome!
     
    Bizza, Aug 5, 2010 IP
  11. psharma

    psharma Prominent Member

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    #11
    Yes there are plugins which make the categories display more interactive, search categories in the Wordpress plugins archive.
     
    psharma, Aug 5, 2010 IP
  12. Bizza

    Bizza Active Member

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    #12
    Cool... will do. Thanks for your help. ;)
     
    Bizza, Aug 6, 2010 IP