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What am I Missing? Integration Woes


MichelleD

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I'm new to TNG - I actually purchased it back in 2015 intending to integrate with a Wordpress site, but got frustrated by the complexity of doing so and set it aside.

I'm ready to try again and purchased the upgrade to the latest version of TNG. I managed to get through the complexities of converting my FTM GEDCOM for import into TNG. Then managed to get all my photos linked properly. But I just can't seem to get it properly integrated with WP and I'm frustrated again. I've built other websites. It isn't like I'm incapable. But this has me pulling my hair out. I want to spend my time researching and making my research available to interested family...NOT constantly troubleshooting technology problems. 

My primary reason for wanting to integrate into Wordpress is my desire to blog. For this project I'm not so terribly concerned with site design, as long as it is intuitive. TNG has some nice templates and it seems I can customize and tweak them some, if I want. 

So, I am thinking about keeping my Wordpress site and just customizing my WP theme so it has the same basic look and feel as whichever TNG template I choose. This will allow me to blog like I want to, and I can just link back to my TNG pages - and from TNG create a link back to my blog. I also won't be limited to the themes that are compatible with TNG.

This seems like such a simple solution that I feel like I must be missing something. Why wouldn't I handle it this way? What will I be missing out on if I separate them this way? I want to make a final decision before I put to much time into this. 

Thanks!

 

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Hi Michelle,

This is one way to accomplish a WP-TNG integration:

How I made my WP-TNG website

 

PS: 

  • No change to the core file’s of TNG.
  • No change to the core file’s of WordPress.
  • Independent of TNG versions and/or WordPress updates.
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HeatherFeuer

Hi Michelle,

I'm sorry you're having such a hard time. It really should be easy to do an integration. The easiest method I have found is the one Cees Kloosterman figured out. Follow his link above for full instructions. And if you still find it difficult, message me. I'll be happy to help you out.  

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Hello Michelle !

I am using 5 or 6 different CMS at a time for my projects. Looking backwards, I have found that each CMS has its own specialized features : TNG for genealogy, PunBB for a forum, ad-Hoc for Pages, Piwigo for photos and documents, Shaarli for press review. And I have kept them separate, after trying several way of integrating one into another. Of course, I try, within each project, to keep a similar look, customising the sites with CSS. And on each site, links are displayed towards the others.

Furthermore, I managed some other links between the sites : the photos can be included from the album inside the Pages,  the forum, the press review, directly via the editor. I display the last messages of the forum and the news from the press review on some of the other sites.

This way, I hope my visitors are not too much lost, because of the common look and the links between sites which look nearly like inside links. And I am sure I can offer them the best of each world without compromises.

And it helps keeping my mind awake and sharp, since I juggle with different types of databases, different file organizations, different hosting providers...

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Thanks everyone. I am still undecided. I want this to be a fun project that I can enjoy in my limited spare time, not one that I have to constantly fight with to get/keep the technology working. But I am going to try one more time using Cees method. I have been looking at all the example sites, and the fully integrated WP sites definitely come closest to my vision, so I am hoping it works!

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HeatherFeuer
1 hour ago, MichelleD said:

Cees method worked beautifully! Thank you!

I am SO glad to hear it! I am a firm believer in the integration and the possibilities for providing outstanding content, so I am always unhappy when I hear about someone's frustrations. Have fun with it!

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Thank you so much, Heather and Cees for the encouragement. I got very little sleep this weekend but I am really proud of what I accomplished. Take a look: http://amongourancestors.com/  My TNG database is private (happy to share if you actually want to see it), but I promise it is working well. I just need to figure out some custom CSS styling now, to match my theme. But otherwise, I LOVE it!! I'm so excited to have a place to publish everything I've been collecting!

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HeatherFeuer

Your site is beautiful, Michelle! What theme did you use? To change the colors of TNG to match your theme, I highly recommend the TNG Colouring Book. I use it any time I am doing an integration and I can't get the colors I want from an existing theme. To see a somewhat extreme version (my estimation), check out https://cathyheather.net. I don't require a login to see the dead people. ;)

Have fun with it. That's the important thing!

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Compliments Michelle!

I see that you are also using the AVADA theme that I recommended.

Good for you, works great with TNG

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I did use AVADA. Thank you for the recommendation! I like it so much, I am now considering it for the redesign of another site I manage for my business. 

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