SlideDeck for WordPress now compatible with WordPress 3.0!

After being thrown a major curve-ball with WordPress 3.0′s new post_type validation for image attachments, we needed to re-think the way that we were storing SlideDecks within WordPress. We were already thinking about making this change in the SlideDeck for WordPress plugin anyways and this incompatibility ended up moving the update right to the top of the list!

We are happy to announce that the SlideDeck for WordPress plugin now takes full advantage of custom post types in WordPress 2.7+. We no longer clutter up your database with our own custom tables and as a great side benefit we are now able to interact with the media upload/insert box in WordPress 3.0!

Upgrading is easy, just don’t forget to backup any modified skins before you upgrade. I recommend comparing side by side your modifications and the skin updates in this new version as we have improved some of the styling to prevent accidental theme overrides to the SlideDeck’s appearance. If you have made any skin modifications, just overwrite the new skin files with your updated skin files.  We also look up old legacy SlideDeck IDs for any shortcode or template level implementations you have already done and automatically get the new, imported version of the SlideDeck – no need to go back and change anything!

Upgrading SlideDeck for WordPress Lite

Just update the plugin through your WordPress control panel if you are using the Lite version and we automatically import your legacy SlideDeck entries to the new storage format.

Upgrading SlideDeck for WordPress Pro

Download the new version of the plugin from the link you received in our update email and un-compress it to your plugin directory, overwriting the old files. After you have uploaded the new files, just deactivate and reactivate the plugin from your WordPress plugin control panel.

WordPress 3.0 compatibility isn’t our only change in this version. Check out some of the other features we’ve implemented:

• Improved image scrubbing in Smart SlideDecks – We have improved the filtering options for finding valid images in Smart SlideDecks. Your RSS based Smart SlideDecks (Pro version only) should much more accurately be able to find legitimate, non “tracker” or advertisement images in your feeds. Keep in mind that some RSS feeds still don’t show images in their item descriptions (excerpts), so even if you see images in the raw feed, they may not show up in your SlideDeck. We’re working on finding a way around this.
• Improved in-line documentation – Interested in taking a crack at hacking the plugin yourself? We’ve beefed up the in-line documentation a little to help you understand what all those functions do. Keep in mind though that if you hack our code, we can’t really support it.
• Improved slide backgrounds (Pro version only) – With the new improvements to the way we are handling SlideDeck storage we are now able to easily hook the media uploader to the Beta slide background feature. Now you can click on the Upload/Set button next to the slide background field and upload a new image or choose one from your gallery as your slide background!

About the Author: Dave Shepard

As the Lead User Interface Developer, Dave uses his development and interaction design experience to help create the most usable and innovative web interfaces. He works closely with the development, design, and marketing teams to strategize the most effective interface layouts. He has had extensive experience in front-end scripting, layout architecture, and interface development.He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Media Arts with an emphasis in Web Design from Platt College of Graphic Design, San Diego and graduated with honors at the top of his class. In his off-time Dave enjoys spending time with his wife and when occasion permits, visiting the land of Azeroth on the back of a flaming hell-steed - a unique juxtaposition to his off-line life.Find him on Google+